Old and New

Last week I showed you the threading error that I found on my 9th towel.  Some may have had a hard time picking it out so I thought I might show you the wrong side of the towel too!  Again it is the left hand  side of the picture.  There are supposed to be two threads there, the front side is not quite that obvious!






I have corrected the error, and cleared a shelf to put a lot of the cones of yarn that I can use for this project.  ( I found this cool heather tan while I was clearing that shelf, and I gave it a try on the Swedish lace warp,  I think I like it!)

 They had been gathered around the cart where I had the bobbin winder.  I say had, because today, as I was frantically looking for the camera organizing a little bit, I rearranged a few things.  I put all the electric stuff, bobbin/pirn winder, sewing machine, and serger all on the same table.

 I gave them each the amount of room I will need to use them!  I also set up our old TV up there with a dvd player, though I am not so sure it is a good idea to have that up there!  I could only find a few dvds in the house.  I was either laughing at Jamie and Paul, from Mad about You,  you know the one when they brought Mable home.  Or I was crying through the first disc of the second season of the West Wing, (I am so glad that Josh made it aren't you!)  I am not sure exactly how much work I actually got done!


You may get tired of seeing the same things over and over again, and sometimes I have to admit that I am in need of something fresh, so I started thinking of a new mug rug pattern.  I had seen some hand towels recently using a M's and O's threading, with some stripes in the warp.  I thought that I might give it a try.

This is the first sample.





 It isn't doing anything for me!


So I abandoned the M's and O's and tried a twill with basket weave. 

Ho Hum.

There is where I left it, not sure what to do,  maybe I was too hasty, I probably need to try a different M's and O's don't you think?  This was probably not the week to try something new like this, I got a head cold early on, and haven't been able to put two and two together let alone something as complicated as coming up with a new weaving design!

There is also something else that I have in the studio, like this lovely fleece, that I just could not not sample!  It might be my next spinning project!

Very fine, long stapled Shetland.  I hand combed a little bit, and spun up a sample on the Clemes and Clemes, E-Spinner.

Oh, the softness, Oh the shine, Oh the possibilities!

But then, I looked up from the table in the studio, where I was eating my lunch, and I saw something that calmed my creative jitters.  

 Something that has entranced me for several years now, and I suppose the dance will go one for several more.

 Isn't it beautiful, isn't this why we do it?

Yes it is!  Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina

Welcome To The Pack!

  Remember when your Momma told you, "You're gonna eat those words!" 
  I had just had conversations with Maggie and Tina about how content I was with my loom set up...looms with long term projects (long warps) and looms for those quick, get it done projects.  Then Carol sends me an email with a link to a Pup south of Atlanta.
  YES.....that little Pup is now mine!!!!  Meet Ms. Pat, the former owner of this cute little six treadle Pup.  We have so much in common, you'd think we were related.  (I almost spit out my coffee when I read her email:  "I'm 5'3" with short hair and I drive a gray car."  Could we be twins from different mothers????)  I'm still mulling over the name for this little sweetie....I'm thinkin' that his name will be Cutty, which will complete the little pack of pups that came with me to this house.  (I just don't have to have a pooper-scooper for these pups!)

  This was a great road trip:  I met my sister in Chattanooga for the trip south, and we ran in and out of rain on the trip back.  We even got to see the President's motorcade as we came back through Atlanta.
   My cousin lives near Chattanooga and we stopped by there for a visit before splitting up and heading home.
   Here's the first warp for this Pup:  Big Orange Cross of Tennessee. 
  It just seems fitting somehow.......

  Since I had that great donation from Tina of all those blue jeans, I thought I should get some of the denim woven into rugs.  I'm keeping track of how many panels I'm using, and it looks like it takes 6 pairs of jeans to weave a 72 inch rug.  (Of course, that will relax when it is off the loom....I'm going to check that figure, too.)  These strips are 1 1/4 inches wide, which makes a nice thickness when woven.  I don't want them to be too long because I would like to be able to wash them here at home.  John is such a great rug loom!

  In closing, I wanted to show you the beautiful climbing roses that Maggie bought yesterday.  Maybe she'll show us a picture of their new location in a future blog entry.  That garden center was AMAZING! 
  The little plant in the bottom of the cart is mine....it's going in an old hollow log in my side garden.  We're hoping it will drape over the sides and lend lots of color and interest.
  The sun is shining (although storms are predicted for later) and I think I would like to get in the garden for a little bit today.  As always, the weeds are growing like crazy, and I need to see if I can get rid of a few.

Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

I've Been Outside

Chez Moi

 Sometimes I miss Tuesday Weaving, and sometimes I forget to blog on Wednesdays, but these past few weeks, I feel that I must be forgiven.  I have been working in the yards, front, back and sides, digging deeply and planting a lot.

 It's that perfect time of year, with the weather cooperating with me, to be outside planting.  I'm getting near the finishing touches for the season, but felt there was something missing.  LouAnn and I went on a road trip to get those last items.  We went to Cookeville, to Johnson Nursery (www.johnsongardencenter.net/‎),
 where I had purchased a climbing rose last year.  I wanted some 
more climbers to go on the south facing wall of the garage.  I 
haven't been able to find any in Knoxville, so we made the trip
out west.  
  We got there too late in the season to have many to choose from
but I like these red ones.  They don't have much scent, but they
are a true red.  I hope to get them in the ground tomorrow after 
work, but know it's more likely they'll get there on Sunday 

morning.

  

hollyhocks!

Leo checks out the side yard.

I've been working on the side garden, too, replacing the hedge bit by bit.  I don't want it to be a hedge, but want a delineation between the houses.  I've got azaleas, dappled willows--my new fave--witch hazel and rhododendrons in the shady part, then rose of Sharons, flame azalea and perennial hibiscus in the sunny part.

 Hollyhocks have shot up on the side yard, too, after hanging out low to the ground last year.  They're just about ready to bloom.

 The vegetable garden continues to change, especially in the areas where things planted by seed never came up. It's been enlarged to have a bigger herb garden, a lavender "grove," and even more tomatoes.  I really like tomatoes. I even have first tomato baby photos.

first tomatoes!

 The peonies have bloomed and gone, but not before their beauty was documented!  I got a new one this year, a pale pink number to go with the hot pinks and white ones.

Last but not least, the foxgloves I'd forgotten I'd planted in the front flower beds have sprung up and bloomed.  Don't you love the inside of them?  They're creepy and unusual but still beautiful!
  Blogger has been unusually obnoxious this evening, and I feel as if I've wrestled an unwilling beast, so it's time to say goodnight and wish you all happy weaving, gardening and a wonderful mid-spring!
Maggie

Point of View

Sometimes you need a different point of view to spot the problem area!!!  And, that's just what Maggie is doing here.














Then, you just get busy with the threads.........

  Tina got Allan and Lanny to take a closer look at the rope system on the Studio Loom.

By this afternoon, Tina had the new warp wound to go on the loom.  Looks like we'll have to find an iron bar for the back beam before we can wind the warp, though.

Another happy customer!!!  Debbie dropped by to pick up the Re-Weave rugs that Carl had been weaving on the barn loom. 

  Carl has already started on a new blue jean rug......they are popular!



  And, Ann continues to weave on her rug warp.

  Lunch time gave us the chance to catch up with each other.  It sounds like a few of our weavers are making vacation plans!!!!

  Carl and Lanny got back this afternoon with our "newest" loom!  This will be a job for next week!

  Rugs?   Shawls???  Place mats?????
Stay tuned..........


In the meantime,
Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

Painted Warps

The last time we had a dye day I painted 2 warps and about 6 skeins for weft. We had a blast figuring out colors to put together for both. The warps for the center are slowly being woven off. We're planning another dye day for this coming Saturday. So, I decided to weave off my warps and hopefully paint a couple more this weekend!

This first warp was almost pepto bismol pink! I'd wound a huge skein that I painted the same colors. As I was weaving the first vest, I just smiled and loved the bright cheerful color combination.. So, I wove another vest just like it. Because the buttons will be different they won't be the same. Also, the color play of the yarns will make them different as well. You can't have an identical vest when the warp is painted!

 

 I had ordered some solid black bamboo and I wove the third vest with that. The jury's out on how it
looks. It certainly toned down the pinks. Once the vest is done, I'm sure it will look good but there wasn't alot of interesting things going on with black as the weft as I wove it.

 The second warp had combinations of green , blue and purples. They are all distinctly different. The first weft was really just blues.

 This one added the purple as well.

 The weft I used for this one wasn't the one I originally had planned to use. This was left over from an earlier dye day. It's much more colorful and added some interest to the fabric that was fun to watch as I woven it.

Here's a close up of the interlacement of colors as they change in the warp and the weft.

The fabrics are still rolled up off the loom and I've got another warp almost threaded to be woven today and tomorrow. The process of finishing fabrics takes me awhile but hopefully these will be done later this week. Right now I'm working with the royal warps I wove previously. They're serged and hanging on the rack drying. Maybe I can start cutting and serging to assemble the pieces later today or tomorrow evening...
Weatherwise, we're still in cycles of rain. It rained a bunch this weekend again. We might get some sun tomorrow....here's hoping!
Until next week, keep weaving!!
Carol

What I learned this week!

I learned something about myself today.   I learned that I can be halfway through my 9th hand towel before I notice a very obvious threading error!

The error is at the level of this sentence, in the left motif of the two, but in the right side of that motif!  9 towels!  It doesn't show up in the plain weave at all, so that is my excuse!

Guess I get a new batch of hand towels to dry my dishes now don't I!

I also learned not to load a pirn for an endfeed shuttle with 2 strands of single ply!  I am doubling the threads because they are finer than what I need, but just right when I put them together!  The first pirn gave me no trouble what so ever, but the second one was a headache from the beginning!   I know, dumb bunny!  I knew better, that is why I have a double shuttle for my Overshot blankets!  Luckily, I found both of these things out on the same towel!  I guess I may have to ply the two together first, adding another step to the process!

Dear One and I are taking our first camping trip of the season starting this Thursday, which would be yesterday for those reading the post on Friday.  I am going to ask Lou Ann to hit the post button for me Friday Morning.  So if all went well, as you read this, I am probably hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains, or maybe I am cooking over my camp stove, and fire pit, or maybe I am spinning up some of the fleece I have on hand on one of my wheels or a drop spindle, (I haven't decided which yet!).  I suppose I could also be knitting, or reading a book, or maybe making a smore on the last embers of the camp fire.  Whatever I am doing, it is going to be fun!

Until next week, Happy Weaving, Tina

Sometimes It's The Little Things

I couldn't decide which picture I liked best, so you're getting both!









  I noticed Biscuit watching something in the grass very closely, and went out to check on the situation.  (Biscuit is the indoor/outdoor cat.)    Momma rabbit had done a great job of teaching this kit to stay very STILL.  I scooped up Biscuit and carried her to the house, and grabbed my camera.  Baby was still frozen in place...so I got these pictures.  When I tickled the baby with a blade of grass, she took off to the woods!!! 

  My kids were able to mount the bat house on the big old maple tree in the back yard.  We often see bats swooping down over the pool during the humid summer nights, and I had been wanting a new box since the old one had fallen off last year. 
  There is no shortage of wild life up here on the Ridge!

  And, just on the other side of my ridge, Tina's neighbor keeps bees!!!  She was able to get me some of this fabulous local honey....and I made a fresh batch of granola!!!
  The bees have busy on the blackberry briars in the Green Belt....that means nice, plump blackberries in a month or so!!!!

  My little summer scarf project....I tried this once before, and it didn't work out the way I wanted.  So, here we go, again.  This is a heathered lavender, and it will dress up my white top that I wear a lot in the summer.  Keep your fingers crossed.........

  Sometimes it's the little joys that make each day special.....just take time to enjoy them!

Happy Weaving!
LouAnn