Tag Archive | Hazel Rose

March Madness off to a maddening start!

Mar5

Got  up to no phone and no internet! But here at 1 pm we’re back connected to the world. for now anyway!

Here’s the starting pattern. No picture yet, I don’t want to spoil the surprise! Just hope it doesn’t surprise me, too!

Random Squares.

©Hazel Spencer 2-2022

 

Loom orientated diagonally, like a diamond. The pin furthest from you will be Top, the one closest is Bottom. This pattern is woven over under just as is usual with diagonal continuous weaving. I am sharing the technique of making the patte4rn but not giving weaving lessons.

Center row:

  1. Light yarn, slip knot on top corner nail, tail brought out between bottom nail and the on just to the right of it..
  2. Dark yarn Long slip knot over light yarn to nail on each side of top and bottom center.
  3. Light yarn over dark and around.
  4. Dark yarn
  5. dark yarn:  Note how the pattern seems to have changed direction. You may not be able to see this yet, but keep weaving.
  6. Light
  7. Dark
  8. Light
  9. Dark
  10. Light
  11. Dark
  12. Dark
  13. Light
  14. Dark
  15. Light
  16. Dark
  17. Dark
  18. Repeat rows 6-17 or as often as the number of nails on your loom allows. Your square will end with a single row.

You may not be able to see the pattern well, it may look sketchy. The best way to tell is to look at the weaving almost horizontally. But the next step is to take if off the loom. Stretch it side to side and smooth it out to relax and lightly full the yarns. Now you’ll see the pattern! Let us see what you have woven!

If you have already woven the first pattern as posted here (which is now corrected) you may end up with something like this, which is interesting but not what it was supposed to look like.  Just enjoy and try the new one.

Nearly the end of February.

Feb25

Well, the year is already morning along toward another hot dry summer. the Weather Wizards promised us “rain likely” a few days ago! Now is just a chance of showers. Sadistic people.  Still, they’ve been wrong before, it may still give us a little downpour. Wouldn’t that be great!!

Meantime, I’ve ordered my seeds in case we get to have a garden this summer. Sure hope so as it begins to sound like there could be some shortages, California, or maybe it’s the feds, have told the central valley farmers that they get NO WATER this year. That’s going to put a serious dent in available produce. I think the numbers were something like 25% of the US produce is from that area. We have have to put up shade cloth to keep the garden from frying but we do need to have it.

Been trying my hand at overshot Weaving on the little looms. It’s an interesting process! I haven’t gotten it to work well on the QW’s but I did a couple simple designs on the Multi square. i did a little crochet and turned the two into a wrist cuff. I’ve downloaded a few more patterns from Floor looms that I want to try.

Meantime I’m working on projects for magazines and for a book I am hoping to interest someone into publishing without too much cost- none at all preferably- to me.  Its all for the Quilt Weaver looms. They haven’t had anything new in awhile. But I’m not showing it here, just in case. It’s going to be fun, tho so keep track of your looms, you’ll want to give it a try when I get it ready.

Himself has gone to cut firewood. Says he wants to have nest winter’s firewood in before this summer sets in. Understandable. One of his clients has given him permission to cut fire killed trees on her property. He can drive to it so it’s pretty easy as firewood cutting goes.

And before he left he told me there are 16 looms out in the shop for me to sand. so I guess I’d better get at it. Just wanted to let you guys know that I have not abandoned this blog again. Just finding it hard to find something to talk about! Hope your winter is rounding out a bit more interesting.

Bye for now!

More Dreary January

Jan23

Well, I guess that’s unfair. It’s a bright sunny day but still- half melted snow and mud and dead looking landscape… Yeah, dreary.

But warm in here by the stove. I’ve been trying to work out texture patterns for the Quilt Weavers. Worked on this one on the 7 inch Fine set. Should have started smaller. Needless to say it didn’t occur to me that I ought to do some math first, never a thing that springs to my mind! lol  And it didn’t work out in the center as it was meant to, naturally. And I also discovered that I didn’t pay close enough attention to the edges and one side wasn’t properly woven. So I’m trying again but with a smaller sized loom. I’ve done this on the Regular sett so I know it works. I thought this would be good for the 7″ because it results in a looser weave so a bit easier when you approach the center.

I took some pics during the weaving. Don’t copy my rows but you get the idea. It’s the slide stitch if you want to give it a try and if you get it to work out properly let me know!

Wrong! I took out the instructions I posted yester day as they were wrong. I rewove and think it have ti right this time but I’ll have to weave and write at the same time to get it down- so more waiting! Sorry!

  

Okay, That’s enough for this time. When I get it to work out I’ll post that and the photo. But now I have to go work in the shop.

Hope you are having a lovely Sunday afternoon!

Another January

Jan16

I didn’t check to see when I last posted. I know it’s be awhile. Not a heck of a lot to post about in January. We had our snow at Christmas, and since then it’s been mostly sunny and cold. Pretty much 24 every morning for the last couple weeks. A bit after 2 pm it reaches the high for the day, lately brushing 40 degrees, it was 41 today before it starts dropping again. Days are getting longer but since we have a late, bright moon, the day seems to start about 3 am! A bit longer than I’d like.  I manage to sleep until about 4 am then nap for another hour. Makes the days seem longer, anyway.

I have been doing a bit of weaving, playing with stitch designs and textures. Did this one today. I think I’ve figured it out enough that I can chart it and maybe get a good one. This one will get frogged so I can reuse the yarn. I have to figure out how to center the design and how many will fit and also do something about the edges. Simple, right! lol I’ve been working on single color pattern for the new Fine Sett looms as well. And making a chart that lists the yarn amount needed for each of the looms. I guess I didn’t realize how many different looms we make when you count size and shape and type!

As for the rest of the day… I seem to be busy all day but I really can’t say at what. Strange how that works. The days just fill with little things , nothing memorable but seem necessary at the time. Well, I mean the dishes have to be washed, the laundry also, dinner has to be planned ahead of time, It’s not like we could afford to eat out every night even if we wanted to and had a restaurant closer than 40 miles from us. Then there’s always work in the shop making the looms and packing up the orders and getting them shipped off to waiting weavers. And of course, the Infamous Internet. Yes, emails to answer, posts to read & someone is sure to send a link to a funny or interesting You Tube, just a quick glance you tell yourself. It’s amazing how fast an hours gets by!

I did knit myself a pair of bed socks. They fit well and stay on all night or until I kick them off.  Those were knitted during the evening movie, mostly. We take turns picking one of our many DMVs or video tapes and swap off between reading evenings. Pretty lively around here of a winter evening!

But I mostly just wanted to let you know, anyone who may still be interested in my “Life in the Country”, that I have been worrying over not posting or more specifically, over not seeming to have anything of interest to post about. I hope you are enjoying your January and hoping it’s a comfortable one. That you aren’t in the big snow blizzard back east and sitting in the dark with no power. Tho if you are you are not readying this! duh.

With that brilliant observation I’ll bid you all a good night!

Sweet Dreams!

Winter work…

Nov6

It’s November even tho with temps in the 60’s as high and the lows just in the low 40’s it doesn’t really feel very wintery. Well, except for the rain and gloomy skies. And gloomy husband. He doesn’t do well in continual darkness and besides has jobs that need to be outdoors in dry weather so that’s adding to the frustration. I’m fine tho it worries me a bit that it’s not getting cold. We are still picking pole beans and when I cut greens yesterday there was a bee buzzing around in the borage. Not normal winter conditions for these mountains. Well, I guess we’d better start getting used to the “not normal”. They are suggest a vague possibility of some snow on Monday. Not holding my breath!

But meantime, with the WAL coming to an end, I got out my cardigan project. My favorite orange sweater is wearing out. When even Himself notices it’s sort of ratty condition I guess it’s time!  So I’ll be weaving 12″ squares for some time. I’m reusing a frogged knit sweater that turned out to be a bad idea, mostly a bad fit. And I have another one that is in line for frogging as well. I guess I’d better stick to weaving! lol I balled this yarn up but it hasn’t been washed before weaving with it. I’ll find out if that’s a good idea.

     

But today I have to finish up a batch of apple sauce and sand a couple looms as well. The sweater is going to take awhile to finish.

  And there’s enough apples  left for a pie.

 

Last Week….

Nov3

Looks like I was mistaken about the enduing date! The WAL will end on Wednesday November 11. That adds a couple more days for those of you who need a little more time to finish! Go! Go! You don’t want to miss a chance at this prize!

The last Week of the Anniversary WAL. It ends Monday midnight. that gives you 5 1/2 days to get your red bird finished up. Remember, you don’t have to make anything of it to qualify as a finisher, just need to have the chart woven and assembled. Of course I’ll be delighted if you do manage to get it made into something so try for it! How about adding a waist band and making it a Hostess apron for your Thanksgiving get-together?! A  little old fashioned maybe retro!, but I remember Momma wearing her prettiest aprons for those festive occasions when she had to be in the kitchen as well as in entertaining guests and family. But in any case I hope to see a few more finishers getting a chance at our BIG PRIZE!!!

A few pieces woven on the fine set. the lacy bit used the Croquette. It’s about the size of #30 crochet thread, I think. Has a bit of metallic sparkle which never shows in photos.

Post a comment to let us know how you are getting along with your project!

Raining fish and frogs!

Oct21

Well, not really. Used to do that once in awhile when I lived in Florida years ago, but never seen it here. But we are all delighted to see it raining hard enough that the Fire Service people are considering the fires to be OUT!  

I finished my Antimacassar yesterday but was not able to load it here and it kept timing out. So I’ll try again! I added a 14″ triangle to the top to hang over the back of the chair to keep it in place and still let the whole picture show. I’m not really very happy with the additional stuff on the top left but not unhappy enough to rip it out and do over. Worked a SC in white around the edge just to finish it off neatly. Now I just have to find a shiny black button to give him an eye. Sister insists that he needs one in spite of the fact that it’s probably not going to show.

So I hope you are all making some headway, maybe even starting to assemble? Hope to hear some progress reports!

Remember, this weeks prize is a 4″ Multi triangle loom! The dusty one in the photo is mine, you’ll get a new un-dusty one!

Row two is the most complicated bit and that is really not that hard once you look at how it’s put together. It’s just overlapping triangles!