This is a little bit I wove using Lion Brand Homespun and the 3.5″ Tumbling Block loom. It looks good. I think I assembled it using embroidery thread. I’m not a fan of Homespun, because of it’s raveling but if you weave in the ends well and maybe use a dab of Frey Check, it should be okay and it does make a nice fabric.
I’m thinking I should have turned this one differently. Can’t remember what I thought was up when I put it together. Would it matter? Are the blocks rising or falling? Or neither! :laugh: A conundrum for you!

The new show at the gallery is portraits and figures. I have several portraits and one other figure, but I found a magazine photo of a girl diving for a volleyball and I loved it, so I used that to make this mermaid. There was a big brouhaha over some nudes in one of he galleries last year so Docent Marie told us she wanted nudes so we could get in the paper, too! It sure helps sales! :laugh: Well, my green lady is nude but I doubt she’ll have the same effect! Oh well… I like her! 😀

I have been working on other projects, tho. I finished weaving the tumbling blocks with the reclaimed yarn and have started assembling it. It’ll take a few days but I’ll post a photo when I get that far. The edging on my Pi shawl progresses at a crawl, but it IS progressing. 😛
It’s stopped snowing and started raining. whoopee. :plain: Hope you’re staying warm!

I wove this purse with the new 7″ Tumbling Block loom. I used some left-over yarns from my early spinning days that were quite bulky and some rather coarse but dk weight Navajo Churro and used the every other row color weaving. It forms stripes so I had to frog my first assembly as I was not paying attention and had the stripes running randomly, which did not work. The strap I wove with a large yarn needle by running the warp across the 14″ square.
I’m not really talented at Embellishing, but found this pair of amber colored earrings and an old painted Mexican horse key chain that matched the color scheme. I’ll have to find some better way of attaching them, tho as the earring backs are not reliable on this thick yarn and I’ve already lost one back. I think I’ll give the fabric glue a try. Or maybe I’ll get Himself to drill some tiny holes around the metal of the earring and just sew it on. That’d probably be best.
But I like this purse. I think I’ll make it a lining to help keep it clean, and use it myself. 🙂

🙂 These are the new looms. The blanket they lay on was woven with the smaller loom, the 3 1/2″ size. It was easy to make. I used a Caron yarn called Cozi, which may be out of stock. These yarns seems to come and go before you can decide if you like them, I did like this one so hope it’s not gone. It’s a fuzzy yarn, not eyelash, tho. I assembled the blocks with embroidery thread, which is stronger than the yarn for the purpose but disappeared in the ‘fuzz’ and so no seams show. It’s also soft and cuddly!
You can weave this pattern, its often done in bright colors for children and babies, but I also have a purse made with the larger loom. I’ll try to get a good photo of that for the blog soon. Check previous post for what I’m weaving them for now. It’s not just another diamond… this one is unique! We’re only making the 3.5 and 7″ sizes. For more information and pictures, check the web site. (links) The new book is featured there, too.

Sister spun & dyed this lovely soft cormo which I knitted into a vest for Grandmother. Just this last month I got it out, unknitted it and washed the wool. The vest was too small for me but the yarn was too good to waste so I am weaving it on the new Tumbling Block looms and intend to make myself a vest. I have some novelty yarns that I spun up a long time ago that match this and I think I can make a great vest with the combination. I cut a newsprint pattern from a vest that fits me. I think I have nearly enough blocks woven now that I can start assembling it. I’ll need some half blocks yet, of course. It’s a good way to reuse the yarn and will be a memory of Grandmother, too.

Yup, she only comes in for dinner or when she finally gives up on a human coming out in the 34 degree day to play ball with her in the frozen mud and ice. And then, anytime she sees me putting on a sweater, her hopes rise again. Nope, only going to the wash room or studio. And the cats live in the studio and they won’t play ball either.
Haven ‘t got up the courage to try to put her on the treadmill with me. I just doubt she’d consider that a good alternative to a good long walk! Well, she walked up to the water tank with Randy yesterday, so that should hold her for awhile. We usually play chase the tennis ball to the mailbox and back… half a city block? but no mail today as we are celebrating Dr. King’s birthday.
Got some more ‘fairy dust’ snow falling just now. So far hasn’t laid down enough to make the old stuff look clean again.
Guess I’ll go back to weaving and laundry. 😛

Oh well, it’s pretty! :laugh:

I ‘stole’ these photo’s from John’s old web page (the new one won’t let me have them!) so if you’re a guitar expert and think these are old fashioned,… they may be, I dunno anything about the subject! Only that I am tickled pink for him. 😀 If you’re a guitar person, check his web page. He says he’s going to Florida for a show in April. That’s the only one I know about but he does others here in CA, too.

My brother is a guitar maker. He’s been doing this for years on a minor key but he recently retired from his ‘real job’ and has been able to go round to shows and things and people are finding out what great guitars he makes. He is now selling them internationally! I am just delighted. I knew he could do this. I think, in his youth, he wanted to be a rock star or something along those lines but he is a wonderful craftsman as well as a player singer and composer and now he’s getting to do all of this. The theme song on our DVD is his song, played by him, Placerville Nights.

Looks like they had to harvest the whole yard to build this guy but, by gosh, it’s a snowman!