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It’s June!

May31

I don’t need a calendar to tell me when June arrives!

My roses know!

The iris are more about mid May.

They are still going strong but their reign is nearing the end for this year. I have marigold, nasturtium, sunflowers. zinnia, another whose name eludes me at the moment. Some planted some just in seed trays. But these are the summer flowers coming up quickly. And according to this morning’s weather forecast, just in time!

Himself has the veggies garden under control. He is putting in a sprinkler system that can run off timers when we are on the road for a week or so. It’s a modified version of my sisters system what he admired. It has to have some special changes for our situation but it looks like we won’t have to have a garden ‘sitter’ this summer!

Meantime, I am canning soup today. My favorite lunch. It’s just my version of a ‘dump’ recipe. Tomato or V8 if I have it, chicken broth, veggies broth, and whatever veggies are available fresh or canned. Beans, split peas, and  lentils, barley. A good hearty soup! And the bread is in the machine, the weekly regular loaf.

I know this is like posting a photo of your dinner, but I was delighted to get a full canner, 16 pints, and still have about 3 lunches worth left in the fridge! It’s not real photogenic but I like it! lol

But I have not abandoned weaving. I have the squares woven for my scarf and am going to start assembly today in between these other projects, and some shop work. Maybe. That might have to wait a day. I am also working on a couple tutorials for fixing weaving problems  after the fact. What to do once they are off the loom. A neighbor gave me a link to a editing program she says is “easy”.  I plan to give it a try but, well, she is much younger and used to internet apps and programs. I saw the things she was doing with her teaching videos for her glass works and, frankly, I am just a bit intermediated!  But I’ll give it a try. Maybe you can “:teach an old dog new tricks”!

Meantime, if you are having problem with assembling, you might want to check out this blog. Even if you decide these methods are not for you I think you’ll agree they are creative!

   Have a lovely spring!

 

 

April in Trinity

Apr18

It’s been beautifully sunny and warm this last week. The “glacier” on front of my kitchen is disappearing rapidly, bulbs coming up and blooming, trees starting to bud, birds and animals coming out of hiding!  This morning at 28 degrees there was new snow on the deck! Not much, but just April making sure we know it’s not May yet! But the sun is up again and that white is melting rapidly.

A crocus, reluctant to open in the frosty lawn and one of the first primroses blooming under a budding mini rose.

     

We are getting ready to leave for the Great Basin Fiber Arts fair in Utah next week. In spite of all that has come together to make this as difficult as possible I am actually looking forward to going. The latest disaster, in case I haven’t mentioned it, is his truck. The one that pulls the 5th wheel, is in the shop. It’s brain dead. It’s computer died and has had to be sent off to a company in New York that rebuilds/programs these units. We were told a month. I didn’t want to disappoint weavers there who’ve signed up for my classes so we’ve rented a U-Haul van and an airBnB and are going anyway. It is going to be an interesting trip!

I haven’t gotten a lot of weaving done this month, most has been more mundane stuff but things that needed to be done. I did work on some rectangular stuff, nothing finished or ready to be shown. And made a couple scrubbies for the house. Stuff like that. Did I mention the Cat?

I must have. I still haven’t been able to find his family or anyone who can give him a home.  He seems to be happy asking to be let out when he needs to answer nature. That’s fine as we really have no place to keep a littler box. We have been planning to take him to the shelter in Weaverville if I cannot find another home for him. At my age I really don’t need a cat under foot, and he is really good at the ankle twining cat thing! But it looks like we may end up keeping him after all. Randy talked to the temporary animal control person and was told that they are at capacity for cats and can’t take anymore. I’m not going to dump him or let him starve. He’s a very loving guy, also quite handsome and well mannered. He’s also a long haired white cat. So far in this cold weather, he has not been shedding but that’s one thing my last white cat did in abundance, I still find her “angora” on my black coat and stuff like that! But we’ll see.

We’re never going to be Vegans but I’ve been trying to be less carnivorous.  It’s much easier for me than it is for Himself but he rarely complains. He did comment on an article he read saying people need to eat less red meat, saying, “That’s not a problem around here.” I just agreed! lol It’ll be easier once the garden gets going again and we have lots of fresh veggies. Winter is hard since produce is limited and the grocery store is an 80 mile round trip. I can as much as we have for it in the summer but it’s starting to run our by this time of year. We’ve planted onions and peas. He’s says he had to replant some of the onions. I think it’s the jays who pull them up. Everybody is looking for fresh greens this time of year, he put wire over the pea row, just in case!

Well, looks like I’ve been a bit chatty this morning so it’s time to say Have a Nice Day! and get to work on the days chores! Hope you’re seeing signs of spring where you are!

 

 

 

More snow…

Mar5

…Another 10″ this morning. This is the trail to the mail box.

And Himself likes feeding the birds but he doesn’t use a bird feeder just tosses it on the deck and in the snow. The towhees and Junkos were missing in this photo as was the little tree rat, the pine squirrel. He’s better stay missing! But the greys and the Jays were there for breakfast! You can tell that He’s generous with the expensive bird feed, too! Ah well, they are entertaining. This is our deck, by the way. Getting deep around the edges! lol

Hope you are having fun with your looms and staying cozy this rather chilly March! Traditionally it comes in like a lion (tho I’d vote Polar bear this year) so let’s just hope it goes out like that lamb!

 

I’ve been showing you the deck side, the “pretty side”.  Thought I’d give you a view of my kitchen side. That’s my car, the shop behind it. The white area to the right of my car is the tarp that helps keep the snow out of the wood shed behind it. The path he’s shoveled leads to the porch and kitchen door. The 2nd picture was taken from the kitchen door though the snow boards which keep the snow off the porch. For the most part. Snow did a lot of melting today but there’s more scheduled for this week.

   

Progress…

Mar1

I redid my seams so she now has sleeves. This is only pinned together as you can likely see but I am making progress. I do think I like the vertical alignment of the floats better but not enough to disassemble the whole thing!

 

While rummaging in my loom basket, I also found the 1×6 Randy made for me some time ago. Just for fun I used it to weave her headband and I really like it for that! It’s needs two plus the few rows of garter stitch. I did this blue on in plain weave as it seems a bit flimsy with the pattern stitch, but I did a 2nd using some Red Heat worsted, it was tight weaving but I did the pattern stitch with that, giving it a bit of ease, and it worked fine that way.

So I am happy to see some of you are making progress, too. I did get a head start of you all so ought to finish first, tho I can see that’s going to be close, too! lol

I’m deciding what I am going to offer as a bonus pattern to finishers.

WAL 2023

Feb21

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.

February again…

Feb18

But don’t worry, it’s not spring yet! More snow in the forecast on Tuesday and through the week it sounds like. I’m okay with that. We have gotten quite a bit of precip this winter but are still not caught up with the last dozen or more years of drought. Garden started to thaw a bit this week with the highs in the upper 40’s but there’s still plenty of time for that , too.

I’ve done little yarn things this winter, knitted myself a scrap vest. This is all the scraps and snippets saved from projects over the last decade, probably. Tied together in an overhand knot. Will that hold? Ask me in a few years of wearing it!

And played with a few weaving techniques, that’s about it. Just did this one yesterday. From a photo posted on the pin loom facebook group.

Randy is planning our trip to Utah next month to take part in the Great Basin Fiber Arts Fair, Friday April 28 and Saturday April 29
The Legacy Event Center – Farmington, Utah. I’ll be teaching a basic class on the 4 inch Multi loom, we’ll make a little needle book to learn plain weave and a texture pattern or two. The other class is the dishcloth class on the 10.5″ Quit Weaver Square. We’ll start with plain weave and see how far we get. The class schedule hasn’t been posted yet but should be soon–keep checking!

We’ll be at the Black Sheep Gathering, June 23, 24, & 25 and the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival,  October 14 & 15. Both in Albany, OR. I think we’ll also be at Lambtown in Dixon, CA, Oct 7 & 8. We’re also looking at Fiber Fusion Northwest in Monroe, Washington.  June 4 & 5. Maybe. Sounds like a lot, beginning to feel like a lot as well. I think I’m getting old as these affairs are a lot more stressful than they used to be. I suppose it’s good for me. At least that’s what Himself keeps telling! lol

Did I mention that we can almost see the lake again? Yes, indeed, it has been coming up rapidly this winter. Authorities warn us not to expect it to fill this spring, tho, Partly it appears, because they have other uses for the water up here. I don’t mind sharing but it would be nice if we had some lake. Our local businesses mostly rely on that body of water to draw the tourists that they rely on to stay in business. We’ve lost a few already who weren’t able to tough it out. That’s rough on us all.

Way in the back, that thin line of blue is the lake. The rock piles (a remnant of the mining days) show the river wending its way to join that pool. This is the view across the Lake(bottom) from Trinity Center where we had tp go last month to get internet and cell service from the Verizon tower there.

And my little Fox friend is still coming for dinner each evening. He doesn’t get much, I want him to still hunt but while the snow was still frozen on the ground hunting was difficult and I wanted to keep him around. He’s my best mouser!

I guess that’s all for now. I hope it’s not too Winter where ever you are. Spring isn’t far and we can all be outdoors grubbing in the dirt again!

 

Carrots & Radishes

 

Another year gone by…

Dec22

…And I’m still alive and comparatively healthy for my age group. That gives me plenty to be thankful for right from the start! Last week was Very Cold, the snow frozen solidly. This morning we are supposed to see temps into the 40’s and rain. This reminds me of a couple of photo’s I took a few years ago to explain snow to those who don’t live with it. It’s pretty as it falls and for a while after, but we do live here! It’s not usually this bad but the loader was broke down just then so he wasn’t able to plow us out. I still enjoy the snow, more so if the power stays on.

   

But no rain so far today. Sis says they have ice storms predicted up in Oregon and my walking buddy is traveling to Chicago. I have to laugh, it is all typical winter stuff! as much pain as pleasure!

But ‘my’ little fox still comes for dinner. I give him just enough that he doesn’t go hungry but he is still doing his job with the mice. Have not had one all winter, a rare thing when the fox is not around!

I have nothing new to add to the mini WAL. There are a few more under projects on the web page that you are free to download and make in case your tree has a bare spot yet! The candles are fast and fun as are the elf shoes. You can make these in any size, from table center piece, filled with fir boughs and berries to a pair to fit your American Girl doll!

 

Anyway, I hope you all have a happy and comfortable Christmas day. And even if you don’t believe in Santa Clause I hope you can enjoy the holiday in whatever way you do enjoy it and enjoy it for all your friends in their ways, too!  And join me in hoping for and working for a wonderful peaceful and kind 2023!

Best wishes from Hazel and Randy.

Chilly moring!

Dec13

High, low, and present temps At 7 am. It’s clear up to 18 now at almost 9 am and the sun’s shinning brightly! But we have power again. After three days without you find out how spoiled we modern folk are! lol But we have plenty of firewood to stay warm, propane cookstove and water heater. Our water is gravity so no shortage of that, tho that spring is just as cold as you’d guess! You have to warm up the tap water before you can drink it! It was kind of peaceful being ‘out of the world’. We didn’t hear any bad news. Any news at all until yesterday when we found out the whole county had been out of power, a lot of damage from the very heavy wet snow. But the good part of that is that it’s started a nice snow pack for next years water supply! Just hope it’s not the last one! Tho I’d not mind if the next one was just a little lighter and drier! There’s just no pleasing some folk, huh!?!

Little icicles dripping off the patio table. But we’re in the shop today catching up on last weeks orders. Hope you are enjoying the winter and getting ready for the holidays. Also hope that if you’re in the other half of the country you don’t get too much snow out of this next storm! There is a limit to how much White Christmas we can use!

Easy Holiday WAL Week 1

Nov25

The project for this week is just a little “gift”. Gift uses two squares and Easy Single, as you might guess uses just one. You can use already woven squares you may have for either if these or just spend a few relaxing minutes to weave new ones.  They are squares and can be any size you want and any style square as well. I used the 2″ square Multi loom but the Quilt weaver squares would work as well. For tree ornaments you’ll probably want to stay with the smaller looms but the choice is always yours. I just want to say, don’t judge the project by my bows! lol My old fingers are not very handy at these tiny bows anymore.

Gift

Easy Single Square Pretty

 

 

 

Another winter…

Nov11

We started out this month with some early snow. Is it early? Seemed so, the trees also thought so as almost all of them still have their leaves. We had no damage here other than a few broken branches but there were long stretches of power outages which very likely mean some other trees along the way weren’t so lucky. I felt for the PUD guys out in that weather but they did a good job of getting us powered up again and I appreciate it! Yeah, we have a generator but it’s a noisy contraption so don’t engage it unless the fridge and freezer start to suffer. We can hear all the neighbors machines well enough!

It’s been awhile, as has been pointed out to me, since I posted here. Things have been happening but not interesting stuff to write about.  Gardening and canning, cooking and cleaning, you know that kind of thing. I have been weaving but mostly it’s all for Little Looms magazine which I can’t share here. If they don’t take it I can share but if they do it’ll be sometime next year. I’m not as fast as I used to be, especially at the writing it up part, so that pretty much covers my weaving time.

We’ve gone to three shows this year, Black Sheep Gathering last June, Lambtown in first part of October and OFFF in the last part. He’s looking at accepting the invitation to go to Utah for the Great Basin event. We’ve never been to it. That, of course, set him off looking for other events of this nature that he might want to attend! There’s are a lot of them scattered around but it all involves timing and the size of the event, too. And the distance! But that’s all day dreaming right now.

He’s got the wood shed full, says he thinks he has next years wood already, too. About the only good thing to come out of last years fires, there’s a lot of dead wood. So we get to burn it again. The woodshed below is full but he still has room for his drop cord collection and a few other items of manly interest. And they yard out there still has more. The unsplit pile next to the splitter is madrone. It’s a hard wood for those of you who don’t know it and makes a really hot fire. There’s lots of it after last years event. The best thing about madrone is that even tho the tree was burnt and died of it, it will come back from the root nearly every time so they aren’t really lost. I don’t want a Madrone in the yard, they are a messy tree, but I enjoy them out in the forest. They are also handsome and have white blossoms that make pretty red berries in the winter.

My broken Hyde King apple tree is making a come back after it got smashed by the fallen alder a couple years ago. It had one apple this year, which was not bad as the crop on all the apples this year was negligible. I got one pie and no applesauce.  Got some nice winter squashes off my couple of vines. And the woodbine was once again brightening up the yard.

   First Hyde King!  

  One of many tasty winter squashes.

So now I guess it’s time to settle in for the winter. We have a couple more guests for the cabin and we’ll close that up. It’s already in the Twenties at night and we don’t need any frozen pipes! Thanksgiving will be just the two of us and probably Christmas, too. I have a little turkey and a little ham so we can have our celebrations here properly! I even bought a can of cranberries so we’re all set! ;-D  Hope you are all doing well and getting ready for a cozy winter!