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

Basket Class

Saturday morning those of us that were free drove over to LouAnn's house for a basket class. Her son is Nick DeFord, an artist who's been an instructor over at UT and currently working at Arrowmont. Years ago we had him teach us a class on dyeing yarns for shibori which was very helpful for us once we started to dye bamboo.

I enjoy taking Nick's classes because his instructions are clear and concise. This time he was teaching us to make free form baskets. I made some baskets years ago when I first started going to the center. That Christmas everyone got baskets. They were the typical market baskets that have traditionally been made in this area.
These were different. If you have strict instructions on how to make something, you just follow the directions and you know what's going to happen next. Free form baskets don't work that way.

 So, start by making the opening with the reeds....

 I think the sun was in Carl's eyes. He struggled with the free form aspect and ended up with a structured piece that was fun to see. He forced structure into the free form. Here, he's just starting.

 Some people found it easier to start than others.

 About an hour later, I tried to take a few pictures showing that yes, we could get going. The expressions are much more relaxed now!

 The baskets were coming along nicely!!

 We had to stop at noon for potluck. We never assign any foods for potlucks. Just bring whatever. We've never been disappointed yet!

 Here are the bunch of us that were there with our baskets!! Carl's second from the right. You can see his cone shaped basket in his hands!

 Here's mine.

Given a little more time and more reeds, it would be fun to see what shapes you could make. It's not easy to be free form. You look at what you've done and have to envision what's next. I guess it's kind of like an author writing a book. You have the concept of what you want to say or do but getting there is the challenge. It did become fun getting the reeds to go where you wanted them to go. Sometimes your concept changed as the reeds and shape kind of dictated what would come next.
So the next step is what can we do to continue that? Add more fibers in the mix? Got a scrap or two of yarn that's not enough to weave? Weave it into the basket. We could dye some reeds too.....The possibilities are endless!
I really enjoyed Saturday. The weather was awesome and everyone there was helpful, having fun and together creating something that will be useful in our studios.

Today it's back to my studio. I've finished weaving reds and wound a green warp on Friday. I'll be threading it today and hope to weave a bit. It's going to be another busy week so I'll try to get as much weaving time in as I can!
Until next week, keep weaving!
Carol

Off of the To Do List

Most of this week has been spent washing fleeces.  (Carol lent me her centrifuge, which has been an enourmous help!) These sheep are a mix of breeds including shetland and southdown, and others that I can't remember.  I wasn't sure what I was going to find once the fleeces were clean and dry, but I have found the locks quite sproingy.  I am pretty sure that is the southdown influence.  But the locks are almost crisp, and when I tried the use my handcards on it, it exploded into a pile of fluff!  I then tried to use my combs and found that to be the wisest way to prepare this fiber.  It is really fun to spin, and I find that I can spin both worsted or woolen, or many variations in between.  The finished yarn is very soft and elastic, with the skeins growing to almost twice their length when stretched!

Today I took a day off from cleaning fleeces, I got up really early and I took a trip to Nashville.  I was going to pick up a great wheel, and not just any great wheel, but a Granny Greer!  Now the funny thing is, this wheel is not for me.  It belongs to a Ravelry friend in New Jersey  It originated in Mississippi, I believe, and is slowly making it's way to it's new home.  I have been trying to complete my part of the "railroad" since early December, but with bad weather and an old car, with old tires, it has taken this long for me to go get it!  I will hold it here at my house until we can work up a way to get it on the next leg of the journey.  I have told them I can do 3 to 4 hours from Knoxville towards the final destination.  It felt good to finally check that off of my list!

Another thing that has been on my list this past month, is a little bit trickier.  Some time ago my neighbor to the south, had kindly offered to fence in some of my pasture for the goats.  He will run his cattle thru the corridor a couple of times a year, but other than that it is my space.  Last year, he got the fenceposts in and the wire strung, but in the process there was a spring in the corner of my field that somehow got covered up.   Fast forward a year, and the neighbor to the north brought to my attention that water was backing up from the spring onto his property, making it soggy, and threatening the driveway.

I spent some time last week mucking around in the muck, trying to figure out just where that little spring could be, but I couldn't find it!  I finally dug a couple of trenches to see if I could get some of the water to flow to the tiny creek that is nearby.  Then I waited a couple of days to see if that would help me find the spring.  Also, at the same time, each evening I take the goats out to graze a bit in that field, and I knit socks and think about the spring problem.  Tonight, while we were out there grazing and knitting, I put my knitting down and  grabbed the shovel.   I started to poke it into the ground, trying to find the wettest spot.  When I found it, I started digging.  It wasn't long, just a foot or two, before I saw what I was looking for, a little bubbling up action from a hole in the ground!  I seriously wanted to say "Eureka!"

I was enthralled, I couldn't believe it!!!  I quickly started digging a bit of a ditch to give that water someplace to go.  It took awhile, but it was happy work.  I worked steadily, moving back and forth from the spring, just to watch it for a bit, and the ditch to keep a path clear towards the small creek.  I finally called it a night when there was a good flow of water to the creek and it was time to cook some dinner.  (I so want to go out there and look at the spring again, right now!)  I will continue to work on this project in the evenings as the goats are grazing, widening the path of the spring and putting rock around the spring to protect it from the big cattle that come that way every once in awhile.  That means that I have completed 2 tasks in one day that have been weighing heavily on my mind, what a relief!

Right now, I have no pictures to show you of any of this.  It is possible that I may add some tomorrow, when I have the time, and energy to do so, right now I am looking longingly towards my bed,even if it is only 8pm.  Tomorrow will be a big day at Lou Ann's house!  Her son is going to give a free form basketry class, and you can be sure I will be there!

Until next time, Happy Weaving and Spinning, Tina

Back To The Farm

That should say, "Back to the Museum."  Either way, I was back in the Loom House sitting on the cloth beam threading away as wave after wave of school kids stopped by to see what was going on.  I guess that's my excuse for missing that bout of threads in the center of the picture.  I had actually threaded further than this on the left when I realized that it was a photo opportunity!  It also gave me a good excuse to get out of the loom and stretch!
 

  After lunch, I finished up threading the loom.  Although the school group had left, there were still lots of visitors this afternoon.  And, before I knew it, it was time for me to leave.
  Next week I'll get the reed sleyed and I'll be ready to start weaving.

(That also means that I'll need to decide what fabrics I'll use for the that first rug!!!!)

  The ewes and lambs had wandered into the big area in front of the Loom House this afternoon as I was walking out.  A little afternoon nap seemed like just the ticket.  (That cedar tree is good for a little scratch, too.) 

  There's always one that still wants to play a little bit longer!!!!








  When I got home, I saw that the fringe tree had bloomed (weeping ash.)  I was so afraid the rain and strong winds we had earlier in the week would knock off the blooms.  And, I have a bunch of last minute things to get done before the weavers arrive on Saturday morning.  
  Guess that means I won't be weaving...........

Happy Weaving to you!
LouAnn