It has been an exceptional autumn here, nice sunny reasonably warm weather, and gorgeous colors with the oaks competing with the maples for the brightest! Set off by poison oak and dogwood in reds against the perfectly blue mountain sky.Hope you are enjoying beauty where you are getting the wood shed full and the garden put to bed. Time to dust off your looms and start finding the perfect yarn for winter projects!
Well, we’re home again. OFFF was very …er… interesting this year! That big storm coming in from Alaska arrived just in time to dampen our spirits. Well, those of us unused to those volumes of rain, that is, and especially the gale force winds! The upper Oregonians just put on their designer waders and kept on shopping! lol We did a pretty good business, tho I was sometimes convinced that shoppers just dropped in the get out of the blustering wind and driving rain and stayed to get interested. Which was fine, but in the end we had to fold up what was left of our tent and crawl back into the 5th wheel. The wind got a little too strong and was tearing us up. But we’ll be back again next year!
After the weekend we headed out east ion hopes of visiting Yellowstone Nat’l park if it was not buried in snow by that time. We didn’t get there as you all know by now that everything National got shut down by out dilatory congress unable to made compromises and losing votes by the bucket full. But I try to avoid political discussions so will skip over that here. We did see a lot of eastern Oregon, had a nice two day visit in Pendleton, visited the woolen factory and left some $ there then went on the view several museums and art galleries. Went on into southern Idaho finally getting ahead (or was it behind?) the storm and into mostly clear but still Very Windy weather. Beautiful country but boy am I glad I was not a pioneer! Those people were either crazy or desperate! I’d have stayed in Ohio! lol It would have been awful country when viewed walking at the side of a covered wagon. But we went on though Pocatello and into Utah. Salt lake was very interesting. Salt Lake City is just too big for me! But it got worse for those poor pioneers! Getting around that huge salt lake and then into the Bonneville salt flats and on to the 40 mile desert. It’s a wonder to me that any of them made it to California. 
My window needed cleaning, the sky was quite clear and blue and the white… it really is salt… went on for as far as you could see. Those mountains are miles away. That place that looks like a blue hill there at the end of the mountains is really a mirage. The salt was quite flat and there was no real water.
And then there was this. I think you’ll all recognize this little girl. And the piles are more salt. There were many of those piles. 
Well, we traveled on across Utah and into Nevada. This was our first trip though norther Nevada but, really, Nevada to tourists, is Nevada, no matter what part you’re in. Well, except for Basin Nat’l monument off Hwy 50, maybe. Took this one on the fly. The last guy cracked an Indiana Jones bullwhip over the last cow just after I snapped this. It’s going to be hard to see detail at this size. I’m going to print this one up big and frame it. 
The story I started off to tell was of meeting another weaver at a way side park in southern Oregon. She saw our tire cover on the trailer with our logo and asked about the looms. I took her into our little travel home and showed her mine. She liked them and ended up increasing her loom stash there by the side of the road! I hope you are enjoying your new looms, Cindy! I think that was so neat. It’s also nice to know that people do see that logo after all! lol
But now we’re home and after filling orders it’s going to be firewood and putting the garden to bed for the winter. hope you are staying warm!
It came about via a customer request and even tho I have not yet posted it to the web site we are already getting orders! I did make a little you tube video on how to weave it so I guess that shows that there are a few people who actually look at my movie productions! That’s heartening!
But here’s out little SweetHeart. You can see it and the rest of them at Canby this coming weekend at OFFF. Bring your umbrella!
Scarves. Hooded scarves, in fact. People keep wanting to buy my samples at the shows so I figure if I weave a few to sell, nobody will offer to buy them again! lol But if they do, I’ll be ready! Here’s some squares for one.
I’m working on the third one now. The one below was the first one & used the triangle loom and some Blue Sky Alpaca and some rainbow colored mohair.
The third one is using the same alpaca but I dyed this one which was plain plain. The color was called Toasted Almond which sounds very nice but to me it just looked a kind of pasty grey. So I got out my kool aid and gave it some help. I think. Anyway it’s keeping me busy while we get ready for OFFF. The Green one is finihsed now and I’ve still got a few more squres to weave on this last one. I have more yarn but I think that’s enough for now.
If you are interested in making this Ducks Quilt here is the layout I used. I sewed my blocks together with the over hand stitch. I added the row of yellow blocks using the blue to crochet these onto the top and bottom to make the square quilt a bit more rectangular. After sewing the 9 yellow blocks together, I did a row of single crochet on the bottom edge of that strip and another row of single crochet on the top edge of the assembled blanket. Then I worked a slip stitched to connect the two rows. Repeat at the bottom of the blanket. Then I worked a border of two rounds of single crochet in blue and yellow. You all know you can email me at any time if you have any questions about this project or about the looms. I’d love to see your projects, too!
I forgot to add that the yarn I used was some very nice Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton, called Multi Cotton. It suggested hand washing but I put it in the machine for a short gentle wash. I also put it in the drier until just barely damp and dried it the rest of the way laid out flat. It did fine.
I finally have the baby blanket finished. Nearly have the mixer cover finished but ran short of yarn with only a few to go. I’ll get to town this week and hopefully Jan with still have another skein in her shop.
We’re getting ready for our trip to the Big Sky Festival. This is our first time for this show but our second trip to Hamilton Montana. Then we have to hurry home and do laundry then off to Eugene, Oregon for the Black Sheep Gathering. Haven’t been to that one for years and am looking forward to it.
I am hoping to have a few new projects to show as examples.
Things have been busy around here. Randy is making looms, trying finish our new porch, getting the composts piles ready for the new bed and trying to keep his construction customers happy, too. So far, so good! Except for the porch… Now that he has the roofing off the house, Mother Nature decided it was time for a couple days of rain. Well, it’s Memorial Day weekend… bound to happen, huh?! I’ve been in the shop, too, trying to keep up with him, plus projects, printing, getting the garden going, and all the domestic fun that has to continuously be done as we all know. But it’s been a pleasant month, too. And my little peach tree has a whopping big crop this year! Had to thin some off and may have to thin it again. This is the most it’s ever had!
Okay, enough chat. I made a determination to keep this blog more up to date than I have been doing. I’ve probably lost my three followers already, huh? lol Hope you are all having a wonderful and warm, windless! spring.
I found a “new” doll named Hitty. I have ordered her book called, “The First Hundred Years” so you know she’s not really new, only new to me. But I find that she is about the same size as Mini Molly and so this Virginia Larkin pattern (5G) fits her just fine. I used fingering yarn and #00 needles for this one. I added the flowers and the picot bind off. I am knitting another pattern for her but using lace yarn #1 yarn for it. Time will tell. I am planning some woven outfits for this little lady as well.
We’re ready. Go Giants!
This is the class loom. there are 18 of them but more can be made if you might need them. They have a 3 1/2″ weaving area and the nails are spaced at 3/8 th inch. They come with instruction for weaving diagonally. You can get them with or without the weaving hooks.
These small looms are very suitable for children. They are small and quickly woven so the children can finish a square in a reasonable time, before their interest can wane. I have a few projects for making their own toys that I will include with the looms., my grandson models one popular project.
In the samples below, the upper one is woven with a double strand of worsted yarn and the lower with a single strand. Bulky hand spun is also a good yarn for this loom.
The Weave Along is finished and was a great success. I think everyone enjoyed it and they turned out some wonderful projects. I think it even converted a few new weavers to the craft! Here’s a little overview of some of the projects. If you didn’t finish your project, it’s not too late! You missed the drawing for the little prize, but we’d love to see your dress!
Hazel Rose 