Thursday, July 11, 2024
Friday, July 5, 2024
Santa's workshop
Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th - ours luckily did not include any major fires from fireworks (yet) just many small ones that were addressed quickly. We are in a heat wave - was 103 at the house yesterday, today hotter, tomorrow even hotter, around 113. I used to say it's not as bad as the east coast because we don't have humidity here but when it's over 100 it's bad no matter what......and it looks to be over 100 every day for at least the next week.
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Catching up.......
Monday, May 13, 2024
A few more.......
Started on towels with a lavender weft. Not sure what color I'll choose next.
Sunday, May 12, 2024
Weaving away.........
Weaving away on some towels for hostess gifts.......and will also be keeping a couple of them. Two block twill in unmercerized cotton. I like the way these first two turned out using a white weft. The warp is a medium gray and black.
I took a 2 day workshop with Denise Kovnat last weekend - One Warp, Many Structures: Exploration in Extended Parallel Threading. I learned a lot about how to do my own designing in echo and will start playing with it after I finish up some other projects. I still have some warp on my table loom so will be playing with it more in the near future. Denise was a great instructor. I'll take photos of my samples and post them soon.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Weaving guild challenge.....
Rather than create something inspired by the colors in the postcard I decided to use the actual art from it. I scanned the postcard, enlarged it and then printed it out on two pages of fabric backed with paper that's meant to go through an inkjet printer. I warped up the loom in a Theo Moorman draft using 10/2 dark gray perle cotton and dark gray sewing thread. the sewing thread is the tie down thread. I cut the printed fabric into 1/4" strips a handful at a time to keep them in order and started weaving.
I wasn't sure how to finish the piece for hanging and went through several different ideas. I had woven enough plain weave for a backing. I didn't want to quilt it but it needed some umpf so I used an iron on pellon product to make the front and back a bit stiffer. I didn't have enough of the plain woven fabric to make a binding and I had decided I did want a binding - I found a print fabric in my stash that went with it perfectly so that became the binding. i didn't take a photo of the back but I created a label that I printed on fabric to put on the back. Also on the back I put triangles of fabric in the corners to insert a slat of wood for hanging - if you know quilting you may have done this for small wallhangings.
I can see in the photo I need to push/adjust a few of those fabric strips to have straighter edges again, it's easy to do. They moved a bit during the sewing process.
A side note - If you're interested in seeing the postcards for all the national parks they're available to purchase, they also have posters and some other items. They really are beautiful to even just look at on the website. My guild bought a box of them for our challenge.
Another sidenote - when a fellow guild member, another Cindy, saw the park postcard I had picked she immediately told me about author Nevada Barr who has written murder mysteries that take place in national parks and that there was one on Isle Royale. I looked it up and found that was book #3 so I first read books #1 & #2. I then read book #3 on 'my' park which gave me insights into what the island is like. I've now just started book #4. I need to check out how many there are. So far my library has had these and they're also available through Library2Go/Libby.
I don't always participate in the yearly guild challenge, all depends on if it interests me, this year was a definite yes. It will be fun to see what others were inspired to create from their postcards.
Thursday, April 18, 2024
On the loom............
Friday, April 12, 2024
More on the secret project
Another warp on the loom for my secret holiday project. I found this draft on handweaving.net - it's called Leaves or Feather Point Twill, Ann Frischkorn #79845. It's a 16H point twill. This is a 10/2 perle cotton warp and weft. I can see this being a beautiful scarf in tencel or silk - may have to add that to my to-do list for the future..........or a painted warp. I think I even have a painted warp in the stash that's in autumn colors - hmm, something to think about........
Friday, April 5, 2024
On the wheel.......
I'm in the process of warping up my table loom for a workshop in around a month......more to come on that.
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Tumbling blocks.....
Another warp on the loom for my secret project. It's a 16 harness draft called Tumbling Blocks. I used this draft for several scarves a number of years ago. For the life of me I can't remember where I got the wif file - I'm thinking on handweaving.net but can't be positive. I usually write info like that down in my records but seems I didn't on those scarf projects.
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
On the loom..........
What came off the loom yesterday is my guild challenge. I'll post a picture of it once it's done, I'm still in the thinking stage of how to finish it for display. The Theo Moorman weave structure for it turned out just as I wanted.
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
National Park hat
Sorry the picture is sideways - I took it using both orientations with my phone and both were turned. There's no rhyme or reason to why sometimes it works, sometimes not. I take several pix.
Monday, March 4, 2024
Was current warp...........
Sunday, February 18, 2024
Yet another warp......
Thinking of guild challenges, our challenge for this year was pulling a National Park postcard from a pile of envelopes containing them. I pulled Isle Royale which is a Michigan island in Lake Superior very close to Canada. I had never heard of it. A fellow guild member told me about author Nevada Barr who wrote a series of mystery books that take place in National Parks, the main character is a female park ranger. The second book in the series took place on Isle Royale. I have now read 3 books in the series, they're light and quick reads and I'm enjoying learning about more National Parks.....will soon get the next in the series from the library. I have an idea for my challenge piece but am waiting for one supply I need - will share my plan when I get it on the loom. I decided in addition to a woven piece I'll also knit the hat out of the book Knitting the National Parks - I'm ready to start that any day now. BTW - that book is a beautiful knitting book, love the hat patterns for each park.
Onward with the day..........
Friday, February 16, 2024
More for the secret project......
Yesterday was not without snafu's at the AVL when I started weaving. Springs at the bottom of the harnesses sprung off a couple times, cable came undone from the top hooks and jumped out of the guide a couple times. Very frustrating but eventually all was well, not sure what the problem was...........and then when I started to weave again I was getting a shed so small the shuttle wouldn't fit through. I did what often needs to be done with techie things, turned everything off and on, more than once but eventually the shed was back to normal - phew. The rest of the time weaving was uneventful.
Next warp planned for the AVL. It's an original design of mine. I may wind it today........or may get sidetracked and work on something else...........
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Plaid......
More hats being knit on the Addi machine in-between other projects and chores.
Friday, February 2, 2024
A pile of hats
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Knitting progress............
I finally finished a pair of black socks, with specks, that I had set aside while working on holiday gifts. I love having handknit black socks but this is the last time I knit black ones, way too hard to see. I can cross these black socks off my to-do list. In the bottom corner is another pair of socks in progress, always need to have some on the needles to work on when I have down time waiting somewhere.
Monday, January 22, 2024
Overshot......
Take two on my lost Friday. Saturday I spent a good part of the day winding this warp of 20/2 perle cotton in navy to replace the black warp that kept breaking. It's hard to see but the 10/2 perle cotton pattern weft is a brilliant lime green, no sun today so I couldn't get the color right. Once this is off the loom and washed the design will be square. Hoping to finish weaving today.........
(in case anyone is interested this pattern is Queen's Delight out of the monograph - Miniature Patterns for Handweaving by Josephine Estes)
Friday, January 19, 2024
A lost day......
Saturday, January 13, 2024
thinking spring tulips
I started weaving some spring tulips even though tulip time is 3-4 months away. These are for a long term project yet to be written about. 20/2 perle cotton warp and ground weft, 10/2 perle cotton pattern, sett is 30 epi.
Today we have torrential rains which is better than the ice to the north and snow to the east. I'll be staying in to weave and knit while listening to audio book 8 of the outlander series. I had wanted to go to the weaving guild meeting but it's probably 50 minute drive, much of it on the highway with crazy drivers, especially semi's, in this rain I'd rather not be on the road with them. As a friend on the coast would say it's raining pitchforks and shovels.
Saturday, January 6, 2024
The good and the bad.......
The good - I'm ahead of the game - today I put together a total of 30 cards that will be birthday cards for this coming year. I wove the fabric last spring on a scarf warp that I intentionally put extra warp on for cards. It has sequins in little double weave pockets. This is a sampling of some of the cards. I probably should have taken a close up picture of one of the cards - at this point I'm just happy the pic turned right side up once loaded to blogger. I've gotten low on envelopes to fit this size so will have to make a stop at Staples next time out.
The bad - I hadn't put this on my to-do list even though it was something I've wanted to do for months. Now I don't get the pleasure of crossing it out. Does it still count if I write it on the list now and then cross it off???
Friday, January 5, 2024
Another finished project in the new year.......
I continue to go through some stash/books to see if they need to go live elsewhere so they get used. I have a container of novelty yarns that would be great to mix in as accents in knitting or weaving projects that will need new homes, still keeping some for myself. Today I'm going to look over my knitting books, some of which I bought but will probably never knit any of the patterns.
Sheesh - just noticed in the picture I have a mistake, a white stitch where it should be purple. Thinking it will stay that way. I could try doing a duplicate stitch overtop the white stitch but then that might even draw more attention to it. Oh well.........
Monday, January 1, 2024
Working on that to-do list........
Today's chore was organizing my knitting supplies as they were spread all out over the house instead of where they should be. I thought I was done and then found another basket full. Now they're all organized. Two dilapidated knitting totes are off to the trash, all combined into a third one. I also went through my felted knitting books to share with others. I kept one. I will never make all those projects so best the books move on to someone that will use them. This freed up space on one shelf for more quilting books...........ah, there's always an upside to cleaning out.
Other than the knitting projects I have going I'll have to go look over that very long to-do list to see what I'm in the mood to work on next.
I wish you all a Happy New Year - I wish you peace, good health, no chaos or crisis and lots of time to be creative at what you love doing..............
Thursday, December 28, 2023
Post holiday
And here are our holiday cards. Handwoven as they often are although I have been known to make quilted, crocheted or paper crafted cards.
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
New toy.......
This is my first hat. It is double thick which means it could be reversible, different colors on each side. Learning the tension to put on the yarn coming through my hand takes a while - this hat is a little too tight for an adult but would fit a child just fine. I had enough of the big skein of pink yarn to make a second hat so I lessened the tension in my hand and it turned out perfect.
Sorry, this is upside-down for what reason I don't know. Next up I wanted to try the Cascade 220 wool yarn that I have shelves of. Sam requested a hat so I told him I wasn't in the mood to wind skeins into balls right then so I'd use some leftovers that were already wound. I was worried this would turn out too small as I needed to learn how much tension for this yarn but it's perfect. At first I was having troubled with dropped stitches and what is called tucked stitches - I learned how to fix them except a couple times the ladders on dropped or tucked stitches were crossed so I to take the hat out. My friend told me to use a dryer sheet in my hand and let the yarn run over it, I also held my hand a little lower than the guide - perfect, no issues. I know I saw a video where it showed how to make a jogless change of color - need to go back and find that. Sam loves his new hat, being 2 layers it will be extra warm. I made this hat a little shorter too which is perfect. The inside of the hat is a lighter green with the black. I can't wait to mix and match all the fun colors of yarn I have for some colorful hats.
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
Thursday, November 23, 2023
Playing with fiber on turkey day......
Over a week ago I wound a warp and got it wound on the back beam. Yesterday I threaded heddles, sleyed the reed and got it tied on. Today I started weaving. It's a networked twill with an advancing twill treadling. The left side looks like there's a problem in this pic but there isn't, it's just the way the light is shining in on that side. After this warp I may go back to a quilt project just barely started way back in March.
Sunday, November 5, 2023
Festive table runner
I got this warp on the loom yesterday and almost have it woven off. It's basketweave and twill in 5/2 perle cotton. It was inspired by this fun melamine platter and a matching chip/dip tray I found this summer. They along with the runner will be a fun gift for friends that moved to AZ last year. I just love how festive and cheery it is. I put on enough warp for 2 long runners, not sure if the other will be a gift or if we'll use it ourselves. I've really been enjoying weaving in fun colors lately, it's nice not to always be thinking about what will sell best, I love weaving what tickles me these days..........
Thursday, November 2, 2023
.....that blasted table runner warp.............
Here is one of the table runners woven from that blasted summer & winter project I posted about two weeks ago. It's still not quite square but that would have taken reworking the entire project, as in changing sett and I really didn't want it wider. I'm happy with the end result even if it's not what it should have been. I guess I really should have ironed it before it's pic but at this point I'm happy to get another post on the blog. I'm going to make an effort to do it more often............
Wednesday, November 1, 2023
Towels..........
Towels off the loom this morning, washed and hemmed. They're a 2 block twill weave structure. I started out with sea glass green for weft and woven 2 towels. Then I decided to weave the rest all different colors. I can mix and match them if I want to give away a set of 2. I did take photos of them all on the loom but never got around to posting them so a finished pic is what shows up here. I've noticed lately I've been drawn to using cheery bright colors - guess that's what I need in my life right now.
I've got another gift project planned - a couple table runners to match some melamine platters. It's hard not to put on long warps like I did when selling my weaving but I'm starting to get used to it. The table runner project wouldn't really work for many others because of the bright colors so no use putting on a long warp.
Tonight will be spent hand hemming a few table mats off another table runner warp. I need to lay out one of the table runners on the table and get a pic of it to post.
Sunday, October 15, 2023
MIA.........once again.......
So once again taking photos with my phone leaves me with sideways or upside down photos that no matter how many times I edit them once I upload them to the blog they do what they want. Here is the Greenwood Fiberworks shawl kit I bought - almost bought one in sand/sea glass colors but decided I've done too much in those colors recently so went with these yarn colors. I think I can wear the shawl with much more in these colors. Not sure when I'll start this - have many things on the to-do list before it.
Here is the yarn I bought to make these fingerless mitts, 2 different colorways for 2 pair of mitts. Carolyn Greenwood had a pair knit in this pattern in her trunk show, it's a free pattern on Ravelry called Keep the Leaf.
And then I bought this set of mini-skeins for a pair of socks - will have to look for some ideas of how to use them.........when they move up the very long to-do list................