Archives

‘Tis the Season to be….

Dec10

…Jolly well overly busy! The fourth week on the jury and now we have an added 2 1/2 hours to our day. That means I leave here at 7 am and hope to get home by nine pm. But we are still working hard to get your loom orders on the way to you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just wanted to reassure you who might be waiting. Randy has been spending his time in the shop and I’ve been out there evenings and weekends, too. We’ll get it done and want to thank you all for your patience!

Meantime, there hasn’t been one snowflake! We’re due some rain later this week, the NOAA people tell us, and they did mention a snow level of 4000′ which is as low as it’s been so far, mostly over 6000′. We sometimes get a little wet snow here when they call for 4000′ tho we are are at 2500′. Our little valley is a cold one. I would like a bit of snow before Christmas. Hate driving in it but the first snow is so pretty and makes it feel more like Christmas, don’t you think?

Hope you are having fun this December and staying warm and safe. If you’ve placed an order… it is coming!

More trip

Oct30

Cori was getting pretty bored with riding and staying in camps where she wasn’t allowed out without a leash. She did get some runs and some tennis ball chasing, but I think she’s happy to be home again.,

If you know what this plant is I hope you will post! I love this giant (at least a yard across these leaves!) and would be willing to try it here, tho it might want a wetter climate that we could offer it. This one was in Tillamook, Oregon in the camp across the street from the Tillamook cheese factory which we visited.

This appears to be the fruit or flowers of the plant.

I think this was taken in Port Angeles, WA. Looking across the bay you can see Canada. Without passports, which we never got around to getting, this is as close was we’re going to get.

The real Pacific Ocean at last! I love those crashing waves! It’s cold and there’s bound to be an undertow

but I can watch and listen for hours!

A gull watching for ‘groceries’ to be washed in. He was running back and forth with the waves, staying just out of the water.

Some pretty flotsum.

Those slug-like shapes on the rocks which were waaay below us, are sea lions, napping on the rocks and occasionally quarreling over the best spots. Just ignore the old flower head in front.

Here are some more lions. They were just ‘going with the flow’ of the tide, laying in a group in the water. I guess if you spend your life in the water this is a comfortable way to take a nap! lol

And the one napping elk we saw. This is the last Wild life photo, too. After this we turned inland and headed home.

 

 

 

North to Washington… and back

Oct30

We’re home again. It was a nice trip tho parts were less enjoyable than others. We spent most of the first day visiting with Les Schwab. In case you aren’t familiar with that gentleman, he sells tires. He sold us 6 that day. Two for the truck which we had planned to buy and 4 for the 5th wheel, which we had planned to put off until winter. They had other plans! lol But we had no tire worries for the rest of the trip, which was good as parts of highway 101 would have been a test of an old tire!

But we got to Monroe and the Fiber Fusion North West  event and tho we enjoyed the company, the sale was pretty much a bust and I doubt we’ll return again. We left there and headed for Seattle where we visited the American Girl Store and REI and both of us spent our allowance! lol

Then we headed west to the Olympic Peninsula, a part of the country we had not visited before. The weather, of course, decided to be wet and rainy but we enjoyed it anyway. We road the ferry, this was a first for me, and saw the rain forest, shipping, viewed Canada across the bay, and finally down into Oregon and the Real Pacific Ocean. I love watching the waves. Once we got into California again the skies cleared up and we got to walk on the beach once before we headed inland and home. Here’s some trip pictures.

Our booth at the fiber fair.

A view of the volcano of Mt. St. Helens in Washington. It blew ion 1988, I think.

Randy standing the the bow of the ferry. Not exactly a classic movie shot but we didn’t sink, either, so that’s okay with me! lol

Here’s the truck and trailer parked on the ferry.

Looking back as we left the ferry. We’re on the islands, now. Next to get off this island was the ‘floating’ bridge.

Most of tie trip was foggy or raining but it was still interesting and Very Green. I did not get a picture of the looong green tunnels between the fir hedges. Thousands of trees of the same size jammed together in large plantations.

The rain forest was even wetter and most of the trees were covered in long grey green or yellow green moss ‘beards’ like these. Too wet for man or animal but there were lost of these, including, they said, a large heard of elk.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition was not thrilled with this camp on the coast of Washington. I think they got there in about the same time of year as we did when they named this spot. lol

Well, it looks like I have jammed things up so will post the rest a bit later. The sun did come out as we got south so they pics will be a bit cheerier!

Some interesting yarn

Sep28

Susanne from Benny fibers in Montana gave me this skein of yarn at OFFF and I wanted to thank her so wove a little pouch using the 4×6 Mutli and noticed that this color-way wove up into a really nice Scottish looking plaid so  decided to make up a school suit for my AG doll. I think it turned out really nicely. I also made a dress for Skyler Hopscotch.  Weaving is such fun!

Back From OFFF

Sep25

We had a great time at the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival this year. The weather behaved and was just perfect, sunny and warm but not too hot. Lots of people came to enjoy the activities. We met and made new weavers and met a lot of weavers from years past. It was a very nice weekend. 

This picture shows a very new weaver! She’s just 6 years old. She told me that she already knows how to crochet so it is not surprising that she caught right on to weaving as well. She finished her little square here and Mom bought her her own loom. I am sure it will not be long before she has many projects to share. She went off happily to find yarn!

And here’s little Hazel Rose. She’s not so little any more, she now 3 years old, but as pretty as ever. We met another young Hazel there, too, but I did not get her picture.

 

And then a large group came by. Not all of these people came into the booth at once, of course! They are refugees from Burma and several of them were very interested in the looms and this kind of weaving. They are all, or most all, weavers themselves and were wearing lovely examples of their weaving skills, but found this kind of weaving new to them. A small group of them came in and tried their hand at weaving the Quilt Weaver square. I gave them a copy of my book and I was asked to sign it. First time I’ve been asked for my autograph! lol We enjoyed a nice long visit.

We also had a brief visit with Hazel Rose, who is now three years old. Mom took a photo, which I hope she will share with me. Hazel was in a hurry to get to the animal barn and see the interesting stuff so I didn’t think of my own camera until it was too late! lol And we got to visit with friends from Hamilton, Montana, who are at OFFF every year with their lovely yarns and fleeces. We hope to be visiting them next spring at their Big Sky show.  But now we are going to be busy  people as we have just barely a month before we are to be in Monroe, Washington for the Fiber Fusion fair up there. We have a lot of looms to replace in stock.

And don’t forget that if you are within reach of Grants Pass, Oregon in November I’ll be having a class there at Fiber Mania. Sign up now. I think it will be a lot of fun.

 

Some pictures

Jul31

Here’s a few of my pictures.  I did a series of self portraits for a show, running them down through the years. I don’t have them all digital but it started in my 20’s and went on up to the present. They were titled In my 20’s, In my 30’s etc and on up to the last one ! lol

20’s (& painted in my 20’s as well)

This one is In my 60’s.. It’s a dirt painting & not true to life. It was one of the times I never got around to having my hair cut but it was not red by that time. Should have used the red for the back ground and the grey for my hair but I still like it. You can tell that I’ve learned a bit about life in the interim.

And lastly… In my dreams   (When I was in high school I used to make 50 cent each painting ‘cheese cake’ on the hard hats of guys who worked on my dad’s survey crew!)

Well, painting is fun and I have made a few bucks, but probably  not enough to pay for all the supplies I’ve bought though the years!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trying it out.

Jul15

I really haven’t make a whole project on the new peg loom so thought I ought to give it a serious try. Randy designed this one at the request of several weavers.   It seems to be going quickly and is making a very plush rug. I’m using  a reel of selvage  cut from knit fabric. I’ve used the smooth-and- cut smaller version of this fabric to make place mats on the Mat Maker loom,  & wove a larger rug on my old rug loom that I gave away. There was lots of this fabric. it was given me by a neighbor of my Rogue River sister. Here’s what I have so far.

 

Hot here but…

Jul8

Not as hot as the Eastern parts, thank  the Maker! I closed up the house in the morning and stayed indoors where it was nice and cool. Himself and Dog went hiking to the high country to find their cool. Came home with sore muscles and sunburn but relaxed and happy.

Here’s a view of Ycatapom peak with Mt Shasta way off  in the background. Grass still green and lots of wildflowers in bloom up there at 6ooo’.