Blanket order complete!

I have finished weaving those blankets from last week, in fact they are off the loom, serged, hemmed, washed and hung to dry, they are inventoried and tagged, and yes they have even been delivered!  It really felt good to get that done!  The customer has decided to give those blankets to someone else, and wants 2 more!  That is a good kind of customer to have!

This is the light shining just right from last week, so that I can see the shadow from the pattern, and catch mistakes!

Both blankets ready to be hemmed, I love the pattern so much, it is a shame that you can't see it very well with the Daffodil pattern weft!

The customer agrees with this, and so when I get ready to do the next set sometime next month, we will be choosing new colors that will show up.  I have invited her to my studio, so that she can see what I have on hand that is ready to go.

With the blankets done, I was able to start on the Bread Cloths with the green stripes.  If you click on this picture you can see the Swedish lace pattern in the middle.

While you are there, check out my new wooden temple on her maiden voyage!  I love it!  I was using a temple on loan from the weaving center, that really is more suited to rugs, so this is a vast improvement.  I still have to advance the temple just as often, but the edge doesn't show any evidence of the temple usage.  Awesome!

That is all for now, it is time to get ready for the Good Friday service at Church tonight.  Here's wishing you a blessed Good Friday, and a Happy Easter!

Happy Weaving, Tina

Checked Off The List

"Hey Mom!  Where did these come from???"

  Yesterday was one of those days that just happen--just the way they need to happen.
  I got the call on Tuesday afternoon that my print job was ready, so I thought I might as well go into Knoxville on Wednesday and get that off my list.  (I knew that I would be in town today, but that would be for taxes...and I never know what my mood will be when I leave!!!) 
  After they loaded my car, I headed to Three Rivers Market, which is the local food cooperative.  I don't get to go there very often, but I love all the wonderful offerings at this market.  My goal was to look at all the loose teas that you can buy to make your own blend.  I ended up buying some new boxed tea in lovely blends that they had in stock.  But, while I was looking, my phone rang....it was Tina.  She was going to "swing by" my place....but I wasn't there!!!  We made plans to meet when I got back to Oak Ridge, and I finished my shopping.  Tina loaded me up with blue jeans that she was cleaning out of her studio...and I just added them to the back of the car.  Then we got the chance to catch up.

  I had started working on the Block Weave tutorial, and I'd been thinking about the loom that Tina has been winding the bouts for....and I realized that we were wasting all the extra shafts that the loom had to offer.  Since Cindy is weaving towels on the Baby Wolf, we could upgrade the towels on Betsy 1 to a two block turned twill which would use 8 shafts.

  So, out came the Atwater and the graphing paper and the calculator!

This is the draft written the long way....













And this is how it looks written in profile blocks.

I LOVE this!!!!

I'm like a kid with a new toy!

Tina gave me the facts:  I'll have 530 threads to play with. 

And, boy did I PLAY!!!!

  I worked up most of the two block profiles that Atwater had in her book!

  I even played a little with the three block profiles that would require all 12 shafts!  But, I talked myself down from that when I realized that I would be threading with all the Tuesday Weavers in residence.  It can be a little tricky concentrating sometimes....
  I can always rethread later if we want to change the pattern.
  Now, the final decision will need to be made....which one is your favorite????    (Blocks are just too much fun!)

  Now that the tax drama is over (I don't owe any additional taxes) and I'm ready to get back to my fiber life.  I was working on the blue jeans last night when the Chickadee decided to quit....so I'll keep on with my sharp scissors!!!!  I think I see a rug or two (or three) in my future!!!
  Tina and I are planning on winding on bouts tomorrow at the Center....there are just a few more to go!  The sooner that is threaded, the sooner I can weave towels for the shop!  Just something else to check off the list!
Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

Tying, Twisting and Celebrating

 As LouAnn reported yesterday, Bertha got a new front apron to replace her tired, bedraggled, duct-taped apron that's probably as old as she is, guesstimated at 40-something years old.  Her old apron was stapled on, but this one came with tiny tacks, so that's what I used.  It smells good, too, like a fabric store!
  After that was attached, I tied on about 2/3 of the warp ends.  My mind always become numb by 2:00 p.m. every day, and I needed a nap, so that's where I left it.  Next week, the rest will be tied on and the first shuttle will be thrown.  Can you stand the suspense?

Well, you'll have to.  In the meantime, there's a lot of work to do at home.  I twisted fringe this morning, with my new fringe twister.  I got two ends done to the Log Cabin scarves, but then, I ran up against this mess on the right.  Please don't scream.  It is ugly, but will be untangled soon!  Just not today.

 It hasn't all been fibery goodness today, though I did spend almost the entire afternoon knitting on the hot pink rayon sweater I showed you last week.  Pat gave me a pepper ristra, and I hung it on the chimney in the kitchen.  I love the way it looks!  It makes me think of the southwest, for which I get a teeny bit homesick once in a while, particularly when Spring refuses to show its cowardly face.  Where the heck is it, anyway?  In Palm Springs?  Still in the Southern Hemisphere?  Does it know how much we love it and miss it and want it to warm us up?

 And now, let's all send a big Happy Birthday wish to my favorite marmalade tabby!  Leo will turn 12 on Saturday.  He'll celebrate by sharing a can of tuna with his buddies, and lounging around the house, as only he can do.  Happy Birthday, Aldo Leopold Davidson!
  And to my two-legged fibery friends, Happy
Weaving!
Maggie

Not Just Fair Weather Weavers

We were the few....
the brave......
Wait a minute....Lanny is our Marine.  The rest of us are just "Weavers."
  Like most of the eastern USA, Spring has decided to go on break.  This is our second day of cold, windy snow flurries.  The temps last night dipped down to freezing, but that didn't keep everyone home...oh no!
    We went right to work!
Tina is so close to finishing up the bouts for the towel warp...just a few more, and that warp will be ready to thread.  What do you think about a 12 shaft turned twill pattern?????

  Maggie brought her fabric to strip for rugs.  Pat helped out by winding the fabric as they caught up on all their news.



   You can see Tina's newest overshot throw on the table. 

  Marie and I helped Carl wind on the rug warp on the barn loom, then Carl was ready to tie it to the front bar.
  This is the REweave project.  The first rug has been raveled and wound up.....and that's where Carl started this morning.

  Ms. Ila got right to work on her newest scarf project.  You can see the detail on the right.

 

  After helping Carl, Marie went back to work on her warp....this time she's weaving a runner to go with the red mats.  Betsy had a chance to ask lots of weaving questions, since we had a smaller group today.

 

Ta-da!!!  All finished....and doesn't it look wonderful!  The new apron for Bertha came yesterday....just in time to go to weaving!  Maggie and Lanny got it tapped into place, and Maggie tied on the bar.  I guess that means she'll tie on the warp next week.  YEAH!!!!!


All in all, it was a very productive day!  I'm just hoping that next Tuesday will be a wee bit warmer and dryer!

Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

More Snow!

Last week I had trouble posting some of the pictures so hoped to get them to work this time. Well, here's the one picture. We drove down by the river. It's a road everyone drives on that lives in that area. You can see how snow covered the road was. I'm sure it still is. They don't seem to clear roads as quickly as we'd think they do. In fact, I think they only cleared a couple of the main roads. The rest will get packed down and eventually melt...

 My Mother emails me every day. I caught her at the computer, reading my blog from last Monday. She always likes to check what I'm up to. Some of the pictures I post are for her benefit! Mom may be 89 but her spirit is much younger. It's just her body that's wearing out!

After the snow last weekend, we woke this week to more snow. It snowed about 24 hours worth. Alot of it was finer but lots of it. None of it was the nice big flakes we think of when we think snow. It came down! I took this picture before it quit yet. In fact, after they cleared the sidewalk, we got another couple of inches but they'll get packed down!

 My niece and her husband were coming for dinner so they got the pleasure of clearing the sidewalk. When there's too much snow in the back, we bring Mom down the front steps to the car to get her to dialysis. We had to do that this time so having them clear it so nicely was awesome! I'm a little rusty on the snow clearing process!! They widened the bit by the road so that we could walk next to Mom with her walker to get her to the car.

 Another job they did was clear off the deck upstairs. The snow just sits there. There was about 3 feet of snow up there and we were getting a bit worried about that much snow, the weight, and what would happen when it melted if there was a crack in the roof. It's above part of the house. So there were 3 of them that shoveled it up and over the side of the railing to the side of the house. Alot of it had iced up so there were big chunks of ice that they lifted up and over. That just moves the snow. The side of the house now has about 5 feet of snow next to the house.

 All the snow around the house has to be moved next. Apparently it's going to be a bit warmer, maybe even above freezing on Friday. That's the day, hopefully, that, again, shovels will come out and all the snow around the house will be moved to the front lawn area to melt. That is a bit  lower than the house so any water would run off to the road and down the hill. If my sister leaves the snow next to the house, as it melt it's going to run in the path of least resistance which means that some could get into the basement. That's not good. So, another job of winter!!

What have my sister and I been doing the past week or so? She's pulled out a bunch of her fabrics and we're figuring out quilt projects, finding backings for some quilt tops and just having fun fooling with it all. Once I'm gone, she's going to have enough to keep her busy for a few months!!

The forecast here is for better weather, sunny days but still cold, below freezing until after I leave. That's ok, as long as it's not snowing!!
The snow, on the other hand, is apparently heading for Knoxville. You're not going to be as cold down there but you'll get some of that white stuff! Hopefully the roads are warm enough not to freeze!
Didn't they say that spring was here? I'm wondering where at this point!!
I'm not weaving but getting some handwork projects worked on. They're slow but fun to do. I'll post pictures one of these weeks of what I've done.
Until next week, stay warm and keep working on your projects!
Carol

Hills, Valleys and Shopping!

Last week, I mentioned that I was going to need more light to weave the last Baby Blanket in color Daffodil.  I went in search of one of my portable lights that attach with clips.  I  have spent the morning moving the light here and there, trying to find the best place to put it.  I started by putting it above the weaving, I could see the weaving better, but it didn't help me see the pattern better.  I then moved it to the left side, and the right side, but the light got in the way of my shuttle.

I then tried placing the light to my right and a little behind.  That was the ticket!  It wasn't just the increased light I needed, I needed the light in just the right angle to cause a shadow to fall across the surface of my weaving so that I could see the pattern developing!

I started the day with the tape measure reading 24 inches.  I wove until it was at 42 inches, then I took a break to run some errands.







I have recently received a couple of gift certificates to local yarn stores.  This week, I took the opportunity to redeem them!  At  the Yarn Haven in Knoxville, TN, I purchased a couple of tips for my Knit Picks cables, size 8.

I also purchased this lovely lace weight yarn from Juniper Moon.  It is 50/50 merino and silk, the color is dove.  It is 798 yds of scrumptiousness per skein.  I got 2 of them, and I am going to knit the Whisper Wrap, a free download from Ravelry.

Lace weight yarn project, size 3 needles, a pattern that is mostly stockinette!  I cast on the 481 stitches a couple of days ago, and I work on it most evenings.  It takes me about 20 minutes to knit one row!  It is delightful!  (I think I must be a process knitter!)



Then, today, I went to the Clinch River Yarn shop in Clinton, TN.  I found some new size 3 circulars that were 32 inches in length from Hiya Hiya, I bought 2 pairs, one for the wrap mentioned above and the second pair for another wrap I want to knit at the same time, using the yarn I bought today.

 I found a couple of balls of Jagger Spun, wool and silk again!  It is beauteous!  I am going to use a different pattern as a basis for this next wrap, but again it will be lace weight yarn on size 3 needles.  Clearly I am in for a couple of long knits!

I had just enough left on the gift certificate to pick up the cutest little pair of yarn scissors you ever saw, they are called  Kitty Snips, by Hiya Hiya,  they also have Puppy Snips.  They are TSA approved so you can take them anywhere!

That is about it for me today,

Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina

Still Workin' On It

I spent the weekend entering data on my spreadsheet for taxes....boring!  I made my appointment for next week to see the accountant, so I have seven days to finish getting it all together.  Sometimes it helps to have a deadline!

  Of course I couldn't stay away from my fiber projects too long, and getting this finished seem like a worthy endeavor.  I had a little help!
  This is the table runner for my daughter, and all I lacked was twisting the fringes.  Of course, Cece jumped up to help weight it down.  My daughter's cat, Elle, is Cece's doppelganger.  So, any cat hair that remains can be blamed on her!  (This is Davison's Italian Diamonds.)  M is on spring break this week, and we spent the day together yesterday.  We got some canna bulbs for her front flower bed, and got them in the ground.  And, Elle jumped up on the table runner the minute it was put on the table!  I'm sure that cat hair does belong to her!

The Tuesday Weavers have been great about bringing in yarn for our Straw Loom kits.  I've been trying to get a few made a day....I won't get burned out on them doing them this way. 
 
  Since Spring has decided to hold off on arriving here in East Tennessee, I'll be able to finish up those pesky numbers for my spreadsheet.  Would you believe they are actually calling for snow flurries the next few nights???? 

  So, back to the business at hand....and maybe a little fiber break later in the day.  That's my carrot....work: so that I can play!  Sounds like a plan to me!
Happy Spring Weaving!
LouAnn

Catch Up!

 Someone asked me yesterday if I weave for hours a day.  I had to laugh!  But when I thought about it this morning as I wove, I realized that I do manage about an hour a day of some kind of fiber work.  This morning, I worked on the next Lee's Surrender border scarf.  On the left is the beginning, where I made the blooming leaf design in taupe chenille, then switched to taupe rayon.  On the right is the taupe rayon, in the center units.  I like it.  It's soft because the black warp and tabby is the black chenille, and the taupe rayon will be drapey.  Looks like I have some selvedge issues...

 I brought this shawl in for show and tell yesterday, but I know Bonnie will want to see it finished!  Here it is, Bonnie!  I will pack it up this week to go to Oakland, where I'm told it's always cold and gray.  Hope this will warm dear Dana up!  I love it, but I was so excited to have it finished.  Remember, I started it at the end of the Olympics, so it's been my constant companion for quite some time.





 I was giddy to start a new project, but when I went to look for new yarn, I found an unfinished project that wants my attention.  It's a sweater made of rayon yarn with a neat ribbon yarn for the hem.  The style will be similar to a Chanel jacket, with the heavy bands for hem, cuffs and collar.  The picture doesn't show how festive the ribbon yarn is.  It looks like a garden.  Choosing buttons will be difficult, I think...  Anyway, it's knitting up fast, and I should have it done by the time the temperature is too high to wear it.



And then there's this weird cotton yarn Mom gave me when I visited in January.  I've re-knitted this scarf at least five times, trying to make it long enough, and I'm over it!  I will plow through the rest of the yarn, and when I'm done, it's done!
It's chilly and blustery this afternoon, just right for curling up with a good DVD and a knitting project.  Stay out of drafts, and Happy Weaving!
Maggie

Sunny Tuesday!

It's the Birthday Girls!!!

Today is Ms. Ila's birthday, 

and tomorrow is Linda's birthday!

Ms. Ila has declared that next year we are having a BIG birthday bash since it will be a BIG birthday for her!  We'll keep that in mind.

  Pat is really on a roll these days.   She had such a great time at the Anita Mayer workshop, and has let her creativity go wild!  Case in point:  her new handwoven vest!  As Pat said, "One thing just led to another."

  Christy brought her scarf to work on the fringes at the Center today.  Isn't that a great way to keep those fringes the same length!!!

  And, Maggie was busy hand stitching the hem on those beautiful napkins that she wove on Big Bertha.  The new apron for that loom should be here by next week, and then Maggie can start the coverlets.

  Since Allan is out of town, the rug loom is available for others to weave on.  Tina thought it would be fun to try a plastic bag rug, and that was the project for today!  The Weavers chipped in and brought their used plastic bags from their favorite stores, and those got sorted by colors, put in stacks of ten,  cut in half, and chained together.  (Meanwhile, at the far left of the photo you can see Carl working on the barn loom, Andy was back on her loom, Lanny worked on his towels, and Marie and Linda just watched in amazement as Tina chained those bags together.)

  

  Ann took a break from weaving on her rug warp to join in the plastic bag sorting.

It wasn't too long until Tina was going gang busters on the loom, and before the day was over, she had woven one rug!  This rug would be great for houses with indoor pets:  just take it outside and hose it down!  Someone even suggested RV owners or houseboat people might find them just the right ticket for lifestyle.

  Judy got some weaving done on the placemats that she started.  

  Two warps were cut off today.  (Well, one warp and two sets of place mats from Marie's loom.)  We even started hemming those place mats at the Center.  Marie tied her warp back on the loom, and she'll weave the runner for her mats before she starts a different weft fabric.  That warp lends itself to a wide range of fabric choices for the weft.

  With Carol visiting her family, I'm sure she'll be glad to know that Grace popped in several times today to check on us.  Grace was one of the founders of the Center back in the '70's, and wove with us until a few months before she passed.  But, it was so lovely outside, that she didn't stay too long.

  And, Carol......we were productive today!

Happy Weaving!

LouAnn