The Same but Different

I finally got the "Cat Tracks and Snail Trails"  Overshot pattern on my old counterbalance rethreaded using the miniature threading found in the Recipe Book by M M Atwater.  I had to rethread several times because of user error!  Finally however, it was done, and I set to work on the Tulip blanket you see in the photo on the left.  The only trouble was that instead of the beloved pattern showing up, I got gobbledegook!  You know like when you try to open a document with the wrong program!


I slowly went thru the treadles and realized that while this pattern is the same as the one I did before, it is quite different!  I thought well, I will just have to retie the treadles to match the treadling on my previous threading.  But, when I went below to work my magic, I found that this loom is a one trick pony!  There is only one way she can be tied up, unless of course you want to get out the power tools, and I was in no mood to do that!

 I then set to figure out how to treadle this threading in order to get the design that I wanted!  Actually, it turns out that my treadle 3 and 6 were switched, so I tentatively went to work, treadle by treadle, and do you know that by the 3 repeat my feet had learned their new dance!  Every once in awhile I will have to concentrate really hard, especially when I come back to it after a rest, but really it is as if I had never treadled that other pattern at all!

I have finished the blanket in Tulip, and now on the the next one in this order, it is in Daffodil!  I love these spring colors, they are so appropriate for this time of year.

The Tulip blanket was very easy to weave, in that it was easy to quickly spot your mistakes.  This Daffodil is going to be a much harder to weave on that account, it is almost tone on tone.

I had to get the light just right to  get the pattern to show up at all!  I think I will need to pull in some extra lighting, or this may prove to be a long weave!

Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina

Fits and Starts!

With all that is going on here this summer, I am just barely getting any fiber time in.  I have spun just a wee bit of linen, as well as a wee bit of cotton, though not enough to show!

I have completed 1 1/2 Baby Blankets in the "Kings Flower" pattern in pale pink.  I plan to do two of this same color in my other pattern "Cat Tracks and Snail Trails", then switch over to the very pale blue that you can see in the picture below, and do 2 of  each pattern in that color.

That however, is about all I have been able to manage this week!  It can be frustrating,  I may find that the summer time is not my most productive time.

The heat and humidity make it almost unbearable up in the studio in the afternoon this time of year.  Plus there are so many other demands upon my time right now that I am going to have to look at it all and reevalute the expectations I place upon myself. 

I will keep plugging away with the Foothills Craft Guilds fall show this November, in mind, some of my Etsy shop items will be cycling out of the shop and into the show as well.  All of the Weavers at the center are going to contribute our best items to make the Tuesday Weavers booth as varied as we possibly can.
 
That is about all I have for you today, I hope you are staying cool in all this heat, take care of yourselves.

Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina

What is keeping me busy!

This last week has been quite busy.  I have skeined off a lot of the cotton warp to pretreat it with salt water. all of the reds, coppers and several of the blues are done.  I have them hanging to dry in the bathtub.  I had some trouble with the copper still needing extra rinsing til the water ran clear.  It makes me want to rinse the others just to make sure that I didn't miss it in my hast to get them dry.

I also finished the Tulip Baby Blanket that I had already listed on the Etsy shop, and got it ready to ship when it sells.(Whew! I won't do that again!)  I also finished the Aqua Green Baby Blanket, and the two toned expirement you can see in one of the pictures posted last Tuesday, and below.  I was telling the girls that I liked part of the blanket but not others.  I like where I used two strands of the different colors, but I don't like the color progression throughout the blanket.  The colors are not as close as they appeared to be at first.  Plus I did not do a good job getting the sections the same size.   I think you can enlarge the picture to see what I mean.

Two toned blanket left and one color Aqua green right.


The Blanket to the right is one of the items we are sending to the Foothills craft guild so that the Tuesday Weavers can jury in.  We would like to participate as a group in there show this year.  Once I get it back it will go up in my shop.

I have also been plugging away this week on my Husbands sweater.  This is my third try to make him one.   The first one was beautiful, but way too big, so we just gave it to a friend.  The second try I used my handspun, and the sweater turned out too small. (It almost fit me!)    I am hoping that the third time it will be just right.  I am trying my best to follow directions!  I have the sleeves done and I have just finished the back and have started the fronts.  I hope to finish before the weather really warms up.

Along with all of that I have been learning about how to make my online shop attractive, informative and how to get people to look at my pieces.   There is a  Sellers Handbook section, that is really informative.  I have worked thru several articles, from the how to present your items, to how to invoice and ship your item.  

My daughter, Graphic designer, made a banner for me to put up across the top.  It really looks good!  I am using it as a banner on my blog too!  My other daughter is helping with the photos.  It is coming together and it really is fun!


Next week it will be back to weaving Baby Blankets for the shop, and then a few as gifts.  I also have a few crazy ideas floating around in my brain that involves a fleece that I partially felted last year,(by accident) and cotton warp.  It may be awhile before I can have anything to show for it, but I will be working on that too.

Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina