Tag Archive | weavette

April Oneth!

Yep! It’s that time again. I’ve had a lot of them but I’ll tell you, I am just delighted to be having another one! I’m hoping to have several more. Hope all of you keep on having them too! So what am I going to do on my special day? Probably the same sort of things I did today, just keep on keeping on. No big plans. We’re signed up to go to Black Sheep Gathering and later to OFFF so those will be our big trips this summer. I’ll get to spend a day or two with my sister in Oregon as well. If fuel prices happen to go back down a reasonable amount we might take a trip just for fun. Not holding my breath.

It’s about time to get the garden started. I’ve planted peas, both eatable pod and shelly. That’s all so far, tho. I ought to have cucumbers starting and winter squashes, too, probably. No frost lately tho the night temps are well into the 30’s.

I thawed, roasted and canned up the extra turkey I bought in December . We had a couple nice meals from that 24 lb bird, and now I have pints of meat and turkey soup filling the pantry shelves so here’s a lopsided photo of some of the shelves. I could have sworn I had the camera lined up correctly! lol I guess I need to get out there and Organize. There’s more pints in their boxes that could be on the shelves where they are seen and remembered.

My housebound geraniums are glued to the window, trying to get out in the sun and the red one even put on a flower!

I took this from outside the window and the yard is reflecting on the glass so the geranium has the bare stemmed maple tree superimposed on it! I think this must be an Art photo! But this is the first red one I’ve managed to over-winter. The pinks and white I’ve had for years! In fact that’s been 20 years! I’m not saying they are the same plants I brought home from my classroom at the school, but are at least clones of them! I hadn’t realized really that it had been that long. oh boy! There are some things you’d rather not think about too deeply!

Ah well… We’re onto another year of Little Loom magazine projects. I just submitted my spring ideas and will get to working on summer. Already know what I’ll be doing for the winter issue, I think they’ll like it. Sometimes these projects get pretty stressful but I usually enjoy them and it keeps me motivated.

I hope you are all keeping your looms well dusted! Like anything else, you’re looms will look their best if they are being used. Remember, I like to see your projects! Post them on Ravelry or the facebook group or just email them to me if you feel like sharing!

Well, hope you are having a lovely spring!

Edge On…

Mar1

Just a bit more. Aren’t they pretty? None quite the same, either!

March Madness 2022

Feb27

Ready for a little March Madness?!

A Weave Along for a little fun for the mostly muddy month of March. Yes, here in Northern California we finally got a little rain, almost enough to make some mud and I thought it worth celebrating! This WAL will need a square loom and two yarns, a light and a dark. Try Black & White if you have it but I am encouraging you to use stash as this is a learning process more than a project. I am using some of that “stainless steel” acrylic yarn that I inherited from my Mom who used to crochet endless colorful striped afghans. The kind kids make card table tends with, that get draped over couches to collect the dog and cat hair, get dragged to the park and the beach and then get tossed in the washer and dryer and just never die! Yeah, it’s not something you’d want to knit a body hugging camisole from but it’s great for rough usage. However, the yarn is your choice, all you really need it the light and the dark and a yarn suitable for your loom.

The loom! Square. I’m going to be using the 10.5″ square, just because that’s the one I started on, but I’ve tested it on the 4″ Multi and the 7″ Quilt Weaver to be sure it works there, too. So a loom at least 4″ square, and upward. We’ll be weaving continuous, diagonally. Your first square will need pretty much equal amounts of each color, so pick your loom and divide how much it takes to weave a square on that size loom by 2. We’ll be weaving with a hook. If you’re going to be using the 3pin Multi, or weavette kind of loom you might want your needle for that last row, not needed but handy.

Not going to show you yet, the first square we’ll weave together. The next one you get to be the designer! But I’ll tell you it’s easy, stress free, fun, and has lots of potential. I’ve been having fun with it and DH is more enthusiastic about this one than he ever has been. I hope you are going to enjoy it, too!

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!

New Years Day 2022… Good wishes for the future!

Jan1

I hope you all were able to welcome the new year in the way you most enjoy! And stayed safe!

Randy and I celebrated as old people tend to do!

Today I finally got my new patchwork top out and got a photo. I don’t know if I mentioned but the yoke turned out to be too short, so I added another row of squares and I think it’s much better. Not my most flattering color but I like the way I did this neckline.

Pretty slow in Trinity this time of year. We had a lot of snow a week or so ago and it’s still here along with an impressive display of icicles along the roof line. We hit our winter low this morning at 14 degrees f. The Wizards say we are in for more snow on Sunday and Monday and then they think it’s going to warm up and rain at our elevation. That’ll be a nice mess! Well, we are still in a drought so not all bad. This last snow was pretty dry stuff. Which is nice when you have to shovel it but doesn’t add much to the water tables.

Well, l Himself has mentioned a couple times that there is a cake mix and a can of frosting in the pantry, so I guess I’ll go make him a cake. Hope your new years day is going well and that it continues to be well throughout the year! If we all do our best to stay positive and friendly and safe I’m sure the world will be able to recover.

Be kind, be positive, be safe! And do lots of weaving!

Once a UFO

Dec6

Now it’s nearly done. Just has to have a trip though the washer. After that I’ll decide if the bottom of the yoke needs stitching down. I think I pinned this in place before the Big Evacuation and it’s just been out of sight out of mind since. It’s kind of long on me, too, so I may have to re-hem it. I like these shirts. I got them on sale at WalMart in Yreka a few years ago. There’s a green one and a red one left. They’re well made men’s shirts so have sleeves of a decent length. I prefer those without the band but liked this color in spite of that. The yoke is sock yarn on the 4 & 2 inch Multi Looms. I just place the assembled yoke over the shirt, pin in place, sew it down with the machine and cut away the parts I don’t want. I left the shirt fabric under this one to gvie it a bit of heft.

We’re supposed to have rain today sometimes and snow next weekend. Good time for shop work except…! He’s gotten a case of food poisoning somewhere and has had to spend most of the last two days… well, you know where. But he has gotten some stuff done in the shop. If you have an order in, please be patient, we’ll get them done as soon as we can.

Trying to stay warm these December days! Hope your December is going well!

December Oneth already!

Dec1

Hasn’t improved things, I’m still behind and still losing things. Story of my life lately. Bah Humbug! Finished the 4″ square Christmas sweater for that Brazilian ladies’ yearly JAL. White on white just doesn’t work. So after 4 tries I went to a pale blue back ground and finally got a good photo. Even made a file especially to put it in. Computer tells me this file is empty. Cannot find that picture anywhere on this perverter machine! Not going though all that again so too bad. I do have a picture of Piper wearing it, tho.

I’m mostly working on the stitch patterns for the continuous weave looms. So far mostly the 7″, both regular and fine sett. And finishing up some magazine submissions. And I have to make bread today. There’s stuff in the yard and flower beds that need some pre-weather cleaning up. It May happen. And the ravens are hanging around in the neighborhood today, being noisy. Not common here, wonder what’s up with that. They have been before during fledgling season but I told them to come back Nevermore!

Okay, with that I guess I’d better get the laundry started and the roast ready to go in the oven. Hope your December is starting out more cheerful!