And, We're Off......

We hit the ground running this morning at the Center:
  Carl had sewn his strips together and he was set to get them cut for his rug warp.  Christy sat down to lend a helping hand.  Allan was ready to help out if needed.

  Barbara and Eiko got busy putting together the second Pup that we ordered.  Don't you just LOVE counting heddles????

  Linda was set to start weaving on the placemat warp that we started at Foodhills.  After a quick tutorial on weaving on the Pup, she got right to work.
  Ms. Ila got busy with her scarf warp.

  Marie is also working on a floor loom for the first time, and I think she likes it!!!   Just ask her where the brake pedal is, OK?

  Andy's smile is for the lace blocks that she is adding to her shawl warp.  There's nothing like having eight harnesses to work with!

  Yippeee!!!!
  This picture is just for Ann's husband and daughter!  I got it right this time.  (I'm so bad at catching the weavers at the worse possible moment OR just getting them from behind!)

  Now....this is a great angle for Lanny.  He tries so hard NOT to be in pictures....but, this is a good action shot of the threading process.

  Roz got an early start today.  She's finishing up the mug rug warp left from the class this Fall.  She has had a lot of practice doing mug rugs lately since she's been weaving with a class of kids at a local school.

  Tina actually got time today to sit down and weave on the neutral warp of Ellen's placemats.

And, yes, Carl did get to weave on his rug warp today.
  Somehow I didn't get pictures of Pat, Bonnie or Linda.  But, they were part of the group at the Center, too.

  Happy Weavers!

And, Happy Weaving to you, too!!!
LouAnn

Just a bit early!

I know, I write on Mondays. However, tomorrow morning I'm heading out early and won't be back until late Dec 18, so I thought I'd get a jump on my to do list for the rest of the day and write the blog now!!

I got the rug warp done!! I'm really glad because I've got an order that has to go on first thing Dec 19 when I get back! Well, that's when it's supposed to go on. It'll depend on how tired I am from all the traveling on Tuesday!!

 

I am rather pleased with the rugs that were the last of the black warp. I bought and inherited a fair amount of selvages so getting some of them woven was a real plus!

In keeping with the black warp, what's better than a black, red and white rug?

 Notice the fringe? I'm not a fringey person. However, I was so excited about starting to weave these rugs that I forgot to weave the heading for the rug. I wasn't about to take apart half a rug, so, plan B, a fringe. Don't expect to see many more of these on rugs, though!!

 I had just a bit of the red left after I finished that first rug, and some black. I kind of like this single red stripe near the edge of the rug!

 Sometimes doing something asymmetrical is kind of fun!!

 There was a bunch of grey that had a hint of beige to it so that was the main color of the third rug.

 Only question I have is, do the sides look too weird with the fringes from the selvages showing? I don't know of a way to make sure they all get into the rug. Besides, they give the rug a bit of an interesting side look!

  Nothing better than a hint of teal in a pile of selvages. I like the combination with the other colors.

 This one was a bit longer since I was weaving to the end of the warp.

Most of the rugs were close to 50 inches long and the width is close to 30.
So the warp is done and the rugs finished! In a way, I hate to leave now. I'm all psyched, ready to put the order warp on. It's going to be black, blue gray and cranberry. The order is for a jacket but I'll do several other pieces on there as well.

However, I need to pack the rest of my bags.
The weather here in Knoxville is awesome, cool, sweater weather, almost shirt sleeve weather. I know it's going to cool off in a day or two but still, lovely weather. So why am I getting on a plane to fly to Regina, Saskatchewan tomorrow? It's heading into winter! The high tomorrow up there is maybe 24 degrees F. That, for East Tennesseeans is "bitterly cold"! I think on Wednesday the high is supposed to be 1 F!!!! I'm not used to that anymore. Oh yeah, supposed to snow a few days too. It says flurries but do I believe it?!!
I'm heading there for my niece's wedding on Saturday. I know my sister has a pile of stuff that needs to be done yet and I'm going to go help her, as needed, to be sure this wedding goes off without much of a hitch!! I'll have my camera and take some pictures.
I'm not taking a laptop with me this time but my niece has one and I hope to write next Monday as scheduled. If I can't figure out how to get on this site (since it's going to be a new computer and sometimes that's a problem for blogger), I'll just email LouAnn and she'll copy and paste whatever I write to the page. Otherwise, I know I'll have lots to write about the following Monday!
Until next week.
Stay warm and dry!!! and weave some for me!
Carol
 

Another Puzzle Solved

I have almost finished weaving the "Cat Tracks and Snail Trails" Baby blanket warp.  I have probably woven close to 20 blankets using this pattern.  That is why I was confused when I was perusing a "newer" copy of Marguerite Davison's "Handweaver's Pattern Book"!  Her pattern, on page 166, was different than the one that I had been using!  Both the threading and treading were different!  I had just recently traded out my older copy for this newer one, so I thought that maybe they had changed the pattern or something.

 I mentioned it to Lou Ann yesterday when we were on our way back from Gatlinburg, I explained what the differences were, and she said that she would check her copy, but, her copy, that is several years older than my book, was exactly the same as mine!

Since she was already going to run by the Center on Thursday, she said that she would check their copies to see if she could see anything close to what I had been using.

The biggest difference that I have noted between my blankets and the book draw down is that I have been using only 1 pattern pick in the twill run, where the books all say to do 3 pattern picks!  The Cat Paws are also beefier than mine are, using up to 6 pattern pics, where I had been using 3 max!

On Thursday, as it turned out, I needed to make a trip really close to the Center.  So, I decided to see for myself if the copies there were any different.  They were the same as my present copy!  While I was there, however, I ran across another of Mrs. Davison's books.  It was one I hadn't seen before.

(Lou Ann told me that it has been there all along, I was just unaware of it.)  In this wonderful book, I found several variations on the CTST theme.  I snapped a picture of several of them, but nothing resembled what I had been doing for the last year and a half.

This one is called "Snow Drops and Snail Trails".

This is her "Winding Stairs"  with the "Paws" treadled star fashion, and the "Vine" is using 2 pattern pics instead of my 1.

and finally "Wandering Vine", again the "Cat Paws" are treadled star fashion, and the "Trails" are with 2 pattern pics, instead of my one.  It was a fun diversion, but it still didn't answer my question.  Where in the world did I find my version, I know I did not make it up!


Then I got a call from Lou Ann, who was just as intrigued as I was.  As we were talking, she was rifling through her printouts from the Arizona State archives, that deals with miniature overshot patterns.  She had remembered that we did CTST mug rugs first, before I took it to the big loom.   We thought that she had found the answer, but, the pattern wasn't in either of the booklets!

She told me that she would not rest until she solved the riddle!  She didn't rest either, it was about an hour later that she sent me a message.  "Solved....my miniature patterns from the Atwater Recipe Book.  Yeah!!!!!!!

Sure enough, that is the pattern we used for the  mug rugs, and I just didn't consult the books for a full sized version!  I like the pattern I am using, but I am going to compare the 2 patterns closely, both the threading and the treadling, to see just how different they are.  I may be able to just use the new treadling, or some version and leave the threading be.  Since I had planned on tying on a short warp left over from the Leclerc, and pulling it back through using the threading that is in place, I hope that is the case.  I also, hope I have enough on the loom after this last blanket, to play with the treadling before I tie on the short one.

I am also interested in some of these other versions I found, in the second Davison book, I think I will have to check it out on tuesday for a little study time.  Who knows, I may use one of them, though I do love the CTST pattern for Baby blankets, it just seems right.

It is a good thing that I like all of the process, from planning to finishing, isn't it!  Throw in a little mystery and I am over the top!

Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina

Once Upon A Time....

.....in a kingdom far, far away, a loving King had all of the spinning wheels banished in order to protect his precious daughter Aurora from a terrible curse.
  Of course, we all know that she DID prick her finger on a spindle, and fell into a deep sleep.  But, she was awakened by true love's kiss from her very own Prince Charming.
  Now...where are all of those spinning wheels???
One such cache has been found right here in the hills of East Tennessee!!!

  Last summer, Tina and I got to see the spinning wheels that were stored in the attic at Arrowmont.  We could see great wheels, Saxony wheels, and many more in-between!  There was even a pendulum wheel, which I had read about, but never seen.  And, there were boxes and boxes of pieces of wheels and spindles.  It was a treasure trove of wheels!
  We were itching to get a hold of  those wheels and bring them back to life!
.........but, we had to wait until just the right time!

  The right time arrived yesterday!
  Nick had brought most of the wheels down from the attic, as well as the boxes of miscellaneous wheel pieces.  I set to work with the Howard's Feed and Wax while Tina started working on getting the wheels functional and noting any repairs that would be needed.

  As we would finish up with a wheel, Tina would give it a test drive with a little bit of fleece to see how it would spin.  This little Saxony style wheel had a wrought iron treadle.  There were several of these wheels in the collection.

  I have to say that my favorite part of the day was this little wheel.  It was a pile of pieces when we arrived.  I noticed it because it was oak.  Tina was intrigued because she could see that it looked like all the pieces were there.  And, guess what?   They were!!!  We called her Lizzy, and she cleaned up like a dream.  I sure wish she could talk.....what stories would she tell us about the people who sat down to spin in the past?  (This is Lizzy after she was put together but before she got her spa treatment with Howard!)

  We got a few wheels cleaned and functional.  Tina talked to Heather Ashworth, who is an Artist-In-Residence at Arrowmont, about repairing some of the wheels.  Heather does beautiful woodworking and had some ideas about the repairs of a few wheels.
  This might just be our winter project....it will take a few more visits before we get to all the wheels!  But, it is so rewarding to see them brought to life again.  Some well deserved TLC....isn't that what we all would like?
  As for Aurora and her Prince.....I'm sure they are spinning happily ever after!

Happy Weaving and Spinning!
LouAnn

Boldly Going

 Here is where the gy-normous warp ended yesterday, 35 minutes after "closing time."  The warp is on, wound to the shortest thread and ready to be threaded next week.  Yes, even at my most optimistic, I believe my foot will be completely healed before Bertha and I get started with the weaving of this monster.  I'm excited to get started but want to take my sweet time and be accurate. No one wants to unthread half of a 720 thread warp!
  I can't thank enough the dedicated team who helped wind it.  Thanks Ann, Bonnie, Christy, Cindy and Marie!  I know it wasn't how you thought you'd be spending your afternoon, but I sure do appreciate it!


Meanwhile, on the home front, I've been playing with some of my stash.  Long, long ago, during the second dye-day I participated in with the TW's, I dyed what I thought would be my challenge shawl warp.  Unfortunately, due to inadequate math skills, I only had half enough threads.  That warp has languished in a box in the loominaria since then.  I wasn't even sure I liked it!  Why do I keep ending up with mint green and bubble gum pink?  My grandmother made me a quilt for high school graduation in those very colors, but I loved it to death and it is now in fiber heaven.  But it must have made its mark, because in unguarded moments, I return to that combination.

Warp into weft

It was not enough for a shawl, but a little too much for a scarf, and when we decided at work to have Secret Santa, with a $10 limit, I pulled that warp out of its box.  See, I paid for this yarn a long time ago, and it's just been sitting there.  So my rationale is that I'm spending less than $10 since it was going to waste anyway!  And I teamed it with some purple and green chenille that I ordered four years ago to knit scarves that never happened.  Free, again!  Get it?  If the yarn is left over or unloved--I really never liked that green chenille!--or for a project that never happened, why, it's free!   It's a new area of finance:  Fiber Economics.  One can rationalize a lot of yarn purchases that way!

Sunshine through the warp

  Since it was too much for a scarf, I tried winding the second half of the warp into weft.  I wound and wound, sometimes by bobbin winder, sometimes by hand to go through tangles.  I tell you, it wasn't pretty!  Scared the animals once in a while with cascades of curse words.  But I got most of it wound.  What I couldn't finish, I gave to LouAnn for her art yarn spinning.  I would love to see that when it's done!
  At first, I wasn't sure at all about the color combination, with the chenille.  But it was one of those Leave the Room moments, coming back in and seeing them together and falling in love with them.  I wound the chenille all at once, a mistake, but managed to get them separated into their stripes once they were on the loom.  The stripes are Fibonacci'd:  1-2-3-5-1-5-3-2-1, in the chenille.  The chenille was supposed to be in plain weave and the dyed bamboo in huck lace, same pattern as the curtain project, but once I started weaving, the chenille wouldn't stay in plain weave.  Not sure why, but this entire project so far has been an experiment.  I wound the chenille on a separate set of lease sticks to keep the tension even for both, hoped for the best with the color combination and am still not sure if anyone will like it but me!
  So here I go, off into the unknown, taking tiny risks and hoping for the best.  I like the chenille-only plain weave section at the beginning best, but will continue with the first scarf in the huck lace pattern, using the dyed bamboo weft.  If it still looks funky, I've got warp enough for two more for the gifts.  I'll just keep the funky one!
  It's one of those projects I can't stay away from, so back I go until it's time to go to work.  Have a wonderful week, and Happy Weaving!
Maggie

Controlled Chaos

Aw...you can say it with me:  "Bless her heart!" 
  It's a good thing Maggie isn't ready to start weaving that Lee's Surrender just yet.  I don't think that boot would work really well on the treadles!!!  Stress fracture....from standing too long!!!!  Who would have thought?

  And, a bunch of weavers all pitched in to help Maggie wind on her warp.  (That warp is 60 inches wide, you know!!!!)

  Maggie's fracture will have time to heal as she threads the warp and gets it tied onto the front bar.

  'Tis the season for sharing!

  There was a lot of sharing going on today!  Christy  assisted Carl as he cut the strips for his rug.  Carl had joined the blue jean legs at home, and he used the cutter at the Center to make the strips.  Then, they went right back to his loom and into a rug!

  You can just see him peeking through the loom as he was weaving away today.

  Look at who else was peeking today!!!!
  Yes....that's Lanny getting ready to thread a new warp on the Mighty Wolf.  His loom got pulled out of the aisle between the other looms and he got to work on that warp.

  Eiko looks on while Barbara gets advice from Carol on planning a new warp.  I think I heard them say this would be dish towels.  Now...where do you want those stripes????

  Then, after lunch, Eiko and Barbara got busy putting together one of the new Pups.

  Wonder who will jump on it first???

  Linda brought Max so that Tina could give him some special TLC.  Max does such a great job of protecting Linda's little herd, but he doesn't like to be groomed.  Besides weaving like an angel, Tina has a special way with animals!



  And while that was going on, Ms. Ila was weaving.  Teresa got weaving tips from Bonnie....and, Ann was humming her little tune while the warping mill went round and round!!!!!

  See what I mean?  Controlled chaos!!! 
Isn't this lovely?  It's a weavers' wonderland!

Happy Weaving!!!
LouAnn

Roadtrip!!

Last Thursday Linda, Marie and I went on a roadtrip! We had a blast! We headed up to Tazewell, up near the north border of Tennessee. Our first stop was the Mountain Hollow Farm Store & Studio. The shop was nice. I don't knit and I'm not using wool in my weaving right now so I was relatively safe when it came to shopping. The shop is small but has a nice variety of things to choose from!! This shop is a destination shop. There's nothing nearby. It's down a long gravel road about an hour from Knoxville. It's the kind of place where you could pack a picnic lunch, come shop, eat, relax and see the animals they have on the farm.

There are the girls. They're separated from the boys by quite a space. The shop is between them.

 The girl in front just stood and watched us for the longest time!!

 There was one guy in there among them....

 The boys, in their pen, weren't interested in us at all!!

 From there we headed up into Virginia. Linda is a re enactor at the Martin Station Fort in Wilderness Rd State Park.  Our first sight of her permanent presence there was this picture that had been painted of her that hangs in the visitor center. Who'd have known that someone famous weaves with us each Tuesday ?!

 From the visitor center we headed back to the fort. This is her cabin where she lives one weekend a month. It's quite primitive but she loves being part of the group that keeps the history alive.

 We were there to pick up her bedding for the winter. She'll be back in spring with her bedding spruced up for the season!

From there we headed back to Tennessee, drove through Cumberland Gap and decided we were due a late lunch. Since we were so close anyway, we drove up into Kentucky and stopped for lunch in Middlesboro.....3 states in one day. Not bad!

I'm not sure where the time goes, but it's flew by this week with not much to show for it! This coming week will be the same with appointments and work keeping me from doing much weaving. Hopefully I'll find time to finish my warp anyway. The next few weeks will be hectic with no weaving time.
I do hope that you find time to do the things you enjoy!
Til next week.
Carol