Tuesday Rundown

It never fails.....folks arrive and just get busy.  There's always something that needs to be done.
  Tina and I pulled out yarn kits to complete:  The Museum was out of Straw Loom Kits, we needed some upstairs in the shop, and Margi is doing a workshop at the children's store next week.
  You can see Karin's rugs that she finished on the table.  They are ready to be tagged and taken upstairs.
 

  Christy started warping her Inkle Loom for another run of bookmarks.
  Karin warped the last loom for Kids Camp--that makes four looms for the kids to weave on while they are there.  (This also gave Karin more practice on warping a loom!!!)











   Carol welcomed our newest weaver, Madeline.  She has been weaving on her rigid heddle loom, and now she's ready for the four harness experience!

Pat is still working on the warp that Ann put on the Rocker Loom.  (There was a lot of wool yarn to use up from the stash!!!)  She was trying out some different clasp techniques today.

Carl finished the "quilt top" rug, and started another rug using some bright fabric strips.





  Look at the intense concentration on Molly's face!!!!   She got a lot done on her scarf warp today.











  Jocelyn cut off her warp this afternoon....just take a look at her weaving!!!

  Lanny got a lot woven on the lace warp....you can really get in the rhythm on that pattern. 












Betsy is planning a new warp at home, and
asked Carol for advice on her yarn selection.  So....is it 8/2 or 10/2????

NOT a new weaver....but Linda brought Cerin to Tina for his vacation time.  He'll keep Tina's little one company for a little while.


****Sorry this is late being posted.  We had a terrible storm yesterday afternoon, and my power just NOW came back.

Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

Check it off the list!

Sometimes when I weave, the warp I'm working on is so soothing colorwise, you hate to see it end. That's what this warp was like. The side color is indigo, then wisteria for the lighter stripes and in the middle is navy. I wove it with the indigo color. I just love the way it looks, a bit darker than this picture portrays it. It'll be fun to do the cutting and serging, sewing and finishing once I get to it in the finishing process!

 Remember back in January when I was in Canada? I finished 2 baby quilts. I brought all the scraps home and bought a couple of small pieces to make another one. This one is different in alot of ways but the colors and fabrics are so similar.
The friend I'm giving it to is due tomorrow so I've got to get it into the mail this week. That's why I finally got to it and finished it!

 The main blocks are 4 patches and the rest are variations on that, depending on what I had cut out before, what was left of those fat quarters and what I could scrounge from the earlier projects. I did decide to put a strip between each block this time. It's 1/2 inch finished strip is narrow but effective. Where the blocks meet in the corners, it's hard to see, but there's a half inch square there. The strips are green with tiny ducks and the corners are blue with the tiny ducks.

This quilt isn't as much a boy or girl quilt but will be fun for the baby to point to the differnet animals, people, etc on the fabrics. BTW, it's a girl! Her other 2 children were a boy and a girl and their quilts were definitely for a boy or girl. This was a bit of a change.
I've got a couple of projects on the way as well for baby quilts but haven't got the time right now to work on them.

I've got a new warp on the loom today. It's white. How do you take a picture of that? I'm hoping to get it off this week as well so I can get a more interesting warp on but the solid colors sell and fit nicely into people's wardrobes so I do them too.

We're in full summer here, usually quite warm days and the air conditioner is humming away. My sister wrote Saturday that the lilacs are in full bloom. I'm so jealous. They were starting to form buds when we were up there just a couple of weeks ago. Now she's enjoying them!!
My geraniums are about to bloom again. Does that count?!!
Until next week, keep weaving!
Carol

Learning Something New!

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I had gone to a retreat where it was all knitting and spinning all the time.  What I didn't mention, though, is that Saturday afternoon, after the sock swap, the middle finger in my right hand started feeling strange.  In fact the knuckle was swollen and a little red!  I couldn't knit at all for the rest of the retreat!  (I was able to spin, thankfully!)

The knuckle inflamation was a reaccurance of an old Bowling injury,  and I had to let it rest for well over a week.  I even bought a cool finger splint packet that had a finger shaped ice pack in it.  It was wonderful!  This got me thinking about how I could continue to knit with this aggravation always a possibility.

 I remembered that the Yarn Harlot has a very interesting way of knitting, I had looked into it several years ago, but I didn't really give it a good try,  it is called Irish Cottage Knitting or Lever Knitting.  I started watching the You Tube videos of her knitting, and I began the awkward process of learning something new.

 You may remember this Featherweight cardigan from last week.  I have knit and reknit the last 3 inches of it trying to get the method down.  I knit it once on size #3's using my usual Continental style, when my finger was still messed up, and it looked terrible.  It is k1p1 ribbing and normally you would go down a needle size, but I forgot.
I then started in ernest with the new lever method, (you can watch the Yarn Harlot knit using this method on You Tube!)  I was all thumbs of course, for the first couple of days, but I am persevering,  I have no choice!  I dutifully went down a needle size, but found that my tension was a little tighter, so I ripped it out again, and went back to the #3's.  I am now getting ready to bind the ribbing off!

 K1P1 is an absolute bear to do when you are learning a whole new technique, but I really want to learn this method, and I really want to finish this sweater!   Yes, those are straights you are seeing.  I haven't used straights in forever, seriously!  With this method you start by practicing one month, with one long straight metal needle held stationary in your right armpit.  The yarn is wrapped a certain way around your right hand and your whole hand flicks the yarn around the needles at the appropriate time.  The Yarn Harlot is incredibly fast at it, I clocked her at 65-75 stitches a minute.  I think I am at about 25 stitches a minute, but that is over K1P1.  The left hand really does the bulk of the stitch management. You really have to see it to believe it!

I also have a pair of So Simple socks on dpn's, and following the same lever method, I am slowly making progress, the yarn is that skein I bought at the retreat.  Then I realized that I was knitting on really small needles and with really thin yarn, I thought I might need to mix it up a bit.

In our goodie bag at the retreat, there was a sample skein, that I wrote about last week, from Dyeabolic yarns, In the Lucy color.  It was just enough to knit a Calorimetry, which is a cross between a headband and a hat.  I knit it on size 5 straights, well I first knit it on size 7, thinking I had gauge, and I got down to the last 12 stitches on the bind off, and ran out of yarn.  I tried it on and it was too big anyway, so I ripped it out last night and today I, redid it on size 5's.  I had 2 yards to spare after the bind off.  Now to get a button to finish it off.

My finger is much improved, though I do ice it every now and then.  The knitting doesn't bother it, but it is surprising how many times a day it reminds me to take it easy.  My speed should improve with time and practice, but speed isn't my main focus.  I want to be able to knit for many years to come, and I think I have found a way to do it.

Until next time, Happy Spinning, Weaving and Knitting, Tina

Still Here

 " What is that thing?"

  Today they are working on the living room windows....even the high ones get replaced.  I had moved everything to the middle of the room except the wheel, and I went in to scoot it in front of the couch.

"It's a spinning wheel...a great wheel, actually."
  "What do you do with it?"

  I'm kind of used to folks asking what a loom is, but I never dreamed I'd be asked what a wheel was.  Didn't they ever read Sleeping Beauty or Rumpelstiltskin?  Sad......so sad.

  Since a storm system was forecast for last night, the guys wanted to get the new gutters on the house yesterday.   It was formed in the driveway and then brought up to the back of the house.  I thought we might have a pool moment when they tried to make the turn....it took all four of them to figure it out.

  And, the new gutters and downspout work nicely, thank you!

(The front gutter wasn't nearly as exciting.)








More of the lilies are blooming.....they are such a joy!



And, the red yucca continues to bloom a little more each day.
  I'm just glad it has survived the guys running up and down the side steps for the last two weeks.....a bunch of the flowers in the front have not been so lucky!

  Not a lot of weaving has been going on....I did weave a little on the rigid heddle, and I'm really close to being finished with that scarf.  I hope I can share that with you next week.

Enjoy your week....and don't miss any opportunity to share your love of fiber arts....OK???

Happy Weaving & Spinning!
LouAnn

More of the Same, But Slightly Different

It's been a busy week at Kittywompus Cottage.  I've been knitting on the challenge sweater from Knitting Daily, just turned the hem.  It's really nifty!  You knit the first 6 rows, joined so it's all stockinette, then purl one row, knit 6 more rows, and then you pick up the next stitch, reach down to the cast on row and pick one stitch up, and knit them together.  I love it!  I want to use it all the time!  Now it's 1 1/2" of boring purl--it's reverse stockinette--and then start the decreases for womanly curves.  It's a good t.v. project.  Another good t.v. project is the lemon-lime cardigan, but who needs two t.v. projects?  I yearn for something more complicated!  Did I mention that the beautiful floral cardigan has an error in the instructions?  And that I knitted 20 rows before I found out?  I'm going to re-knit it, with my changes to the instructions.  See, this is why I want to start designing my own knitting projects!  If there are mistakes, at least they'll be mine!
  As you see, I'm almost to 12" on the beaded lemon-lime scarf.  I have one more section with beading, and then it's WHEEEEEE!!! downhill to the last 12", when I'll start beading again.  I love the pattern.  It's a simple overshot, and the warp gives it just the right character.





 But it hasn't all been fibery fun here!  There's been a whole lot of weeding going on!  I planted Bee Balm last year, and it looked pitiful all summer, but this year, it has come into its own.  I love the flowers, but I thought they were supposed to smell good.  They don't.  Trust me.  I do love the way they contrast with the yellow Yarrow.
  The echinacea has just started blooming, and I added some new colors, yellow and orange, Cherokee variety.  They are puny still, but they should catch up to the pink ones next year.
  The sidewalk garden is switching from annuals like zinnias, cosmos and sunflowers to perennials like Black Eyed Susans and Shasta daisies and catmint.  There will be plenty of the old guys hanging out this year, but the goal is to have it be mostly perennials by next year.


My new fig tree has itty-bitty figs on it.

The latest addition to the garden is a place to sit!  I found these guys at an antique store on my way home from work.  The guy tried to tell me they were worth a lot more than I wanted to pay, until I started to walk away.  Their value reduced drastically, the closer my hand got to my car door!    I've put the shepherd's crooks near them to hold Citronella candles to keep me bug free while I survey my yard.  Eventually, they'll get a good scrub down and repainting.

The tomatoes continue to thrive.  They all needed to get re-staked this weekend, due to all the weight they're carrying.
  I decided to keep the cucumbers from flopping all over the garden this year by putting them in tomato cages, too.  I've seen it a lot in gardening magazines lately, and wanted to try it.  We'll see how that goes.  Maybe I won't miss as many ripe one this year if I can see them hanging off the cages!

Parting shot is my baby Anaheim peppers.  The plants don't look that great, but the peppers are coming out on all of them!  I cannot wait until my first dinner party featuring all my produce!
  And when it gets too hot to weave, there's always a loom calling out to me!
Happy summertime weaving!
  Maggie

Room with a View!

It can be a little daunting, when you look at a room full of weavers,  especially if you are here for the first time!

We have a brand new weaver in our midst, and for her, I am going to break it down and put names to faces.

Joycelyn is almost finished with this project on the table loom.  She is thinking about starting an overshot project next!

Ann is winding a warp for baby blankets.

 Judy is cutting strips for a rug.

Carl is working on rugs on the barn loom.

Karin is threading the last loom for kids camp.

Lanny and Betsy are weaving on their hand towels.

 I (Tina) am busy taking all the pictures, though I did manage to do two pattern repeats on this baby blanket.

 Pat has taken over the rocker beater.

Sharon, Carol and Linda are discussing how much they like Linda's rugs.

Molly is working on a scarf.

 

There you are Kaylie!  You are busy winding a warp, by the door.  Shirley, Bonnie, Miss Ila, and Eiko were there to keep you company.

At lunch time we took a break and had the usual show and tell time.  I missed getting pictures of the lovely scarves that Marie did, but I did manage to get some pictures of something that Carl did.

Carl has spent some time at home weaving linen and wool inserts for our line of greeting cards.  All of them are Christmas themed.

Needless to say, we were blown away!

That is all from the Tuesday Weavers,  Until next time Happy Spinning and Weaving, Tina for All

Back at it!!

I'm always glad to be back at my loom!

We had such a good time visiting family in Canada but it's nice to be back home and my regular routine! There are always interruptions of many kinds, but having time to weave is awesome.
Also, I've been weaving alot of solid colors, reds or greens.....and soon white. However, these past few days I wove a long warp of purples with fuchsia in the middle.

These will be jackets, tops and vests when they're done but the initial part of weaving has happened and they're ready to be serged and washed.
On the down side, when I weave I watch mindless TV, reruns of NCIS or Castle or whatever I feel like watching (well, mostly listening). DH got me a DVR for the TV at this loom and I often record stuff and then watch it. Well, the machine is defective. It'll just go black for several seconds, sometimes very frequently. So on Saturday DH took it back and they gave him a new one. A long phone call or two later, he found that they'd given him the wrong machine so back he went for another one. We think we have the right one now but Comcast has to do something over the phone to get it going. We've been unable to get them to do it so far and it probably will be tomorrow evening before that happens. Last time they had to come out to make it work. I wouldn't be surprised if that didn't have to happen again this time.
I'm putting on a new warp today. I need something to keep my mind busy while I wind and thread that warp. So I'm on my fall back plan. I have a little mp3 player loaded with books. Saturday I was at Hobby Lobby and they had some cool little headphones. Hot pink and purple and green. I bought a set because I know DH won't "borrow" them like he does the ones he's let me have before. So I'll put on my headset, listen to a book and get to work on that new warp which just happens to be a few shades of blue!
So it's back to work here. Hope you're having a productive week as well.
Until next Monday, keep weaving.
Carol