All In A Day's Work!

    Some of our merry band are still on Spring Break, but we had a vibrant group today!  Catching up on our news is always a great way to start our day.  Andy is back at her threading on the little loom, while Maggie hem stitches another place mat. 

  Tina brought her knitted shawl to share....this is the one she worked on while she was in Texas, and on the drive home (her hubby did the driving....she did the knitting!)  The next step is the blocking!

  Jinx gave the grand tour to her granddaughter, Isabell.  Linda got the tension adjusted on the Herald loom, and was trying out some different weft. 

  Pat directed the process of putting Bertha back into working order.  Treadles were put into place, followed by the harnesses. 

  And, with the beater bar in place, Pat passed the shuttle to Maggie.  Maggie is going to start out with a small 8 shaft pattern to get used to the loom.  Lookin' good, ladies!!!!

  Next week, Carl will be cutting off the rug warp on the barn loom.  We'll be able to cut them apart and tie the fringes rather quickly when everyone pitches in to help.  Then, we can help Carl wind on the next warp.



Bonnie gave me a quick lesson on warping front to back.  You can see the chain wrapped around the front beam, and she's holding the cross in her left hand. 

  She wound four threads at a time, so she picks out one at a time to thread in the reed, then moves to the next set of four.  Next week she'll start threading the heddles.  

We have such a sharing group of weavers....and we are always learning new things!!!!  Isn't that great!

Happy Weaving!

LouAnn

Last Color of Spring

The azaleas are blooming!!! When these azaleas open up the riot of white is amazing. Each year we look forward to them. They must love the location because we sure do neglect them. We don't fertilize them or cut them back. They go way over on the driveway and we drive to the side to protect them!

 The splash of salmon in there is the azalea we got in the 80s as a memorial to my Grandmother. I wanted just a touch of color among the white. Looks like we should get after that bed in the foreground and clear out stuff. I'm always afraid to do it, afraid I'll pull some money plant by mistake. They go wherever they want! Some of it's starting to bloom plus we've got some pots of it there that we got from a neighbor. Our money plant is all purple. Theirs are white and we want both in the yard.

 One thing we started to do a few years ago was transplant the azaleas. We couldn't find more of the kind  we have so DH put a rock on a stem of one or two under the bushes and waited til new roots were established and then dug them out, transplanting them to the other side of the sidewalk. These are 2 bushes he moved. They're young yet but should continue to spread on this side.

 The blooms are really big. We haven't found any at the nurseries that are this big so that's why we started transplanting our own. It takes time but is definitely worth the work. We live where you can't see our house from the road. I'm kind of glad for that because it's like a best kept secret!

 We have a small
 lilac bush that has tiny flowers. It blooms after the others. I included a picture of the bloom for my Mom. See how small they are compared to the leaves? I don't know what kind of bush it is but the flowers are a pale purple.

On the loom this week was a navy warp. The picture looks gray but it's not. It's a deep rich navy with a few other accent yarns included. The variegated chenille yarn gives it a bit of a kick but the picture doesn't really show it. Next up will be turquoise! That'll be another warp that I'll enjoy weaving!

 I like to make baby blankets but haven't had time to do it lately. However, a friend is due May 9 so I'd better get on the stick and sew! It's a boy who will be a brother to a big sister, kind of like Karen in the Wood's new grandbabies! This is just part of the quilt.

 I like the way  the fabric includes trains and farms.

I'm always on the lookout for cool fabric for these blankets. Recently I saw online that they have printed fabric with the Berenstain Bears on it. There's a whole collection of fabrics including polka dots, butterflies, baseball mitts, bats and balls.  Also there are several with the bears themselves on them. It's the coolest thing. I found some in town this week and got some to make baby blankets, altho DD wants a throw with it. I'll post pictures when I get around to sewing them. I think the fabric is just the most incredible. DD loved those books and we read them alot  when she was young!

I got a centrifuge last week from Laundry Alternatives. It's going to save so much time wringing out skeins, etc when dyeing. But, first I'm going to be soaking all the loopers I dyed in RIT in retayne to stop any fading. I think it'll come in handy to wring out those loopers. They'll dry much faster when all that water is out of them. The machine works great. It's amazing how dry things are once the water is spun out of there.
That's going to be a fun thing to do this week!!
Guess I've got my work cut out for me!
Til next week
Carol

Onward!!!

  First of all....thank you to everyone who helped out naming the hot pads.  I had actually saved that drawdown as "Hollywood Hot Pads."  Great minds and all that!!!!!  I just loved the comments!
  The next batch of hot pads to test will be the Fiesta Pads.  I LOVE my Fiesta dishes, and it just so happens that I have thread that matches the plates!!!  I've finished the drawdown using a Log Cabin threading, and I think these will be lots of fun to weave.  Maybe I can get these on the loom later next week.

This week's project was the Bead Leno scarf by Betsy Sizkil.  It's from the Sixty Scarves for 60 Years book by the Weavers Guild of Greater Baltimore.  If you haven't seen this book yet, you'll want to take a look!
  Every time I open the book, I see something new and different.  The colors....the weave structures...the use of different yarns!  Oh my! 

  This scarf came off the loom last night, and I'm twisting the fringes this morning.  I think it will look really great with my linen dress in the morning.  (I'm really glad the dress has a little jacket that goes over it since the temps have dropped to a more seasonal level here!)

  It's a fast weave....once you get the hang of it!  The beads cause the threads to twist, and also produce a VERY narrow shed.  I started the scarf twice before I got the hang of it!  Third time is the charm!
  Also, Carol clarified the hemstitching portion:  it clearly says to hand weave 6 picks of basket weave.  And, that's the key....HAND weave....just like you're doing tapestry. 
  But, it is so soft and light weight!  This will be a great summer scarf!  This would be fun to do in some colors, too!
  I hope you have a joyus weekend!
Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

Sprucing Up!

Easter Dinner will be at our house this year!  That means that Dear One and I have been very busy.  He has been taking care of those pesky spots outside and I have been taking care of those pesky spots inside.  For him it means moving stacks of firewood and laying down some wood chips to make a patio for a table and chairs in the side yard by the new playing field, (last years garden gone wild!) and of course weeding the flower beds and mowing everything down that needs it.  For me it means painting the kitchen and entry way, and scrubbing trim.

I have never considered myself a decorator, I just don't have the gene, I guess.  Everything ends up just a little too willy-nilly and cluttered to me.  This time, however, I thought I would take a stab at it.  After I had taken the kitchen from yellow to blue, I gathered all our Italy related items and set to work  "displaying" them.

You can see this mornings sun streaming in through the window, I like the clean uncluttered look here.  I may look for something to place above the picture on the left. These pictures are postcards from our favorite Italian places.

This wall contains almost all Florentine scenes, and a beautiful script my niece did  for us in Italian. (She has a beautiful hand with calligraphy.)

 "Custodici il tuo cuore con ogni cura, perche' da esso sgorgano le sorgente della vita"  Proverbi 4:23

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."  Proverbs 4:23 NIV



There are also some pictures of our kids in the larger picture.  One of them is of my third child eating ice cream and glaring at her older sister who had just stolen the flag off of her cone!

That daughter has come home for a visit this weekend, she has 3 more months before her first baby is due, and she looks marvelous!  My youngest and her husband have come come home as well for the weekend.  We will be heading to Africa sometime this year to finalize their adoption of siblings. That means by this time next year we will have 8 grandchildren!

My Son and his family are in Texas with a new baby, so we aren't quite complete. They all say that this Christmas they will all be here! That will be 18 of us, not counting the extended family in the area, what joy!

Until next time, Happy Easter, Tina

Gone AWOL

New plants, waiting for their garden

You might have to excuse me.  I've been sitting on Market Square with my BFF drinking wine and eating tapas.  I'm as tired of not posting on Wednesdays as you might be my not doing so, so I will forge ahead.  I might need another glass of wine.
  I worked 14 hours yesterday--why I missed Bertha's big move-- while Mom watched Bella, making and plating the dessert for the "Lucky Blackberry" cooking school, featuring David Chang, http://www.momofuku.com/.  I slept in, dogless this morning, then took Mom to lunch and went to the nurseries, which is what we do when the weather is pleasant.  Here are the plants I bought today, mostly for the slopes of my front yard.  There's a sunny side and a shady side, and these plants are for both.  I have invasive mints, cat mints, lemon balm, lavender and rosemary, hoping to cover the sunny side in aromatic obnoxiousness.  The shady side will be purple and green and delicate.

Flamingo sentinels watch over their garden

  I finally found a home for one pair of the flamingos, buried in the lavender and Sweet William and snapdragons.  I have another pair, still virginal in their box, awaiting my resurrection of the backyard flower beds.
  All this will happen tomorrow, with no time for weaving, but spring has sprung and I must answer!
  I did so want to share a photo with you, but I can't figure out how to move a photo from Instagram to email to saved photo!  Yesterday, one of my co-workers was helping out David Chang's sous chef, making impossibly thin sugar wafers.  Now, a wafer of any kind in pastry is called a Tuile, the French word for Tile.  Andrew worked for hours, removing these thin wafers from a "stick proof" silicone sheet.  He carefully placed them on parchment and put them in plastic boxes.  When he had a tall stack of plastic boxes, he asked me if he could keep them in the chocolate room where the humidity wouldn't affect them.  I said yes.  He stacked them high up on the chocolate cabinet, and when he left, I read the blue tape labels:  "Sugar Twills."  Hmmm, I thought, a new weave structure!  Sweet!
Happy Weaving!
Maggie

  

She's Backkkkkkk!!!!!

May I introduce you to our very own

BIG BERTHA!

She's a beauty....and she's very wide (60 inches!)

She's been at the Spa (Pat's house) for the last little bit, and it was time for her to come back to the Center.

(In other words, Pat would like her room back!)

  Allan, Tina and I set out from the Center and drove to Pat's house in Knoxville this morning to bring the lovely lady back to Norris.

  

  After we arrived, all we could think about was seeing Pat's grand new hen house.  This was designed by Pat's grandson, and it is the Taj Mahal of  chicken coops!!!!

  And, here are the lucky ladies that reside in the hen house!  These are truly free range chickens (or as much as you can free range in the city!)

But, we had to get back to work, and with Dan's help, the four of us loaded Bertha onto Allan's truck.

  Meanwhile, at the Center, the Weavers were putting all those wonderful dishes out for the Potluck lunch.  We had a speaker from the Small Business Administration talking about setting up your own small business.

  Linda had met Bruce before when he gave a talk to another group, and thought he had some good tips for us, too.  He was able to stay and have lunch with us and answer more questions.

  Then it was time to get back to work.....Bertha was a tad too wide to come through the door....even when she sucked in and held her breath.  

  But, Allan just removed the bottom beam and when Bertha was tilted up....in she went!!!!!

  She's back in position, and next week we can replace the harnesses and beater bar.  Then, we can start thinking about what to weave on this nice, wide loom.  (Any ideas, Maggie???)

Wheeee.....what a busy day!!!!

Happy Weaving!

LouAnn

Color

I love the colors of spring. As one flowering tree stops blooming, another begins. The wisteria is done, the redbuds and pear trees are green already but the lilacs are blooming!!! We planted a few bushes a couple of years ago. There are 2 kinds and one is in full bloom. The plant is huge, tall! I think it must be very much like the ones I grew up with that people planted as hedges. Imagine, a long hedge full of blooming lilacs. The smell is heavenly!! Our 2 bushes have blossoms on them now, way at the top!!

 I'm just glad that they've been ok with our quirky East Tennessee weather! There aren't alot of lilacs around here. Mostly I've seen them in older parts of town. When my daughter was in middle school, I'd drive her there each day. I knew exactly where all the lilacs were as we headed across South Knoxville. Since then some have been removed as people change their yards but I sure did enjoy them while they were there!

 We have a long driveway. In fact, there are 3 houses on our driveway. Someone, years ago, planted some azaleas at the road. Of course, the ivy's about taken over everything but in spring the azaleas are gorgeous.

 Color. I love color. It makes me happy. I guess that's why I like spring and fall so much.
Weaving, I am happier weaving color as well. The warp on the loom right now is mostly navy but I had this accent yarn that had some bright green in it so I added it to the middle. Also, I added a couple of yarns in green to the warp. One is an apple green. This picture doesn't do it justice. It stands out nicely and I think these pieces will sell quickly. I'm almost done this warp. The next one will be all navy. It's already wound. Thankfully it's not a solid navy. I should have pictures of it next week.

Family is still keeping me from being able to weave as much as I'd like, but I'm getting as much done as I can each week. I'm glad to be able to help and in the next weeks might not get much weaving done at all. However, knowing my looms are there and that I can throw a shuttle when I have a minute is very reassuring. I can't imagine what it would be like not to have a hobby. 
I'm heading to the studio now to see how much I can get done in the bit of time I have today!!
Until next week..
Carol