The other end of May… already!

May22

Summer time has hit here, even tho it’s still May. 89 degrees today! Well, I am actually enjoying the warm. Made a potato salad and we’ve been having breakfast and dinner on the deck. Nice! Supposed to cool down a bit this weekend so I will plant out the tomatoes and peppers then. did not want to get them burnt right off!

Another week and we head out for the Big Sky Festival in Hamilton Montana. Am I ready? Yeah, sure! lol But I will be. Sis will be coming down to house sit.

The Blue thing is on hold for a bit. I can only deal with that yarn for so long. It feels good, it’s beautiful , it’s a PITA to weave with. So I wove a bag, you may have seen it on Rav already, I am pleased with it and it’s gotten some nice compliments. The nicest of course, is from those who order the looms and the pattern to make one themselves! I call it Tamale Pie since that’s what the colors remind me of.

And things are blooming like crazy in this heat in spite of all the snow still on the mt tops. Coffee Creek it up and running, but staying where it ought. I thought my tree peony was dead but looks like not!

I know you are all out getting dirt under your nails in the garden and those who don’t enjoy dirt are probably planning big weekend parties. Either way I hope you have a fun and safe holiday!

May!

May2

He put the screen door up today so winter if Officially over! it’s been a lovely warm week, Two days now since we’ve had a fire.

Mom in law is coming for a week so I have to do spit & polish this week getting ready so not much progress for the weaving. Started my Ravelry WAL yesterday but for once, I did Plan Ahead so that it should run without too much work on my part. If you want to join in, it’s dolls, of course. American Girl Doll Knitters on Ravelry. Here’s Ellie & Kirsten goofing off in a pre-photo shoot wearing the new pattern. One of them. There’s more! For the 18″ & the 6″.

And I cooked the last turkey and have it made into MRI’s. Also canned beans this week. Boy! ain’t I been busy! lol Just wanted to check in. I get the loom out when the ball game comes on so still working at it, just less time now.

Hope you are all getting your gardens in and the spring cleaning out of the way s0 you can get back to weaving, too!

More of the same…

Apr25

Still weaving the blue squares for the next top and working on things to share with the weavers in my proposed workshops this summer. I need a production crew! lol I have so may ideas that will never get anywhere as there is just not enough time to weave them all. Well, you know what I mean, I’m pretty sure we all have that same problem, if problem it be. I’m trying to sketch them out as I dream them up but am fallen behind in that, too.

But meantime I am about to try the layout again on this one. I think I likely still have squares to weave but must be making a little progress. We have ball games most every night now and that’s my weaving time. The Giants even won last night! Beat LA! Yeah! lol

This stuff is a little difficult to weave because of the little loops in the yarn. I get the needle threaded though them instead of over and under. I did find a fatter needle that barely fits between the pins but it has a wider blunt end and so does not pick up the loops as easily. That helps it go a little faster.

And you know it is gardening season again. Randy picked up pea seed in town yesterday and if it does not rain again (what’s chances!) I hope to get the first ones planted tomorrow. I got the bed ready last week. My fall planted cabbages are growing now, too. I am told that they won’t make heads but will just bolt as soon as it gets warm. I hope not, that was the idea of planting them late last fall, to give them a early start this spring. I have only grown them once, this past spring so am not very experienced with their druthers.

The peaches bloomed in the rain so am not over confident about my peach crop this year. The apples are just starting leaves, so they may have a chance. It’s almost time for rhubarb but we can find no sign of Randy’s asparagus. I’m thinking of digging up the peonies and iris and planting tomatoes in that bed. I might make an iris border but the peonies are a waste of space. They make pretty flowers for a short time which all have weak stems and fall over. I like flowers who can take care of themselves. The iris, gloriosa daisies, pansies, marigold, and zinnias, day lilies. bee balm.. there’s lots of them I have one peony in a wine barrel that does fine. It can stay. Well, that’s a lot of work so it may not happen anyway.

But hey! If you are hunting for the perfect place to spend your summer vacation I have just the one for you! Check this one out!

http://www.trinityalpsrealty.com/pre_search_trinity_center/results-125246p/detail-12R177534

January

Jan3

Looking a lot like winter here! I’m staying in and weaving. Making new “mug rugs” for my soup bowls. I really like those. I used acrylic, which don’t stain easily and and wash up quickly in the kitchen sink. Still working on the Shall in a ball blouse, too. It’s taking a lot of 4″ squares.

Andway, Hope your new year is starting off well and you are staying warm!

WAL

Nov29

The Facebook Pin Loom group is using one of my doll dress patterns so I thought I would join them and weave one myself. My girls need some new Christmas dresses. Here’s the first one. The dress is entirely 4″ squares. the headband is two book marks, 2×6’s, and the corsage is the Loom Bloom made with the 2″ square. It’s quick to make and easy to assemble and there’s lots of variety possible with different yarns different weave patterns and of course any number of ways to tweek the pattern for style. I have a couple ideas I’m working on myself! Can]t wait to see what people come up with. There’s going to be some happy little girls this Christmas! It’s foggy and wet outside so took these pics indoors, which isn’t the best. I’ll try to get better ones this afternoon.

Back again

Nov15

I keep vowing to do better as a blogger and then falling behind again. It was a full canning season this fall with a huge apple crop, also pears and making relish of the green tomatoes after putting the garden to bed. Not trying to say I didn’t have time, just didn’t take time, I’m afraid. Here’s just a few of the apples canned and frozen. Not to mention eaten both raw and in a pie! And the relish which will be nice in potato and tuna salad next summer!

But I did finally get the yarn I ordered so have been weaving more squares with the Shawl In A Ball yarn. And now it’s nearing holiday season so have been making a few little things for the FireBelle’s fundraiser sale. I donated a couple of 4″ looms to be made up into a basket. But I got the tree ‘bug’ that a lot of other’s have also gotten.

And I also made up a few little needle books & some poinsettia pins and a couple tiny socks both woven and knitted. People will be looking for stocking stuffers, too.

I have a couple more ideas tho it remains to be seen if I get them done in time.

In any case, I hope you are all getting those leaves raked up before the white stuff starts falling. At least I hope it’s going to start falling, so far not even a good frost here. But lots of pretty leaves!

So… Wishing you all a great Family Thanksgiving! And for those who don’t have their family close, Blessings for you as well!

Last show trip of the year!

Oct3

Well, the show are fun and we meet a lot of nice people but I am rather glad to be home for awhile. We’re getting our first rain of the Autumn and there will soon be a frosty morning greeting us. Good time for sitting by the fire and weaving!

Here’s a few pictures from our trip.

Hitchhiker doll Merida had to pose beside a Redwood like any tourist!

And she got her portrait taken with the looms at the CWFF in Boonville. She’s wearing the dress I wove for her, my version of a Celtic design for this Scottish princess.

And naturally she would want to be included in the picture at Cape Blanko, in Oregon on our way up to OFFF in Canby. Here she is with Randy and Stella, watching the whales spouting around the point from the lighthouse.

At OFFF a weaver who was enjoying our looms brought us this bouquet of the Dalias she grew herself to honor our booth! Thank you, Sara! They lasted all the way home, brightening the camper, too!

After the shows we went a little further north to Visit Mt Rainier Nat’l Park, which we had not been to before. The first day was clear and sunny and gave us some wonderful pictures. The next day the clouds settled atop the mountain and it could not be seen. But the park was still beautiful with the fall colors seeming to stand out even more in the fog.

Then we were heading south toward home. But we still had our Tour Guides along the way! 😉

And almost home we saw our ‘local’ volcano, Mt Shasta, wearing her fuzzy winter bonnet! And the wind was blowing up the dust along the way.

So here we are, at home, enjoying the rain, trying to catch up on orders and planning our trip to Medford to stock up for winter. Randy is working in the wood shed as well as the shop and I am weaving on a couple projects in the evenings while the game is on.

Go Giants!

Is it May already?!!

May10

Well, as you probably suspect, I have finished none of the projects I’ve shown here, lots of excuses, no real reasons. Just didn’t get around to it in most cases. But a couple weeks ago there was a county wide yard sale, one of those semi-annual things up here where you go from door to door, and town to town. We never left Coffee Creek but I bought a new “doll”. This one is taller than me but I immediately set about weaving her some clothing. Here is Madelyn wearing her new pencil skirt and Diamond Block top.

The skirt is woven using the 6″ square Mutli loom. It’s lined as well to help it hold its shape even tho Maddie doesn’t sit, I thought that a good idea. The top is made up of 7″ Quilt Weaver Diamonds. This photo shows it not quite finished but you can see the diamonds better. I worked a row of sc and a row of reverse sc around the neckline to draw it up just a bit. Maddie is very thin so almost as hard to fit as I am, being rather wide. I used some stash yarn to weave this set. One of the ideas I’ve had– you know the ones that lurk in the back of your mind and only come out in those middle of the night waking periods– is to weave an evening dress. I have absolutely no use for this kind of garment but I’m thinking that Madelyn may yet end up with one!

Meantime, I think a couple more practical items are in line. I am trying to work up some ideas for a clothing weaving class. It just seems to me that since we have all these looms we should do more with them than the occasional couch pillow or baby blanket. The little easy dust collector items are cute but really, how many can you use? But clothing is something we all need all the time and can be both practical and pretty! Anyway, that’s my idea.

And speaking of practical, it’s also gardening season and here’s my first go at growing broccoli. How ’bout that!

Hope you are having a green & growing spring while still getting in some weaving time!

March already

Mar25

Well, it’s been a awhile since I’ve posted. Sorry about that, but it’s been the season of the Doldrums. Not fully winter with all its beauty and not fully spring with all it’s beauty. That in-between stage with lots of mud and rain and mud and warmish today and back to freezing tomorrow… you know.

And then we had that slide a few weeks ago that cut us off from town. So today, since they have the higher route plowed and open (it’s usually closed for the winter) we decided to go to Redding. The view from the top almost makes the trip worthwhile. We truly live in a beautiful country. I only hope we can keep it that way. Between SP & the pot growers clear cutting and spraying defoliant.

It was a sea of fog in the valley, but the ‘sea’ looks very different from above. Looking back west toward Billy’s Peak and home. That’s the last peak there on the right. We live at the foot of it.

Looking east we can see that Mt Shasta has a nice white covering, too. Elevation for Billy Peak is 7275′, while Shasta is 14,180′ which will explain the difference in the depth of the white part.

But in town I got some new yarn, which Jane Grogan (Teacher from Wisconsin) pointed me to. It might be interesting, at least. It’s a Red Heart yarn called “Scrubby” and is supposed to make face washers and pot scrubbers. I have a hard time imagining one for both uses! lol My face gets dirty, but not, I hope as dirty as my pots and pans! Well, I will weave up a couple today and give them the Test and let you know what I think about this. I think Red Heart is taking this opportunity to turn it’s reputation for scratchy acrylics into a virtue!

The sun is out this morning and the primroses, daffodils and forsythia are blooming. The weeping willow is leafing out and the buds on the peach are getting fa,. signs that spring may arrive after all! Hope you are getting those good signs where you live as well!

Weaving colors

Feb21

Played with the 7″ Quilt Weaver Square yesterday and worked a experimental hounds-tooth. Trouble is that the pin count is an odd number so it doesn’t come out even. Going to have to play with it a bit more. Tried it on the diagonal but goofed that one up and frogged it. It will work but it may be a bit loose, I’ll have to do it again and full it before I decide. The diagonal 2 red-1 white worked out evenly and looks nice.

I’ll keep playing with these. If you want more information, I posted a project page on Ravelry. I also got out the bag of 4″ squares I have previously woven and am intending to work on that again since the xmas vest ran short. I may have to wait for OFFF in Sept to find more of that yarn or something as a go-with.

Meanwhile we’re at the stage of winter/spring when Mother Nature can’t seem to make up her mind which it is to be. Hard to decide plans from day to day. But I think my plans so far for today is to weave and not do much else. Hope you are getting some weaving time!

Hazel Rose

My Life in the Country

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