We had a couple trips in the spring, to Great Basin Fiber Arts Festival in Utah and to Washington for Fiber Fusion and then we had the summer off. Well, kinda. There’s the garden! Don’t want to be without my fresh, pesticide free veggies, which means canning in the hottest part of the year. But it’s worth it when I see my pantry stocked so prettily!
Made cucumber relish yesterday. For today I’ll put some of our huge crop of green & yellow beans in the dehydrator, already canned plenty of those, and make a Buckle. I found a recipe for that old fashioned dessert. I have peaches for it unless he brings me more black berries. I have a stock of blackberry jam, of course, and had to tell him stop! lol But only temporarily until I got caught up with what he has already brought. I have them for lunch with toast or in my breakfast cereal.
Too many beans and cukes, they out produced all the rest! I am pleased with my onions this year. I’m sure Rosy is proud of me. I always got my onions from her as I never had any luck with them. But now I have to do it on my own so tried extra hard. They aren’t going to win prizes at the fair but they are the best I’ve grown so far! There are red ones in the bottom. We’ve used quite a few already
And I actually grew some okra this year. I thought that this big it would be tough, but it was not!
But back to trips! Heading to Washington again end of September! I have the kits ready for the Spokane classes. If you are in that area, check out https://spokanefleeceandfiberfestival.com/. It’s a new Festival but Katrina is working hard to make it a good show. I have two classes but there are other good teachers having classes there too, not to mention a flock of vendors with fiber goodies you’ll want to check out!
Well, it’s clouding up which makes it a nice cool day. Which after the heat of last week is rather enjoyable! But I have to spend some time in the shop, too. Weavers are waiting for their looms!
Hope you are seeing signs of fall at your place! No red leaves yet but the asters are blooming!
It will be nice. I realize that I am an old person these days but I seem to have been chilly all the last month, no matter what the thermometer says. So I am thinking I probably won’t have too much trouble with summer heat. That would be a tiny bonus for being 0ld! But my yard says it’s spring no matter what the temperature!
Meantime, we are getting ready to leave for Washington in a week. It’s Fiber Fusion NW Up in Monroe. That will be a nice trip, it’s a lovely part of the USA, which has a lot of lovely parts! We’ll be weaving on Peg Looms with weavers there. The next event on our calendar is Black Sheep Gathering in Albany, OR. Then we have a bit of time, which I will likely spend with the garden and my canner! We finish off the traveling year with Lambtown in Dixon, CA and OFFF back in Albany again.
Just one of those stray thoughts that pop into my head as I am weaving. Just read that Buster Posy, our beloved Giants Catcher of yore, is now part owner of the Giants Team and at least partly in charge of running it. It just seemed to me that if that works for Buster and the Giants, then Harry Potter ought to be one of the professors at Hogwarts, maybe even Head Master!
Another stray thought (It’s how my brain works these days! It’s full of strays!) I was looking at all the really neat bags I have that came with products or as gifts. I have used a lot of them for project bags but, lets face it, there’s a limit! And I have way more bags than I’ll ever have uses for. I’ve tried giving them way but it seems other people also have too many. Which got me to thinking about the stuff we order. Yeah it’s kinda fun to get a package with your order wrapped up in a pretty bag or some really nice wrapping of some kind, maybe the kind you feel compelled to keep, but what do do with that?! So I try not to add to that clutter here at Hazel Rose Looms. (And this morning I see that Gabi is offering a free bag! lol) We use a lot of used boxes and I don’t “gift wrap” your order. If I think your special wood stands a chance of being damaged in transit I’ll wrap it some tissue. If you mentions it’s for a gift I will sometimes fancy it up a bit, Depends on what I have at hand mostly. All our packing material is recycled. People in this community know I ship and they bring me their bubble wrap and air bags. It saves us a lot of money that we don’t have to add to the price of the looms and people are happy not to have to toss those things into the land fill. I hope you find a place to donate them once you get them. Shops that sell glass art might take them, at least our local one does. Check around.
I had a group young teens come into the booth recently and they were taken with the toddler Ragtag top I had displayed and wished there was a pattern for bigger people. Yesterday I got out some sock yarn and the 4×6″ multi and wove a couple test pieces. I think it will work. I made an estimate chart, it’ll take quite a lot of pieces so may be a test of young patience and determination!
And deciding on a size for a teen is pretty much impossible. What size is an adult woman?! Yeah, all of them. Well, the estimate I laid out gives me a 30″ chest. It’s been a long time since I had a teen girl to make things for and I no longer remember what size she was. But a weaver can work with it to come up with the size they need. The test right now is: Will I get it made?
And I found this this morning! Three pretty peonies and one degerative and dying one. Spring is so pretty! And there’s apples on my Hyde King! It’s had a hard life but has made a nice come back after the alder fell on it. That’s exciting!
It must really be spring this time! Look at all the sunshine and blue sky! It hit 79 today! The cottonwoods are leafing out. So is my weeping willow. The oaks are always conservative and wait, just in case. Phooey on them! It’s spring!
We planted the tomatoes out this morning and planted peas and beets, too. Onions and Kale next as soon as he gets the bed ready.
Yes, I know it’s early yet. We will have covers for the toms at night, just in case. But it’s nice to sit on the garden bench and feel too hot!
The other thing is packing for the Great Basin Fiber Festival in Farmington, Utah. I think we leave on the 20th.
Okay… Hope you’re having some spring at your house! (or fall if you’re in the other half of the world!)
It’s still march. Silly of me. So what if it’s in the mid 70’s, sunshine, snow gone from the yard and garden, daffies coming up…it’s still March.
But now it’s raining on that lovely snow. Yeah, that’s spring! Mother Nature will give us a few more sunny days, probably at least one more snow, lots of rain (if we’re lucky) and then sometime in May it Will be Spring! And we can start garden again. Strange about garden. By October I am so tired of garden, I don’t want to ever see another green bean or red tomato but by the end of February I can hardly wait. In fact, I didn’t wait this year. I planted my tomato’s too soon. They are going to have to live in pots indoors much longer than they ought. I don’t know why I thought it was time. A little sunshine does not make a spring, I should know by my age! Oh well… I guess we’ll all survive. Here they are keeping company with some geranium starts, all leaning toward the door where a little dim light is sneaking though the clouds. Yeah, I have a grow light but they are now too big to fit under it.
We head to Great Basin Fiber Arts Festival in Farmington, Utah at the end of April so we’ve been busy making looms. He says he wants to have the whole years inventory ready since there is so little time between shows/fairs. I’m not quite keeping up with him! But I am printing books and getting my class stuff ready. That is I am when I can get the (impolite adjectives) printer and computer to cooperate! The HP printer just told me that the HP authentic ink cartridge I installed is not make for that brand of printer!. Not the first time, either. I bought these from Staples. They are made in Indonesia it says on the wrappings. They look right. Staples makes good but it’s very frustrating to have to send them back, and it’s always the last one in the drawer of course, so I am out of business until the new order arrives! Ah well, goes along with the way the rest of things are going these days. I hope we survive it. Mother Nature is going to try for whatever our government leaves us.
Speaking of which, DH & I had an interesting discussion this morning- with minimal shouting, too. His computer quit working so he’s had a lot of time with his books and has been mulling things over. It started with prehistoric Geology and ended with religion. We ranged far and wide. Did we agree? Well, on some points I guess. I tend to be a skeptic on both science and religion. He’s religious on science but also skeptical on religion. It’s a difficult subject. I was reared by Southern Baptist parents so find myself going both ways. His grandparents donated the property and lumber to build the local church but I think Grandmother was really the only believer in his family.
But on geology, he has done much more studying than I have, I just think it’s always a good idea to believe the latest theories but to keep in mind that they are theories and have always been subject to change. And yes, I do believe you need to have your children vaccinated, and yourself, too, if you have not! Some things have been proven.
But enough of serious subjects! I threw myself a surprise birthday party at Bunko last week week. March is my month to host. The 12 of us each supply dinner in our month. I have made corned beef and cabbage the last few years since it is near St Pat’s day but decided to go with something more springy this time. I was telling, last month, that I had made my first Quiche, but sloppily pronounced it Qweech. They were all having fun with that so I made ham & cheese Qweech for them this month! And for the dessert I made a cake with colored sprinkles in it and coconut on top and I added one candle. Our game is in the firehouse kitchen so I figured if I lit up 84 candles in the firehouse I’d chance being arrested for attempted arson! Anyway, they all joined the fun and sang Happy Birthday to me. Yeah, I know, my birthday is not until April one but close enough and I haven’t had a birthday cake since my baking friend moved to Washington. Himself will happily help me celebrate by disposing of the left overs but is very unlikely to bake! lol
Since then I have been working in the shop and weaving stuff for magazine and class projects. I’m halfway though PT for my bum shoulder. I think it’s helping. And the sun came out today so I did my walk! I’m sure that’s going to help, too. I have three days, I think, before it’s ‘scheduled’ to rain again! lol
If your kids are restless in this snowy wet winter weather here’s a few little projects that might keep them interested for a bit. A little discrete help or advice from Mom might be a good thing, as always. My philosophy for kids and adults as far as that goes, is that making it yourself makes it more interesting and valuable.
There’s more and of course you’ll want to try any idea that appeals to you! These two are offered for inspiration, the pictures and charts are pretty self explanatory.
I have a lot more that I’ll get organized but this is just a start for today. Have fun!
But we are getting some winter today. All we’ve had since the Big Snow at Thanksgiving is some cold weather, sometimes into the 20’s. Today is mostly slush alternating with real snow. The Wizards are not sure. Their forecasts, even this morning’s, contradict each other. We might get a couple days of slush or we might get buried! We can use more of a snow pack in the upper reaches, not sure I really want more here.
I planted my tomato seeds this morning, getting ready to send in my seed order so already thinking spring. Speaking of seeds, if you like saving your own seed, or growing heirloom plants, you might like to check out Seed Treasures. They live in Minnesota and sell the seeds they grow so if you live in snowy areas you know you are getting seed for plants that are hardy.
But meantime, I am learning that there is more to weaving on the peg loom than at first meets the eye. I got my circle chair pad woven but there are a few things I need to pay more attention to. I got the warp lengths right but had a difficult time pulling the warp through the outside rows. I’m about to start the 2nd pad so will be paying more attention to that. But all in all I think it came out pretty well. I used fabric strips with some stash Aunt Lydia rug yarn for warp. Thought I’d better add a bit about the 2nd picture. I did not skip pegs, I just found that slipping the center pegs thought before the end pegs helps keep them from coming off the loom while you are moving the warp up.
Thought I’d make another batch of the Boston Brown Bread. It turned out nicely last time. This bread is not baked, it’s steamed. I was a bit leery of that but it came out right and is pretty good. Himself like it but asked for no raisins so this time I left them out of his but added them to mine. I tired it with cream cheese, which the writer of the recipe said was “required” to be authentic, but frankly… no. I’ll stay with a little butter and some applesauce!
Okay, Gotta go back to chores. Hope you are having a comfortable and cozy day!
I hope it’s progress, anyway. So far I just seem to be jammed with chores and projects left from 2024. Is that normal? I just rather thought I’d pretty much have the month of January off, a restful winter break. Ha! even Bah Humbug! Well, I broke down and made a LIST! I think here on Jan 5, I have managed to check off two things. It’s not that that’s all I’ve done, it’s just things on the list. I have manage to fill the day with chores in between list projects, some of which are at least underway. I think the problem is that I’m getting old. I used to be able to deal with all this and never even notice. Well, the Golden age is not living up to it’s name. It’s more like the Rusty Tin age! lol Ah well, enough bitchin’ for today.
I did manage to get one project woven on our invented circle loom. That was not actually on the list, just one of those things we’ve discussed in the past and it came up again while shopping at the GoodWill in Redding the other day. We bought a 12″ knitting loom. A plastic ring with pegs all around. I thought I could use it for a peg loom, but there turned out to be a few things I did not think of in my enthusiasm for the idea. Like that the pegs were only about an inch tall and there was no hole for the warp strings. But Himself came to the rescue and made a set of drilled pegs with dowels. The problem with the large circle is that there are too many warp strings in the center of the bottom to make a flat bottom. I was using some elderly Caron 100% Dacron rug yarn with the original price of 79 cents. So the bundle of warp in the center was too big to bundle. I came up with a solution for that -after the fact- so it didn’t work very well here but I got a semi flat bottom to my bowl. I had planned it to be a basket but had to stop short this time. I’ll start from the bottom on the next one. I think it’ll work better. This one is only about 3″ deep. Himself thinks I could use this method to weave Rasta hats! I knitted one for my grandson years ago, like the 2nd one pictured. (That’s not mine, I can’t see to find a pic of it.) I guess it may be possible and I might try it later! The one with the braids definitely is a possible.
He’s making looms like crazy, I think he wants an entire years stock before the show season starts! lol I cannot keep up. Frankly, I’m not even trying to very hard. But I am getting things done in here tho they are still a little over whelming. Got the ceramic tree put back in storage. Got the houseplants back where they belong. My geraniums are all putting on blooms. I gave them a turn under the lights as they were not getting any sunshine from the widows lately and I didn’t want them getting really leggy. I guess the lights made them think it was spring. His 80 degree fires probably added to that! lol He can’t seem to get a Happy Medium. I just let it go out and rebuild when it starts cooling off but that is not the correct way according to him. I am not supposed to let it go out. Bah-Humbug! Ah well…We’ve only been married 40 years, I guess it takes time to get used to each others ways, huh?!
Just the two of us!
Okay, I spent a lot of time talking about how much I have to do so I supposed I ought to wish you all a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year and get on with my LIST! …and I do! I wish you all to accomplish just what you hope for this year and to stay safe in this chaotic world of today.
Still morning before, actually, but close enough. Somehow I got involved with my stash storage/bedroom. Was not my intention to spend today that way! But things happen. It started out with Himself commenting on how hard it was to get to the movie storage with all my projects piling up there. So I started “organizing”. That’s a thing I never have been very good at but one thing lead to another and here I am. Nowhere. Yes, I got the pile of projects next to my chair cleared out so he can find his movies but we aren’t going to be able to go to bed tonight until I get this taken care off. It wasn’t bad enough with just my stuff but now I have a bunch of Rosy’s unfinished projects that I thought I could finish for her. Hummm… But it was getting a little crowded on my side of the bed as things kept piling up. Can’t get out to Le Shed these days as there is still snow in spite of the rain. And that hasn’t helped, making things slushier and harder walking. I’m probably going to have to tackle the closet, too, in order to make room for the stuff on the bed! It is a vicious circle, isn’t it?! That old ‘going though life But first’. I’ll put this away But First I have to straighten out the closet!
And to further complicate things, I found Rosy’s set of cable needles which I hunted for a couple weeks ago for some project I’ve already forgotten. And in that bag was a couple of letters I sent to her in 2021. Newsletters I was writing back then for our new customers. I would like to do that again if I can figure out how to go about it. Kind of a chatty ‘what am I working on now and here’s a couple ideas for you’ sort of thing.
I know we all have UFO’s stashed away somewhere, it’s just a natural side effect of crafting. But I think some of us get carried away. I got an Idea yesterday and spent the day working it out. I was quite happy with the results but now I have another newly started project in the quay and am feeling guilty about that! Ah well… I think I am going to have to be immortal if I am going to finish all my projects! I’m sure at least some of you have had the problem! Wait! Maybe I should get out my small animal trap and see if I can catch one of Santa’s elves tonight! It would be a big help. Elf magic ought to get most of this stuff taken care of! Gosh, I should have thought of that years ago!
However, I still need to recover our bed so I guess I’d better just wish you Happy Christmas and get back to work!
Well, this month didn’t start out well, with sis dying on the 7th. Ten days before her 78th birthday. The day she shares with my son’s 56th. Well, life does not go as it ought, does it?
But we went to Fiber Fusion in Monroe, Washington, and did well. I taught two classes and had 15 students altogether, all of them quite enthused about learning to weave and learning more about weaving on their square looms. Marion, who is vendor chair, took time off from her busy days to take both! Thank you Marion, I’m glad you found the time for some fun in all your hard work for us!!
The trip went well except for a couple small adventures. Every trip needs at least one of those, right? On the way up there was a loud crash-bang and we were showered with glass! I thought we’d been shot at! Randy pulled off the freeway and we discovered that a tiedown strap had broken and the buckle had hit the back window of the truck. It took out the whole drivers side slider. So we ended up with a garbage bag and some cardboard as a back window for the rest of the trip. And sometime during the return trip the brakes started malfunctioning. They worked, but not like he thought they should but we made it home safely and when he took it in to the shop yesterday they found the problem and fixed it. On the way home he ordered the new window, so we ought to be back in working order before Black Sheep Gathering the end of this month. The only other thing of note was that when we left Monroe it was 63degrees and raining. when we got to Coffee Creek it was 99 and bright sunlight! But we’re adjusting!
We stopped at sis’s on the way home. I promised to help BIL with Rosy’s stuff. Started cleaning out her pantry. Rosy was a adventurous cook and there are products and seasonings that he will never use, some even I had never heard of. I brought some home and some will be offered to his neighbor who has been cooking for him now and then but what David doesn’t want will be offered to the food pantry. And I picked up a fleece that I want to get ready to try to sell at BSG. There are a LOT of fleeces, Rosy was a Spinner. I loved that as I got a lot of very nice yarn. She knit and wove some but spinning was her first love. She was generous with her yarn, too. Her wheel is a Schacht Matchless double treadle and she has all the accessories to go with it. She has even more things to go with it than I guessed! And she has an Ashford traditional as well. We’ll have to pick up the wheel on our way up to Albany as the trailer was full on the way home. I still need to deal with her clothes, too. I’m putting that off. So if any of you are interested in these wheels and are going to be close enough to pick them up at one of the shows, let me know. I’ll figure out a price meantime.
Since we got home we’ve also been working on the getting the garden in. It’s late this year. but it is what it is. Or will be. and yesterday a doe got in the yarn (somebody left a gate open) and ate off my prized and babied tomatoes so all I have left of this is a stalk with one leaf each. Not a happy camper! They may come back but very late. I started these from special seed and we took them along on the trip to make sure they got enough light and water. They were doing fine so I put them out in the yard in a partly sunny spot to harden off. Very not happy! But I got a lot of other things planted today. And pulled my kale. I just planted it this spring, had not gotten one cutting and it has gone to seed. It was a new variety but should not have done that, so I guess I’ll go back to my old one, if I can remember what kind that was. I don’t think I saved any seed but maybe there’s a couple volunteers out there, I’ll look this evening once it cools off.
Okay, enough of The History of Our World Part I. I hope your summer is starting out better than ours and will continue in a happy state!
The yard got a bit overgrown while we were gone. It’s not a traditional Lawn yard, anyway, it’s our meadow but still usually a bit neater than this! But everything is blooming and happy so I guess that’s okay.
On the right is where our houseplants spend the summer. Usually safe from marauding herbivores.
“Cheer up, look for the bright side, they told me, things could be worse. So I cheered up, looked for the bright side… and things got worse”.
My baby Sister died May 7, 2024. I was able to spend her last month with her but that did not make it easier. My sister and best friend, we emailed daily, sometimes several times. She ignored my advice on important subjects and I ignored hers but we enjoyed sharing none the less. She was a spinner with a huge stash of fleeces and yarn. I have her handspun now and will treasure using it. Her wheel I’ll sell, I hardly spin anymore and have my own anyway. She was also artistic and the best cook in the family. She loved animals and her little dog, Evie, will live with Rex and miss Rosy as the rest of us do. Our brother John is making the urns for her ashes, I know she’d be pleased with that gift.
So now we have to move on. That means Fiber Shows. Fiber Fusion in Monroe, Washington is the first one this year. Two classes, Weaving a dishcloth, a beginning class, and on Sunday it’s Beyond Plain Weave, but the link does not seem to work for me today. I’m sure you can find it if you are going to be in the area. Our next one at the end of May-first of June is Black Sheep Gathering in Albany, Oregon. I don’t have a class there this year. Then we get the summer off before OFFF and Lambtown in the fall. I’ll have classes listed at both of them & some new projects. The summer means, of course, garden and canning so not really a summer off!
Well, I guess that’s all for now. This morning I am canning Rhubarb, something I have not done before, and putting pins in Fine Sett looms. And will try to get a walk in at some point. The sun is shinning and it’s a beautifully warm day here in Coffee Creek. I hope your day is bright as well.
And I actually grew some okra this year. I thought that this big it would be tough, but it was not!
and 
and beyond plain.
Peg, Jr. 
Hazel Rose 
