A conundrum… fur sure!

May4

So, cleaning up the studio, downsizing, all that kind of thing. Here’s another big batch of woven block. All of assorted yarns, weights, textures, sizes, techniques… you know the way it goes. I’ve been demoing these looms for almost 20 years now and tho I have used a lot of them you can see that I still have a lot waiting to go into some lovely & useful projects. But what? What can you do with such a mish-mash? A lot of them I will not be able to identify the content so what happens when I mix wool and acrylic, or chenille and silk or cotton any other probably incompatible mix? I guess I am hoping some of you will come up with a clever answer! There’s a small stack of felted squares and a couple that fit no category!

Sort of like my pictures! lol I can’t seem to get them to do what I want, either! But you can see what I mean. There’s a lot of weaving hours and a lot of yarn tied up here and it ought to be good for something. Any ideas?!

Not sure!

Many Multis but mostly different!

Felted 7″ squares

Woven on the 7″ square, different ways different sizes, too! Now what?!

Help!

School Weaving

May2

Had 5 kids at the table, 2 boys & 3 girls. One 1st grader, 1 6th grader and three in the 3rd. Small schools are interesting and fun! They all did well and finished their little rug. They took the cardboard loom and the wooden needles that Randy and I made home with them, hopefully to get used again. I wouldn’t mind doing more with them.

My first grader drew this tiger for me. He says Thank You! lol

Ellie’s mom posted this the next morning. She says, “Ellie is weaving at breakfast this morning! Thanks again for sharing your skill.” Love it when they vole it!

Another project.

Apr29

Been meaning to make another one of these for some time now. Gabi’s WAL got me inspired. The only towel in my stash was one I got for xmas from my $store shopping MIL a couple years ago. I just happen to have some kitchen cotton in the green-ish colors of the wreath. So here it is. I worked a slip stitch up from the outside bottom of each tri to kind of reinforce the edges for the tie string to hang from. The ends are sewn into the hems where I stitched the tris to the towel. The towel is cut about 2/3 of the towel and cut edge zig zagged, then gathered this time. I fitted it to the edge of the tri and pinned closely and sewed it down, on the back side first, then the same on the front side. Then stitched another row about a half inch above that to encase the raw edge of the towel. This one has not been washed yet so you may see some ends that will be clipped later.

This is a photo of the first one I made before I chained on the tie strings. It is no longer photogenic! lol But it’s been very handy and is still working despite it’s less than stellar condition. This one was pleated rather than gathered. You can do the dame thing with the towels you weave, too. But this is a quick project. They make nice gifts as well.

I’m still working on the idea for an apron.

As I promised…

Apr17

I finally found some buttons for the vest I posted earlier and I promised to show it on at that time so here it is.

One thing I am happy about is the back view. It actually hangs at my waist instead of halfway up my back. I did some asking from Tech knitters about this issue with my “hump” and got some good advice on fitting. It was a matter of extending the front shoulders just a tad and cutting the back neck lower. It made a great difference from the last ones I have tried. My shoulders sit at my shoulders and the back at my waist! I added a couple short rows to the ribbing in back just to make sure. Not happy with my figger but am pleased with the fit. If the WIP does as well I’ll be doubly happy!

Up next is…

Apr9

It was supposed to be my new sweater but was not working out for that. I bought this alpaca yarn on a good sale as it was being discontinued so I have a limited amount to work with. It’s Blue Sky, I’m sure I can get more. I think it was just the colorways that were being discontinued. Anyway, I think I found a way to use all these 12″ squares. It’s a knitting pattern but so simple that it will work for the squares. It’s just a matter of will it fit me?! I’m forging ahead and hoping for the best! lol

So here’s my layout. I have enough (I hope) Navy to knit the ribbing. If not I also still have some of the colors so it could be as colorful, almost, as the squares. Well, these are the blocks but I cannot get a picture of my present layout. It’s a camera issue. But this one is going to take awhile as I did not weave the ends in as I went. I’m sure I have advised you to do so, in the past. I guess this is another case of “do as I say, not as I do!’ lol It will be sewn together with an overhand stitch. Pinned each time to avoid stretching out of shape. It’s a very soft yarn. Soft and drape-y.

The other thing is that it is also getting toward gardening season. The rain (knock knock) has stopped and the sun is out. Water is quite high in streams and the lake. We’ll have a full lake this summer! Took a ride north yesterday and got a picture of Scott Mountain creek! It hasn’t run like this in years! I wish you could hear it as well. It was Roaring!! Love it! all the branch creeks and seasonal streamlets were adding to it and by the time it reached the Trinity River and on down the canyon to join Coffee Creek, that one was roaring as well! But CC does not seem close at all to flood tho a lot of people who have moved up here in recent years may be a bit anxious since they’ll never have seen spring run-off.

Another one done!

Mar26

This one I’ve learned to hate! I’ve assembled and frogged and reassembled and frogged… So what do you do then? Something that can’t, at least easily, be undone. Get out the Singer! So here is the Singer Infinity Cowel. Done & finished.

It’s been so long-3 years, I think – that the band is gone & I’ve no idea what it is. A nice yarn… just wasn’t working for me.

I’m beginning g to feel a bit more like I may live. Still not over it, but better. Himself has it now, of course.

More….

Mar23

I’m going to have to put the red & green on hold for a bit. The idea was an apron, but I found the ball band which informed me that this was a fine wool. Not a good choice for such a utility garment! So in looking for another, I discovered several. The Grey has had me stumped for a few years. I think I’ll go with the stack of triangles. Already partly assembled it should not take long to come up with a pretty cowel. This fat yarn is also very soft! Don’t know why the photo won’t enlarge but you get the idea. I wove these on the 7″ Quilt Weaver Triangle. Still working on the finishing. Keep your fingers xed for me! That’s when you are not weaving yourself, of course!

Happy New Year 2019

Jan6

All my resolutions to keep this blog regular have failed so I guess I’ll just promise to do it when I think of it this year! sigh….

But today it’s snowing. Lovely! If we get enough of this stuff maybe we won’t have such a “hot” summer this year!

Elsewhere I have been busy in the shop, & I’m signed up to teach a pin weaving class at Black Sheep this year. I’m a little disappointed that they did not take my more advanced class but am happy to be teaching the beginner class anyway. That’ll be the 4″ Multi, if you are interested. I’m going to offer the advanced class to OFFF and Lambtown. Maybe one of them will take it.

I got out the peg loom and my Pentdelton Mills selvages with weaving a rug in mind. However, my sample turned out way too thick for a kitchen rug, which is what I had in mind, so I guess I’ll make a set of chair pads instead. My sample is rather pretty, even dh said so.

And today I baked my Windmill Cookies. I paid $7 for a little jar of Mace so I thought I’d better use it. And I’ll see if I can find some other uses for this fancy spice. I like the flavor but it won’t go with everything.

And I read that modern mother’s like sleep sacks for their babies rather than blankets. I have to admit it makes sense. They were talking about babies smothering in the blankets. That seems unlikely to me, I never heard of a baby smothering in it’s blankets and the only problem I’ve ever found with them is keeping the baby covered. They sometimes kick them off in the night so that’s why I think the sleep sack is a good idea. It’s kind of like the old gown with the ribbon tied at the bottom, Kind of an extra long sweater with the hem sewn shut. I’m going to make one for my niece’s girl, due in April. Still trying to decide on the yarn to use. The snow is so pretty, but I’m not wading out to the yarn shed today. I’ll wait until it’s done and not quite so cold and wet! But I have some alpaca squares I wove for a sweater for myself but found that I am not going to have enough. Maybe I’ll make one using those. Not exactly baby colors but maybe modern mother’s don’t do pink and blue anymore, either.

And I’m in a KAL with the doll knitters. That’s for movie evenings. Well, That’s about it. I think tonight will be comfort food. I’m thinking something featuring macaroni and tuna. Hope the power stays on….

Hope your new year is getting off to a lovely start!

My Christmas Shelf Elf!

Dec14

Came down with His cold despite my care so spent yesterday sitting and weaving. And blowing my nose. What fun… not. But I think Mr. Elf turned out pretty cute.

I have the project written up and will make it available soon. If my brain is up to the technical stuff involved!

It’s raining heavily, was also blowing earlier. Rain and wind are not a good combo, but I am glad to see the rain in any case. Temperature is sitting at 38 so snow at our elevation unlikely but you never know what might happen once the sun sets. The Weather Wizards are not optimistic for our chances of white. Is that optimistic or pessimistic? When it comes to snow I’m never sure! lol

Hope you are all having a great December!

October in Washington

Oct28

We spent 10 days on the road– more or less. I got so buy at Fiber Fusion that I totally forgot to take any pictures while at the festival, but it was fun, interesting and even slightly profitable. I had three very nice ladies in my class and they all caught onto and seemed to enjoy the weaving and went away with at least one finished wash cloth. We did a 2nd one using the kitchen cotton and a type of scrubby. I had acrylic, cotton and a fuzzy sparkly one to choose from.

After the show we left, avoiding the freeways, and wandered though the forests of Washington in vaguely the direction we thought we wanted to go. Randy says that while he might not always know where he is, he is never lost, and sure enough, we eventually came out just where he wanted to be!

2018-10-22 12.05.08

That was into the Cascade Mountain Nat’l Park. The Cascades are the youngest mountains in the US and are high rugged craggy peaks. Very scenic and steep, prone to rock slides, the signs warn. There are large lakes and rivers, of course. Washington state builds lots of dams for power generation. One of the major exports, it appears, but in at least one occasion, they had totally stopped the river from flowing past the dam, a practice I, and I am sure others, disapprove.

Damn

But it is very scenic. We spent a cold night in the parking lot of a closed Nat’l park with 3 other rv’s and a half dozen tent campers. There were Lot so rv’s from pick-up’s to giant pushers & the tenters, so I really don’t know why the park system thinks tourist season is over on labor day! Anyway, I was glad I had my heavy wool quilt with me! If you were at the last two events we were at you saw that one on the table.

!blanketdone4a

But we really enjoyed the trip through the park tho he would have liked to have gotten off the ‘beaten track’. It appears that there is no ‘off’ there unless you go hiking which he’d love to do but we did not have time for that and it’s not a great time of the year for hiking there, anyway, with the weather looking iffy. But here are some pictures. Well, the pictures are at scattered but you’ll find them here somewhere! I don’t seem to be able to get along with this “new” editor but am not going to try to ‘fix’ it now as I’ll just make it worse I’m sure! But I’ll try to add some here.

After we left the park we went into Apply Valley. Apples of several types, lots of cherries, these were covered with nets as they ripen to keep away birds. There were also grape vineyards, they seem to be the purple kinds and further down the valley they grow hops. This is a rocky canyon and the orchards and vineyards were tucked into all sorts of spots where there was enough dirt to grow them. Beautiful colors in the orchards and the wild trees. Dams along the Columbia river, too, with their power plants.

the red trees are cherries

A little maple at the power plant campground

Colors & orchards across the river.

A couple hang gliders leaped from the hills across the way

Stella watching the neighbors boxers.

This one is for Ron! As close as I got.

Vineyard tucked in to a cliff space.

Apple picking.

Not sure what they are growing but it’s very neatly organized.

There were acres and acres of hops rames, the hops have finsihed for this year, tho.

I wanted to add this one but missed it. It’s the netting that overs the cherries in their primes, all neatly rolled up waiting for the next crop.

2018-10-24 10.50.02

So then we headed up hill. Some 2000′ of elevation in 6 miles of curving road and we were on the Palouse, the top of the World up there. Mostly Geology and wheat fields here.