Half Done

About 20 years ago I was asked to weave some curtains for a lodge at the top of Mount LeConte. What a huge honor! I was replacing curtains that had been there for many years, woven by someone who obviously had been in the mountains a long time, a master weaver. They were pretty, nothing too intricate but still nice. However, the curtains were falling apart after being up there so long. I was told how long to make them and given a scrap of the old and an idea of how they wanted them to look. So, I wove curtains. Thinking of the rugged area and the way the cabins looked, I chose carpet warp for the fabric. Carpet warp is pretty indestructible and I knew they'd hold up quite well. So that's what I used.

Most of what I wove looked like this:

 

 However, there were bands of color near the bottom of the panels.

 A wide strip, then a narrower one.

 Hmm, which side should I use for the front? The picture above or the one that you see as it winds down onto the cloth beam? Jury's out on that one....

There's another band near the top of each panel that I forgot to take a picture of.
So I wove the curtains. Each year they would call and ask for a few more until the dining room and the office had curtains as well as the cabins. The last time I wove was in 2002. I thought I was done. However, in December I got a call. Some of those original curtains are 20 years old and the kerosene heaters and just the use have made them look a bit sad. Each year they take the curtains down and bring them back down the mountain (probably on the llamas that bring supplies up a couple of times a week) and wash them before they are air lifted in March for the next season.
So, I pulled out my records and figured out my warps. I have to weave for 10 windows. That's 20 panels. I can warp enough on my warping board to do 10 panels so that's what I did. I've got the first warp woven and the second one was wound onto the loom yesterday. Today I'll thread it and begin to weave. I hope to get it done in the next week or so.
I have til the end of February to get them done, but I'm heading north soon for a couple of weeks. I want to get the weaving done before that.
That's what my weaving week looked like....and this coming one as well!!
Not always an exciting pattern or color to look at but knowing that they'll spruce up the cabins up there and make the hikers feel cozy in their cabins each night, especially after the long, tiring hike up there, is inspiration for me to keep weaving them!
Until next week, keep weaving!!
Carol

Just Keep Spinning!

I was reminded of Dorie's important words several times these last few weeks.  I have a spinning project that has taken a long time to finish.  It was a gray Jacobs roving that I found in my stash just after the Ravelry competition Tour de Fleece.  (This spinning competition takes place during the Tour de France.)  The Tour kick started my spinning energy, so July 22nd I tore into this huge pile of roving that came billowing out of the much smaller box.  My default yarn is a 2ply fingering wt, when I spin a woolen longdraw, it is a quick and easy method for getting a fluffy, lofty yarn.

I worked on this roving  pretty steadily thru the latter part of July and then through August, all the way until mid September.  (Mid September through most of November, I was on special assignment, helping my daughter in Ghana.)  It took me a little while once I got home to get back to it, but by then I had come up with a project that I wanted to do with all this yarn.  So I was motivated to just keep spinning!  The Holidays took a huge chunk out of my spinning time, which I do not grudge at all!  We had a marvelous time with family in for a visit and friends over to the house as well.

The temps were falling, while I spun in the new year with my Ravelry friends.  (I am not usually quite so close to the fire, and I don't normally have the wood stove door open either!)








Finally, those special days were over, and life closer to normal, I picked up my roving again, and got spinning!


Don't look at that lovely blue Merino roving that you got for Christmas!   Just keep spinning!

 Don't be tempted by the flax you are just itching to get on the distaff!  (Don't  think about the Antique German Double flyer  Spinning wheel you have on the way!)  Just keep spinning!

 Not a glance at the 8 oz of white Cormo/Targhee fleece that came in the mail!

Just Keep Spinning!


I told Lou Ann that I was sick to death of this gray, but I just kept spinning.  I even spiced it up by using a cool tweeding effect I saw on Youtube, on one of the skeins.  I think you can see it in the picture to the left.

Finally, Wednesday evening, I plied the last little bit, and plunged the final 5 skeins of yarn into a warm bath in the sink, hung them up to drip dry a little bit, wrapped them in a towel to smoosh the last bit of water out and laid them out to dry.  Thursday once they were dry, I counted the yardage in each skein, and made sure to label each one so that I will not be relying on my memory!

In the end, I have almost 3000 yds of 2ply fingering wt, handspun yarn.  It is destined to become a poncho, once I double check the math.







It has been a really long haul, but I am so pleased to have persevered and for me, to have not started another spinning project was huge!  I have several wheels so I could have easily done that, yet I knew, that I would have had trouble getting back to the Jacobs, and I really wanted it done!

Next week, I will get back into the studio and to the projects on the looms, I think I am ready.  I had hoped to join Lou Ann and the others in their study of Lace, but it isn't going to happen for this week, too many other things happening this Sunday.

Until next week, Happy Spinning and Weaving, Tina

In The Mood

  I toddled down to my mail box in the sunshine yesterday, and the new Arrowmont workshop catalog was waiting for me!  Of course that means that I had to look at all the offerings for 2014.

 You can look at the catalog on their website:  www.arrowmont.org

  Oh my....there are some interesting classes being offered!!!  Jason Collingwood will be there Sept. 28-October 4....just saying.

 I have been busy getting ready for Sunday's study group.  There's lots to tidy up around my house, but I have started pulling some of my books that have lace weaving included.  (This may be a case of too much information!!!)
  I also got the centerpiece for the table ready:  a basket full of fiber goodness!!!
  I am so excited about our group...not too sure just how it will work, but I know I'll learn a lot.

 

  And, I do have a little hand project to keep me honest.  I can't tell you any more about it just yet.  But, I can tell you that this is Colorando yarn from my favorite yarn shop, Clinch River Yarns.  It was just waiting for the right project.

  I'm still threading warps....that seems to be an ongoing project!  (And, I need to put a warp on for my study project, too!!!)  Outside the glass doors I noticed that I still have some snow hanging on in the shady areas.
  Folk wisdom says that this snow is hanging on until the next snow.....uh-oh!
  After our brush with the Arctic Vortex, I'm not in the mood for more wintry weather!!!  The kitties and I want to just snuggle in and wait winter out!!!  
  Since that's not an option, I guess I'll get some coffee and go thread.
Stay Warm!!!
Weave On!
LouAnn

Keep Warm and Weave On!

  Or, we could title this:  It's 10:00 a.m.  Do you know where your weavers are?

(We set a record for this date with a low temp of 2 degrees this morning.  The Center is closed due to the extreme cold.)

 

  The call went out over the internet yesterday afternoon:  send me a picture of your project at home.  As always, the weavers came through!

  Ann has three slub cotton afghans with hand-dyed stripes that are finished....she was going to wind a new warp during the game last night.

Linda B. is weaving a scarf.  She said that the colors look more true on the shuttle.
 




 
 











  Tina has acquired a Navajo spindle (which I'm sure we'll hear more about on Friday!!!)  That wood stove looks warm!







Sharen finished a shawl on her rigid heddle, and is now working on a scarf.







She's also started her once a year sock knitting project.

Cindy wove 4 placemats, and then tied on more warp for a table runner!


  Carol didn't have a picture of her newest warp yet.  But, it's a 22 yard natural warp for curtains.  I just bet we'll hear more about that next Monday!!!!


Eiko also wrote me that she didn't have anything on her loom just yet.....she's getting a warp ready.

  Karin is still working on her mats on the table loom, and she has a scarf on her Cricket.  Those little looms sure come in handy!

  Maggie is beading her hem.....WOW!  Now that's paying attention to detail!



That is looking so nice!!!

Jocelyn wrote that she is dressing her loom for the very first time at home!

Let's all send her some positive vibes........

That first time all by yourself is a little scary!

Me.....I'm threading.  This is a long overdue yardage warp for a friend.  The fireplace makes it much nicer.

  My best fiber buddy (and sister) texted me this morning to make sure I was doing OK....she saw that it was just 2 degrees here.
  Sure....I was just getting ready to blog...so what fiber project did she have going????
  A cloche....of course!!!  Now, that would come in very handy in this neck of the woods!

  I think Sweetie has the right idea.....find a little ray of sunshine, and just take it easy.  I'll see all of my weaving friends next Tuesday.
  In the meantime..........
Stay Warm!
Weave On!!!
LouAnn

 

 



Baby, it's cold out there!!

 

It really is cold out there, at least for us. It's just an hour or so before noon and the temperature is below 20 degrees and going down. The wind is kicking up and that wind chill will be wicked!! People here in the south aren't used to this kind of weather. The roads are covered in black ice but there's not that much snow on the ground. We got about an inch and a half but that's all. It's the rain that came beforehand that froze plus the cold, cold wind that's going to get us!

So the Tuesday Weavers won't be weaving tomorrow at the center. We'll be home, weaving on our own looms!! The Christmas party will just be postponed an extra week. Anticipation!!

 

I talked to my family last night in Moose Jaw. If we think we're cold....their wind chill when I talked to them was minus 52. Might be celsius but at those low temperatures there isn't a difference. It's very cold!! Hopefully they will warm up like we do about Wednesday!

 

The rugs are off the loom. The ends have been serged but I haven't had time to pin and hem them yet. Later this week that'll happen and then some of them will go to the Art Market Gallery for sale. The first 3 with the brown, green and gold fabric weft will be put aside to go to Canada to my sister's friend. She'll get her pick and help decide what to do with the rest.

 

 

 All three are slightly different. The first one I wove using bands of fabric just under 2 inches wide. Remember the strips were all 108 inches long, so that made a big difference in how it went together.

 The last 2 rugs had fabric widths of 3 inches. Worked nicely too!  I wove 2 strands of carpet warp for the weft on the hems. Sometimes I wove a solid brown, sometimes gold and brown and I know there are a couple with green and brown. Blending yarns is kind of fun. Seeing how they turn out looking through the camera lens is always interesting.

 I'd planned about 7 rugs on this warp. The last 4 were woven using selvedges I'd gotten. These make for heavy rugs but they are nice and plush!

 It's interesting to see how the colors work together. I wanted to use a bunch of small balls of selvedges I had, making them work across the rug. I'm hoping for someone who likes eclectic things to buy this one!!

 I have a couple of bags of fairly thick selvedges. Green and natural. I wove 2 rugs with these but the bags are still as full as ever. Doesn't look like I took anything out of them!

 The natural with green rug is a bit shorter than the others.

I'd love to just wind another warp for rugs and keep going but I have an order for curtains. I'm replacing curtains that I wove about 18 years ago. They've been up at the lodge all this time but now need replacing. We're tweaking it a bit, adding about 5 inches to the length to give them more room to shrink over the years when they wash them.
Today I'll get the warp wound and on the loom. Hopefully threaded too.
So you know what I'll be doing tomorrow instead of weaving at Norris. I'll be weaving at home! I have 10 windows to do, 20 panels. The goal is to get them woven in the next 2 weeks. We'll see how far I get!! After that will be all the handwork, measuring and stitching the casings for hanging them up on the rods.
Until next week, stay warm and keep weaving!!
Carol

Snow Day

It's currently 51 degrees and partly cloudy outside, but we all know that in a few hours, rain will come along, turning to snow in the wee hours, and the temperature will plummet to 17 degrees by noon tomorrow.  Hard to believe, isn't it?  And it's made the Tuesday Weavers cancel our Holiday Party, complete with gift exchange and potluck for the 14th.
  I'm happy to burrow in my loominaria for the next two days and weave, especially now that I've dyed new weft for the purple and gold shawl warp.  I can't believe how perfect it came out!  I do love the first shawl, with its cream colored weft of rayon, but I think the new gold weft will be stunning.  And I dyed it myself!
  I'm still wondering whether to bead in between the fringes, especially since I found the perfect beads, lots of variety, and all matching the warp and weft.
  I finished the second three-thread Huck lace scarf on Tootsie, too, and started a new one with some taupe-colored rayon I bought a few years ago.  I think it will still be masculine, but have a nicer drape than the merino.  It's weaving up fast, and the project waiting in the wings will be for our new study group on Huck lace.  Be sure to let LouAnn or Marie or me know if you're interested in joining us!
  All across the country, this storm will be postponing things and inconveniencing folks.  I hope you're safe and sound, weaving away happily!
  Maggie

Starting The Year Off Right!

  Yesterday, the Museum of Appalachia posted on Facebook that they were fixing traditional good luck foods for lunch. That was just the motivation I needed to drive up to the Museum to do a little weaving in the Peter's cabin. 
  My reward was this lucky lunch:  black-eyed peas, cornbread, greens and fried cabbage.  (The blackberry cobbler was just my reward for the day!)  The menu was so popular that they ran out of collard greens right before I came in (that's why I had turnip greens) and I got the last serving of black-eyed peas!!!! 
  I heard one guy ask if there was maybe just ONE pea left in the kettle!!!! 

  It was a wee bit on the chilly side yesterday, around 31 degrees when I got there.  It didn't take too long to get the fire started in that lovely fireplace, and it was toasty just sitting and weaving.  I am just about finished with the Christmas ribbon that I had started last month.  I took more thread to start a new warp, just in case I got finished.
    But, I had such a fun time talking to folks about weaving, that I still haven't finished that warp!  One young couple from North Carolina told me about a friend of theirs that is working with the Smithsonian to set up an American Textile History Museum.  He has rescued a bunch of old looms from the textile mills in the northeast.  This is something I want to find out more about!  You just never know who you will meet when you are at the Museum of Appalachia!
  Last week I wrote about my goals for the new year, and come to find out, two of my Tuesday Weaver friends also want to play around with LACE!  Marie, Maggie and I are starting a study group to explore the weave structure of lace.  We aren't too sure the exact direction we'll go with our study group, but I guess we'll find that out, too.  If any of our weaving friends would like to join in, our first meeting is Sunday, 12 January, here at my house. 
  What a great way to start a new year, right? 
New things to learn and meeting new folks!!!! Life is good!
Happy Weaving to you in 2014!
LouAnn