Unexpected event

This week I had that gorgeous hot pink on the loom. Talk about fun to weave. It made me smile and wove off nicely. Then everything changed!
Wednesday afternoon I was in the studio when my DD called. She'd been at the gym with her trainer. She'd been on a platform and reached down below her feet to pull up the lever to pull up 130 lbs. Well, she lost her balance and fell off. She went one way but tried to go back and I guess was balanced on her left knee. She was ok except for her knee. I picked her up and got her to her doctor. Thursday morning she went to the orthopedic clinic and got x rays and a knee brace. She is on crutches as well. This Thursday she will have an MRI. The suspicion is that she injured her MCL and tore her ACL. She is not allowed to drive for awhile so I am back to chauffeur. Isn't that always the way, you're about to really get into the swing of production and the warps ahead of you are all ready to go and something stops it. Physical therapy starts tomorrow morning.......I'll be in the car alot. Good thing I have a basket of things to do when I go. I've got a stack of old Shuttle Spindle and Dyepot that I'm ripping up for the articles I want to save. Then there's the basket of finishing work to do. I weave yardage and then cut and sew clothing. I do alot of handwork on the pieces. I won't sit there doing nothing!

I did get to the studio yesterday afternoon for several hours and wound a couple of warps. One is still on the warping board. I thought I'd show how I wind my warps. I wind my warps on back to front which means I use a raddle to spread it out before winding on the back beam. I count my warp by inches, ie 12 epi means there are 12 threads in each section or inch. I count right at the cross. I think I'm killing 2 birds with one stone, counting the threads but also making it easy to put the inches in the raddle since they're already in groups of 12. I don't care how many threads there are altogether in my warp. I used to teach first grade. I'm good at math counting and subtracting to 10. I don't like big numbers. They scare me. So I figure I've got a warp 20 inches wide and I'm doing each inch 12 epi. Numbers I can deal with! I also have the cross tied off so once the other warp is on and off my loom, I'll get this warp on. Hopefully it'll be this week yet.

This is a different royal blue warp that I've just started winding onto the loom. I've got my sticks propped inside the loom waiting for their turn to be wound on.

Another thing that's happening this week is that I need to start sewing a baby quilt. Friends are in the process of adopting a baby. The time is not up yet when the birth mother can change her mind so Thursday at midnight, we'll all be able to breath again and I can start that blanket. That'll be the deadline for her to say anything. My DD is also adopted so this family is very dear to my heart.
Today it's cloudy but warm compared to what it's been for the past few weeks. Hopefully it will continue. I saw a couple of tiny flowers in some weeds this morning! Spring is on its way!!!

Carol

Ta Da!!!

When you are weaving, do you catch yourself already thinking about the NEXT project? As I was finishing up the rug with the dark weft on John, I was trying to decide what would be next. (I have to confess here...it's Lent, after all....that the colors of that warp would not have been my choice. I bought John with a warp already wound on...and on...and on! I'm from good Scots-Irish descent, and we don't waste anything if we can help it!) As the header was being woven in, a plan for a tote for my laptop was taking shape. Since I also needed pockets inside to carry my cords and mouse, I would need some fabric. After taking measurements of my laptop, I starting weaving just the fabric with two strands of thread in the twill pattern. I wove about 20" to use....just in case. Then I started on the body of the tote. I have a ton of that pink fabric, already cut, that came with John, and I decided to use it. This is not a fashion statement! My tote will be easy to spot in a crowd! But, the more I wove, the better I liked it.
Now for the fun part! I took 4 yard strips of the fabric, and wove each one in. I marked the middle of each strip, and lined that mark up with the middle of the "tote." After the strips were woven in with the leftovers hanging on each side, I wove a few more inches. At this point, I made a round braid on each side using the fabric strips. A clip holds the braid until you're ready to weave those ends back in. They will meet back in the middle of the tote.

Ta-Da! A tote for my laptop! Yes, I know it's not finished, but I'll get another rug started and cut off what's on the beam this week.

On the homefront, Tony & Bill finished my bench....hinge and all! They want the paint to cure for 24 hours before I sit on it, but I can't wait to start loading that space up with the jars I have stuck everywhere! Now I want new cushions for the bench...................

I got my new issue of Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot yesterday. There's a nice write up on the Wind, Rewind, Weave project at the KMA on page 9. Tommye, over at Works In Progress, blogged about her experience weaving this week, too. I'm going over for the lecture on Wednesday, and I weave on Thursday. Wow! A busy week ahead!
Happy Weaving, y'all!
LouAnn

From disappointing project to genealogy uncovered?

Well all, I have to tell you that I am really disappointed in how the vari blue wool and the black chenille warp has turned out. I got the threading corrected, (since that was the problem last week) and I started weaving away. Only to find out that the black chenille is totally drowning out the wool! It is a little dark in the photo, but it is worse in real life! Another thing I didn't like was the differences in the two types of yarn. The wool was way stretchy and the chenille not at all. I think I will separate the two and chain them off to be used in different projects.

All was not lost this last week however. Last spring I purchased an 8 harness Loom from up north. It looked like quite a good sized loom, and I was excited about the 8 harness part of course.

There was not a clue what kind of loom Katherine was but she looked to be in good shape.

It is this loom that I was using for the blue/black warp, and while the warp was not good, Katherine wove quite well for an old girl. So much so, that I think I will put on a long warp for place mats in white and weave off a bunch of different colors for the pattern.

I was looking at various blogs this week and came across Macombersandme.blogspot.com, a blog about a Macomber looms. The blogger was talking about some of the features of her Macombers, and I was looking at the pictures and I thought, that looks just like Katherines hardware.

And again, I said to myself, Hey that looks like Katherines treadles.

They say that the Macombers all have a plate with the vital information on it. I didn't find a plate, but I found a place where it might have been.

I contacted the blogger and she has told me I could send pictures. I think I will send her these pics and see what she says. I have to say that I really like the way that this loom weaves and I can't wait to get all of those harnesses up and running tomorrow.

I am still plugging away at the mixed blue warp, it seems that no matter what I use as a weft it all looks great! I will also be threading the bread cloths on Lillian tomorrow. I want to get all of the looms loaded and ready to roll.

Wally says, "roll? You mean this nice roll of paper? I will help you with it! See I can move it around where ever you want it! What do you mean no thank you?"

Happy Weaving, Tina

Rambeling

Here is what I have been working on inbetween working on our website. I am not sure what it will be but I am leaning towards a baby blanket with the nylon trim. By the way the Tuesday weavers have a selling website that is up and should be working now. Check it out. http://toosdayweavers.appalachianarts.net/index.htm I will explain the spelling. We had to go through godaddy to link our site to the craft center's site. So Tuesday Weavers was taken. This is as close as we could get to it. We may change it in the future to something else.

Just something about running out of space. When I first moved into this room, I had plenty of room. Now I am overflowing! But my Maggie keeps me centered. Always by my side. Her hidding spot is under my desk. She is safe there. I had to wake her for the picture.

Within these busy walls, when my head wants to explode I have this---whatever you call it---- helps me relax. It has the running water and lots of forest and bug, thunder and more. Very soothing.
Happy days of weaving ahead. Bonnie

Almost...

This week, I almost finished my scarf for the Knitting Olympics. Here, my model is shown wearing it with that nonchalant expression models are so famous for. I knitted until my wrists ached, knitted early and late, worked and rushed and worried, but to no avail. I will finish it this week, as well as the hat I'd planned to have done by the Olympics' closing ceremony Sunday night. Well, I might finish it this week. It is supposed to be in the 60's by Sunday.

Yesterday, after weaving at the center--I LOVE those place mats--I went home, cleaned up the house a very little, and sat down with a cup of tea to chart my next project. I've been very curious about Turned Overshot, covered briefly in Weaver's Craft Issue 26, "How to Turn a Draft." The issue concerns Monk's Belt drafts to a larger degree than turned overshot, but has one project in it. I became interested in turned overshot when we decided to use embroidery floss for our annual challenge, and thought it would be better to make something else in it first, to see if I could actually do it. I'm going to start with bathroom curtains, and since my bathroom window is 28 inches wide, I think it's small enough a project to judge it's applicability on the center challenge. I've chosen King's Flowers from Marguerite Porter Davison's book. I wrote out the existing draft, expanded it to include tabby in the draw down, then turned it 90 degrees. I'm pretty sure that, if you'd stopped by late last afternoon, you would have smelled something burning, that something being my brain! The yarn pictured are leftovers from the overshot pillows I made as my first project on Jenny, some 3 years ago. Those colors work in the living room, but they're also perfect for the bathroom. I'll team them with 8/2 homestead cotton in white. If it works, I'll be doing a much larger overshot flower in butter yellow, deep purple and dark olive on white cotton for the kitchen curtains.

But! None of that can happen until I get the shag rugs off the 8 shaft loom. If you turn an overshot pattern, you need 6 shafts, and that means I need that Colonial naked!

I have tried so hard to finish the shag rug today, but it just isn't going to happen. I still need to walk the dog, practice the piano and go to my piano lesson. I'm hoping I'll get it off the loom tonight when I get back, but I can't be sure! I would love to get it done tonight, hemmed during the week and on the bathroom floor soon.
Then thread the first turned overshot pattern and see if it works. And of course, blog about it next week!

And the lace towels continue to languish... I'm on inch 16 on the uneven heart towel, and probably have enough warp to make 3 or 4 more. And I will! Just not right now.

Until next week, happy weaving!

Maggie

It's Tuesday!!!!

....not rain, nor snow, nor sleet shall keep us from our looms!!!! Yes, despite the gloomy weather and the snow/sleet, we had a good crowd at the Center today. Even Wally was excited about being with all his weaving buds!

Our carpet warp had arrived, and Tina found some floor space to store it for the meantime. And, those of us who had ordered got to bring home our spools for future projects.




Carol is working with our "not so new" weavers; planning future warps and answering questions. Ann finished wrapping her warp, chained it off, and sat down at a floor loom (first time!) to weave off the remainder of the warp that's still there. Maybe next week it will be ready for her new warp.

Elsewhere, there were other conferences going on about projects and plans. Allan, Maggie, Joyce and Carl all had things to discuss.

Pat is in her "stash reduction" mode. She is making short work of that rug warp using up bits of fabric rolls. And the resulting rugs are just beautiful! Tina is almost finished with the rug repair project. Carol brought her sewing machine to sew down the denim strips that Tina has basted down. Only one needle broken so far!

Now....sitting in the back row is Bonnie....looking just like the hardest working weaver in the bunch! But, little did I know a terrible thing had happened! A Threading Error!!!! But, Bonnie had a plan.......................

The Tuesday Weavers send warm, healing thoughts to Ms. Bonnie 2, who is a little under the weather. We hope you get all better soon.
Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

Is it possible to have too much trash?

Today I hauled off the last of the trash left at my new studio by the former owner. Hurray!! Because I didn't have anyone at home to help me remove the bench seats in the van I couldn't take very much. It took me three trips to the convenience center. Here, out in the country we don't have trash pickup. We have to take it ourselves. All was going well until the third trip. The attendant told me I had been there too much today and to take the trash back home and come back another day. WHAT??? OK, plan B. I decided to take the trash to the land fill. The gate was open so I drove right in. When I got to the weigh station I saw the office had closed fifteen minutes earlier! I circled around to leave and spotted the dumpsters. I wondered what would happen if I just tossed the trash in there. No one was around. Who would know, right? I stepped out of the van and found I had been spotted! The office worker told me I had to take the trash back home and come back another day. Hmmm, that sounded familiar! Undeterred, I drove to another convenience center. Our son and I quickly unloaded the last of the trash. I kind of felt like we were on this covert mission and might be discovered at any moment!

Remember the song Alice's Restaurant? I felt like we were in our own version of this song! I have to tell you. It took me one whole hour to throw away the last load of trash! Well, at least it is now all done.

You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant.........

Linda