Tag Archive | yarn

August- is it just me or is autumn in the air already?

The trees are not turning, The geese aren’t flying over head but it just feels fall-ish to me. But it’s pretty much mid summer. I have the canner going with green beans this morning. Tomatoes and zucchini to go into the dehydrator and relish to make tomorrow. That’s summer for sure! I guess I am just anticipating. Not that it’s been such a painfully hot summer this year. We did have a spell of “Arizona summer” earlier but it’s been pretty moderate lately and no (knock knock) fires so far.

Himself is tending the garden and is doing a nice job of it this summer. He has a healthy crop of carrots, something we haven’t had any luck at growing so far. And the corn is tall and fat, too, so we’re looking forward to some nice roasting ears in the not too distant future!

Carrots! He’s thinned them now and they are out-growing their shade cloth!

As for the looms and weaving, I’ve been working on the class for this fall and projects to go with it. I have classes scheduled at both Lambtown and OFFF. Check then out. I really haven’t done much other weaving this summer so have nothing to share. I just got a little payment from Little Looms who are republishing my Evergreen Hat in a new Ebook so if you missed that issue you can find it now on the Interweave site.

My youngest sister came down from Oregon in July and spent a week with me and we played with dyes! It was fun. Randy set us up a table and a portable gas stove in the yard off the kitchen and we mixed and matched! I dyed some yarns for one of the class projects and she had a lot of her handspun that she dyed, too. It was the first good visit we’ve had in almost a year. I really enjoyed having her here.

So I guess that about covers it for this time. Can’t think of much else. Cat has been hunting Lizards which has Randy upset. Some cats are hunters and I guess this one’s stint at having to feed himself last winter has encouraged that trait. He gets plenty of food now but I guess I need to fatten him up more!

Okay, looks like I’ve just won a contest from Harbor Fright for a bunch of tools and a heck of a lot of money from Publishers Clearing House. Pretty good for someone who has never entered any contests, huh? lol It always amazes me how anyone can fall for these things! Ah well… I’ll just hope I never reach that state. Meantime, he does buy a lottery ticket now and then! lol

Okay, gotta go tend a pressure cooker full of green beans! Hope your garden is producing heavily, too!

Yarn fun!

Jul14

Well… Sis is on her way home after a couple of fun days. I don’t count the day she arrived or left as they weren’t full days and today was not really all that much fun waving good bye! But on a brighter note, we are already thinking of the next time! That will be at her place.

But did we play?! You betcha! There’s more but she took a bunch home with her, too, and , as usual, I got so involved I forgot the camera! That’s almost unheard of in these days of cell phones, huh? I guess it comes from not having one of those little devices! But now I Have Ideas! It’s going to be more fun playing with my new colors. I’m thinking of making Art with those paper towels we dribbled tests on! lol

And Sis sent a photo of her part of the pretties! All hers is handspun. Most of mine is commercial.

Dh is busy bringing in the early fruits of the summer squash. So it looks like I’ll be getting the dehydrator ready a little sooner than I figured. Everything else is starting to bloom so it won’t be long. I see some fruits on the winter squash and fancy pumpkins. The green beans, the peppers, the okra… the peas are putting on another go just in time for the 100+ summer heat. Off we go.

So now its back to everyday stuff and staying cool. It looks like the extreme heat is going to be fairly wide spread so I hope you can all manage to stay cool. Reasonably so at least! And spend your in-door time with your looms!

Hazel

It’s June!

May31

I don’t need a calendar to tell me when June arrives!

My roses know!

The iris are more about mid May.

They are still going strong but their reign is nearing the end for this year. I have marigold, nasturtium, sunflowers. zinnia, another whose name eludes me at the moment. Some planted some just in seed trays. But these are the summer flowers coming up quickly. And according to this morning’s weather forecast, just in time!

Himself has the veggies garden under control. He is putting in a sprinkler system that can run off timers when we are on the road for a week or so. It’s a modified version of my sisters system what he admired. It has to have some special changes for our situation but it looks like we won’t have to have a garden ‘sitter’ this summer!

Meantime, I am canning soup today. My favorite lunch. It’s just my version of a ‘dump’ recipe. Tomato or V8 if I have it, chicken broth, veggies broth, and whatever veggies are available fresh or canned. Beans, split peas, and lentils, barley. A good hearty soup! And the bread is in the machine, the weekly regular loaf.

I know this is like posting a photo of your dinner, but I was delighted to get a full canner, 16 pints, and still have about 3 lunches worth left in the fridge! It’s not real photogenic but I like it! lol

But I have not abandoned weaving. I have the squares woven for my scarf and am going to start assembly today in between these other projects, and some shop work. Maybe. That might have to wait a day. I am also working on a couple tutorials for fixing weaving problems after the fact. What to do once they are off the loom. A neighbor gave me a link to a editing program she says is “easy”. I plan to give it a try but, well, she is much younger and used to internet apps and programs. I saw the things she was doing with her teaching videos for her glass works and, frankly, I am just a bit intermediated! But I’ll give it a try. Maybe you can “:teach an old dog new tricks”!

Meantime, if you are having problem with assembling, you might want to check out this blog. Even if you decide these methods are not for you I think you’ll agree they are creative!

Have a lovely spring!

Dish Towel on the new 14″ x 28″ loom.

Mar22

This is our new Dish towel loom that weavers have been asking for. Several are making gift sets to give or sell. I used some peaches and Cream, called Ocean Stripes. This 100% cotton yarn is a bit lighter weight than the Lily Sugar and Cream I usually use but I only had plain colors of that on hand and wanted something more varied. I worked a single crochet around the edges because I thought it might help to stabilized the diagonal drape of this rectangle. It has quite a bit of draw up before the fulling was done & I think no matter what, the diagonal is going to effect the final size/shape. I did not use this towel gently. It was hot wash, cold rinse, and full cycle in the dryer since I figured that would be the way my normal kitchen laundry would be done.

It works fine as towel in the kitchen. It feels quite soft and is as absorbent as the dish cloths made on larger looms and fulled the same way.

It was challenging for me to weave as it is a larger loom than I generally like to work with and I ended up weaving it much too tightly. I used one of my painting easels to hold the loom and set it on a dining chair so I could weave from my chair. I tired it on the dining table but it was too high there for me to reach well whether seated or standing. It took me three days to weave, not an average! I just worked at in by fits and starts as the saying goes. But all in all I am pleased with it.

My 2nd for the WAL

Mar3

I finally finished her blue dress and the jacket. I’m not sure the blues are a perfect fit but i am quite happy with both. I especially like the jacket. I used some yarn by Universal yarn company called Uptown worsted. It is 100% acrylic and wonderfully soft but still holds stitch definition well and is just nice to work with. I turned the neckline out on this jacket to give it a bit of faux collar. I’m not sure about the sleeve length, I may go back and work a little edging to make them a bit longer.

Some Weavers have ask about the SweetHeart blanket Heart Valentine Block. That is basically a woven design that you can put together into a blanket

This is mine.

This one was made by Penny Tennerman and given me by her daughter.

Progress…

Mar1

I redid my seams so she now has sleeves. This is only pinned together as you can likely see but I am making progress. I do think I like the vertical alignment of the floats better but not enough to disassemble the whole thing!

While rummaging in my loom basket, I also found the 1×6 Randy made for me some time ago. Just for fun I used it to weave her headband and I really like it for that! It’s needs two plus the few rows of garter stitch. I did this blue on in plain weave as it seems a bit flimsy with the pattern stitch, but I did a 2nd using some Red Heat worsted, it was tight weaving but I did the pattern stitch with that, giving it a bit of ease, and it worked fine that way.

So I am happy to see some of you are making progress, too. I did get a head start of you all so ought to finish first, tho I can see that’s going to be close, too! lol

I’m deciding what I am going to offer as a bonus pattern to finishers.

WAL Official start today….

Feb28

I was late, however, due to our snowfall and power failure. The Great Guys from PUD got out there in the cold and snow and got it back working in just a few hours!

I have some pictures to share, unfortunately my camera decided it it needs a battery recharge this morning of all times! lol But I posted things yesterday so you should all be busy weaving squares toward this dress.

Just thought I’d share a couple other outfits I’ve woven for your inspiration and, hopefully, enjoyment!

This one is an attempt to weave a version of Molly’s meet outfit. It used the 4×6″ Multi for both the top and the skirt.

Addy is wearing one using the 4×6 and the 2″ Multi looms. I think this yarn is Caron’s Simply Soft. It’s on the heavy side for these looms but not bad. It’s also brighter colors than it shows here. I called it Festive.

And a Hoodie for Dean. This one used the Quilt Weaver looms. I gave it those Kangaroo pockets and a zipper. I’m afraid this hoodie is probably more for warm than fashion. For that, I think it needs to be black and have a deeper hood, for hiding in. It has knitted cuffs and edgings. I should have shortened the sleeves as well.

Kanani is wearing a cropped version. Her cargo pants are also woven. She has way too much hair for the hood so it is just a collar for her. Here she is weaving on her ridged heddle loom. She is weaving a small afghan using some textured stash yarns.

There’s lots more. Once you get going with this you can easily design your own and they can also be embellished in anyway you like using knit, crochet; you can embroider or add beads. Sky’s the limit.

A bit of a fashion show.

Feb24

I spent yesterday having the ladies model some of the woven clothing in their wardrobes. Not all of them have written patterns but I think once you get the ‘hang’ of weaving for your dolls you won’t have any trouble designing your own. Meantime I hope you find these inspiring you to dig out your looms and yarns!

This one was fashioned after a dress knitted by Patricia Elizabeth over in Italy after one in the AG catalog, don’t recall what year.

It used the Multi looms. 6″ square for the front, 4×6″ for the back and skirt and 2×6″ was the sleeves. I indulged in a little lace work. No, I don’t remember what, but I could probably come up with some, if not quite the same. I think Pat’s dress was titled the White Dress, don’t remember what AG called theirs. Ruthy looks good it it if I do say so!

Still snowing here, 13″ this morning….

Uh-oh…

Feb22

Found one of my bins of woven doll things out in Le Shed. I thought those bins were mouse proof. Live and learn.

That was Molly’s Miss Liberty costume. But the rest of the bin was okay so I’ll get some pictures of other things I’ve made.

It’s still snowing but (knock knock) the lights are still on!

WAL 2023

Feb21

The Month of March is Weave ALong month on Ravelry Knitting for American Girl Dolls, for those who would like to try their hand at a different yarn craft. You do not need to be a weaver, because while this is weaving it is a simple and easy form of that ancient handcraft.
I will be weaving on the 4” Hazel Rose Multi Loom but this project can be made with many different brands of looms. You may own or be able to talk Mom or Grandmom out of their old Lomette, Weave-it, Weavette, even the more modern plastic zoom loom. If you have the HR Tiny Weaver square, that will also work. There are probably several other small looms that weave a 3 ½” to 4” square that can also be used

The larger looms, like the HR 7” square and the Potholder looms, will not be suitable for this project.
We will, of course, be happy to sell you one of our quality, hand-made hardwood looms but I am also offering a do-it-yourself instruction to make a temporary loom for those of you who think you might like to weave with us but aren’t sure enough to want to invest a lot in this project. This little foam board or cardboard loom will be sturdy enough to weave the blocks needed for this project and will last long enough for you to decide if you enjoy the craft. If you find you love weaving, you may then decide if you want to purchase a more permanent loom. email or PM me for this one.
Meantime, you will need your loom, a weaving needle, and your yarn. The needle you can buy are a low cost at most any carft or yarn store. The Yarn can be fingering, Knit Picks Palette makes a thin, light fabric, but suitable, Stroll sport is the one I used for this dress, and have also used light weight worsted sizes. Unlike knitting, which will change the size of the garment when you change the size of the yarn, these squares will always be right around the same size. What does change is the texture of the fabric. The heavier the yarn the stiffer the fabric. If you decide to use the self made loom, I’d advise using the finer yarns so as to put less stress on your little loom. The hard wood looms are stronger and can handle the draw-up for any of these yarns, of course.

I am going to be offering a 10% rebate or coupon* to WAL members on the 4” Multi Loom for this event. That includes the loom, the weaving needle, and the booklet with instruction as well as the project instruction for the dress we will be making & a couple others as options. * I’m trying to figure out how to do that on my web site so be patient. If you want to go ahead and buy one now it’ll have to be the rebate. But you need to let me know you are in the WAL.

We would like to start this project on Feburary 27. This is an early notice to allow time to find your loom and to select your yarns and weave a few practice squares. I would be happy to have an idea of how many of you are planning to join this WAL.

I will be posting the WAL info to my blog, https://hazelroselooms.blog/ and also inviting members of the Facebook pin loom group to join us if they wish. My view is that of “The more the merrier”!

We had great fun with the WAL’s the last times we did this and I hope this one will be just as much fun.

I picked the Starry Day dress because it is all 4″ squares but if you have another choice please feel free to suggest. We can decide together. I will post some pictures of possible patterns that do not need a collection of looms.

There will be a prize winner chosen at random between the finishers. I will keep a list of finishers on Ravelry but you will have to let me know via email with a photo if you are not a member.