New Things

This is new:

The rain has slowed "us" down a bit.  The screened in porch should have been framed and roofed by today, but there isnt a whole lot you can do in the rain.  They tell me I will be able to fit 150 people on this porch, I doubt we will ever come near testing that fact!

This is new:

Well actually it really isn't new, it is just the beginning of a new project.  I have a trip coming up tomorrow.  I am going to California to see my family, and I had my travel knitting project all planned out.   (Colorwork yoke sweater)  However,  I had a bunch of unplanned knitting time at Childrens Hospital recently, my youngest grandson is in for Rsv.  It is a nasty cold like virus that is difficult to shake.  I hate that I am leaving, but there is plenty helpers around here to lend them a hand, I am just used to it being me doing the helping!


I thought I might finish my planned project before my trip was over, so I put together another just in case project.  It is a free Ravelry download scarf pattern called " Clapoti ".  The yarn I am using is some of my handspun from 2013, the fiber is polwarth.  I have gotten thru the tricky bits where I have to add markers, and from now on it will be smooth sailing.

By the time I get back in town, the porch should be done, the grandson should be home, and both knitting projects should be finished, if they aren't, I suppose I could sit on the porch with some iced tea and finish them!

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

On The Homestretch

Yes....this is #12!
  But, I did put extra yardage on my warp, so I'll have a few more to do when I finish this place mat.  But, it sure feels good to have #12 almost finished.  (I'll still have to hem them, but getting the weaving done is great!)

  That means I can go ahead and wind the next warp....I have those mats to do for my niece to replace those I did a few years back.  And, I got a wedding invitation this week...so, I'm thinking a set for the bride and groom. 

  Also, I have a napkin warp I will need to weave..........


Oh, boy....weave faster!!!!

Biscuit is holding down the purse project for me right now.  Since Scout has been here for Spring Break, the kitties have been in the front (and downstairs) of the house.  When I tried to sew this week, I was constantly moving a furry body to get what I needed. 
  The good thing is that all will go back to normal tomorrow.  I'm sure it will take them a day or two to get all their snuggles filled, and then we'll go back to being ignored (except when THEY want to be loved!)  Maybe they will help me sort the receipts for taxes.  I can only hope.

So, I'm going to celebrate being (almost) finished with my challenge warp, and push ahead to the next project.  Yard work will have to start soon............
Happy Weaving (and sewing!)
LouAnn

Green Tuesday

There was a lot of green in the studio today!  We are always glad just to be together!
  Advice is always at hand when you need it...just ask Barb!   And, Casey is coming right along with her new warp....love that green!
  We welcomed Anna to our group today...she has moved to our neck of the woods, and wanted to meet some fellow weavers.    She even brought some indigo seeds to share with us!

 Elsewhere in the studio, it is business as usual. 















  We are getting ready for a Dye Day at the studio at the end of the month.  Charlotte stepped up to wind some warps in preparation for painting.

  Carl was hard at work on the barn loom....those blue jeans sure look great with that blue warp!


And, Ray is working on more place mats for the shop.

Everywhere you looked, weavers were busy, busy, busy!!!

With a little help from Marie, Linda got everything back in working order.  (Yes, that's a green eye patch!)













  For Share Time today, Sharon and Bonnie had new scarves to show to everyone.

 

  By the way, thank you, Christy!  She inventoried all the jars of dye in preparation for the upcoming Dye Day.
  And, thank you, Marie.....I know doing the inventory was a big undertaking!  You've done a great job!

I did say it was "Green Tuesday" ....right?  Thanks to Ms. Ila and her Grasshopper Pies, it was a great green Tuesday!!!!

Thank you, Ms. Ila!

I hope you're seeing a little green in your neck of the woods!

Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

Black, White and Gray

One set of rugs is done! Loopers are a hoot to weave with. A bit unpredictable, they weave up into nice thick rugs. I did not dye any of them. Our source of loopers has 3 colors, black, white and light gray. So that's what I used. Because I'd sat outside last fall and shook the loopers to remove lint, there wasn't a ton of stuff falling off of them when I chained and wove them.

 I don't like fringe on rugs so these have hems.

 I'm pretty sure this next one was the last on the loom, so was shorter. Usually I weave them a bit longer than this one ended up being.

 You just think this rug is white but it's not. I alternated the white and gray. It's a bit hard to pick up on the picture but it's there.

They're ready to go to new homes.
The next batch is ready for me to finish this morning. More pictures next week.
Now that I've done the rugs, I can go back to my regular production. I guess absence makes the heart fonder, because I have missed weaving my regular pieces.
Plus, spring is here, at least temporarily and it's hard to stay focused when it's so pretty outside.
The first daffodils are blooming and the snow of a couple of weeks ago is forgotten!
I'm ready to start weaving sandals again.
Until next week, keep weaving!
Carol

Spring Things

Wasps and stink bugs on the porch...can ticks be far behind?
  Yes, I think Spring is trying to show herself here in East Tennessee.

  I thought I had a school group this morning at the Museum, but that must have been an old list.  But, a morning at the museum is never wasted.  Case in point--LAMBS!
  When I arrived, they were all in a far field, and I got some long range shots that weren't too good.

 
  But, the longer I was there, the closer they got.  There are five black lambs, and four white ones.  These twins have those lovely brown patches on them.
  Yes, those are the Highland Cows in the background just soaking up the sun!

  For whatever reason, this ewe and lamb were in another part of the field.  Momma kept calling to the flock.....wonder if she got there by mistake?

  While I was there I ran into an old friend and found out that he raises Black Face Scottish sheep.  You just never know who you will see at the Museum.

  I enlarged this picture so you could see the rowers.  I took a little detour on the way home and went by the river to see if there were any rowers out this morning.  The tour buses are starting to arrive at the local hotels, so I knew they were in town.  This morning was a nice time to be out on the water.

  So, Scout has been helping me cobble together a purse pattern using our one of a kind placemats.  I know what I want to do, I just need to make a pattern for them.  Her parents are on a Spring Break field trip with students this week.  Scout is really good at finding where the raccoons have been in my yard!!!!

  I'll get back to work, and get the purses done before next Tuesday.
  (And, while I have the pattern tracing material out, I want to trace off Theresa's #64 top pattern!)  There's always something to do!

Happy Weaving and sewing!
LouAnn

The Calm Before.....

It's hard to imagine the Studio without weavers, but if you get there really early on Tuesdays (like Tina and Carl did this morning,) this is what you would see.  The folding looms are all rolled out of their hiding places, and ready for weavers to appear.
  And, the tables are cleared and ready for the table looms.
  This is almost like a commercial for Schacht:  5 Pups, 1 Baby and 1 Mighty Wolf.   We're just glad they all fold up and roll.

   Take a few steps to the left, and you are right behind the Rocker Beater Loom.  From here, you can see the looms that stay in place all the time.  There are dish towels, rugs, place mats, throws and a soon to be napkin warp on these looms.

And, tucked away in the far left corner is the barn loom.  Today is the day the new warp will be wound onto the warp beam.
  From this vantage point, you can see the built in bench on this loom.  It's even padded!

****Thank you, Tina, for getting these pictures!

  Then the fun begins.  Ray and Carl worked on holding the warp and straightening the threads as they came from the chain.
  I used the stick to wind on the warp while Karin kept the harnesses from moving too much.  Molly was in charge of placing the sticks on the beam to separate the layers.

And the weavers continue to arrive and get down to business.  The table looms are brought in and put on the cleared spaces, and folks get ready to start their morning.

Betsy's sister, Sally, is visiting from the frozen north.  Betsy is going to take home the peg loom and figure it out.

  There's always catching up to do while you weave.....Andy and Roz got some time to do a little of that while they were weaving.











  Marie is our tech guru....look at all the gadgets!!!!  But, she's undertaken a complete inventory of our items in the shop.   All of this while we are adding many new items!





  Isn't that right, Carol?  She was on the other end of the table tagging new items for the shop and adding them to the inventory list!
  Who knew there was so much paper work involved in our little Studio???

 
  Bonnie was busy getting an order for her new loom ready.  And, while you're at it, does anyone else need anything from the Leclerc people????













And, we're always ready to celebrate our new weaver's accomplishments!  This is Harriet's second warp....she's hooked!!!

  This isn't the best picture, but you'll get the idea.  We have a Spring Auction coming up for the Center and over at the Museum.  We are making up gift baskets using our wide selection of placemats.  Tina found cups to coordinate with the mats, and we'll fill them out with other goodies.  It was fun going through the shelves.

  Nearly all of us left with things to get done before next week....and there's always that Place Mat Challenge to be working on! 
  All is quiet at the Center now.........
Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

Pretty Amazing!

The last few years DH has been bringing a few orchids home. They're so pretty, bloom forever and make me feel like we are a bit sophisticated here at our home. Well, this week one of them bloomed again!! Isn't it gorgeous? I am so impressed. I have them in the same window as my african violets. There's something about the boxed out windows that make them happy. Apparently, the orchids are liking the space as well.

 The interesting thing about this plant is that it is a lilac orchid. Yup, the original flowers were purple. Is it something they put in the water to make them lilac? I'm curious now. I water them with my african violet water. The mystique part is true, for sure!! I have no idea how the color works..

 The windows face sort of northwest. Maybe it's just the right amount of light coming in. The box juts out 18 inches from the house and has glass on 3 sides. Maybe that's it. Whatever it is, I'm happy the plants are liking the space. My Mom would be so tickled.

On the weaving side, it's still a mess. I've woven off the second warp of rugs but haven't finished any yet. Here's that stack waiting to go to the serger. I'm using selvedges for weft so they're nice and fuzzy.

 The third warp is on the loom and I'll start weaving today. This is what part of the floor looks like. I spent most of Saturday going through bags of the stuff and winding the sections into balls. It'll make figuring out what to put together so much easier today. This warp is black so it won't matter what colors I weave. I can't wait to see what they look like. Planning the rugs, which colors to put together, in what order, is half the fun.

Then, once this warp is done, it's serger time for them all, then pinning the hem and sewing them before getting them inventoried.

After all the weather last week and the weeks before, yesterday was gorgeous, sunny, nice and warm. Today it's raining and it's supposed to rain most of the week. It doesn't matter. We'll take rain over sleet and snow any day!!
Until next week, keep weaving!!
Carol