Potluck Today, and the end of Unfinished Business!

Today marks the end of our "Unfinished Business" Challenge! Five months ago I challenged our Tuesday Weavers to finish or undo any project that hadn't been done for a long time. It didn't have to be weaving realted at all it could be literally anything that you have been putting off for ages. Can I tell you that I am so proud of our weavers! There were weaving projects of course, and Knitting projects, and decluttering projects and construction projects that were shared with me. I had everybody that was there and that had participated in the Challenge tell me how many pieces they had finished, and I counted 91 projects finished in 5 months. Mind you not everybody was there today so that number could climb!!!!! Here is a sample of projects that made it to the Center today. Isn't it funny how finishing so many projects releases our creativity to start new projects.......

We had a couple of warps cut off of the looms today. Cathy cut off her scarf of mixed fibers including mohair, and Linda cut off her fabric that will be Table Toppers for the upcoming fund raiser. Linda's yarn was a textured yarn for both warp and weft.

Lunchtime was special today! Since it is the 5th Tuesday of the month it is a potluck month! Everybody brings something to share, and if somebody forgets there is still plenty to eat!

After lunch we had a business meeting. We finshed filling out the schedule for the Fall show. We do 2 shifts a day with 2 to 3 weavers on duty for each shift. I think we have all of the spaces filled now. Patty told us that we need 5 more Table Toppers for the Center Fund Raiser. Linda took 4 off of her loom today and I know that there are a couple more weavers working on them so we should fulfill that easily. Then, it was time for "Show and Tell"! Cathy and Nikki wore the Ice Dyed Tie Dyed T-shirts that they did on the recent Dye Day. Cathy has another one over her arm.

Marilyn and Shannon took a Cane weaving class over the weekend that is offered here at the Appalachian Arts Craft Center. They chose different designs for the top and each seat/stool has a different on the bottom of the stool!

Shannon also brought in a couple of projects that she did with leftovers. She made an eyeglasses case with the leftover fabric and she made a key fob with leftover yarn!

Jenny bought a weaving kit from Jane Stafford and she finished it as part of her "unfinished business". I love the colors and the playfull weaving!

Dana too brought in a couple of projects that qualify for "unfinished business"! One is an overshot scarf that she wove with weaving yarn that she had bought before she had even learned to weave, and the other is a set of cross stitch Santas to use as Christmas decorations. The Santa patterns (by Prarie Schooler) are released 1 per year starting in 1984 and that happened to be the year her husband was born. Dana has made 3 so far, one for her Husband one for her Son and one for herself. She may keep going!

Patty has done a run of Jane Stafford towels as well! She used her own yarn and we are tickled to see the tracking in the fabric. (We couldn't remember if it is ring spun cotton that does that or open spun!) Anyway they are fabulous!

Patty and Karin brought the skeins in that we put the annex last week. We piled them all on the table and I climbed up onto a chair to get this picture! This was the last dye day of the year and we are really pleased with the variety of colors that we got in these skeins.

That is all I have for you today friends! We will be back next week with more fun, until then this is Tina, for all!

After Dye Day

There was some clean up to do after last Weeks Dye Day. Some of the supplies could go out into the annex and some of the supplies have to stay inside under the shelves that hold our weaving yarns. I took the first tub that would go under the shelves and found a lot of stuff that didn't belong there, making it impossible for me to put the supplies away! A lot of it was random yarn that had been donated over the last year and never put away. There were also a couple of projects waiting to be woven or even wound into a warp. I pulled all of that out of the space I needed for the Dye Day supplies and took them to the table for us to go through so that they could be put away or given away. When I looked up I found that Marie had begun organizing one of the crowded cupboards we have for all the little bits of things you need when you have looms. Looks like I started something.

Meanwhile Patty was outside rinsing dyed skeins from last weeks "Dye Day". These skeins have already been hosed off and this is the first rinse. After lunch they will be rinsed again and hung to dry until next week in the annex.

After lunch and a small business meeting where we started filling in the schedule for our booth at the Foothills Guild Fall Show, we had "Show and Tell". Rhonda brought in the towels she had been working on here at the Center. These are towels woven in Fall colors in "M's and O's".

Judith finished a table runner for her sister that has been in the works for a long time, which means it qualifies for the "Unfinished Business Challenge" that will end next Tuesday! Mark has several placemats in Christmas colors for the shop upstairs.

Normally this is when I sign off, but of course we still have the skeins that need to be spun out and hung to dry. These first two pictures are of the skeins in their second and for the most part final rinse.

We use the spin dryer centrifuge a lot in this process spinning the extra water and dye out of the skeins. Here they are after their final spin, ready to hang until next week.

There are only 2 skeins that will need another rinse, but that will happen next week. Here are the skeins hanging in the annex. Next week we will be able to get some close ups of the final skeins.

Teamwork X 2, Weavers and Warps and Show and Tell

Supplies came in this week for us to make small tapestry loom kits. We have done stick loom kits for years with good results. A couple of weeks ago Marie showed us a small wooden tapestry loom that she thought was affordable and that could use to encourage more weaving in the non weaving public. Today several of us went to the annex and we went through some of the pretty knitting yarns that we have in stock. We made lots of small balls of yarn for the kits and I took some white acrylic yarn and I wound about 50 @ 8 yard warps to go into the kits. We will need to make the necessary instructions and lables before they will be ready to sell, but we are well on our way.

Irene is our resident boundweave weaver, she makes bags and tapestries using that technique and this week she brought in a mug rug she had made from her weaving.

Patty is twisting some fringe on a mixed warp shawl she finished this week.

Both Rhonda and Shannon are threading their new project warps.

Betsy is making great progress on her bowl cozy warp, and Liz #2 is working on another baby blanket. She told me that the next one she weaves will be stripes of green and cream to mimick the warp.

Cathy has begun weaving on her new scarf, I can see the fuzzy yarn in the fabric, so cool!

Susan #3 is continuing on her towels. I happened to catch her while she was working on an inlay section that is part of the hem. Susan wove in a larger cord which will be removed when the piece is further along.

Speaking of Susan, she and Jenny have been taking turns all day winding skeins for this weekends Dye Day.

Time for Show and Tell!!! Betsy brought in some fabric that she had woven at home with a variety of yarns. She brought it to Laura so that she could work her magic and make it a top! (I just love teamwork!)

Rhonda brought the placemats and a runner that she had recently finished here at the center and she also brought in a scarf project that she made at home.

That is all I have for today friends. Come back next week to see the results of dye day and all the other stuff we get into. In two weeks the "Unfinished Business" Challenge will come to an end and everybody is supposed to bring a list of the things that have done in the last 5 months that had gone undone for a long time. (even a project they decided not to do at all counts!!!) Until then, this is Tina, for all!