In the Studio

It's good to be back in the studio again after the storms last week! A good customer had mentioned in passing that she wanted something that was pink and yellow. Since she's a very good customer, I thought about it and came up with this combination using white as a divider color. It was so light and airy to weave, I got it done very quickly!

 I got a call yesterday from Allanstand at the Folk Art Center asking for more tops and vests to be shipped this week before the fashion show next weekend. Too bad these pieces aren't finished. The last few warps aren't quite done either but I did send them some nice whites, yellows, etc to lighten up what they have of my things.
In between I've been weaving on Thelma, my other Leclerc. I do have to start using the nylon fabric strips we have rolls of! These are placemats. I wove 4 pink and now 4 blue. I'll alternate colors til the warp is done. I do need to get this warp off. There's a wedding in 2 weeks that I won't have a gift for yet because I need to wind a natural warp and weave white on it for placemats. That's the traditional gift I give to friends getting married. A set of 4 placemats in neutral colors goes with everything and seem to be a hit! These, on the other hand, I'll sell at a shop. Something like these bright colors needs to be picked by someone that likes color!

 Thursday morning I had decided to start weaving a by weaving a couple of placemats before going to finish the pink warp. Well, I'd only woven about 10 minutes when I heard a big pop and a bolt and nut was falling on the floor. Thelma was built in 1973. She's been around awhile. We hadn't really checked the brake system when I got her a year ago. So, how was it to be put back together? I figured I knew how but couldn't get the parts to stay where I needed them to in order to get that bolt back through the parts. That evening DH helped me. He kind of didn't believe me when I said how it was to go so he researched on line typing in 1973 Nilus LeClerc. Well, he got our blog! I guess I'd written about Thelma before. I found the LeClerc book that was to have info on it but it was all vague. My Nilus was built in 1980 and by then they'd refined the brake system. It's not the same as 1973.  However, I told him again how it was to go together so he helped hold that spring and I got the bolt right and screwed on the nut.

 Taking a picture of it will remind us how to get it back together if and when that nut gets loose again. I'll have to keep checking it to be sure it's on right!! The poor loom does shake when I'm weaving these placemats but does a good job of it!

So, Saturday afternoon DH walked to the bottom part of our property. We have over 3 acres here on top of our hill. He did see that a couple of big trees from our neighbor's property fell onto our land down there in the storm the other Monday. I don't know if they'll end up cutting it up or not. It'd be hard to get the wood out of there!
The big thing, however, was that he found a photo. People in our area have been finding things like pictures, canceled checks, etc in their yards. They were blown in from the storms on Wednesday when Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee got blasted. There are no markings on this one, but it could be from Alabama or maybe Georgia. Ringgold got hit pretty badly... I think there's a website that one can post pictures they found in hopes of someone recognizing the person and us getting the picture back to the owner. I'd love to be able to mail this one back.

This week I'll be weaving black. I just got a black warp on the loom for an order for a dress. It's a bit wider than normal so I decided to just weave it alone with some extra for putting into a jacket. The next warp will also be black. Kind of a somber couple of projects but I sell alot of black. Having other looms warped for scarves and placemats will help break that up!!
It's also warming up here and should be in the 80s this week. With all the storms and cold weather earlier I really haven't gotten my deck filled with plants yet. We haven't brought out the ones we wintered over in the greenhouse. I hope to be able to do that this week. Summer's here all of a sudden! Hopefully we  will be done with the storms!!!
Carol

Weekend Reflections

  No real weaving news to report....my experiment is ready to be cut off the loom and wet finished.  The small totes are coming along.  I'm rethreading the black mug rug warp for an overshot pattern....just how long was that warp I put on????

  My thoughts this weekend have turned to my Mom, Betty June.  This picture is from 1961 and shows four of us with Mom....my older brother was at Boy Scout Camp that day.  We were on a picnic in the Great Smoky Mountains, and this picture was taken before I slipped and fell in the ice cold water!  I'm on the left, then Fred, Carol and Joyce.  I'm the middle child in birth order, which means I can be a little sister OR a big sister.....kinda nice!  If you said "picnic" to Mom, that meant frying up a chicken and making side dishes.  To Dad, a picnic meant a loaf of bread and sandwich fixings....I just remember rock hopping and lots of laughter.  I put together a little picnic for Mom a few years back, and threw some rag placemats I had woven in the basket.  She kept the placemats.  She said I could weave more.

  Betty June loved to roller skate!!!  I went skating with her about a week before she had a massive cerebral hemorrhage.  She was 61 at the time, and the doctor really didn't think she would recover.  HA!  He didn't know how stubborn this lady could be!
  She made her own little skating skirts and tights.  She was the one that taught me to sew...patiently teaching me to match plaids.  I still can't believe she let me buy plaid fabric for my first dress!  But, I guess she figured I'd either love or hate sewing after that dress.  That was one of many to come!!!
  Sewing isn't what she did best....her Mom was the sewer in the family.  When BJ was in high school, she would see something she wanted and would describe it to her Mom.  Mamaw would design a pattern and then make it for her.  I wish I could do that!
  But, she made our costumes for us for all the different performances we were involved in through the years.  And, with five kids....that's a lot of costumes!  (By the way, she gave me her skates....they are way COOL!)

  She was so involved in our lives.  We got a wild hair in 1995 to celebrate her birthday at my brother's house in Florida.  Mom, Joyce, Carol and I jumped in my van one Friday and drove down.  My younger brother drove over from Louisiana.  Here we are....lined up from youngest to oldest:  Fred, Carol, me, Joyce and Charlie.  My sister in law's birthday was a few days before my Mom's, so we had a big time.  This is the last time we ALL got to be together.

  We used to tease Mom that Mardi Gras was just an excuse to celebrate her birthday.  She loved Mardi Gras!!!
  My sister lived in Baton Rouge for awhile, and I lived in New Orleans for two years.  She came on down to let the good times roll.  And, through the years, we often had Mardi Gras parties that just so happened to occur near her birthday.  She could Second Line with the best of us!!!  And, she had quite a collection of beads and coins to show for it!

When I became a Mom, she was right there with me.  I can still hear her laugh when I would tell her stories about what my kids had done.  It was that knowing laugh....you know....the one that had a hint of "been there, done that."  Although she is not credited with the quote, "Give them roots and wings,"  she truly did walk the walk.

  My Japanese iris are in bloom.....I think I'll cut some to take to her.  She did so love irises.

Happy Mother's Day memories!
LouAnn

To those who wait!

A month or so ago, I read a blog where the blogger was talking about how she really, really loved her old fashioned end feed shuttle, metal tips and all. 
Like a good fiber addict, I began to look for one, I had to have one NOW.  I checked out the new ones, yikes!  Over $100 to try something new, I don't think so!  I then turned to one of  our favorite internet shopping sites, that starts with an E, and sounds like day.  There were several there with many of them already out of my price range.  Finally I ran across the liquidation of an old weavers stash.  The weavers daughter was selling stuff right and  left, in "singles" and in "lots".  I bid on a shuttle that I thought looked really nice, it came with a couple of pirns.  Confident of my bid I also bid on a "lot" of  35 pirns to fit that shuttle,  and, you guessed it, I lost the shuttle but won the pirns.

I then had 35 of these lovely pirns, and no shuttle to use them with!  Back to that wonderful site I went and I continued my search for a couple of days til I found a beautiful shuttle with a "buy it now" button for only $9, the shipping was about $9 as well.  That means that for $20, I got a beautiful shuttle to keep those silly pirns company.

She is being shy here!  I had a few tense moments trying to insert the  pirn in the shuttle.  It looked like they didn't work together.

A little bit of a tease isn't she!  I finally went to find pictures of how the 2 should fit together and was relieved to see that I wasn't doing it right, and they do fit!  Yipee!

There we are, isn't she beautiful!  She is a Draper shuttle, and I know that you are supposed to use this kind of shuttle as a flying shuttle, but that blogger sure seemed to like hers. 




I plan to use her with all that fine white warp and weft that I got last month, I think it will be better suited to that rather than my carpet warp!

Then, while I was gone last week, Carol emailed me to tell me that an endfeed shuttle and a couple of pirns showed up at the center with a donation. (I am dying to know if they are the same size.)  Wouldn't you know it!  If I would have just waited a bit, I wouldn't have had to pay anything to try one.    

Oh well, I guess it is true after all, that good things come to those who wait. 

I wonder, how long I will have to wait for a pirn winder to show up!  (Cause these things don't fit on my bobbing winder!)

Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina

Terrific Thursday

What a wonderful day we are having here! The sun is shining and it is cool. It is so nice to have more of spring before the hot summer sets in.

If you follow my blog  http://pineridgehandwovens.blogspot.com/  you can read about two dish towels I wove. The all supima cotton towel is in the wash for the third time. Hopefully the absorbancy will increase. I don't know what the dark place is in the picture. It isn't on the towels.

Today I warped up the Gilmore with the tan and green yarns. The warp has been wound and chained for a while and left draped over the loom. A friend of mine tells me having a chained warp draped over a loom does not keep it from being naked! So, today I put the warp on. Can't have any naked looms now can I?

As you can see I am almost done threading the heddles. The rest will have to wait until later. I have a question for all of you. If you would rather be weaving than cooking and cleaning does that mean you  have a serious addiction?

I hope all of you have a wonderful rest of the day!

Linda

Tornadic Activity

 Tornadic activity is the phrase of the week.  I like the way it rolls off the tongue, but not the way it rolled over dear Mom's house and car!  I was safe and sound in North Knoxville, but Mom's neighborhood in Louisville was in the path of the Tornadic Activity, and had a horrendous hail storm.  Her house and her beloved car bore the brunt of it, but she is fine, if quite shaken up.  Things have begun to be ironed out with the insurance companies, and here's hoping her car and house will be back to normal soon.  It might take a little longer for her spirit, but she's sounding better each day.










I had five days off last week, with the Tornadic Activity smack dab in the middle of it.  The sewer replacement crew caused a little damage, themselves, in my front yard.  Here you see the bare, raw hillside in front of my yard, complete with hacked off roots from my poor 90-year-old red maple tree.  I've since covered it with topsoil I dug from the back yard while digging the walkway from the garage to the sidewalk.  It took much longer to dig the walkway than the This Old House website says it will, but I think they gave the estimate with Roger Cook helping.  I'm about half his size, and I don't move dirt for a living the way he does.  I passed out on the couch without putting in the gravel or paving stones.  That will have to wait until next day off.
  As will my weaving, though I did make some progress on the shawl warp.  I still love the tone-on-tone of the off white bamboo warp and tabby with the white pattern rows.

I've done three pattern repeats so far, but work has intervened and will probably keep me from it until after the famous chef, Alain Ducasse stops by the farm this coming week.  He's kind of a big deal, and we will make room for him in our kitchen.  We're all pretty excited!  I'll let you know how it goes next Wednesday, if I get home from work in time!
  I've also wound most of the shag rug warp, but I'm not sure I'll get a rug done before Matt's birthday.  Since he gave me my Christmas gifts in March, I should probably cut myself some slack and present him later as well.  I think he'll find it worth the wait.

  Lovely visit today from chilly weather!  Happy weaving!  --Maggie

 

Business As Usual

He's Back...............

Welcome back to the Loomy Bin, Allan!

We've missed you!

Some folks have begun to dye their warps for the Shawl Challenge.  LaDonna was busy mixing up the dyes that were going to be used today.  Nada had her warp ready to dye, and so the fun begins.  Ann was at the warping board today....is that your shawl warp OR another rug warp????    It doesn't look long enough for a rug warp!!!

Ms. Bonnie was busy at the warping board with Carol's guidance, and Ms. Ila is hard at work on her scarf warp. 

Bonnie and Linda had a lot to discuss, while Carl and Pat were busy at their looms.  Lanny isn't in this picture, but he was working today, too.

  There aren't any pictures of the mad scramble to de-clutter the back corner.  It seems that the fire marshal would like for us to make sure there is a clear path to the electrical box.  Some of the "stash" will need to be stored elsewhere for a bit until we can use it up on the looms.  (I'll unload the car after the rain quits!)

  Happy Weaving!

LouAnn

What a difference a few hours makes!

Last Monday I wrote about what was on my loom and how I planned to get quite a bit woven. Then, just about 6pm I was in the studio repairing knots on the pieces of the last warp I'd woven. Suddenly Molly, our cat, came flying down the stairs, like a bat out of hell, and disappeared. I should have known....but no, I took the pieces of fabric upstairs and put them into the washing machine. A few minutes later the storm hit. What a storm! It lasted about 20 minutes. It wasn't a tornado but a down burst or something, no funnel but strong damaging winds.

DH took over an hour to get home. This is the entrance to our subdivision. Just the entrance. Between there and our place there were several more power poles down, trees across the road, huge trees, etc. There are 2 entrances to our peninsula. The other entrance just had one tree fall across the road before our place. Until Friday everyone had to go out that way. This entrance was closed.

 Just after you cross the bridge over the Tennessee River and before you get to UT hospital there's major construction on the right. UT is building a conference center or something. It's just begun. They had one of those construction offices on site, really a small mobile home. Well, there used to be one. This is what the wind did to it! It wasn't a tornado. That came Wednesday.

 I tried to take pictures of our yard but our house is in the middle of several acres of trees so it's hard to see what came down on a photo. We had alot of branches, big branches, come down. In order for DH to drive to the house, we had to move a bunch of huge limbs that fell. Just to the south of our house this very tall, very big oak fell. You can see some of the branches near the top of the tree. I took it from the deck upstairs. It's quite close to the propane tank. On the other side of the tree is the power pole. When we remodeled in 1994, they decided to change how the power comes to the house. They left the pole in the woods, brought the line down to the ground and dug a trench to lay the power lines in. The tree fell over that trench. No power line was torn on our yard!!! However, we had no power or phone. Power lines would have to be restrung in order for us to have power.

 We did spend Monday night at home. It was late by the time we had everything settled and supper eaten (leftovers before they went bad!). Tuesday afternoon we moved over to Comfort Suites. I took along my Ashford table loom to put together.
What a pile of screws!!! I brought screw drivers and hammer and candles along to work on it. It wasn't as bad as I was afraid it would be. Used every one of those screws too!!

 Got the whole thing together and then put heddles on the shafts. I counted the heddles and decided I probably need more so ordered them from The Woolery right away. They should be here within a week or so and then I will finish assembling it. Right now the box and part of the loom that's together are in my van. It's a good storage place for now!

 Wednesday we had more storms. These are the storms we've all heard about that devastated the south. Each day we were gone we came back home several times a day to be sure all was well. In the afternoon I swept the driveway because they predicted more rain and we'd had so many small branches and leaves fall on Monday that I was afraid that the drain would clog if I didn't get it out of the way. I'm glad I did because we had some torrential rain. DH came after 8pm to be sure. He said at one point rain was coming sideways and got under the door to the studio. Then the hail came. Of course we don't have a garage. We are fortunate. I don't think the roof is damaged too badly. His jeep and DD's both have pock marks from the hail. His windshield was cracked and will have to be replaced. It could have been much worse. We found out in the last day or so that about a mile away, in our subdivision, an F1 tornado touched down about the time the hail hit.
In driving around the neighborhood a bit Saturday, we saw several homes that had tree damage. Everyone had trees down. We lost alot of huge beautiful trees, the well established ones.

One of the things that I did when I came home was weave on Thelma. I got several placemats done in the bit of time I was here. This loom is a bit closer to the window but not great. Having no power sure kept me from getting production done.  Oh yeah, that warp that was in the washing machine? I wrung it out Wednesday and hung it outside to dry to where it quit dripping, then hung it up inside to finish drying.

Our power finally came on late Thursday evening. We were thrilled to come home Friday!! I put that warp back into the washing machine to wash out the soap, etc that was still on it. It's now dry and I've assembled one of the jackets because I have to ship it tomorrow!
The other problem we had to solve was our freezer downstairs and the one that's part of our fridge. I thought you could save stuff if you didn't open the door for up to 5 days. Well, let me tell you, 3 days is too much. Because we weren't home when the power came back on, things re froze. However, it was obvious that they had thawed, melted and then re frozen. So it all went out. I did need to go through the freezer and get rid of stuff that was too old but really, this was over kill, especially since I"d just been to Sam's!
We're hoping to get our phone service back this week. Otherwise, we're back to normal. So many others aren't. Here in the Knoxville area, I"m hearing of more and more neighborhoods that will all need new roofs. Some had alot of windows broken as well, not to mention cars!
We all have stories to tell about this storm that took such a toll of lives. So many people lost their lives.
I can't complain about the inconvenience of not being able to weave for a few days. Shoot, we could be in Winnipeg where they had snow again today! It's kind of late in the season, but it does happen.

Here's to hoping for a more productive week!!!
Carol