Flash Back

Weaving, cleaning, washing clothes, and cooking. Packing. Getting ready for a road trip. Going to visit my daughter and grandchildren. She is back from Ireland. My husband has been sick and he has made me sick. Am I going to be able to go on the trip?? I sure am trying. Popping pills. Maybe with Mucinex, I will be able to go. He has a hot job due in 2 weeks, and is not able to go. I dread the drive. It want be too bad. About 7 hrs.
Today is the end of the year. A time to reflect. I came across a news web site that had all the prominent people that passed away during this year. WOW. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34240101/ns/news-picture_stories/displaymode/1247/?beginSlide=1
Taking time to reflect. Being thankful for the things we have, family friends and health. Be safe.

Happy New Year

See you next year.

Bonnie

Finger-Manipulated Lace, aka MAGIC

Here is the beginning of my series of hand towels, using Leno, Mexican Lace and Brook's Bouquet. I'm using 8/2 Homestead Cotton from Halcyon, because I thought it would show the lace well, and they would work well as hand towels. 360 ends, 24 epi, 12 yards of warp, and off I go! It is so fun watching the lace appear at the end of a somewhat tedious and uncomfortable picking of threads all the way across the row. I should probably find a better chair height, other than my weaving stool, but switching chairs every row would be a bit cumbersome.

Below is the first towel's edge, including 1 1/2" for hem, the lace the hem stitches to, and the border.

The border is 5 passes in one shed, 1/1 leno, 2 rows tabby, 2/2 leno, 2 rows tabby, 1/1 leno and 5 more passes in one shed. My

left selvedges are very good, my right are not. In fact, they get worse at the end of this towel! When I noticed it, I started concentrating on them and they got much better.

At the right, you see the technique

for picking up the threads. You hold the

shed open, hold the top layer of threads to the left and pick up one or two threads from the bottom, depending on which lace you're doing, drop one or two threads from the top, and repeat all the way across the row. Pull the stick towards the twists to set them, set it on edge to widen the shed, pass the shuttle in front of the stick, pull the stick toward the new thread to set it and remove the stick. Beat, beat, beat, change the shed and pass the shuttle through again.

The next towel is Mexican Lace, which is lovely, and if I had the patience to download another picture, I would show you! But I don't! Next week, I'll have that, as well as photos of the Brook's Bouquet, which I am so excited to be able to weave today. I don't care if it snows today! It's my day off and I'm weaving!

Happy weaving to you!

Maggie

New beginnings

Yes, the New Year is right around the corner. This Tuesday we are all taking the day off from the center, to spend some more time with the families.

I am taking this day to puppy proof my house, that's right girls I said puppy proof.

After our St. Bernard died 18 months ago, we took some time to miss him. He was just about the best dog you could have. Happy to see you, but not in your face. Never met a stranger, but impressive to look at just the same.

One day the 2 year old from down the street was in the field across from us all alone. The 2 dogs that lived next to that field were coming out to investigate. They probably wouldn't have done anything, but out goes Harley to the rescue, he calmly circled between the little girl and the other 2 dogs, she grasped his tail, and he took her straight home, dropped her off at the front door and came home. How could we possibly find a replacement for that!!!!

We began talking about getting a dog this fall, and so the search began. We searched the shelter, checked out the rescue groups, were offered various dogs but it didn't seem right somehow. On my birthday this year, Dec.21 to be exact, DH handed me a card with 200 in it and an application to the golden retriever rescue.

We didn't actually get a rescue golden, but we did end up with a golden puppy, the rest of the story is much too long to tell here. Wally, as we have decided to call him is 7 weeks old tomorrow, 11 lbs., and doing well. He even slept really well last night.

I saw both parents and was impressed with their calmness and friendliness. So there you have it, the search is over, now we just have to get thru these next few months! LOL!!!

Happy weaving, Tina

Renovation Update!

Well, here it is, three days after Christmas. Things certainly have settled down around here. But now it is time to get back to work on the new studio. Saturday I raked half of the front yard Sounds like a quick job doesn't it. It wasn't. The realtor had someone mow the yard, before we bought the house, but the grass was very tall. All that cut grass has lied there and is smothering anything that wants to grow. We have had lots of rain so the grass was a wet, thick mat. My wonderful husband offered to mow with the mulching mower for me! Yay. Maybe I won't have to rake the rest of the yard.

I haven't woven since last week. I had a two dish towel order that needed to be done. Now I need to finish two placemats for another order. I am really looking forward to the day when I can have my looms spread out in a whole house instead of a cramped room in the basement!

Linda

Donations

Last Tuesday when we got to Norris to dismantle the AVL and move it to Maggie's, there were a few bags on the table.

We never know what we'll find when we get to Norris. For years, when someone decides they don't want something fiber related or someone dies, they bring the things to us. We go through the bags and decide what we can use. We find homes for everything. Sometimes we'll have some bags of old jeans. We like those! Those are cut up and put into rugs. Sometimes it's old patterns or notions. We get alot of fabric that we can use to cut and weave into rugs. We just don't know what will be there.

This time there were a couple of gallon ziploc bags full of something. We didn't have time to look at them, so I just put them in my car to go through at home. Part of one of the bags is in the picture above. Someone had been very organized! The bags were full of those little packets of extra buttons that come on clothing. I spent several hours going through all those little packets and finding the buttons. It's interesting to think about the person who gathered all these buttons. What were they like? What were their interests? We'll never know who it was, and I really don't care. I do know that they went on at least one cruise because there was a button in there from a cruise line. Also, they liked blazers because there were several gold buttons, interesting shapes, from blazers. The only evidence of date was a receipt from 1991.
I am really impressed with this person. They were so organized. I'm not sure where all those little extra buttons are in my house. Instead of just throwing them in a drawer or throwing them away, they put them in a bag for "someday".

The other picture is the small amount of buttons that were the result of taking all the buttons out of the bags. Also kept the little bits of yarn that were with the buttons. You never know when you'll need something little like that. The majority of the buttons are ordinary but very useable. Some are gorgeous colors that will blend well with other buttons that I have at home. Many of these will end up on the handwoven garments that I make.
So, for those that call us hoarders, we're really not. We've always been the ones that recycled what we could and use what we can. I'm tickled with this collection of odds and ends. We won't be at Norris next Tuesday, but we will be the first Tuesday in January. We never know what will be waiting for us when we get there! We may go months with no donations but then we'll get some very neat things to add to our stash of supplies there.

By the way, I did recycle all those little envelopes, just like always!

Happy Boxing Day!

Don't you just love celebrating Christmas over several days??? Today I'm in Huntsville, AL, with my sister and her family. The kids & I drove down this morning, and we'll eat lunch & open presents and play a mean game of Dirty Santa. It's lots of fun! But, the best part is just being together.

Meanwhile,

back at the looms, Rudolph is making rounds, and noting that I'm not getting things finished. I guess that means that I'll start back on the challenge of weaving one hour every day, and that should get some things finished up. "John" has one rug finished, and one started. Since I don't know how long the warp was that was put on, there's no telling how many rugs are still on

that warp!!!

"Annee" has those wonderful totebags with the woven handles. I have plenty of weft, so there's no excuse for not getting those finished! Besides, we have a show coming up in two weeks, and that is one thing I wanted for display.

"Julie" is my 8 shaft Baby Wolf that I used for the Challenge Project. I have

to weave another panel for my daughter's purse. "Parker Pup" is OK....I have placemats on him, and I'll take him to demonstrate at the show in January. I didn't take a picture of "Ester"....that's another blog for another day. She's a special lady.
So, while we're celebrating Boxing Day with the family, my looms are waiting patiently for me to come home. It's so nice to be needed.
LouAnn

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!! I hope yours has been as sweet and happy as mine has been! I haven't been able to get much weaving done these last few days, but I did get a few weaving goodies for Christmas! I got a mcmoran (sp)balance and a book about 1000+ shadow weaves for 4,6, and 8 harnesses.

I have been really busy in the kitchen though. The ritz cracker cookies are putting in another appearance, as is an apple crisp.

I heard about these little gems at lunch yesterday. You take a mini pretzel, a rolo candie, and a pecan half. Put them in a 350 oven for 3 or 4 minutes. Then take them out and squish the nut down into the rolo. Let cool and enjoy!

One of the traditional goodies I make,( if I didn't there would be a mutiny!) is Cinnamon Rolls.

Over the years, I have tried several ways to get hot fresh cinnamon rolls on the table for brunch. I have gotten up way before dawn to make them from scratch, the problem with that is you are then too tired the rest of the day. I have made them the day before and reheated them, but then they are too dry! I have also mixed them up the day before and stuck them in the fridge to rise. The problem with that is you have to get up really early and put them out to rise at room temp for at least 3 hours, back to the original problem!

This year I called in the bread machines! I have rescued them from Goodwill over the last few years. I set them up to have the dough ready to shape at 7:00 am, since the kids were coming at 9:00.

The results were wonderful, hot sweet and soooo comforting!

I hope your Christmas has been full of family and fun and food too!

Merry Christmas and happy weaving, see you next year, Tina

No Time for Weaving

Presents are wrapped, grandkids are here and cooking to do. So that tells you, I will not be weaving today.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I hope everybody has a good one.

Bonnie

The AVL is looming large in my new "back studio," attracting the cats' and dog's attention, and sweetly whispering to me as I sit at my computer. Everyone, including Leo, wants to know how soon I'll be working on the new loom. I'd like to address those concerns now.

Today happens to be 2 days before a certain major holiday in this part of the world. As we see, I am making my boyfriend a stocking that is NOT QUITE finished. I've been knitting on it

since 4:30 this morning in a desperate attempt to finish it before

I need to run out and buy stuff to fill it. And there's the dessert and bread I need to make today for Mom's Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow. And the chef's coats I must iron before I go back to work tomorrow morning. Chefs don't get holidays off!

Then, let's talk about how little I know about AVL's, 16 shafts, dobby, computer assisted weaving, etc.

I have a 4 shaft LeClerc Artisat and an 8 shaft LeClerc Colonial. In the photo, we see 4 of the shaft assemblies for the Colonial leaning on the wall.

Now, they're leaning on the wall because about a year ago, I wanted to weave a rag rug, and knew I couldn't do it on the Artisat. I started to thread a tabby warp and had too much trouble reaching through those four shafts I didn't need. They've been leaning against the wall ever since.

So now I have set a goal for myself, and it might be a little longer term than my lovely, generous and kind friends might want to know about. I will finish the rug warp on the 8 shaft, thanks to LouAnn's donation of white weft. I will then put the 4 shafts back on the Colonial, choose a threading from Carol Strickler's book, one with multiple treadling possibilities and plunge into more-than-four shafts!

Yes, LouAnn, that is Leo's tail in the photo! He jumped on the table while I was composing the picture. But just in the time it took to enjoy that tea and cookie break from knitting, I found many, many possible patterns. Made me want to order more yarn... but it's almost Christmas and I have stockings to fill. Happy Holidays to everyone! Weave on!

Maggie

P.S. What I neglected to say is a HUGE thank you to all my weaving buddies for dismantling, moving and reassembling the AVL yesterday, and for entrusting me to love, nurture and use it. I cannot thank you all enough, not even with soup, sandwiches and cookies. Thanks to LouAnn for photographing the process. I will try to include a link to my facebook photo album of the whole event.

It's Tuesday

It is tuesday once again! I can't believe how fast this year has gone! This Tuesday we decided to take down the AVL loom and move it to Maggies house! We normally wouldn't meet this close to Christmas but we thought it would be a good opportunity to do a good deed.





We met at the center at about 10 am and by 11:20 or so we were on the road, 6 cars and 8 or so happy weavers.


We lined the road at Maggies and began unloading the loom. Many hands and legs make light work. So many pieces!












We were over and under and around the loom. When we got the basic loom together and before we tackled the dobby and the harnesses we broke for lunch.


MMMMMMMM 2 kinds of soup, and sandwiches, not to mention the wonderful cookies too.












After the lunch we started in again and got the loom all harnessed up and the hardware just so. We can't wait to see what Maggie ends up doing as her first project.
Maggie we had so much fun and the food was fab! Thanks so much for letting us spend the day with you!!!! hugs from all of us, Tina and Lou Ann with her fabulous photos

House Renovation

What has been keeping me busy

I should be weaving. I want to be weaving. I think about it a lot but the truth is......I am not. This time of year is such a busy time. Parties to go to, baking to do and let's not forget shopping for gifts. The thing that has been taking up some of my time, lately, is home renovation. My husband and I recently bought another house. The house looks great on the outside but the inside is another matter entirely. This house will eventually become my weaving studio. I am really excited because I have outgrown my studio at my home. The extra space is going to be wonderful!

Saturday was spent helping my husband trace the wiring. The breaker box door is missing and none of the circuit breakers are labeled. He was in the basement with some gizmo he had rigged up ( he is the real MacGyver!) and my job was to hook up a meter to the outlets and light fixtures and yell down to him when the numbers changed. This took a long time but it is now done. The rest of Saturday was spent in the woods cleaning it up. The former owner used it as his personal landfill and there was a lot down there to deal with. Our boys were a great help and now all that has been hauled away.

The carpet and pad are gone. Now we are working on removing all the staples. Once we get the power turned on I can start washing the walls and painting. I am looking forward to that part.

So now you know what I have been up to lately. I will keep you updated on how this project is going and hopefully post some pictures so you can see.

Linda

Challenge result

We had a whole year to get our projects done. We had 4 colors of yarn, brick red, chocolate, rust and a green that all looked great together. The rules were that we had to use 3 of the yarns. We were allowed one other yarn or fabric. Cheating was discouraged altho sometimes it's necessary for structural reasons. The other rule was that we were not allowed to make the same item that we did 2 years ago when we did the challenge for the first time. Last time I'd made a vest. That's easy for me since it's what I do most of the time, weave clothing. I decided that I'd like to try making a handbag. I've got tons of patterns for bags but this time I didn't want to use any of them. I wanted to challenge myself by figuring out my own pattern. Also, I thought for a long time about weaving something other than plain weave. In thinking it through, I realized that altho I do enjoy different weave structures, with this amount of color, for me, the best thing was to play with the color and keep it plain weave. I actually got to it a few weeks ago. I figured out how long I wanted the bag, how wide and then wound a warp for 2 bags. Turned out I had only about 12 inches of fabric left once they were done!
I wanted the strap to have the most interest colorwise so mixed all the colors there but had stripes for the rest of it. As you can see, the seam is noticeable so I covered it with a pocket. Also had a pocket inside. Assembling it was a trick and it worked but took awhile to figure out. The lining was fabric I had on hand. I'd decided not to buy anything special for this, just use what I had. The colors work great together. Batik didn't look right with the stripes.

Next time I'd like to have a bigger pocket on the outside since my keys really fill that small pocket. I'd thought it was bigger than it turned out to be.

I'd like to weave more bags and maybe even sell some of them. There's alot less handwork in them than in the garments I generally make so that would be a positive factor!

We're already thinking about the next challenge. At the party we decided to start another one in January, not wait a year. So.......we're thinking color. Maybe this time we'll use 5/2 cotton instead of the 8/4 we were using. Everyone's involved this time in the color choices. As everyone gains confidence in what they're doing, it's great to see weavers coming up with combinations of color to challenge themselves with! We'll let you know our colors for this coming year when we decide on them, hopefully in the next week or so!

Carol

This & That....a little reflection.

The Nutcrackers are out; the tree is decorated; today's Sudoku puzzle is worked. Tonight I will wrap presents while I watch my DVD of Love Actually, which is one of my favorite new Christmas movies. I'm a sucker for Christmas movies........
This morning the Clinch Valley Handweaving Guild had their monthly meeting here at the house. Can I say it? I just LOVE weavers!!! What a blessing to be part of this community! Knowledge is shared, and projects are discussed and we have this interwoven life together. It's magical! Just like Christmas!!! You'll notice familiar faces in the pictures...some of the Guild members are also Tuesday Weavers. And, we tend to interweave some our activities for the benefit of both groups. We went ahead and set our meetings for 2010, and planned some of the programs. In January we'll be discussing TWILL in preparation for weaving Friendship Afghans. We also shared with the Guild the Tuesday Weavers participation in an exhibit that will be going on at the Knoxville Museum of Art starting in January. (There will be more about that later.) We will probably meet at the KMA in April to view the exhibit. We will prepare for the Fiber Festival in February; the Guild and the Tuesday Weavers will have a booth at the Townsend festival. It will be a busy year!
So, tonight, while I enjoy my movie and wrap the presents I have for my family, I will also count my blessings. I have been given many gifts, and my weaving family is one of my favorites.
LouAnn

Rugs

The reveal time is here! I chose to use all the colors of yarn as a rug warp. You can see here the warp pattern I chose. This was my first sectional warping experience. It was a very positive one I might add.

You can see that the rugs took on three very different personalities.everybodies favorite seems to be the sock looper rug, and that was the one that Maggie chose. The rug with the more visible warp stripe pattern is residing in front of my sink. It has a few construction issues. The other rug will be for sale once we get our web site up and running.

I love the colors here!

I am now in the process of putting breadcloths on Lillian, sectional warping again. Cream with blue stripes. I may not get much done this next week or two, but come January it is full steam ahead!

Happy Weaving, Tina

Troubleshooting

Here is my Macomber Designer's Delight loom. If you recall, I have been having some trouble with it. I found the web site(Macomber Looms and Me) called the lady, Sarah Haskel, that knows this loom and has sold them for years. Check out her site. She is an awesome lady. She let me call her and talked to me about what might be the problem. Below is some of what she thought might be the problem. The computer and keys that I use to program the machine, works just fine. We went from there.
She told me to check out the pistons, which you see. They make the pedals pull the harness so it opens the shed. I am going to have to trouble shoot and see if they are all firing properly. She said that lent may get in there and cause a miss fire. She also told me to check the ratchet and dog legs (I think that is what she called it). I checked it and it is worn. I will need to replace it soon. She also suggested to put a washer at the other endof the beam to push it more to the right. Easy enough to do that.

Here are the shadow towels that have problems. I will use the rest of the warp to trouble shoot.

Happy Weaving. Bonnie

Next project, please!

The challenge is off the loom, and just as nature abhors a vacuum, a weaver abhors a naked loom. I've been staring at Issue 12 of Weaver's Craft, the Lace issue, for at least 2 months now. I read it at breakfast, trying to get my wee small brain to absorb the details and warnings and processes involved in Mexican Lace, Leno and Brook's Bouquet. I am planning on making hand towels from bleached 8/2 unmercerized cotton, each one using a different lace, or at least different patterns of the 3 laces. I have a 12 yard warp wound and am just about to start sleying the reed.

The challenge was fun and educational, as usual, and I feel as if I won the jackpot by getting Tina's beautiful looper rug, with the warp of the challenge yarns. It goes perfectly in my bedroom, as if Tina had planned to match my dark purple walls--Nairobi Dusk, according to Ralph Lauren-- and my chartreuse Flamingo quilt. It's soft and gooshy and warm to step on while I decide what to wear in the morning. My towels that started out as a tapestry rug, only to be thwarted by misread drafting and time constraints, came out fine. Not exciting, but fine! We've decided to not skip a year, but go right ahead with a new challenge, and I'm looking forward to that. I'll try not to wait until the last minute to finish it this time! Really! I will!

Weave on!

Maggie

It's Tuesday!

Yes, it is Tuesday once again, and we are all together, (I think LaDonna was the only one who couldn't make it) not to weave at the center like we normally would, but to celebrate Christmas and to reveal the weavers challenge projects that we have been working on this past year.

Allen and Sharon were gracious hosts, and they have a wonderful great room that accomodated all 22 of us! There was food from every food group imaginable, and plenty of it. First however, all the challengers, there were 8 of us, stood in a circle, and began to pass the wrapped items around the circle to the left, we had music playing. When the music stopped, the passing stopped. We then began to unwrap the items we had in our hands. Oh the oooing and the aaaaing went on for quite some time!

Carol had taken the challenge and made a purse with the established yarns, Maggie made handtowels, Lou Ann made a monks cloth purse, LaDonna and Ila collaborated and made a vest, hat and purse, Pat made a runner and I made rugs.

We took lots of pictures, and I know that Lou Ann is going to add some to this post. I also know that the next post I make on Friday, I will go into greater detail about my rugs. I am sure you will be hearing more details on some of the other projects too.

After we were done and the projects admired and tucked away, we then exchanged our Christmas presents. We again stood in a circle and began to pass the gifts, to the right this time. When the music stopped we began to open the presents that we had in our hands. It was really a fun way to distribute the presents, and quicker than any way I have seen!

Then it was time to eat, and I imagine those pictures will say it all.

Happy Weaving, Tina and Lou Ann

Order Delivery

I've got to start thinking about taking pictures while I am thinking about a potential blog because I have none today. However, if you look back to Nov 24, you'll see some neutral placemats on a loom. Those are the ones that Maggie's been weaving and weaving.......
Back in early fall, Dorothy called me one day. Dorothy used to weave with us each week. I'm not sure how old she is but let's just say she's been around the block a few times and is still trucking along nicely! I love Dorothy. She has a nice sense of humor and a twinkle in her eye! Actually it was her husband that started weaving and she got involved as well. After he passed away she continued on at the center and she wove each week on the loom that Bonnie weaves on now, a 45" jack Nilus LeClerc. It was almost bigger than her. Dorothy is really tiny but she's never let that stop her.
So, she needed some placemats. She wanted to order a dozen but 16 would be better. They were for a friend to use at holidays. She'd seen 14 seated at the table but usually it was 12 on the big table and 4 on a side table. So 16 it was. She wanted neutral but not boring colors. Pattern, etc up to me.
Back when she wove, Dorothy had developed a variation of what we call Ellen's pattern, so I told her we'd do that. Maggie got roped into making them. Thanks, Maggie!!!
Yesterday, after washing and ironing the placemats, I drove to her place to deliver them. Dorothy was so excited. They were exactly what she wanted and her friend will be thrilled to have them. I always worry a bit when I do an order, will they like it, is the color right, did we meet expectations? I'm glad to say we did.
We chatted awhile longer and then she asked me to bring out a bag she had under an end table. Inside was a roll of placemats that hadn't been finished. She and her husband had hired someone in 1972 to teach them to weave. It was an overshot pattern that they started on. They wove several of different colors and they all look great, but still, they're all on that roll. So I told her I'd finish them for her and will try to do it before the new year. She can't remember how many years they had that warp on the loom but she said it was a long time
Now, my question is, how do I finish them? Most of them have an inch heading of a fine yarn and then the pattern starts. They are separated by about 3 inches of rags woven in tightly to keep everything nice and snug. I could serge the ends and hem them but I think they wanted the fringe. So the only solution I have is to machine sew, maybe a slight zigzag, just above the fringe. I can't think of another way to finish them that will keep the original idea. I'll bring them to the party on Tuesday and we can see if anyone has a better idea. I'll also take some pictures for the next blog for you to see how intricate a pattern they did, on their first try!
Dorothy may not be strong enough to come out and weave with us anymore, but every time someone weaves that variation in a placemat, she'll be remembered. I guess we could call it "the Dorothy variation on Ellen's pattern"!
Carol

I Challenge You......

In days of yore, a Challenge might have meant bodily harm. Our Challenge will not cause bodily harm (unless you get stuck under the loom) but, it does create some mental stress! Our Challenge is to weave two of the same item using at least three of the four threads provided. We can use one other element...but only one! And, since it is a challenge, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and see what I could do.
The colors reminded me instantly of my daughter...Fall colors. OK...I'll weave something for her. What to weave? I had gotten an issue of Jean Scorgie's Weaver's Craft, and I was intrigued by one of her projects. But, I wanted to use my 8 shaft Baby Wolf. Out comes Carol Strickler's 8-Shaft Patterns. I'm still not totally comfortable threading 8 shafts!!! After I got Julia threaded, I tried several of the patterns to see which one I liked the best. I got to play a little with color and pattern with my project. (I almost got stuck under the loom trying to tie up the treadles!) Several of the treadlings did not work for my item since they had longer floats, but I finally settled on a pattern that was pleasing to me. After washing the cloth and letting it dry, I discovered that one panel did not match up with it's sister! I had left out one of the repeats!!! I'll weave another panel for my daughter, and take the one that's finished to our Christmas party to exchange on Tuesday. I did take a picture of the project on the loom....the shuttles are placed just so..................
Gee, that sounds like a racy picture, doesn't it???
I'll post the finished projects on Tuesday afternoon after our get-together. I can't wait to see what the other folks have created!
LouAnn

Orange?

I have been doing more knitting lately than weaving. You can see my current finished object, a pair of wrist warmers for my daughter, here before you in glorious orangey red. Orange for those who know me is not my favorite color.

So when I got the blue warp rethreaded and rereeded, and retied on, I was really not expecting to like the random color I grabbed to spread all those lovely blues apart. But just look at it! It is beautiful! Now I really don't have ANY orange fabric to use with this blue warp. I do however have this funky blue with some (wait for it) orangey red trim on it. You can see the results of it here. I am using 5 inch wide strips of this rather thin fabric. I don't know what color hem I will use, maybe ORANGE.

Here is something else that is keeping me busy. Something about ritz crackers, peanut butter and chocolate that just brings that christmas spirit on me. ( Not to mention the pounds!)

Happy weaving and cooking, Tina