More of This & That

As you might have noticed by now, our "Comments" feature is on the fritz. I don't want Carol to think that we didn't love reading about her visit to her Mom in Canada. She makes two trips a year, and I know how precious each one of the visits are to her. But now that the cat is out of the bag, she MUST share the apron pattern!!!!
Today is usually Linda's day to blog, but she is up to her neck working at the new place, that she has NO weaving to report. She forgets that we like having updates about the progress at the house that will soon be her studio!!!!

Ah....but that leaves me. Do you remember that Alabama song that goes "I'm in a hurry and can't slow down"???? That's been me all weekend. I told you about the opening night gala on Thursday for Anne Wilson's Wind/Rewind/Weave, and I've been thinking about what I would wear for the big night. As a weaver, you'd think I'd have something that I wove to wear, but my overshot placemats won't cover me very well! Now, my everyday wear is jeans (or sweatpants) and sweatshirt....and that won't do for the gala! Yes, I have "church" clothes, but nothing that would give any clue that I weave, too. I could wear Carol's coat that I bought a few years back, but I'd really like to stick to basic black for this event. Thus begins the frenzy!

I had started wrapping the warp for mug rugs for the website, and as I wound the thread, I got to thinking about weaving a scarf that would go with my black velvet pantsuit. I had some wonderful 5/2 pearl cotton in black and white..............yep, you're right! I stopped winding and went to the trusty Dixon's Handweaving Pattern Directory. It didn't take me long to figure out that this just might be do-able!


I finished winding the mug rug warp, and put on the pearl cotton warp, and got it to my loom last night. With a LOT of help, the warp is now wound onto Julie, the Baby Wolf. You might notice that I use a laundry basket to hold the thread while I wind on...it keeps Sass and the cats from "just walkin' through" to see what's going on!

Now, I'm going to eat some lunch, and get that warp threaded. My goal is to cut it off tonight so I can take it with me to the Center tomorrow. Tina is bringing her fringe twister, and that will speed that process up a bunch. "Ah vanity, woman is thy name..." or some such comment!!!
LouAnn

Oh Canada

Last week I couldn't write because of technical difficulties up here in the frozen northland. Well, it's not so frozen right now. I think they got the tail end of a chinook because by the time DD and DH arrived up here to experience the "cold", it was warmer here than where they came from altho it's changed to the right way now!
So, I arrived about 10 days ago with the gifts I'd been sewing and wasn't able to tell you about. I had found a cool pattern for a reversible apron which you just pull over your head and doesn't require any ties. So I ended up making 5 of them, all different, thinking a bit of what each person liked in color and design. They liked them!

I had also put a cheerful warp on my leclerc and got out those loopers. I wanted to make Mom a rug for her room that would be in cheerful colors, especially in the duller winter days. We had decided to make it 6 feet long so it would stretch all alongside her bed. I think it looks pretty good! Mom loved it. Her feet won't be cold now when she gets out of bed.

Last Sunday was a huge day here in Moose Jaw. The Olympic torch was coming through town. Up here they don't run it all across Canada. They have several torches and then drive them from town to town and then people run them in town. Towns out here are hours apart and they had several torches in Saskatchewan. I know that one was run further north from here. It's a big province with scattered low population and this way works best for them.

So, shortly after noon on Sunday we watched 24 people from the Air Base (headquarters for the Snowbirds) run the flame past where we were standing. We had so much fun watching them that we ended up driving about 20 minutes west to Caronport where the flame was being run immediately after they ran it in Moose Jaw. This picture is the one of the girl holding the flame being followed by townspeople. You get a real flavor of the excitement as the flame came through town. This was a very small town. Didn't see a 4 way stop there if that gives you an idea!

So just before we went back to the car in Caronport we noticed some cute little dogs. It is winter there, cold and icy, so these dogs are definitely prepared! Pampered pets!

This past Thursday we drove to Regina to the airport to pick up my family. It was a gorgeous morning with tons of hoar frost. We stopped on the way to take some pictures. The barn is abandoned in the middle of the field and the combination of hoar frost and snow just sets it off nicely.

So we've spent some time trying to get the pictures to move next to the written part and we can't make it work! Tina will have to do a tutorial on that on Tuesday for us! I can't seem to make it work!

Just match up the pictures with the written paragraphs. I think they're pretty easy to figure out. I've had a great time up here. We're flying home tomorrow. Oh yeah, when DH and DD arrived on Thursday we watched as people were boarding the same plane to head south of the border. Every one of them was being frisked. I guess we have that to look forward to tomorrow........

A Little of This & That

How many times have you been toolin' through Walmart, and overheard two women talking about weaving? If you had been there today, you would have seen two women leaning on the chicken tenders freezer yakking about looms, yarns, their kids, and time management. I can tell you, that was the best time management I've done all week!
I have been cutting the strips for the next tote bag. My, oh my! It sure takes more strips than what you think it will when you start! I'm almost to the end of the first one, and I had to cut a few more strips to finish off. While I had the cutter set up, I thought I'd start cutting the strips for the next one (with feline help, of course!) The next bag will have strips woven into the bag, then round braided and brought back into the bag for the handle. I like to have the shuttle full when I start to weave, and then fill it up as I go.
The Tuesday Weavers will be participating in the Anne Wilson exhibit at the Knoxville Museum of Art, Wind/Rewind/Weave. The exhibit will be Jan. 22-April 25, 2010, and over 40 weavers are coming from "all over" to participate. You can read more about it at: http://www.windrewindweave.com/
We are scheduled to weave on Thursdays beginning 28 January. Opening night is this Thursday, and I'm really excited about seeing the "artsy" side of weaving and meeting Anne Wilson. We have a weavers' meeting next Saturday, so I'll get to meet the other weavers then. It's very exciting to be a part of such a diverse group of fellow weavers. I'll report back next week!
In the meantime: Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

Today is the first day of the rest of my life!

I have been working to get the studio ready to be productive, and I really am making progress; the looms
are in place, the shelves are up and full, the table is there where I want it, (though it has new bags of fabric on it, that I don't want the pup to get).

Across the hall I have a shelving unit for my spinning stuff and a shelving unit for my knitting stuff, both of which are full to capacity. ( It is there behind all my daughters stuff.)

In the hallway between the two rooms is a bookshelf full of knitting books, spinning books, gardening books, and home improvement books. All of it is looking really good. There are still some things in the hall that need to go to the goodwill or the dump, though we have already made one trip.

So today, I have hemstitched a rug I finished weaving weeks ago, next on that loom (Leclerc Mira), some bluejean rugs. Last week I bought 75lbs of Blue Jeans off of Craigslist. I was going to pay $1.00 lb., but we decided $50 plus a rug 2x4. The woman I got the jeans from used to work for Levis. She thought it would be cool to have a rug from the jeans she helped to make. Cradle to grave kind of thing.

I also need to finish warping Lillian for the breadcloths. I only have one section done. I am winding a warp on the board, and then using a tension box, that doesn't really fit well on the rounded back beam, then winding on each section. I don't have enough spools to wind onto to use the spool rack. Bummer!

I had to get the rooms in order before I could really get going. I suppose, now that things are pretty much done, I just have to do it! It is a little scary this producing to sell thing. I know I like to weave and I enjoy what I weave, but is it good enough?

I am constantly learning new techniques, and having new ideas, so much so I almost don't know where to start!

Today I am taking pictures of the items I have to sell online, I suppose that is as good a place to start as any, since I am the one who has been telling everyone to send the specifics to Bonnie so she can set it up for us!

Here is to new adventures!

Happy Weaving, Tina

No Time to Weave

Ok we all know what that is. I have been trying to finish my looper rug. I repeat trying.









Those of you that know me know that I work for my husband in the home also building "boxes". That is what I have been doing for the last couple of weeks. So, I thought I would let you see some of what I do when I am not weaving.
Just like weaving it has to be designed. Here we go. Here is where the design starts.
Don't ask me how anybody works in that clutter.


This is entering the assembly/office.
I am not allowed to clean or tidy up at all.



This is the work stations. The back chair with the plaid shirt is where I
work. Below is the bins with my parts. The perks is a big tv.
The test station.
The boards that I build going into the box.




Introducing the "Box"

Don't ask me to explain what these do. I kind of know but not really. The shipping department was closed. I was not able to show it. Actually it is the middle of the floor in front of the tv. So now you know what the box looks like. My lunch is over and my boss is looking for me. Gotta run.

Leno: the new gateway drug?

Betty Ford Clinic: May we help you?

Me: I hope so. I seem to have developed an addiction.

BFC: Yes, ma'am. To what substance?

Me: Substance? Well, yarn, I guess, but that's been going on a long time. It's more of a technique addiction.

BFC: Technique? Do you mean needles, inhaling or drinking?

Me: No, it's finger manipulated lace. I can't stop doing it.

dial tone...

Well, they may not be concerned, but Leo and Weftie are clearly worried. They watch me closely, hoping for signs of my new addiction releasing it's hold on me. I'm sitting at the next loom, planning new motifs while I slowly and laboriously weave some I've already charted. I have to say that the only thing to make 1/1 leno, 2/2 leno, Mexican lace and Brook's bouquet more tedious is to chart designs!

Here is my first, bordered by 3 picks in one shed, then 3 2/2 twists followed by 12 threads in tabby, alternated on 3 rows. Each row is 4 picks long, because it takes 4 picks to set a twist. Tabby is done on the threads between the twists, back and forth on short rows. I should have actually charted this one on graph paper, because I would have seen that it would turn out asymmetrically. It's fine; this warp is for learning, and I'll make a note of it, but charting will be done in the future!

This one was a bit tedious, but nothing compared to what came next.

I thought it would be cute to take Jean Scourgie's heart motif from her sampler and make a border of hearts right side up and upside down. Cute, yes. Mind numbing, yes! I started it yesterday morning before weaving at Norris, and only finished it early this morning, as the sun rose. Not complaining! Just saying! I will have to repeat this on the other side, but I must say that the next time I plan something like this, I will know it will take quite a while. Again, learning experience!

Lastly, and off the subject, many people asked if Mom liked her loom bench that my sister and I gave her. It is one of Alan Cabe's handmade benches made from trees he cut down on his property. The picture doesn't show the beautiful bench, but I think you can see that, yes, she liked it very, very much! Have a fabulous week, weaving and thawing out! Maggie

It's Tuesday !

Yes, it is tuesday once again! Most of us are here, though not all. Carol is in Oh, Canada, visiting her family, and several others are out for one reason or another.

I thought we might focus (pun intended) on the 60 inch, 12 harness loom that Pat is using to weave rugs. You can see the multicolored warp she had on there. I believe she has 6 or 8 ends per inch.

Pat has been experimenting with sock loopers. The first rug she wove was a hit or miss pattern, that is no pattern at all, just lovely colors everywhere.

Then Pat got creative! She decided to make a pattern with those loopers! Here are the 2 rugs she finished up today!

I wonder how it would look to have a solid background, and weave circles in it! When I mentioned it everyone told me to knock myself out trying!!!!LOL

I just might!

Exciting things are just ahead for us tuesday weavers! Bonnie and I went to the bank today and opened up a bank account for us to us in our online shop that will be opening up as soon as we get the pictures of our inventory all set up.

There will be a link from this Blog, as well as a link from the craft center in Norris, Tn. Be sure and check back soon to see!

On another note, I was gone a lot yesterday, so I felt bad leaving Wally home all by himself again today. This time I brought his crate. He did very well today, and even fell asleep under my loom! He may make a good Loom dog after all.

Happy weaving, Tina