Inkling away..........

First warp on the inkle loom down, one more just like it to go. New inkle weaving project for holiday gifts so can't show until after the holidays, so months away from the reveal. 

Outlander........

I decided to revive making inklings just for this last holiday season. These are numbers 25 and 26 in the series. For Outlander fans you may have figured out it's Jamie and Claire.  Is anyone else excited that next month the new season is out on Starz?  I'm ahead by 2 books than where the season is so I'll have to watch a few of last season's episodes to remember where the tv series is. 

I also made a few of these recently - covers for 5x7 notepads.  This was another case of taking the photo with my phone and it turning.  I have it saved correctly on my computer but when loaded to the blog it turns and I can't correct that. No one seems to know why this happens. I've decided I'm just going to have to use the camera rather than the phone for anything I want to post to the blog. I'm going to offer to teach my local American sewing guild how to make these sometime this year.

Holiday Cheer

 I wasn't sure if I'd sign up for the Inglenook Fibers 12 Days of Christmas spin-a-long again but I did. My box arrived a bit over a week ago filled with these fun paper packages of fiber numbered with each day. Spinning commences on Christmas Day. The inspiration for this years fiber is the cat graphic so it's looking like some beautiful neutrals. What I can't decide is if I should spin them in order like I have the past 2 years, spin them as mini skeins, or just open one each day and after I see the entire grouping decide if they get spun in order or if I mix them up. I still have plenty of time to decide. It is tough not to sneak a look but I'll wait until Christmas morning along with everyone else.

I know I've posted my inkling tree in the past but thought I'd post it again. It all started with an article in Handwoven many years ago with directions showing a handful of ideas.  Well, I took off and had so much fun over the years with this. They have been gifted to family and a handful of friends over the years. I took a couple breaks, haven't made any since 2015.......but I've got an idea, if I can pull it off there will be 2 new inklings for the 2019 holiday season.  Here's a list of what I've made so far, many years I made 2 of them.

1996 - Santa and Angel

1998 - Native American and Mexican Cha Cha

1999 - Flower Child and Mother Earth

2000 - Flying Nun and Briggatine Monk (nun one of my favs)

2001 - Clown and 2001 A Weaving Odyssey (based on our nw conference of that name)

2002 - Uncle Sam and Knitter

2003 - Geisha and Samurai (2 of my all time favorites)

2004 - Wendy Weaver and  Spinster Sue

2005 - Merlin the Wizard and Eskimo Pie

2006 - Pumpkin Pie Me Oh My and Frosty

2012 - She Sells Sea Shells

2013 - Bee Happy Honey

2014 - Amish Amy the Quilter

2015 - Lahela (Sheep's Friend) Mele Kalikimaka

Mele Kalikimaka

This years inkling ornament is my little hula dancer, Lahela, which translates to sheep's friend. Some family and friends have been getting my inkling creations for years, there are 24 different ones in the collection.  And I'm sorry if some of you that read my blog haven't gotten them but they are a limited edition and in order to get on the list someone has to die and no one wants to wish that on anyone. I've decided that this year is the last year I'll be making them - I'm out of ideas after 24 of them.........if I ever come up with new ideas I'll pick it up again but right now I'm spent..........

A little of this, a little of that........

This week I decided I better start on a few holiday gifts, I didn't get too far but it's a start......unfortunately only dribs and drabs of them will show up here as I don't want the recipients to see them.  I love knitting and felting Lamb Pride yarn - very fun project - knitting in progress.

 

And a bit of inkle weaving for this years inklings - bet no one will be able to guess the theme looking at this blah inkle band.  I love my LeClerc Floor Inkle Loom - I have a 5 yard warp on here, the second warp in this grey color this week, this loom can hold another couple yards........so much more than a table inkle loom.

On the home front much of the week was spent in prep for painting, then the put the house back together mode. Three quarters of the inside of the house is now a pale grey - I love it. The guest/computer room and guest bath would have been done too except I love the wallpaper border and special paint job below that border too much to get rid of it. The two rooms that comprise the studio will never get painted unless we're moving - way too much crap to move out of the way....and the walls don't show anyhow.....and the paint still looks new.....where it's peeking out from behind cones of yarn.

Tomorrow Linda and I set up our spinning group's display at the county fair. The fair is Wednesday-Saturday and many of our group will be there every day demonstrating/gabbing/eating fair food. This is the 100th anniversary of the county fair.

On the fire front - Firefighters are doing an incredible job of keeping these fires from exploding even more and gobbling up additional acreage and homes, that's here in SW Oregon. There are still different levels of evacuation orders in place but they've been downgraded. Right over the border our neighbors in Northern California are having a tough time, more evacuations every day.  This weekend more dry thunderstorms are predicted area wide -it will be a 'hold your breath' environment the next several days. Have I said yet today I hate fire season???   7 more weeks of fire season, give or take.......most probably give.......

We have a winner

We have a winner of the She Sells Sea Shells Inkling. I put the number 7, number of comments, in the random.org number generator and it came up with 2 as the winner - KATHY (I numbered comments starting at the top with number 1).  Kathy, I don't know how to get in touch with you so please email me at cindiesam at yahoo dot com with your mailing information and I'll get her out in the mail - Congrats!

 

 

Busy as a bee........

A little while back I posted a mystery item, part of a holiday project I was working on.........it was a pile of bee wings........and here's that project - my inkling for 2013 'Bee Happy Honey'. It's a hive of little bees that have found themselves in new homes this holiday season. The bodies are inkle woven, the wings drawn, scanned, printed on vellum and then laminated, faces handstitched and bodies embellished with some fun finds from the scrapbook section of the craft store. Hmm.......have to start brainstorming for next year's inklings....have many ideas in the back of my mind but will have to see which one strikes me later in the new year. The little bees are #22 in the series I started many years ago that I've gifted to some family & friends........as much as I'd love to give away more inklings each year they are limited edition ornaments.

This and that........

Haven't been posting because I haven't been doing much lately - getting sidetracked from weaving - I think being in front of the fire during these cold freezing fog days and now snow today has been more inviting. I've been spinning, a little knitting. I want to weave - I just don't seem to get to the loom - that gingko leaf warp is still on the AVL waiting to be woven off after I wove the first scarf, cut it off, washed it and sent it off to be (hopefully) judged into a traveling exhibit.

I thought I'd share a few things I made for gifts since they are mostly delivered. Above is a pair of knit wrist warmers from The Woodsy Association pattern by Tiny Owl Knits - I bought the kit for all the critters thru Knit Picks. I also knit two more pair that I forgot to take pictures of - one pair with a buck on each one, one with raccoons. I have a lot of yarn from the kit so I'll eventually be making more of these. There was an option for this pattern to do intarsia or duplicate stitch - I started out doing intarsia and realized with so many stitches of one color here and there that it would be better to do duplicate stitch. They turned out great. I did need to wear reading glasses and use an Ott light to work on the dark backgrounds though.

These are some flour sack breadcloths I embroidered for the breadmakers and future breadmaker in my life - I made the skull/crossbones style for the guys. I still need to make my own.....maybe next week......

And after a many year hiatus inklings have made a return. This year it's "She Sells Sea Shells". If you go to my December 1, 2011 post you'll see a small tree filled with all the different inklings I've made over the years. I guess I just needed a break from them, no lack of ideas/themes.....who knows, maybe there will be another one next year. 

 

Now off to sit in front of the fire to spin some of that roving I divided up by colorway from my previous post. I've already got 2 of the 4 colorways spun and plied - love the way they look - will post a picture once all 4 are done.

A little holiday cheer......

I have tons of huge rubbermaid bins filled with holiday decor.....a total of 5 trees of all sizes, hundreds of ornaments, all with meaning or handmade, handwoven holiday linens and on and on....  But the past few years I just haven't felt like decorating, it just all seems too stressful spending a couple days putting it up, then after the holidays a couple of days taking it down. I gave myself permission to not feel guilt over not wanting to do it and it's worked....it's worked so well I could easily never decorate! Last year I did put a big wreath of local greenery on the gate but that was it. So, this year I've decided to do a tiny bit more. I haven't gotten the gate greenery yet but I have put a wreath out front and my two log reindeer have taken up residence out there too.

I pulled out the little 2 ft tree and put my inklings on it. I first saw inklings in an older Handwoven magazine, they're little folks made from strips of inkle weaving. Well, of course they made me laugh so I had to just take off with the idea and run with it, each year for a number of years I made one or two of them. And you can't make just one of each so I'd make a number of them and gift them to family and friends. They're now collectors pieces. I've even got family that plan on willing them to others in the family when they pass on. I haven't made any in a few years but I've got my list of ideas so who knows....maybe next year! 

I love them all but some are really special to me. They all made me giggle as I was making them. So fun collecting 'props' to go with the theme, so fun to make the little faces that all end up looking different. I'm sorry the detail doesn't show in the picture, some are intricately detailed. All time favs are my geisha with fan and umbrella and samurai complete with sword and kumihimo cord - I made them after listening to book on tape, Shogun, 33 tapes! Then there's my flying nun and brigantine monk complete with a box of fudge. There's my 60's hippie and mother earth, the spinner complete with drop spindle and handspun, knitter and weaver with her weaving book (yes, actual pages in it) and basket of shuttles, raddle & yarn, alaskan fisherman, the american indian and cha cha man (mexican guy), the santa & angel, the snowman complete with felt carrot nose, a wizard in honor of my late Uncle Dave who was an amateur magician and had a wizard collection, a clown, Uncle Sam, Father Autumn with rake & leaves and a commemorative one for our ANWG weaving conference in 2001 in the conference colors.

Maybe next year I'll get back to making more, have a long list of other ideas but just haven't been inspired to get started. And yes, I guess I am a little warped and silly when I get inspired. And no need to ask to get on the list to get one......someone has to die for that to happen and we don't want to wish that, do we?