Getting Into Summer Routine

  John got his spa treatment last weekend in preparation for getting a new warp.  I used Howard's Feed and Wax after I dusted and vacuumed him from top to bottom.  (It's too bad you can't spin lint!)  I dropped oil in all the proper places, and he was ready to go.

  One of the great things about using the thread tree is that you can play with the colors!  I really loved the colors Bonnie used on a previous warp at the Center, and I'm a lover of all blues, so I went with a mix of some of my favorites.  There WILL be a blue jean rug from this warp!!!!

  Tina and I wound on 18 bouts of 25 yards each in about two hours...not bad!  And, that included a tea break with cake!!!

  I have eight inches threaded so far.  If I were smaller and lighter, I could sit on the cloth beam and thread, but since I'm a little on the chunky side, I have to lean over the beater bar and thread....and I don't do that for very long at a time!!!! 
  This actually works out very nicely since I try to take advantage of the cool mornings to work outside for a little bit.  Between weeding and cleaning the concrete, my week has been very full.  (Virginia creeper is winning this year!) 

  I've also been working on some art yarn.  I had spun a skein of yarn from some of the thrums that Carol gave me.  The cool greens and blues looked so nice with the naturals.  This time I tried tying the short pieces together with the naturals from her thrums, and then spun them with cotton flake and supima.  Since Carol weaves all the way up to the knots, her thrums are on the short side, but I LOVED the way this yarn looked and felt.  But, this skein was only 82 yards, which might make a scarf, or it can be added in a mixed warp for a scarf.
  I wanted to try this combination again, but I want to spin a large skein this time.  I have some 8/4 carpet warp in the same colors.  And, I had some interesting thrums from the warp we cut off the Baby Wolf at the Center on Tuesday.  So, my other afternoon project is tying thrums together to make a large ball for my next art yarn project.  I will use the cotton flake and supima again to spin with this ball of thrums.
  And, that's my routine:  outside in the mornings, inside with fiber in the afternoon heat.  All is well in my world....I hope all is well with you!!!!
Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

It's True

Okay, true confessions, I have gotten quite a few things done this week, some of which was weaving the Swedish Lace napkins and towels that  I blogged about already on farmsteadstudio.  I also had this morning, and early afternoon full of errands, and I just got in the door.  My first thought was that I needed to get up in the studio and weave one of the bread cloths to show everyone!  I try not to do that, you know, do something to blog about, I try to be real, the real me. With that in mind, I decided to post a neat little fix I did to the electric winder I have on loan from Lou Ann.  But first a photo of the bread cloth warp ready to go!

I have been using this winder off and on for awhile, I have even posted about it.  It is truly a wild and crazy contraption, that needed to be tamed! It took a lot of thinking, researching different winders, and a few trips to the hardware stores to pick their brains, and this is what I came up with.  It is not totally finished, but you get the idea.

My little contraption tames that pirn so that I can load it evenly and very quickly, so quickly that I had to start using the tension box to guide the yarn!

Now, a close up of my high tech tensioning device.
The stick under the L bracket puts the little rubber thingy at just the right height to support the end of the pirn.  The rubber  band allows me to move the bracket slightly to load or unload a pirn.  There is a clamp holding the stick in place and firm.  The hardest part was figuring out a way to let the rubber thingy spin with the pirn.  If I used a small nut and bolt, it would tighten so much as it rotated that it would finally stop, and that is not good.  I finally found the shortest metal screw I could find, added washers and a cap nut instead of the regular nut.  That left just enough wiggle room to get the job done.

I had some carpet warp on a shuttle, and used that to spread the warp and check the threading.  It all looks good!

While I was finishing the threading, it dawned on me that I was going to be using a counterbalance loom this time instead of the jack loom I used last time.  I thought wow, you almost made a  silly mistake, then I thought, hold on, I think I used the wrong tie up on the jack loom!  Sure enough, when I check the draft, I had!  So all those lovely  napkins I gave as presents were upside down!  They were beautiful just the same!

Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina
(If I do get a bread cloth woven today, I will post a pic.)

Laciness

 I downloaded all my photos for today's blog and noticed--seriously, for the first time--that there's a theme here:  Lace.  Lots of lace!
  I finished hemming the front door curtain I wove in Swedish lace, and noticed, much to my chagrin, that after wet-finishing it, there was some, um, deficiency in width!  I'm beading the bottom to give it some weight while still allowing it to swing out of the way of my vicious watch dog.  She keeps me safe from threatening mail deliverers.  Maybe when I've finished the window curtains, I'll weave another wider one.  Note to self:  Must weave two panels per window!

 On that note, the pattern progresses, a very little, on the curtains for the side windows, and I like it.


















If you're not a Tuesday Weaver, or were absent yesterday, you missed the progress I made on my lace stole.  The angora gives it such a lovely drape, and the pattern is fun to knit.

When I left yesterday, half an hour late, trying desperately to finish threading the lace dinner napkins, I had six measly little blocks left to go, thirty six paltry threads, but I simply couldn't go any farther.  I'm excited to get going on this and see how the pattern develops!  Here's hoping there aren't any threading errors!  I'll have next week to check for errors and tie on, then give it a rest for Dye Day!  Woohoo!  I love to dye!
  It's a hot and dry week, perfect for weaving, so get to it!
Maggie

....and you get egg roll!!!!

  She's true to her word!

  Eiko made us egg rolls today!  (...from scratch, no less!  Just like her momma taught her!)




  She made them right on the counter, then fried them in a skillet on the stove at the Center.  You can't get fresher than that!

And, a large pan of fried rice to go with it.  Tina picked up some chicken to add to our feast.  And, we even had special hot tea called "snow geisha." 

Needless to say, this was a big hit!!!

Carol didn't have to call us twice for lunch time!!!!

  Earlier in the day, Eiko had finished her warp and got it off the loom.  She untied the knots since she'll use that thread for fringes.    Later today she wound a new warp using four threads at a time--using Carol's method of threading them through her fingers!!!!

  Bonnie also cut her warp off the loom today!!!  It will be interesting to see which panel the people chose from the ones she wove.

  Wonder what she will weave next????

Maggie is almost finished (or maybe she finished after I left) threading the napkin warp. 

Can you say, "Intense concentration!"

  And a big WELCOME to the new (to us) Baby Wolf!  Since it can be folded up at the end of the day, this is a good addition to our loom family.  Cindy is getting ready to put a warp on this fine little loom.
  Shirley was able to be with us today, and got some weaving done on her table loom.

  Although I didn't get a picture, I really appreciated Christy's help winding on the warp for Kid's Kamp that will be in July.  We usually try to get three looms ready for the kids.

    Meanwhile, on the back row, Pat and Andy continued working away. 

  Ann's daughter will be wrapped in lots of love while she's in Japan.  This is the finished throw that Ann wove at home.  There are actually two throws....one goes, one stays here.
  Great job, Ann!!!


Just a little glimpse of our day at the Center.  LaDonna and Ms. Ila had to leave early, so they missed lunch!

We'll be having another Dye Day in two weeks....so head's up to our Tuesday Weavers that need to dye yarn.


Busy, busy, busy.....we always have something going on, that's for sure!!!

Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

Rugs.....woven!

This week I put a warp on for some rugs. Last year when I was at my Mom and sister's home, they gave me some of their old tops. Well, my sister gave me some knit tops she didn't wear anymore. We went through my Mom's closet and decided she didn't need the old tops she'd had since the early 80s, a good number of them I had sewn and the rest she had. We also got a few skirts and a dress out of her closet that we'd sewn or bought. I took them apart and cut them into strips. Then, keeping them separate I sewed all of my sister's strips together and then all of my Mom's knit strips together. I mixed the pieces up as in, never sewing 2 of the same strips together. I wanted a real mix.

 This is a rug from my sister's tops.

 I took the pictures near the doors out of the garage studio. They're french doors with lots of glass. Molly likes to sit in front of the windows and look out.

 She wasn'st thrilled, but finally she did turn toward me so I could get a good picture of her. She turned 14 last week. She's still as independent as ever, hissing at most people!! Silly cat!

 This is the other rug for my sister.

 My sister's tops were pretty much solid colors. My mother's on the other hand, had alot of flowers on them. This is the first one.

 The second one..

 And the third.

 I tried to get a close up of it but you really can't see the flowers in the picture.

 I had about 30 inches left to weave on the warp. I rarely cut off anything that long, just ask LouAnn! So I narrowed the warp to 24 inches and wove it off using loopers dyed with RIT and then soaked in retayne. They are a nice soft color.

 I haven't hemmed the rugs yet. Once I pin the hem and sew them, the ends will look good. I like to have a fair amount of fabric for the hems to make them nice and sturdy.

That's about all I've woven lately. The looms are empty but I have a couple of warps ready to go on 2 of them. I will try to get that done in the next day or so!
Until next week.
Carol

Touching Heaven

Oh yes.....another field trip!  My son was teaching a class at Arrowmont in Gatlinburg this week:  Ripping Yarns:  Stories and Fibers.  Tina had given Nick a refresher course in spinning with a drop spindle a few weeks ago, and he invited us up to visit the class and have lunch. 
  The class had spent the first few days exploring spinning, embroidery, tapestry and knotting.  They also had been reading stories, myths and fables that included the different fiber arts.  When we arrived, they were discussing thoughts on their big projects that would take the rest of the week.  We peeked at the projects underway on the participants' tables...and it sure looked like they had been having a grand time!

  After lunch we took the class to The Spinnery, which is just a stone's throw from Arrowmont.  How amazing that this shop is so close!!!
  And, that's when I got to touch heaven!!!

Nancy was so gracious to all of us pouring into her shop, and answered all the questions that were popping right and left.  I asked her about the Guanacos fiber that I found that was so soft.  She then went to the back and brought out the softest fiber I will ever touch:  Vicuna!!!!
  You can read all about the vicuna at:
 Vicuña - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
After reading the article, I realized why it is so rare and valuable.  Nancy told us that it is $350 an ounce at her shop.  Truthfully, I will never spin that luscious fleece, but it was heaven to touch!!!

  
  My spinning practice continues:  Linda gave me some assorted bags of roving to spin.  Cece thought they were very interesting (and she thinks that she can sit on my lap when I'm spinning!)  I am still working on the art yarn with thrums on the Country Spinner, but I want to get more proficient with the wool.  I know....practice, practice, practice!!!!  Just when I think I'm getting the knack of it, I hit a wooly bump that throws me off kilter.

Cece is also the chief rug inspector around here!  I wove off the warp on John, and when Tina is ready, we'll wind on another warp.  You might remember the looper rugs that I wove this winter using the loopers we got at the mill.  
  The corduroy rug was the last for this warp.  All three rugs are resting in the foyer right now, and I'll get the hems sewn in sometime this weekend. 

On the home front, Biscuit is becoming part of the family.  She likes to spend her days outside terrorizing the chipmunks, squirrels and moles.  In the evenings, she stretches out on the kitchen chairs and dreams of her conquests.  The bee balm is finally blooming.  I bought this plant two years ago at the Lavender Festival, and it is blooming for me this year.  It is such a nice, bright spot in the garden!  Weeding the flower beds continue....and will continue FOREVER, I think.  If Virginia Creeper was a cash crop, I'd be rich!!!!
  But, I am fiber rich.....and I got to touch heaven!!!!!
Happy Weaving (and spinning!!!)
LouAnn

Tension

I love to warp my sectional looms.  I can put on a long warp without the hassle of  managing a long warp.  I am only handling 1 to 2 inch sections at a time, and they are always under perfect tension, mostly because of the tension box, a special tool that is used to guide the threads from the spool rack to the back beam, one section at a time.

The number of spools you need for each section depends on how wide your section is and how many ends per inch you need.  In my case for this projects I am using 8/2 cotton at 20 ends per inch, my sectional beam is divided in 1 inch sections.  That means I need 20 spools per section.

 I buy my 8/2 in large cones mostly from R&M Yarns in Georgetown, Tn., it is close enough for a quick road trip, (somebody else is always willing to go), and their prices are very reasonable. To wind the yarn from the large cones onto the spools that are on the spool rack that I have on loan from the Center,  I have the electric winder that I have on loan from Lou Ann. ( This winder has really come in handy recently as a pirn winder as well.)

 The problem I have with winding using any electric winder, is that when it really gets cranking, the thread is going so fast that it can burn your fingers, and I also my tension is uneven. I have seen a video online of a little tension attachment  that you can get to use with these electric winders, but my winder is not the same as theirs and the expense is prohibitive just now. But it got me thinking, I wondered if I could use my big tension box instead!  So, I tried it!

It works wonderfully!  I took the yarn from the cone and ran it through the tension box as normal, used the yardage counter too. Then I held the tension box in my right hand and safely guided the yarn onto the spool.
No burned fingers, no tension problems!




I was a little afraid that the spools wouldn't hold the 500 yards I needed, but they did, just barely!  I have wound half of the spools, and I am taking a break to share my discovery, now it is back to the studio to finish the spools and start winding the 24 sections of natural that are left.

Until next time, Happy Weaving and Spinning, Tina