New Warps

  This is NOT a green warp!!!!  I think Frieda is really happy about her new warp....I'm looking forward to seeing what wonderful designs she uses for her new scarves.








Looks like another colorful shawl warp going on Ms. Ila's loom. 
  But....what is Bonnie doing???








  Uh-oh!  The heddle bar "popped" off and you know what that means!!!!  Bonnie came to the rescue and slid those heddles back where they belonged!










 
  Linda brought her rigid heddle to work on a wool scarf while Joan is working on her warp.






  Helen is using two colors on her warp.  It's so much fun playing with colors when you weave!











  It's the end of the road for Ray's rug warp.  He rolled off the rugs this afternoon....we'll serge the edges next week and get them hemmed.  He's planning on weaving double width next on this loom.

  Wanna bet that Anna and Tina are talking about spinning????  I didn't eavesdrop, but that would be my guess.  It's all fiber....right?













  Betsy's warp will be placemats and table runners.  Another bright, cheerful warp!





 
Before he could finish his latest rug, Carl needed to cut more blue jean strips.  Just keep it moving!!!!










  The Tuesday Weavers have started a study group using Mary Black's New Key To Weaving.  We will be taking a chapter a month and then meet together to talk about any questions or observations.  No skipping chapters!!!!  Yes, the first chapter is about Looms, and you'd think we already know about that.  But, who knows.....we might just find out something new we didn't know!  No pressure....just trying to expand our knowledge!
  We have several copies of this book in our library for check-out, so everyone can join us on our journey if they wish.
  New warps and new ideas.....how fun!!!!

Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

Icy Morning

I'm supposed to be at the center in Norris right now taking a much anticipated class on kumihimo. There are about 10 of us that are home instead, now having  to wait until March for the class. What are the odds of that being a snow day as well? We'll see!

It was such an iffy date. All week they've talked about freezing rain this morning. It's been very cold (for us) but no precipitation that hit the east coast. 

However, this morning the predictions got a bit more serious and class was postponed. I'm glad because there are a ton of wrecks out there. My car is covered with a thin layer of ice. I'm not going off my hill til it thaws, hopefully this afternoon.

So instead of posting pictures of the class, here's one of the projects I've been working on.

A few years ago I got very excited when a new line of fabrics came out. It was the Berenstain Bears. I remember reading the books to my daughter a lot!! My nieces all had the books, too. They're wonderful. Small books full of teachable moments. We still have them upstairs somewhere!

So when the fabric came out, I went a little nuts. I bought all the colors I could. Then when a sale hit, got some more. There will be several baby blankets out of this series. But, first I promised DD a throw using the fabrics.

I haven't woven since late November. Instead, I've been sewing. All my UFOs are complete so I could pull out "the" tub!! The throw is about 50 x 70. I took it to the center last Wednesday and pinned the layers together. The center quilters were there working on their quilt. The comment was that it was certainly bright. OK. I like that. It's the kind of quilts I do like to make.

I finished quilting it and took it up to the living room to finish tacking the binding. Once done, I folded it and just put it temporarily on a stool. Meg likes it!

This is the front of it. It's 5 squares by 7 squares. A print alternating with a 25 patch square. I found a jelly roll of 2 1/2 inch strips in the tub and that formed the core of the patchy squares..

A close up look. There were several big print fabrics that were released and I cut them into big squares to compliment the small squares.

A quilt like this needs a cheerful back. So I obliged. It's like you're in the books. I do love this print line!

See what I mean?

Tomorrow is DD's birthday. This will be her surprise gift. It'll look great in her living room.

I already have one baby quilt top done and am working on another one. I'm hoping to take both of them to the center tomorrow and pin the layers for quilting. One is already spoken for and the other is probably going to be shipped to Canada for a baby due this spring. Then I hope to get several more made to get ahead of the game.

Might get back to weaving later this week. It's going to be nice and warm so the studio will be more comfortable. We were down to 8 degrees recently for the low and the hot water pipe in the  kitchen froze but 2 days later we went above freezing for 2 hours and it opened up. It's been dripping since. No need once it gets above freezing. Later this week it's going to be in the 60s!!! Welcome to East Tennessee!

Until next week, keep weaving!

Carol

Heat

It is colder than usual this year, not as cold as some places I know, but colder for a longer stretch of days than we are used to here in East TN.  That means that I have been able to have the wood stove going full tilt 24/7!  The way my house is put together, the high for the day needs to be really low to use the wood stove.  It can't get above 40 degrees outside or the stove blasts us out of the house.

Burning the wood stove warms you several times, when you chop the wood, when you carry and stack the wood, when you bring the wood into the house and finally when you burn it in the wood stove.  I love the look and feel of the fire in the wood stove, but it does dry the air out something fierce.  (fly aways and static shocks abound) It helps to moisten the air if have a kettle on the wood stove, but I am always afraid that I will forget to keep it full of water, so I don't have a kettle on mine.  I am convinced that the safest  most effective way to humidify the air is to wash some fleece and have it drying in the same room as the stove.

 I have many fleeces that I have on hand that need washing, so I see it as killing 2 birds with one stone.  First up, this week, is the Cormo X fleece that I picked up at SAFF last year.  This was a beautiful fleece in the bag, but when I poured it out of the bag I found that this fleece had very, very muddy tips.  I took special precautions, and I think I managed to get most of the tips clean without felting the fleece.

This fleece is incredibly fine and it will spin up to be a very springy lace weight yarn that I will weave on the floor loom.  It is the palest of grey with stained tips that will probably blend right in as I comb the fleece.

I have a tub half full of  locks that have already been washed over the last week and are now dry.  I don't know when I will comb and spin this fleece but it is not going to be right away.

The Jacobs fleeces are my real focus for the next coming months, I intend to get all the fleeces washed and several spun into yarn to use on blankets before sheep shearing begins all over again this spring.

Speaking of Jacobs fleeces, this is Jacobs fleece #15, it is what is called a lilac fleece, grey from light to black.  The tips are brown, but many times that disappears while I comb or card the fleece.

I have the fleece separated into 6 portions and the first batch is soaking now in it's first wash.  In fact, the timer just went off, time to spin the first wash water out and fill the washer for the second wash.

Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr.....

Baby, it's cold out there!!!!  For once, I'm glad I'm not at the beach! 
  Instead, I'm having fun with some projects that have been on the back burner for awhile.  I pulled the McCalls pattern out for a second look.  Yes....I had made a mistake when I traced my pattern.  So, let's try this again.
  Next up will be this heavenly feather weight corduroy.  I think this top pattern is perfect!  (Remember:  corduroy has a nap...use a simple pattern layout!!!)
  And, for our weaving pleasure, a shawl using this wool from South America.  Santa brought me a 5 dent reed to use with bulky yarn!!!!

  I finished the upcycled shirt...the jury is still out on that one.
  And, I finished the blue jean purse.  FUN!!!
  I used it on Tuesday, and the braided strap stretched so much that the bag was down to my knees by the time I got home!!!  With help from my handy seam ripper, I opened the top and shortened it by 5 inches.  And, while I had it apart, I added another pocket to the lining inside.  (That's two pockets inside:  one zippered.  Outside there are two pockets on each side.  The zipper in the front is also a pocket.)
  I may have to shorten the strap a little more.......
  I figure I have a few more days to just play....Saturday is Twelfth Night, and it's time for the tree to come down.  Also, there's some end of the year bookkeeping I need to take care of.  (I don't even want to think about starting to work on taxes just yet....but, that's just around the corner.)
  I think staying in and staying warm.....and playing with a little fiber is a good thing!
Happy Weaving!  (and stay warm!)
LouAnn

A New Year

  What a great way to welcome the new year:  eat lunch together!
  Actually, we eat together every Tuesday, but on the first Tuesday of the new year, we go across the street to the Museum of Appalachia and have lunch.  A good home cooked meal, and great company...the perfect way to start our new weaving year.

OFF WITH THE OLD!
  Yes, the shawl warp came off the loom.  Bonnie started to cut off the warp, but then decided to untie the bouts instead.  She might need the extra lengths of thread if there is a repair needed!!!



Frieda's scarf warp came off the loom this afternoon.  As I was leaving, she was going through the choices for her next warp....."no green," she said.



Happy New Year from US to YOU!!!!

LouAnn

Hummmmming Right Along!

Yesterday LouAnn and I made another trip to Asheville to pick up a couple of my Antique wheels from the wheel repair shop, Bobbin Boy.  While we were going that way, I took the spinning wheel that I had picked up at the Estate Sale a couple of weeks ago, to get the whorl repaired and to get it on it's way up to NJ.

One of the wheels I picked up was my Canadian Production Wheel.  I had taken it to the repair shop for a couple of reasons, it needed 2 hooks replaced and there was something amiss that affected how the yarn was taken onto the bobbin.

This wheel is wicked fast and likes to spin a very fine single, but the yarn wouldn't load fast enough onto the bobbin and it would balloon out from the flyer, which interrupts the flow of very fast yarn production.

Alan, Bobbin Boy, worked miracles for this wheel.  He replaced the 2 hooks and he worked on the bobbin whorl so that it was a much better fit to the ratio of the flyer whorls.

I began to spin a little bit this morning while I was waiting on a fleece that was soaking in the washer.  I tried a little long draw and found that the take up was so improved that I could back off of the tension on the drive band.  The bobbin was rattling a bit and I remembered that I hadn't oiled everything before I started.  So I oiled all the usual places, bearings, bobbin and drive wheel.

I started again and the chatter was almost gone, I oiled around the bobbin again and all you can hear now is the whisper of the drive wheel and the hum of the flyer.










I have left this wheel in the kitchen for now, I may move it up to the family room where the wood stove is, if I can squeeze it in.  As it is, the wheel is convenient to both the kitchen and to the laundry room, where it is easy to fit in a few minutes of spinning while I wait on the pasta sauce that is simmering and the washing machine where I am soaking  yet another Jacobs fleece clean.

Jacobs fleece "#10 Heart" is what I am spinning right now, and it is the first of several of these Jacobs fleeces that I plan to spin into a fairly fine 2 ply yarn with which to weave a blanket or two.  I think that these fleeces are soft enough to make a really fine blanket.








The wood stove is pinging, keeping us warm, the pasta sauce is bubbling for dinner tonight with the grandkids, the washer is working it's magic on fleece "04-15" and the Canadian Production Wheel is humming, and that is what I call a perfect morning.

Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina

I Open At The Close

  You might remember that line from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  "I open at the close" appears on the golden snitch right before he faces Voldemort.  I think it applies to this week....this in-between week.  It's that time between Christmas and New Years where you don't know what day it is or what you're supposed to be doing.
  I think it's a good week to tidy up a few things, and try that project that you've been putting off because of all the holiday "stuff."
  I decided I was going to finally make that blue jean purse using the tops from some blue jeans that I've saved. 
  Our friend, Andy, uses braided inseams to make her straps, and I thought I'd try my hand at that.  Some of those strips are thicker than the others!  (If you're reading this Andy, I have that bucket of seams for you!!!!)
  I'm still playing around with this project.

  I've been wanting to try my hand at up-cycling a man's shirt to make a tunic.  This is still in production!
  I cut off the bottom of the shirt and flipped it around.  I took off the top part of the collar, which I really like!
  The sleeves were cut off right above the cuff opening.  This makes a nice three quarter length sleeve.  And, since there was a big ole ink stain at the pocket, I added an additional pocket to cover the spot.
   I think it will be fun to wear with a turtle neck during these cold, bone-chilling days. 

  I don't know why I put off trying this.....

  My cup cuffs were well received....and my DIL had a similar idea!  I like her use of small elastic rather than using the thicker hair elastic.  (Thanks for the tip!)

Thanksmas was a blast!  There was lots of yummy food and lots of laughter.  We had several games that were played during the day...one thing always leads to another.

  I think Cupid had the best time of all!!!  She decided to check out the pool cover thinking it was a puddle.  She LOVED it.  She rolled in the water and dashed from one side to the other.  (I'm just glad I didn't have to ride four hours in a car with her afterwards!!!!)

  So, as this year draws to a close, it's time to be thinking about what I'd like to accomplish in 2018. 
  I've been thinking about that.....have you?
Happy New Year!
LouAnn