Two Weeks in One! (Again!)

Dreary clouds are outside today promising rain but not quite delivering it! Meanwhile, we have once again made our way to the Craft Center just outside of Norris TN. (Exit 122 off of I-75 north of Knoxville) We do the work that needs to be done, some are weaving on looms and some are putting new warps on this week because they finished the last project on the loom last week. Since I am doing 2 weeks in one we will be able to see a tiny bit of progression in the photos and commentary. For example, last week I took a picture of Angie weaving on her towel project last week and this week she finished the weaving and took it off of the loom, then she turned around and began planning the next project!

Last week I got some pictures of Pearl and Shirley and their twin warps! This week I got a picture of Shirley and her finished project!

Last week I caught Susan #3 at the warping board, busy with a double width blanket project. Today I helped her get the warp spread through the raddle and ready to wind onto the back beam.

Betsy, Laura and Shannon are weaving on firmly established projects. Betsy is on the Barn Frame loom weaving wool fabric for a poncho and Laura is weaving hand towels on a Junior Macomber Shannon is on weaving towel on one of the Leclerc looms!

Now it is time for Show and Tell! Last week Shannon brought in a tool she had found to hold her weaving pattern on a loom that doesn't have a table nearby and a small bag that she had made from some fabric scraps! This week Shannon brought in the new flyers that we need to advertise the Center and the weavers when we do demo's and shows.

Last week Shirley brought in one of Carol's tops that Shirley had bought many years ago, this one is made from fabric left over from other tops!

Last week Patty brought in some fun handtowels she had woven at home and this week it was Susan #3 that brought in handtowels on a hand dyed warpp.

That is all I have for you this week! I will be out of town for a couple of Tuesdays so it will be late June before I will be able to post a blog. Until then this it Tina, for all!

So Many Colors!

We have so many colorful warps going onto the looms!

Joycelyn has the weaving well underway on this colorful warp!

Now it is time for Show and Tell! Wendy one of our new students brought in her first finished projects!

Rhonda brought in a coin purse she made from some handwoven scraps and a cowl she made with handwoven fabric!

Remember the Poncho that Laura made from fabric that Betsy had woven on the old Barn Frame Loom? Well it found a home today with Marilyn! She initially thought to give it as a gift, but quickly changed her mind and decided to keep it!

That is it for today! I thought I might have a "Tips and Tricks" piece for today, but it will have to wait to next week! Until then, this is Tina, for all!

Yarn and What we do with It!

Marie had ordered some 8/2 cotton last week and true to form it had arrived during the week and Marie had it in her car. Dana brought it in and they set to work making sure that the order was correct and planning to put the yarn on the shelf right away. Only thing is several of the weavers began picking up cones from the island in the kitchen for their next projects, before you know it there was very little 8/2 cotton to put on the shelf after all!

I caught Phyllis on her way back to her loom with a handfull of wound bobbins for her project. I followed her back to her loom to get a picture of how the yarnie goodness in her hands works together with the yarn of the warp to make her fabric.

Jenny is winding on a new project this week and her plan is hand painted warp and weft. She will be making fabric for garments in plainweave so that the mix of the hand dyed colors can do the talking!

Marilyn and Cathy are having a good laugh as Cathy and Patty are putting on Cathy's new mug rug warp.

Susan #3 was very close to finishing her fabric this morning and by the end of the day she had cut it off the loom!

Liz had threaded her handtowel project in a difficult 12 shaft pattern that never actually looked like she wanted it to, so today she tried a different treadling that as it turns out she likes even better than the original!

One of our new weavers, Wendy had come to the end of her project and she will be hem stitching her project at home this week!

Now it is time for show and tell! Rhonda brought in a couple of pieces she has finished at home. One is either a short scarf or a table runner, and the other is a piece of fabric that we think could make a stunning top by turning the cool stripes in a couple of different directions.

Betsy is on a mission! She is weaving baby blankets for all of her children, Nieces and Nephews! This is an onging project and a labor of love!

Laura has made the cutest little hat! The only problem is that it is a little too little!

Alice brought in a book she has recently picked up on bandweaving.

I have some show and tell as well! In 2018 I was at Maryland Sheep and Wool and I bought a very dirty Finnsheep fleece for not very much. I washed it fairly quickly after I got it home, then I combed it and handspun it to keep it soft and bouncy. I last year I got up the nerve to dye the yarn using a wool tincture to make it blue of course! Then I found a pattern I wanted to make and November 4th 2025 I began to knit. I finished the sweater a couple of weeks ago and ordered some lovely buttons to complete it. I sewed the buttons on yesterday so that I could bring it in for show and tell today. 8 years almost to the day of when I bought the fleece, I have a finished sweater and enough yarn still to make a vest as well! Now I call that slow cloth!

That is all of the fun for today, come back next week to see what we get into! Until then this is Tina, for all!