I Really Was Going To Weave, But...

 I had every intention of weaving today, after spending most of yesterday out in the yard, mowing, whacking and planting.  But I had to drive to Maryville for work in the morning, and needed to deliver samples to Horn of Plenty.  Now, Knoxville friends, if you've never been to Horn of Plenty, www.hornofplentymarketplace.com and you love plants, please go soon.  It's amazing.  The owner, Dwayne Smith, knows a lot about plants, and will help you if you have any questions.  But more than that, the prices are great, the selection is huge, and you will find unusual plants you won't find anywhere else.  If you don't find what you want, he will order it for you.

 Many of the plants in my yard are from there, including the climbing hydrangea above, with the first full blooms of its life this year, after five years in the ground.  It's a gently climber, not impacting the brick as it clings.  And it's beautiful!
  The roses are bursting forth,

 the clematis is, too, as Weftie can attest,

And I am proud to announce that I finally feel like a true Southerner, having planted some Camellias, in a place where they might actually grow.  The poor, sad one in the middle has spent the last three years in the bright sun, and it is still clinging to life, so I've put it between my two new ones.

The flower gardens got some new plants today, other colors than pink, though some pink, too!

 The peonies keep flopping over, though I have had enough this year to cut them and bring them inside.  Their perfume is intoxicating!

The vegetable garden is growing, as are the weeds!  And I've put in a new flower bed this morning.  I'm hoping the poison ivy I accidentally pulled up will leave no lasting effects!
  I hope you're enjoying spring, and have found time for some Happy Weaving!  --Maggie

Tuesday Once Again!

"I put it in the washer with lots of color catcher strips, but the red ran." 
  Yes, that's happened to me, too.  It still is a beautiful blanket.











  Now for rugs......Ann is involved in another project for the next little bit, so Pat is going to weave rugs on that warp.  Here she is starting a clasp weave rug. 
  More pictures on this one later!!!






This is the rug that Ann finished before she left.









Sharen joined us today.  She had ordered some bamboo from Carol, and she needed to wind a new warp. 
  Ah, well......sometimes tangles DO happen!!!!









No red on the baby blankets....Tina pulled some pink that is working up very nicely.









Towels and scarves keep Shirley and Bonnie plenty busy!

And, speaking of towels, Linda brought her brand new off the loom towels she wove at home.  These will really get the job done!

Molly is ready to sley the reed on her newest warp.  This is her first project on the Pup.




Jocelyn and Linda chatted a bunch as they wove today.  Linda brought her stand for her Cricket Loom, and got a lot woven on her scarf.

The rug using an old quilt top cut into strips is so colorful!  Carl matched some additional fabric to join this week to add to the rug.



Christy is using some bling on this inkle warp.  I'm looking forward to see what else she adds to this!!



More towels from Betsy's warp, and another placemat started on Margi's warp. 
  Busy Ladies!!!!










Marie gave us an update from the Board Meeting. 





  A big THANK YOU to Karin for volunteering to be the new Librarian.  (And, thank you, Pat for all your hard work in the past!)  We are always adding new books to our collection, and it's nice to be able to check out some of the classic books that are a valuable resource.


The day passes too quickly!

Happy Weaving!
LouAnn



 

A New Book!

Amazon sends many emails about new books that are available. Usually I just glance at the contents and delete it. However about a week ago I got one that had a title I hadn't seen before...Learn to Weave by Anne Field!! 

This is a brand new book, just made available to us. 

Anne passed away over a year ago but her daughter took the notes of the almost complete book and finished it.

The book is awesome. 

I've woven for a long time and when I started there weren't a lot of books for new weavers. The last few years we've seen several wonderful books being published. This certainly is one of them.

The pictures included are a huge help for someone trying to figure out how to get everything set up right to weave.

The best part is that she just jumps right in with projects to weave...table runners, placemats...clothing. These aren't what one would traditionally call beginner projects but with her instructions, they are very doable for a new weaver. For example, weaving a reversible cocoon or a weft faced rug with this book of instructions are possible for a newer weaver.

Included in the book are things like a really complete reed table of how to thread your loom if you don't have the size reed needed. Another page has a comprehensive list for burn tests for identifying yarns...all those things we wonder about and need....in one book.

It's good to be part of a group of weavers that meets each week to weave. However, not many weavers have a support group like that. Having a book like this is almost like having a friend there with you to guide and reassure you. 

So, if you have a weaving library that you rely on, here's a title that you should add.

Weaving wise, not much happening. We were in Cincinnati from Thursday til last night for a wedding. DH and a friend played and our daughter spoke, read a piece she wrote in their honor during the ceremony. It rained so they couldn't get married in the courtyard of the museum, but the grand hall was very impressive and the skies cleared enough for pictures outside later. A weekend spent with old friends and new...priceless.

Now it's back to weaving. I want to get my green warp finished tomorrow.

Until next week, keep weaving.

Carol

A Break in the Routine

For most of my life, when I would see a photo like this one, I would immediately think it was a sunset.  That is because I grew up on the west coast of the US, in California, about 45 minutes away from the beach.  We were frequent beach bluff campers in my growing up years, and I loved it!   We would wake up, in the morning to a cold thick fog, that would burn of by 10am, then it was down the bluff we ran to get to the beach for hours of dunking, digging, and dozing.

It wasn't until many years later that I got to experience my first sunrise at the beach.  It absolutlely did not make any sense to me at all, it tied my mind in all kinds of knots!  As the years have passed however, I have gotten used to the idea, and I have even embraced it.  We have had the opportunity over the last several years to spend a week here and there on the East coast, with or without the rest of the family, and it has become the highlight of our year, when we can manage it.

Last year we were not able to go to the beach as a family, mostly because my youngest was in Africa, working out the details of the adoption of my newest grandsons.  I spent quite a bit of time with her over there last fall, and we finally came home just before Thanksgiving 2013.  We saw each other briefly again at Christmas, but with 9 hrs between us, it isn't easy to get together.  We have done a bit of FaceTime on our phones, but it isn't the same thing, now is it!

This week, however, Dear One and I, cleared our calendar for a couple of days, hopped into the car, and made our way to the east coast.  Dear One hasn't had the opportunity to really spend time with the boys as I have, so we are going to make the best of our time together.  We got to their house last evening, just before supper time, so we were able to enjoy a little play time, including a couple of books and several horsey rides!  The boys were too excited to eat their dinner, but once released from their chairs, they were more than willing to take, "more rice" from my plate!

They were soon off to bed, after a book, and a viewing, (and singing) of the song "Let it Go" from Frozen.  Hugs and kisses all around,  promises of a day together, and it was off to dream land.  We visited a bit, but frankly Dear One and I were exhausted, and we soon made our way to the  beach front hotel we had reserved.

We will spend today together at the beach, this evening at their place, and then on Saturday morning, a little better aquainted with the newest family members, we will set off early for East TN, to pick up where we left off.   At home, the Spring is still flowing, the goat is still pregnant, there are still a couple of fleeces from the Museum left to wash, a baby blanket I simply must get off the loom this week, and I am sure the lawn will need some of Dear One's attention again before the Mothers Day picnic at our place, not to mention a Sunday Service to get ready for,  but for now we are pausing to soak up a little bit of life.

Until next time, Happy Spinning and Weaving, Tina

Answer: Babies and Flowers

BJ and M--2001

  Question:  What were two of your Mom's favorite things.
  Oh yes, it's that time of year when we think about our moms....and their moms....and the women in our lives that are such a big influence.  (That doesn't mean that I don't think about her alot, but here we are at Mother's Day!)
  This is a picture of my Mom with her first great-granddaughter.  She loved rocking babies, that's for sure!







  She also loved her flowers.  These iris actually came from my grandmother's garden originally, and then transplanted to my Mom's garden.  Now they bloom for me.  Another link to the past.




I guess that explains my love of iris....




.....and peonies.

  I went out to the Fringe Tree to get a close up of the blooms on the tree.  As you saw from last week's blog, from a distance, they just look like a ball of fluff.
   Up close, you can see how it looks like white thrums dangling on the branch.  Maybe that's why I enjoy this tree so much!!!!
  And, I should tell you that it has the most amazingly sweet smell!!!!

Now....for some more answers to questions:

Theresa:  Yes, those are patterns on the table in the Tuesday blog.  Sometimes they are part of the donation that comes in the studio.  Needless to say, they get snapped up, too.  I got a great hat pattern last Tuesday.

Hilary:  Yes, we wish you lived closer, too!  Please know that you are welcome any Tuesday (or any day.....we'll meet you at the Center) if you are in town.

Karen:  Yes, the coverlet pattern is Lee's Surrender.  I think that is a favorite for lots of folks.

  That's all the answers I have for now.
Oh, yes....I forgot.....I did weave on my towel warp last night.  You WERE asking, right???

Happy Weaving!  (and Happy Mother's Day!!!)
LouAnn

Last Day of a Vacation Well Spent

 Today was the last day of my vacation, one spent with good friends, learning new skills, planting and pruning and weeding, a little weaving and a lot of knitting.  It was a glorious day, hot and sunny and blue skyed.  I saw a good movie, ate a good dinner and just finished some ice cream.
  Tomorrow, it's back to the bakery, but I'm rested and happy and feel full of accomplishments.  The basket class was grand, the garden was fulfilling and time spent with lots of different friends made me feel lucky indeed.
  I didn't weave, but did manage to get them green warp wound on.  I would have threaded it this morning, but I had a date with some plants that needed transplanting, so it will wait until next week.
 



I've made a lot of progress on the turquoise shawl, and am really enjoying it.  I made an error in counting on the Norwegian sweater, so it sits idle for now while I start an easier seed stitch cardigan with some hand-dyed silk and cotton.

Those floppy floozies, the peonies are all in bloom.  They crack me up.  They're so beautiful, but they get so heavy, they can't hold themselves up, just like big bar chicks with too much to drink.  Not that I would know about that.  I'm just projecting!

One of the nicest things to happen this week was to find out my fig tree was still alive.  I was starting to dig it out to replace it, and lo and behold!  Little figgy sprouts coming out of the base of it!  This fig tree has had a lot happen to it in its short life, so to find it still kicking was a delightful surprise.
  I hope your week is full of happy surprises, too!  Happy Weaving!
Maggie

Same But Different

Yes, that's right.....we started out our morning with another donation!
  No...we're not complaining.  There's always something in there that is just what we needed. 
  The reeds on the table were NOT part of the donation!  Those are the new reeds we ordered for our looms.  We have added so many new looms to the studio that some additional reeds were in order.

  Pat was hard at work from the get-go repairing the coverlet (sometimes a thread didn't lift the way it was supposed to!)  She had a new picture of her granddaughter, too.  What a cutie!!!!

But, there's always time to catch up with friends!  Maggie dropped by today to see the Weavers and see what was new in the studio.










  Using the colored towels in the rug warp turned out GREAT!  Way to go, Linda!

  Sharon has been weaving on the placemat warp....today she started a new batch of mats using some fabric that had been donated.

It sure was great seeing Lanny today.  He got right to work on the small Macomber with the huck lace towels.  He was weaving so fast it was just a blur!!!!!








    Tina was able to sit down to weave today on the baby blanket warp.  You can just see the edge of the leaf as it takes shape.  Reducing the size of the warp sure does make it easier to weave!








I was able to catch Eiko and Bonnie as they worked on the Pup.  I think they were having way too good of a time, don't you?

  We all enjoyed hearing about Ms. Ila's trip to Ireland.  She brought some of her treasures that she found while she was there.  (Sorry....no pictures....too busy drooling!!!!) 

  If you see Shirley, ask her if she has any tips on tying a string heddle????










  Ann finished weaving the "fun" part of the rug, and it's back to brown wool. 







  Two rugs were cut off of Karin's warp this afternoon.  These rugs will have sewn hems, so we'll get to see them in the shop soon.










  Carl keeps careful notes on each of the rugs that he weaves on the old barn loom.  Next week we'll see the strips cut from the old quilt top that was donated to the studio.  They will make a lovely rug.
  So much weaving going on in the studio today....you just gotta love it!

Happy Weaving!
LouAnn