With a Lot of Help From My Friends

 I know how to warp.  After 8 years of weaving, I can put all those threads on my looms at home all by myself.  But put me in a crowd of weavers and I lose all my self confidence.  So, I asked for help yesterday with getting my warp of 20/3 cotton onto Big Bertha.
  Well, the Cavalry came, in the form of LouAnn and Tina, and later, Ann.  LouAnn and Tina got me started, putting the raddle on the FRONT beam (Whaaaaaaat?) and spreading the cross on the back (huuuuhhhh?) and generally taking me and my warp well in hand.  I learned a lot, but I'm sorry, friends, I will still put my counting threads in between my crosses!  Can't make me change that!
  But I did enjoy the raddle in the front and will adopt that practice.  We all three got it all set up, nine yards of 552 threads, and LouAnn and Tina headed out to the annex to look for roving for LouAnn.  Seems someone has a new hobby they swore they'd never have!
  While they were gone, I got antsy to put that warp on, so Ann offered her help.  We got that puppy wound on, with the new spinner and her teacher helping, and I went to lunch thinking I'd be threading after I ate.
  Then Carl needed help winding his warp, and well, what could I do?  No threading this week, but maybe next!  Once we get through the rest of Carl's double ended warp.
  On the home front, I've been knitting, and taught myself a new trick, the loop-d-loop method of sock knitting.  I was working on some socks I wrote about a few weeks ago, making them on five needles, the way the instructions say to, and I felt like I was knitting a porcupine, all those needles in my way!  I'd seen Nikki Weaver knitting at guild meetings with one circular, pulling the cable through the middle of the sock every new row.  I thought I could figure that out and have an easier time turning the threads during long stretches--it'd make sense if you knitted intarsia, not so much if you haven't--and I plunged ahead.  Eureka!  It's a snap!  A few stitch markers in strategic places, and I'm off to the races!  I wish I could knit this pattern two socks at a time, but that's a little more tricky than I'd enjoy, and I knit to enjoy the process.
  The cable socks I've been working on for a while now are almost done, but starting to be a little bit boring.  Must finish!  Lots more to knit!  So, I knit a few rows on them, switch to the new project and back again.  
  Friday, if the weather holds, I'll be out in the yard, but if the promised rain materializes, I'll be in the loominaria, threading Jenny with her huck lace pattern.  I'll let you know!
Happy weaving!
Maggie