Found one of my bins of woven doll things out in Le Shed. I thought those bins were mouse proof. Live and learn.
That was Molly’s Miss Liberty costume. But the rest of the bin was okay so I’ll get some pictures of other things I’ve made.
It’s still snowing but (knock knock) the lights are still on!
The Month of March is Weave ALong month on Ravelry Knitting for American Girl Dolls, for those who would like to try their hand at a different yarn craft. You do not need to be a weaver, because while this is weaving it is a simple and easy form of that ancient handcraft.
I will be weaving on the 4” Hazel Rose Multi Loom but this project can be made with many different brands of looms. You may own or be able to talk Mom or Grandmom out of their old Lomette, Weave-it, Weavette, even the more modern plastic zoom loom. If you have the HR Tiny Weaver square, that will also work. There are probably several other small looms that weave a 3 ½” to 4” square that can also be used
The larger looms, like the HR 7” square and the Potholder looms, will not be suitable for this project.
We will, of course, be happy to sell you one of our quality, hand-made hardwood looms but I am also offering a do-it-yourself instruction to make a temporary loom for those of you who think you might like to weave with us but aren’t sure enough to want to invest a lot in this project. This little foam board or cardboard loom will be sturdy enough to weave the blocks needed for this project and will last long enough for you to decide if you enjoy the craft. If you find you love weaving, you may then decide if you want to purchase a more permanent loom. email or PM me for this one.
Meantime, you will need your loom, a weaving needle, and your yarn. The needle you can buy are a low cost at most any carft or yarn store. The Yarn can be fingering, Knit Picks Palette makes a thin, light fabric, but suitable, Stroll sport is the one I used for this dress, and have also used light weight worsted sizes. Unlike knitting, which will change the size of the garment when you change the size of the yarn, these squares will always be right around the same size. What does change is the texture of the fabric. The heavier the yarn the stiffer the fabric. If you decide to use the self made loom, I’d advise using the finer yarns so as to put less stress on your little loom. The hard wood looms are stronger and can handle the draw-up for any of these yarns, of course.
I am going to be offering a 10% rebate or coupon* to WAL members on the 4” Multi Loom for this event. That includes the loom, the weaving needle, and the booklet with instruction as well as the project instruction for the dress we will be making & a couple others as options. * I’m trying to figure out how to do that on my web site so be patient. If you want to go ahead and buy one now it’ll have to be the rebate. But you need to let me know you are in the WAL.
We would like to start this project on Feburary 27. This is an early notice to allow time to find your loom and to select your yarns and weave a few practice squares. I would be happy to have an idea of how many of you are planning to join this WAL.
I will be posting the WAL info to my blog, https://hazelroselooms.blog/ and also inviting members of the Facebook pin loom group to join us if they wish. My view is that of “The more the merrier”!
We had great fun with the WAL’s the last times we did this and I hope this one will be just as much fun.
I picked the Starry Day dress because it is all 4″ squares but if you have another choice please feel free to suggest. We can decide together. I will post some pictures of possible patterns that do not need a collection of looms.
There will be a prize winner chosen at random between the finishers. I will keep a list of finishers on Ravelry but you will have to let me know via email with a photo if you are not a member.
Another one you may have seen and forgotten and a New One!
And don’t forget your little SweetHeart loom! There’s no instructor for this one but I think you can see how it’s done. I made a little lightly stuffed pillow with the felt and attached the heart.
And the new One! some of you start to feel stressed by all the work involved in making a the perfect Christmas for your family. I hope you remember that they’ll love you even if it isn’t perfect! But here’s a little reminder to cheer up and it all works out in the end! There’s more -click the (misspelled) link below!
A fun, easy project kids will love! Little weavers can even make their own!
I don’t have to be “Dreaming of a white Christmas” this year. It’s already white and the Weather Wizards tell us we’re going to have Nice nice new snow on Christmas day and it looks like, the whole week after! Delightful, since we have no travel plans this year. Staying home by the fire! But my poor Tennessee Red cedar doesn’t seem to like Trinity winters. It broke away from it’s support. I think it may need a cage until it can grow a thicker trunk.
We’ve been working like crazy in the shop this month. I did not plan well. Those of you who’ve had to wait for your looms know this. I really didnt’ expect the new fine sett to be quite so popular! But I think we have just about got it done. The last one goes out tomorrow, then no more until after the holiday. And of course, in the middle of this rush, the Loom maker got sick and then with the snow storm the power was out for three days! One of the special woods that was ordered decided it didnt’ want to play. Randy had to make those looms 3 times before he got one to do what it was supposed to do. You would not think a lovely board could be so troublesome!
I finished up the last weaving projects for Little looms Magazine and actually did a little knitting making my mini dolls new Christmas outfits during our evening movie. I was asked why the green theme. I had to admit convenience, it was handy! lol
And I did actually finish the patchwork shirt in the previous post. after I fulled it became apparent that the yoke was too short. While I was looking for the yarn to weave more squares, I lucked out and found just the right number of already woven squares in that yarn! I promise to get a photo wearing it, one of these days when there is a little light for pictures.
But meantime…………………
Hasn’t improved things, I’m still behind and still losing things. Story of my life lately. Bah Humbug! Finished the 4″ square Christmas sweater for that Brazilian ladies’ yearly JAL. White on white just doesn’t work. So after 4 tries I went to a pale blue back ground and finally got a good photo. Even made a file especially to put it in. Computer tells me this file is empty. Cannot find that picture anywhere on this perverter machine! Not going though all that again so too bad. I do have a picture of Piper wearing it, tho.
I’m mostly working on the stitch patterns for the continuous weave looms. So far mostly the 7″, both regular and fine sett. And finishing up some magazine submissions. And I have to make bread today. There’s stuff in the yard and flower beds that need some pre-weather cleaning up. It May happen. And the ravens are hanging around in the neighborhood today, being noisy. Not common here, wonder what’s up with that. They have been before during fledgling season but I told them to come back Nevermore!
Okay, with that I guess I’d better get the laundry started and the roast ready to go in the oven. Hope your December is starting out more cheerful!
Local fires. Coffee Creek is the yellow oval on the right. It’s about 14 miles mostly bad dirt road.
https://zoom.earth/#view=41.058244,-122.847436,12z/layers=fires
But while the fires aren’t all that near, the smoke is! It was really bad yesterday. We were closed up and it got hot and muggy in here but we could breath at least. Today the smoke is higher and I have the house open to get some new air in here. I can’t smell it today at least. Not a good ‘aroma’.
I took these pictures this morning. The smoke is starting to settle now so I’ll be closing up soon.
Where we can’t see Bonanza King Mt.
Where we can’t see Morrison gulch.
I think we’ll be safe, at least for some time yet, You really can’t predict where these things will go and until we get a good rain they won’t be out. They are usually pretty good at protecting small towns, tho we’ve seen examples where there is just nothing anyone can do. I’m looking on the bright side. but if it happens and we burnt, I seriously doubt I could bring myself to come back. That would be a issue I hope we don’t have to face.
On the more cheerful side, I’ve finished with the peaches. We have a bowl of sliced in the fridge for dinner and then we’re done for another year. I’m knitting a “meet dress” for my new used American Girl Kirsten. That’s been interesting making up the pattern as I go along. As you can see from the pro photo, I have a way to go! I’m thinking I may embroider one row of little red flowers on her bodice but no way are they going to be all over!
The long view of the garden that’s my potato bed ther in the front. his corn, cucumbers on the trellis and really giant sunflower out in the middle. it planted itself, likely with the help of the jays last year!
The kale and green beans make a nice back drop for some pretty zinnias in the garden.
Hope your August is going well!
I was thinking about that and remembered I had woven some bunnies in days of yore so headed out to Le Shed to see what I could find. The lavender bunny was the first one I made and that back in the first year we were making looms. Back when I was doing a newsletter. I’m not sure where that went, just kind of faded, I guess. But this 20 year old bunny is still hanging in, looking a bit worn but still identifiable! He’s pretty simple so I think you can probably figure out how I did it by this little sketch.
This sad little guy came sometime later. He does have real rabbit ears tho drooping like they are here they look more like bear ears in this photo. The back view shows them and how I gave him a tail. It’s just a cotton ball sewn on. He’s also made with two triangles but I just tied off his ears and gathered his neck a bit. The rest was playing with some needle sculpting. Wasn’t very good at it but he does sit up and shows a bit of legs and arms. His nose is a big French knot, and I gave him glued on goggle eyes.
The third bunny is the newest one, only a few years old. I used some fuzzy yarn for him and a square and a triangle. As it happens, I did write this one up! It’s a downloadable pdf file. Hope you enjoy this one!
Been playing catch-up after our trip, loom orders, chores, garden, Himself putting brakes on truck and my car, and we tackled Le Shed! I am overjoyed at that! It has been such a mess that I could hardly even get in to find anything. Quite a bit went bye-bye and the rest got “organized”- and I use the tern loosely. There is still some sorting to do but at least everything is back on shelves and not just stacked around.
Mostly ‘stuff’ , with some yarn. The old dresser is outa here, too.
There goes the twin bed to the garage.
He caught me heaving another box out.
It’s all put away now and he’s built new shelves so some of the ‘stuff’ in the house can move out there, too! Now back to garden. The beans need canning and there is enough zucchini for a batch of relish. He gripes about eating too much zucchini but loves it in this form! I picked a couple bell peppers and some small cherry tomatoes today, too. The chard is doing well and the late planted kale is about ready to cut. Lots of melons & pumpkins coming on and I think some of the beets are starting to make roots as well. So I’m going to be busy. It only got to 97 today. Canning weather? Gasp. 😉
Maybe it’s time to try out our nearly full lake!
Insert wolf whistle?
Have a nice week!
All my resolutions to keep this blog regular have failed so I guess I’ll just promise to do it when I think of it this year! sigh….
But today it’s snowing. Lovely! If we get enough of this stuff maybe we won’t have such a “hot” summer this year!
Elsewhere I have been busy in the shop, & I’m signed up to teach a pin weaving class at Black Sheep this year. I’m a little disappointed that they did not take my more advanced class but am happy to be teaching the beginner class anyway. That’ll be the 4″ Multi, if you are interested. I’m going to offer the advanced class to OFFF and Lambtown. Maybe one of them will take it.
I got out the peg loom and my Pentdelton Mills selvages with weaving a rug in mind. However, my sample turned out way too thick for a kitchen rug, which is what I had in mind, so I guess I’ll make a set of chair pads instead. My sample is rather pretty, even dh said so.
And today I baked my Windmill Cookies. I paid $7 for a little jar of Mace so I thought I’d better use it. And I’ll see if I can find some other uses for this fancy spice. I like the flavor but it won’t go with everything.
And I read that modern mother’s like sleep sacks for their babies rather than blankets. I have to admit it makes sense. They were talking about babies smothering in the blankets. That seems unlikely to me, I never heard of a baby smothering in it’s blankets and the only problem I’ve ever found with them is keeping the baby covered. They sometimes kick them off in the night so that’s why I think the sleep sack is a good idea. It’s kind of like the old gown with the ribbon tied at the bottom, Kind of an extra long sweater with the hem sewn shut. I’m going to make one for my niece’s girl, due in April. Still trying to decide on the yarn to use. The snow is so pretty, but I’m not wading out to the yarn shed today. I’ll wait until it’s done and not quite so cold and wet! But I have some alpaca squares I wove for a sweater for myself but found that I am not going to have enough. Maybe I’ll make one using those. Not exactly baby colors but maybe modern mother’s don’t do pink and blue anymore, either.
And I’m in a KAL with the doll knitters. That’s for movie evenings. Well, That’s about it. I think tonight will be comfort food. I’m thinking something featuring macaroni and tuna. Hope the power stays on….
Hope your new year is getting off to a lovely start!
Hazel Rose 