May!

May2

He put the screen door up today so winter if Officially over! it’s been a lovely warm week, Two days now since we’ve had a fire.

Mom in law is coming for a week so I have to do spit & polish this week getting ready so not much progress for the weaving. Started my Ravelry WAL yesterday but for once, I did Plan Ahead so that it should run without too much work on my part. If you want to join in, it’s dolls, of course. American Girl Doll Knitters on Ravelry. Here’s Ellie & Kirsten goofing off in a pre-photo shoot wearing the new pattern. One of them. There’s more! For the 18″ & the 6″.

And I cooked the last turkey and have it made into MRI’s. Also canned beans this week. Boy! ain’t I been busy! lol Just wanted to check in. I get the loom out when the ball game comes on so still working at it, just less time now.

Hope you are all getting your gardens in and the spring cleaning out of the way s0 you can get back to weaving, too!

More of the same…

Apr25

Still weaving the blue squares for the next top and working on things to share with the weavers in my proposed workshops this summer. I need a production crew! lol I have so may ideas that will never get anywhere as there is just not enough time to weave them all. Well, you know what I mean, I’m pretty sure we all have that same problem, if problem it be. I’m trying to sketch them out as I dream them up but am fallen behind in that, too.

But meantime I am about to try the layout again on this one. I think I likely still have squares to weave but must be making a little progress. We have ball games most every night now and that’s my weaving time. The Giants even won last night! Beat LA! Yeah! lol

This stuff is a little difficult to weave because of the little loops in the yarn. I get the needle threaded though them instead of over and under. I did find a fatter needle that barely fits between the pins but it has a wider blunt end and so does not pick up the loops as easily. That helps it go a little faster.

And you know it is gardening season again. Randy picked up pea seed in town yesterday and if it does not rain again (what’s chances!) I hope to get the first ones planted tomorrow. I got the bed ready last week. My fall planted cabbages are growing now, too. I am told that they won’t make heads but will just bolt as soon as it gets warm. I hope not, that was the idea of planting them late last fall, to give them a early start this spring. I have only grown them once, this past spring so am not very experienced with their druthers.

The peaches bloomed in the rain so am not over confident about my peach crop this year. The apples are just starting leaves, so they may have a chance. It’s almost time for rhubarb but we can find no sign of Randy’s asparagus. I’m thinking of digging up the peonies and iris and planting tomatoes in that bed. I might make an iris border but the peonies are a waste of space. They make pretty flowers for a short time which all have weak stems and fall over. I like flowers who can take care of themselves. The iris, gloriosa daisies, pansies, marigold, and zinnias, day lilies. bee balm.. there’s lots of them I have one peony in a wine barrel that does fine. It can stay. Well, that’s a lot of work so it may not happen anyway.

But hey! If you are hunting for the perfect place to spend your summer vacation I have just the one for you! Check this one out!

http://www.trinityalpsrealty.com/pre_search_trinity_center/results-125246p/detail-12R177534

Back again

Nov15

I keep vowing to do better as a blogger and then falling behind again. It was a full canning season this fall with a huge apple crop, also pears and making relish of the green tomatoes after putting the garden to bed. Not trying to say I didn’t have time, just didn’t take time, I’m afraid. Here’s just a few of the apples canned and frozen. Not to mention eaten both raw and in a pie! And the relish which will be nice in potato and tuna salad next summer!

But I did finally get the yarn I ordered so have been weaving more squares with the Shawl In A Ball yarn. And now it’s nearing holiday season so have been making a few little things for the FireBelle’s fundraiser sale. I donated a couple of 4″ looms to be made up into a basket. But I got the tree ‘bug’ that a lot of other’s have also gotten.

And I also made up a few little needle books & some poinsettia pins and a couple tiny socks both woven and knitted. People will be looking for stocking stuffers, too.

I have a couple more ideas tho it remains to be seen if I get them done in time.

In any case, I hope you are all getting those leaves raked up before the white stuff starts falling. At least I hope it’s going to start falling, so far not even a good frost here. But lots of pretty leaves!

So… Wishing you all a great Family Thanksgiving! And for those who don’t have their family close, Blessings for you as well!

Is it May already?!!

May10

Well, as you probably suspect, I have finished none of the projects I’ve shown here, lots of excuses, no real reasons. Just didn’t get around to it in most cases. But a couple weeks ago there was a county wide yard sale, one of those semi-annual things up here where you go from door to door, and town to town. We never left Coffee Creek but I bought a new “doll”. This one is taller than me but I immediately set about weaving her some clothing. Here is Madelyn wearing her new pencil skirt and Diamond Block top.

The skirt is woven using the 6″ square Mutli loom. It’s lined as well to help it hold its shape even tho Maddie doesn’t sit, I thought that a good idea. The top is made up of 7″ Quilt Weaver Diamonds. This photo shows it not quite finished but you can see the diamonds better. I worked a row of sc and a row of reverse sc around the neckline to draw it up just a bit. Maddie is very thin so almost as hard to fit as I am, being rather wide. I used some stash yarn to weave this set. One of the ideas I’ve had– you know the ones that lurk in the back of your mind and only come out in those middle of the night waking periods– is to weave an evening dress. I have absolutely no use for this kind of garment but I’m thinking that Madelyn may yet end up with one!

Meantime, I think a couple more practical items are in line. I am trying to work up some ideas for a clothing weaving class. It just seems to me that since we have all these looms we should do more with them than the occasional couch pillow or baby blanket. The little easy dust collector items are cute but really, how many can you use? But clothing is something we all need all the time and can be both practical and pretty! Anyway, that’s my idea.

And speaking of practical, it’s also gardening season and here’s my first go at growing broccoli. How ’bout that!

Hope you are having a green & growing spring while still getting in some weaving time!

March already

Mar25

Well, it’s been a awhile since I’ve posted. Sorry about that, but it’s been the season of the Doldrums. Not fully winter with all its beauty and not fully spring with all it’s beauty. That in-between stage with lots of mud and rain and mud and warmish today and back to freezing tomorrow… you know.

And then we had that slide a few weeks ago that cut us off from town. So today, since they have the higher route plowed and open (it’s usually closed for the winter) we decided to go to Redding. The view from the top almost makes the trip worthwhile. We truly live in a beautiful country. I only hope we can keep it that way. Between SP & the pot growers clear cutting and spraying defoliant.

It was a sea of fog in the valley, but the ‘sea’ looks very different from above. Looking back west toward Billy’s Peak and home. That’s the last peak there on the right. We live at the foot of it.

Looking east we can see that Mt Shasta has a nice white covering, too. Elevation for Billy Peak is 7275′, while Shasta is 14,180′ which will explain the difference in the depth of the white part.

But in town I got some new yarn, which Jane Grogan (Teacher from Wisconsin) pointed me to. It might be interesting, at least. It’s a Red Heart yarn called “Scrubby” and is supposed to make face washers and pot scrubbers. I have a hard time imagining one for both uses! lol My face gets dirty, but not, I hope as dirty as my pots and pans! Well, I will weave up a couple today and give them the Test and let you know what I think about this. I think Red Heart is taking this opportunity to turn it’s reputation for scratchy acrylics into a virtue!

The sun is out this morning and the primroses, daffodils and forsythia are blooming. The weeping willow is leafing out and the buds on the peach are getting fa,. signs that spring may arrive after all! Hope you are getting those good signs where you live as well!

Weaving colors

Feb21

Played with the 7″ Quilt Weaver Square yesterday and worked a experimental hounds-tooth. Trouble is that the pin count is an odd number so it doesn’t come out even. Going to have to play with it a bit more. Tried it on the diagonal but goofed that one up and frogged it. It will work but it may be a bit loose, I’ll have to do it again and full it before I decide. The diagonal 2 red-1 white worked out evenly and looks nice.

I’ll keep playing with these. If you want more information, I posted a project page on Ravelry. I also got out the bag of 4″ squares I have previously woven and am intending to work on that again since the xmas vest ran short. I may have to wait for OFFF in Sept to find more of that yarn or something as a go-with.

Meanwhile we’re at the stage of winter/spring when Mother Nature can’t seem to make up her mind which it is to be. Hard to decide plans from day to day. But I think my plans so far for today is to weave and not do much else. Hope you are getting some weaving time!

Our Summer Trip

Jun23

We’re home again. Two weeks on the road is at least a week too much! lol We had a great time and met lots of people and made some new weavers and increased the stash for some others. Here’s one weaver who brought her project to BSG to share. Love that! Also the one from last year at OFFF. Pat Cane does some extra by weaving in strands of the opposite colors to blend her triangles very cleverly together. Isn’t it lovely?! I love seeing the projects you all weave!

I made a new doll dress with squares I wove demoing the looms here at the show, too. And met another Dolly weaver who bought my pattern book. Nanette has promised to share when she gets something made for her Granddaughter! Here’s mine.

But besides the two shows, Big Sky Fiber Festival in Hamilton. Montana and Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, Oregon, we visited the country along the way. I have so many pictures I could not possibly share them all but here’s a few. What a beautiful country we live in!

On our way up we stopped at an alkali lake in Eastern Oregon. A “rain” storm and a sunset.

Then we picnicked on top of the world in Montana.

On the way back we camped in a great park on a lake near Sandpoint, Idaho.

And I almost got a photo of the paddle wheeler on the Columbia Gorge coming home, on the border of Oregon and Washington. We were in Oregon, looking back at Washington across the way. I took this out the truck window across the railroad tracks.

We had a great trip but, as always are glad to be home. the garden has gone wild with summer coming on so will have some catching up to do there and are working hard to get orders shipped out as well. Randy has looms to make and contractor jobs to do as well. But we’re home now until September…

Hope your summer is filled with fun and not too hot!

Getting ready

May18

We’ll be leaving for Nampa, Idaho on Friday so are busy getting thing organized. If you pardon my using that word in is loosest sense! Well, Himself is Organized. I’m just hoping for the best, organization not being one of my strongest traits. But I am making lists.

Meantime, I have had interest in the Baby Wolf but no one so far has claimed it. We will not load it up unless someone asks us to bring it along.

And we’re getting the garden in while it is rainy and a little cooler, giving things a good start. I’m trying some Alaskan corn this year. We never get a good corn crop as it just is not warm enough here but this one claims it likes it a bit cooler. It seems to be doing well so far! X your fingers for it!

Corn

And the roses are as lush and beautiful as ever! My deck looks like there’s been a wedding with all the petals there!

If you get a chance to come to Fiber Train in Nampa, I do hope you’ll come by and see us. This is our first year there with the looms and we are looking forward to visiting this historical city.

Spring

May8

It’s the 8th of May and the roses are in full bloom. Definitely an early spring. A little cool this week and windy but still getting a lot of gardening done. My Alaskan corn is up and growing. this is going to be an interesting experiment. It is a small corn designed to grow in adverse conditions. I think the weather this year qualifies for that! But I thought that if it is successful in Alaska it ought to produce a couple ears down here. X your fingers!

Meantime,. I have not made any progress on the demo vest. I am thinking I may just give up and do the cut and sew. At least I’d have a vest I could wear. I don’t suppose everything has to be a big challenge, some thing can just be easy, huh? And I got out my bag of squares which I think are wool or silk or…? I’

ve forgotten, only that they are not likely to be machine washable. I am putting a couple things though the gentle cycle this morning and am adding one each of these blocks just to determine what will happen. If they dont’ entirely ruin, I will go from there. I am thinking another vest. This one ought to be lighter weight, tho, more fit for cool summer mornings and evenings.

Meantime back to spring… the rhubarb is also ready! I’m not a fan of strawberries with it but I made it half and half with a couple sweet apples and it is just yummy! Tamed the Rhubarb a bit and gave the apples a little jazz. We’ve made big holes in two pies so far and I have the makin’s for a 3rd! I think I’ll wait until next week with that one as sis is planning a trip down.

Meantime, a little fun project!

Mar28

The windsock I made in April of 2008 has finally did what the plastic bag makers told us they would. It’s on it’s way back to it’s component parts. I tried to save it, but it was falling to bits as I worked . Then my eye fell on the basket of yarn snippets and scraps. The birds have never shown any interest is using this lovely nesting material so….

You can see that there were all sorts of bits in the basket, lace to bulky, wool, acrylic, mohair, cotton… I picked randomly and decided on the spot if it was long enough. It’s mostly pieces from about 4″ to several yards in one case. And I decided that the knots were a design element so pulled them all to the right side.

But the knot-less side looks good, too. The green is a square I wove for the one that just ‘died’. If you have a stash of fairly young bags they do make light and fluttery wind socks. Mine lasted 7 years. I have no idea how long the yarn one is going to last. They all get exposed to all sorts of weather.

And here it is out on the maple with the remaining plastic bag one. I still have a small ball of this knotted yarn so there might be more coming. After the cardigan is finished, of course!

Hazel Rose

My Life in the Country

Archives