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!

March-ing into spring…

Mar5

Nothing to report on the sweater. I think I needed a break from brown yarn. Too much brown in the world this time of the year, anyway. Things are starting to green up and I’m sure I can see a faint bit of pink in the buds on the peach tree. The flowering quince is definitely blooming now & there are even two tiny daffodils blooming out there in the brown.

I have done some weaving but for the dolls. Little things. A KAL for Your Favorite Season. What would it be this time of year but Summer! Lexi is wearing Summer Nights and little Felicity is in the Sunshine. The skirts are the woven bits. Some Wildfoote sock yarn for Lexi’s and lace weight for Felicity’s to warp the first three layers and then woven with Lion Brand Trellis. I used the 4″ and did o1, u1 for Felicity’s skirt, which is two squares and a knitted bodice. Lexi’s short skirt is three 6″ Multi Squares and I did hers in o3, u1 which gave it a really interesting texture and showed more of the colored squares, I think. I rather like the effect and since I have a couple more balls of this stuff (I think I bought 6 in a package at the dollar store a couple years ago) I may have to come up with another project for it.

These are busy days, even if I have been ignoring brown. Randy is working long hours in the looms shop, (which means I am also) and we are trying to get the garden ready as it looks like spring is coming on early and dry here this year. We also signed up for 6 fiber fair shows this summer. The first one, a new venue for us, in Nampa, Idaho in May. then we’ll be in Hamilton, MT & Eugene, OR in June and Arcata, CA, Boonesville, CA and Canby, OR in September.

I think I am going to sell my Baby Wolf Loom and it’s accessories. If anyone is interested we can bring it along to any of the shows. I don’t want to haul it around on speculation as even tho it is a small loom, it still takes up a lot of space in the 5th wheel. If you’re interested email for details. The loom works fine, I’ve woven a few times on it but I just don’t have the time or space for it. I still prefer my little looms.

Hope you’re seeing a bright end of winter where you are.

I know what you’re thinking but…

Feb11

I really am working on it. Have one front finished and am assembling the second. Then will have to get the alternate pattern out again to see that I get them joined at the correct angle.

Shape weaving… getting there

Feb1

Well, I didn’t quite get it finished today, but close. Those of you who are waiting for your loom orders will be okay with it, as I did spend the time working in the shop.

Here’s where I am. The shoulders– working those last rows is fiddly stuff, one stitch at a time in the tight places so slow going. But you can see there there’s not far to go!

New family memeber

Jan18

We decided it was time and Randy found this lady on a rescue site. We contacted Shelby and Wyatt and they liked us and so Stella has a new “forever home” in Coffee Creek. I think she has been a city dog all her life (6-7 years) but seems to be adapting to country life rapidly! She did fine on the 4+ hour trip up yesterday, did not want her dinner but had a ‘bone’ for breakfast and has now gone with Randy, in the rain, to check his business up the hill. We are working on the No Dogs in the Kitchen rule, but when I point she knows already to back up! lol Randy is getting lessons, too. 🙂 Stella is a lap dog, something Randy isn’t used to.

No yarn stories again. I still haven’t been able to find what the heck I did with my pattern. I guess I’ll have to go see if I can find another one that will work. I know this one will show up, probably about the time I don’t need it anymore! You know how that goes. Meantime, I hope you are making better progress on your projects and keeping your looms dusted off!

Wishing you warm and dry!

Last Fiber show of the year

Oct23

We’ll be heading to Grant’s Pass, Oregon next weekend for the last one. Hope you’ll come by and see us if you’re in southern Oregon. It’s a short-ish trip for us and we can bum a bed from Sis, too. Two more trips this year. Thanksgiving is also with Sis and then Christmas with Randy’s step-mom in the bay area.

I finished my shrug but it turned out just about how these things always do for me. It fits and I wear it, but it’s not very free-form. I think that I must just be a basically conventional person. What a disappointing thought! 😦 sigh…

But I am still weaving squares for my cardigan. Not going quickly, I’ll admit, but it’s raining today so I should make some good progress on it.

Oh my… how time flies…

Aug22

And that’s even if you’re not having fun. Not that I’m having un-fun, it’s just that time of year, but sorry I have been so long in posting. Peaches got ripe, then the fire and three shows coming up in September, then his truck had to go to the shop. We have to go pick it up today. You know how these things go.

But sis was down this week for an all too short visit and brought along a couple skeins she has spun from her birthday fleece.. I got a chance to try it out with a little weaving in the evening while we chatted. I used the 7 inch set. We had been discussing pattern weaves on the Multi and I thought I’d try one diagonally. I think it worked pretty well so will have to get busy and try a few more of them. This one is the slide stitch. I wove a few rows, six I think, and then worked a slide row with three regular rows in between & it came out nicely spaced. Now don’t take my word for this as I can’t really remember for sure. I’m not going to tell you the details of how to do it this morning but will work it as I type tomorrow so hopefully can get it right. Meantime if you’re interested you can go to my YouTube- Weaver Hazel– and take a look at the Multi version.

But here’s what I made with the sample yarn. Two squares and two triangles, sc around the edges and a tie string. It’s an ear warmer. I’ll also try to get a photo of it on. This kind of shows the pattern stitch.

Adventures in Nature

Aug17

The beavers are building a nice lake in the woods nearby. Turtles, fish, mosquitoes, lots of critters enjoying the water. also water cress and blackberries thriving there. Trouble is those creative builders want ALL the water. We would like a bit of it to come down stream so about every two weeks we have to go and modify their dam. We don’t take it out because we like them and everybody ought to be able to enjoy the water and we just want a share. So far it’s been working fine.

I don’t usually go but I wanted to see their operation. They dont’ show their little rodent-y faces while we’re there of course so no beaver pictures but here’s some of their operation. Looking down stream from atop the dam.

Lake Beaver. It really extends quite a way upstream, further than the camera could capture. A nice lake.

Modifying

He moves it to the secondary dam and then they spend the next two weeks building it back up. Keeps them both busy. And then we get blackberries. Even some that are almost out of reach!

Not what I started but…

Aug7

I think it worked out okay, tho a more simple garment. I know poncho’s haven’t really been in style since Martha Stewart got out of jail but I’ve never had one and thought it might really work as well as a shrug for those coolish times of the day when you don’t really want a sweater. For one thing, sleeves are difficult in the shop. The sleeves either catch on the nails or sweep them off the work table, then I have to get out my handy dandy magnet on a handle and get them up off the floor. And same thing just sitting and weaving, they get hung up on everything. Not sure this garment will work any better but I’m going to try it. After trying it on again, I think I might end up adding a couple more rows to the neckline to raise it a bit, but I might wait until cooler weather to decide if I need that. I fitted a 12″ triangle at the back neck to raise the back a bit. I just about had a heat stroke wearing this for Himself to take the photo. lol What with the smoke from the fire and the thunder storms, the heat and humidity are trapped at ground level here and it gets pretty uncomfortable. But here’s what I came up with. I’ve had some suggestions for the shrug and I have more Jiffy so it is still a possibility. But next on my to-do is tending to the peach crop!

Fire pictures

Aug4

I know there are other fires in Ca and other states where people are losing their homes that are much more scary than ours is at the moment but it is still scary being this close. I am just glad there are fire fighters to spare for us. Here are a couple rather dramatic photos taken by area people with longer shot distances that I have here at the foot of Billy’s Peak.

I’m not sure from where this one was taken.

This one was taken from the Trinity Center airport, 8 miles down highway 3 from here.

This one was taken from the East Fork road, but E Fork of the Trinity, not E Fork of Coffee Creek where the fire is. We live at the foot of this Mt. The fire is just behind and to the west (left) of it. This is what it looks like in the morning. The brown air is all the way to the ground. Weather forecast for the next few days is more thunder storms and the possibility of “heavy rain”. Do pray for that part!

Hazel Rose

My Life in the Country

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