Archives

Winter work…

Nov6

It’s November even tho with temps in the 60’s as high and the lows just in the low 40’s it doesn’t really feel very wintery. Well, except for the rain and gloomy skies. And gloomy husband. He doesn’t do well in continual darkness and besides has jobs that need to be outdoors in dry weather so that’s adding to the frustration. I’m fine tho it worries me a bit that it’s not getting cold. We are still picking pole beans and when I cut greens yesterday there was a bee buzzing around in the borage. Not normal winter conditions for these mountains. Well, I guess we’d better start getting used to the “not normal”. They are suggest a vague possibility of some snow on Monday. Not holding my breath!

But meantime, with the WAL coming to an end, I got out my cardigan project. My favorite orange sweater is wearing out. When even Himself notices it’s sort of ratty condition I guess it’s time!  So I’ll be weaving 12″ squares for some time. I’m reusing a frogged knit sweater that turned out to be a bad idea, mostly a bad fit. And I have another one that is in line for frogging as well. I guess I’d better stick to weaving! lol I balled this yarn up but it hasn’t been washed before weaving with it. I’ll find out if that’s a good idea.

     

But today I have to finish up a batch of apple sauce and sand a couple looms as well. The sweater is going to take awhile to finish.

  And there’s enough apples  left for a pie.

 

Last Week….

Nov3

Looks like I was mistaken about the enduing date! The WAL will end on Wednesday November 11. That adds a couple more days for those of you who need a little more time to finish! Go! Go! You don’t want to miss a chance at this prize!

The last Week of the Anniversary WAL. It ends Monday midnight. that gives you 5 1/2 days to get your red bird finished up. Remember, you don’t have to make anything of it to qualify as a finisher, just need to have the chart woven and assembled. Of course I’ll be delighted if you do manage to get it made into something so try for it! How about adding a waist band and making it a Hostess apron for your Thanksgiving get-together?! A  little old fashioned maybe retro!, but I remember Momma wearing her prettiest aprons for those festive occasions when she had to be in the kitchen as well as in entertaining guests and family. But in any case I hope to see a few more finishers getting a chance at our BIG PRIZE!!!

A few pieces woven on the fine set. the lacy bit used the Croquette. It’s about the size of #30 crochet thread, I think. Has a bit of metallic sparkle which never shows in photos.

Post a comment to let us know how you are getting along with your project!

Raining fish and frogs!

Oct21

Well, not really. Used to do that once in awhile when I lived in Florida years ago, but never seen it here. But we are all delighted to see it raining hard enough that the Fire Service people are considering the fires to be OUT!  

I finished my Antimacassar yesterday but was not able to load it here and it kept timing out. So I’ll try again! I added a 14″ triangle to the top to hang over the back of the chair to keep it in place and still let the whole picture show. I’m not really very happy with the additional stuff on the top left but not unhappy enough to rip it out and do over. Worked a SC in white around the edge just to finish it off neatly. Now I just have to find a shiny black button to give him an eye. Sister insists that he needs one in spite of the fact that it’s probably not going to show.

So I hope you are all making some headway, maybe even starting to assemble? Hope to hear some progress reports!

Remember, this weeks prize is a 4″ Multi triangle loom! The dusty one in the photo is mine, you’ll get a new un-dusty one!

Row two is the most complicated bit and that is really not that hard once you look at how it’s put together. It’s just overlapping triangles!

Happy St. Pat’s day!

Mar9

Here we are in March again! St. Valentines day is gone and Easter is coming. It was spring yesterday and today started with winter white! St Pat’s day is right in the middle. I started weaving this little project awhile back but time got by me and now it’s nearly here, But this one is a quick one so go ahead and start!

Have a happy March!

Shamrocks 

© HazelRoseSpencer 2021

Small HazelRose SweetHeart Loom

100% wool worsted weight yarn, green.

Weaving needle

Notes:

You can weave this with man-made fibers but it will be bigger as it will not felt. You’ll need a washing machine to felt this. These are useful as well as decorative. They work as a doily under a tea cup or soup bowl or as a mug rug to protect your furniture from drips. They are quick to make and make nice little hostess gifts as well.

Felted they will measure about 5″ or 12.5cm across.

 Instructions:

Weave four hearts.

Weave in tails leaving about a half inch of yarn hanging out. Once these are felted you can clip these ends. This helps make sure nothing comes undone.

Sew two hearts together on one side. Twice.

 4.Sew the two sets together.

Crochet a double chain* to make a stem.  Connecting it just off the underside edge, weave in ends.

Felt. I put these in a small laundry bag and washed them in hot water with a couple bath towels. Smooth them out when washed and lay the flat to dry. I did not put them in the drier. When they were dry I steamed them flat and trimmed the ends. These are sort of felted to the back so you would not have to clip them but I think it helps them lay flat.

 

 Crocheted double chain:

Pull loop though to the back, chain 2.

   

Insert hook into stitch on the left and pull a loop up. Chain though both loops on hook. Repeat until your chain is as long as you want it. Fasten off and weave ends into chain to hide.

To use as mug rug, using a good fabric glue & glue the Shamrocks to a piece of non-skid backing. Cover the top with a bit of saran or foil and place a moderate weight, like a book, on it and let it set for at least several hours. Cut around the non-skid, making the backing just a little smaller than the wool so that it does not show from the front. Check your glue label for washing instructions. The saran is to keep any glue from accidently getting on your weight.

Summertime…

Jul4

The livin’ may not be easy for everyone, but up here in the boonies it’s not too bad. The garden is thriving. I picked peas this morning. There is something so satisfying about shelling peas. The one chore I actually look forward to.

  Shelling peas.

Big bowl full

The zucchini are in full stride too, of course! Tomatoes growing, beans- bush, climbing, and lima- blooming. I’ll be sweating away in the kitchen with the canner soon. Not a chore I really look forward to, but the results are satisfactory.

I am weaving, too, a couple projects I intend to offer to magazines so won’t show those yet. But I was doing some stuff with Log cabin that turned out pretty well. They’ll make nice coasters or, well, about anything else you might want to make!

  Diagonal weaving on the weave-it loom. Plain and log cabin.

Same thing in Green. This one done of the Multi 4″ square.

Still hoping to make it up to Sis’s this year, but will be a couple months yet, it seems. I’m getting a new knee middle of this month and then there’ll be some visits to the Torturer to learn how to use it, but I hope to get though that part quickly. I go in the 13th to get my lecture from the surgeon on being too heavy, but I have actually been losing. We’ve been walking up the hill every morning. Made it to the top again with only one stop to pant , this morning!

So I hope you all have a sense-able 4th of July weekend. I want you to all stay safe! Both heath-wise and fire-wise. There’s been a lot of air traffic around here this morning that I am hoping is just precautionary. We can save our fireworks for New Years when there is snow on the ground. They look even prettier then anyway!

Meantime…Happy Birthday USA-I hope you are around for another one!

Happy New Year!

Jan1

I do hope you all have a safe and comfortable start to a prosperous and reasonably happy 2020! A little verse we should keep in mind.

 

But now is the time for Resolutions! Right? Like maybe changing a few, well, shall we lay less desirable habits? Like being a little more Organized. I know that it is not literally a 4 letter word, but has been pretty much in that category for me for most of my life.  Looking for a loom this morning, I found this stuff in the basket by my chair. All but the jar of Ricolas, the new Territorial seed catalog & His shoes and newspapers. Needless to say, the loom was not in there! Not in my loom case, either. So I guess I’ll start this morning putting all this in it’s proper place. If I can find that place. Trouble is they are not projects., just experiments. I think he gave me a new shoe box, I suppose I can label that Weaving Experiments. Then that leaves me to find a place to store the box. Hopefully where I can find it again when I need it. Like I apparently did not do with the missing loom!

Ah well, I guess the other fun thing I get to do on new years Day, is bills. Oh well, it’s my 1st of the month job. He does the taxes and is a great wood worker but he really sucks at financial matters beyond that.  We all have out strong points and he is Very Organized. It’s rare that he can’t find something no matter how long ago he had it. I, on the other hand, have to rely on luck when hunting something.

But there you go. I think the weather wizards are using the same system for forecasting the weather. And Mother Nature is using a roulette wheel to decide! We go from a huge surprise snowstorm right before thanksgiving, I mean nearly 4 foot, to rain ever since! Temperatures have run from 14 degrees F to nearly 70! And it’s raining this morning and 38 degrees on Jan 1. I don’t even want to think about Australia while I am whining about our weather. I would happily send them our rain and the foot of snow that’s left if I could.

Well, on the brighter side, trying to heed the advice picture I posted above, we are looking forward to adding a new loom to our line up this year. It is our 20th year in the loom business! It’s has been an interesting 20 years! We’ve met some wonderful people and done more traveling that we ever thought we’d do. It’s been fun for the most part and we’ve both learned a lot! Our only disappointment is not being able to interest the kids in the business. Well, they have their own lives, our parents were not delighted with our choices, either, but we all manage to make it work to our best comfort. Anyway, keep an eye out for our anniversary announcement sometime later this year!

And I hope your year is starting off the way you wanted it to! Best Wishes!

Hazel & Himself

Just the two of us!

December.

Dec15

We celebrated Thanksgiving with 3 foot of light powdery snow. But as we were not going anywhere or expecting company we were able to sit back and enjoy it. Lost power for 13 hours, not bad. It’s failed a couple times since but just for a short time, 3-5 hours.

Not going anywhere for Christmas, either. first time in years we’ve spent that holiday at home. It’s rained since the snow so melted about half off. Still enough white out there to light up the house all night with the full moon! I think we are assured of a White Christmas, even tho it’s not quite as pretty as it was! He’s been shoveling and putting away all the stuff we got caught short of with that big early snowfall. And he’s done shop work, of course. We’ve been working on a couple experimental looms, looking at the future. We’ve been to a few social events, school plays and Lion’s Club dinner. Went to see Sound Of Music by the Trinity Players. Very professional job. They always put on a good show.

Have a few gifts to get in the mail tomorrow. Yes, I’ve done some weaving & some knitting. Weaving squares with the WAL on Looms to go, Ravelry. Not doing a project, just using imagination to weave a 4″ square to a theme. Relaxing, really.  Not too much imagination probably. My snow angel ended up just being what i call a set of wings. maybe you can see them? I gave the gingerbread some red gumdrops in case it was what was left of a gingerbread man! There are a lot more themes for this and I’ll get a few more made, maybe.

Mostly its the time of year to sit back and relax, enjoy the fire, read, and let it all flow over you. New year coming on, plenty of time to get back to Real Life then.

Have a wonderful end of this year!

Almost done with November, Already!!!?

Nov23

Yeah, time is flying again! Don’t know how it does that, seems we just started this month. sigh. Well, I dont’ have much to say, been trying to keep up orders and clean up around the place in preparation for winter. Which the Weather Wizards say is to arrive mid week! Needless to say we aren’t ready for that, either.  Well, the pantry is pretty well stocked and the wood shed is over flowing this year so the important stuff is done anyway. Garden clean up has not gone so well, better get myself out there today. It was 26f this morning, tho, so I think I’ll let it warm up just a bit first.

Have an appt Dec 2 to see a surgeon about knee re[placement. I think I’m changing my mind about that, tho. It has not been bothering me this summer or fall. At least not to that degree. I have never liked the idea of someone cutting on me, at least not to that extent. My doc has ‘froze’ off those mysterious growths that old people get but that’s pretty minor. Well, I’ll go talk to the man, anyway.

Here’s a couple pictures just to spruce up this post. I’m sure I’ll be [posting some snow pictures later this week!

Drying some persimmons from a neighbor.

The first rain in a couple months. It did end up really wetting these rocks, tho most was gone the next day.

Maybe a little smile. 🙂 But turkeys here are safe from us at $2,99 to $6.99 pound. We’re having beef- it’s cheaper!

Have a lovely holiday! Don’t forget the Thanks part! No matter how it’s going there is still something to be thankful for, we need to acknowledge that!

Indian Summer?

Oct22

No, I don’t think so. Thermometer says it’s 71, that’s a nice temperature, I guess. The day started out at 35 and a fire in the wood stove. Nothing summery about that. Lovely, tho. I canned 9 more pints of apple sauce. I think that’s about 18 so far. Many more apples to deal with. I need to put some in the freezer for pies. More applesauce. He wants to try his hand a cider. I’m thinking of drying a few, maybe chopped bit for adding to oatmeal or snack mixes. Below are from Noel’s tree, not sure what they are but good. Crispy, sweet tart. Good for cooking or eating. There’s 3 lugs of these, two of the Romes and a half bucket of Hyde Kings. Plus the pears are still hard tho turning yellow.

Sarah and Rachael came by the other day to visit. It was good to see them . She’s bought a house in Weaverville so will be almost a local! Rachael is 13 now, hard to believe. Karen’s been gone 7 months. We’re getting old. My mom told me it would happen, tho I didn’t believe her, of course. On the brighter side, they brought me a pumpkin! A decorative one this time, prettier than my wagon load. Not going to carve it, we get no trick- or-treaters up here. The school in Trinity Center has posted a map showing houses and groups  who will have treats to pass out. So the kids all go down there where the houses are closer together. Can’t blame them I guess, but I used to enjoy seeing them in their costumes.

Himself just brought home another load of fir fire wood.  And some oak. A neighbor took out a bunch of fallen and broken firs this summer after the storm last winter and offered it to us. Can’t say no to free firewood, but I think we’re working on next year. He doesn’t leave this winter’s wood supply until fall like he used to. The wood shed is almost full plus this.

Well, That’s pretty much all I have to say. I’ve done a little weaving on my winter pants project but have been spending most of my time in the shop or the kitchen! But it’s a quiet time of year. Summer folk and hunters all gone home. Our closest neighbor has moved down south, San Diego or someplace at that end of the state. Well, Noel’s here but he comes and goes. Here now, asking for apple pie! lol I gave him apple cake. I can do that in one bowl without counter space that pie crust’s take. The kitchen is full of canning stuff now. Pies later.

So anyway, I hope you are all enjoying a lovely fall. It’s been the prettiest one we’ve had in a few years. And, of course, I never remember to take my camera when I go out. But I guess Autumn leaf pictures are like sunset pictures, it’s the immediate impact that counts and it never translates into photographs.

Happy Halloween!

Black Sheep Gathering!

Jun28

We’re heading off pretty soon for Albany, Oregon and the Black Sheep Gathering. We’ll have the booth all weekend, of course and I’ll have beginning Pin loom weaving class Sunday afternoon, if you know anyone in the area who wants to learn. After that we head to Viola, Idaho and the Grazing hills Fiber Arts Festival. This is a new show and the ladies have worked very hard to make this a good one. I’ve offered two classes there. The same beginning pin loom class and also weaving a dishcloth on the 10.5″ Quilt Weaver square. Check them out.

Black Sheep

Grazing Hills