Ginkgo Shawlette

The other day I finished knitting the gold/brown shawlette so last night I started on this Ginkgo Shawl, pattern by Connie Peng, yellowcosmo designs. I'm using Madelinetosh yarn. It seems to be a very easy pattern, hopefully I'll still think that when I get to the border/ginkgo leaf. I'd love to knit this pattern again using some handspun - I have two colors in mind, a dusty plum and dijon.  I'm out of the Ashland Bay Plum in my shop right now so will have to wait to start on it after I get my next order placed. I'll have to check my stock to see if I've got any Dijon in stock right now.....if so, I can start spinning that..........

Spinning and knitting...........

 This is what I started spinning last week - 531 yards.  I got the hand-dyed roving in a raffle basket a couple years ago. The only info on the business card from the farm was that they have American CVM Romeldale sheep - so is that what this fiber is? I don't really know but that's what I have to go on. When I started spinning it I thought it felt rough so decided it might be destined for handknit socks but after washing it, it's softened up and I might knit a shawlette out of it. The colors are lovely.

I don't think I posted this shawlette when I first started knitting it. It's out of some of my handspun, a blend of soy silk and merino. I'm coming down the homestretch on the knitting, then it can be added to the pile of other shawlettes that need to be blocked.  I'm doing great on working on holiday gifts for this year although I'm loving this one so it may end up being a gift to myself.

Next up on the needles will be a gingko shawl with some commercial yarn........this one is for me. It is definitely autumn colors - if I love knitting the pattern I'll spin to make another one in everyday colors - I'm thinking a plum and chartreuse.

Tartan

The Clark tartan weaving underway......towels in 8/2 unmercerized cotton

Planning.......

 I'm planning a towel warp based on the Clark Tartan. The funny thing is that in 2 books I have and from looking on several websites I saw variations a bit in the plaids at each source. So, I've gone with the plaid that strikes me from the Scottish Registrar of Tartans website. Clark is my father's mother's maiden name.

 Now I'm trying to pick out the blue. I feel like it should be the blue sitting on top of the black cone, or even a little darker blue but then I'm drawn to the more gray teal blue sitting in-between the white and black cones. And the gray blue is probably more authentic for the kinds of dyes that may have been used in the 1700's rather than the dyes used in the last century. Since I can't decide I decided to set it all aside a day or so before winding the warp.

And I moved on to spinning for fun.....for peace of mind. This is from some roving I received in a raffle basket at a NWRSA conference a few years back - very lovely colors but not so soft to touch. I think it will grow up to be handspun/handknit socks as I don't think it will be soft enough to go around my neck. Final decision will come after the skein is washed but I have a feeling it won't soften up much.

Strawberry Cake - Yum

Ok, so this isn't the best picture - it was taken quickly before I had to dig into this strawberry bundt cake last night. I saw it the other day on Crazy as a Loom's blog.......and she had the link to the recipe so I printed it out for future use which turned out to be last night.  Here's the recipe. 

Not much happening on the fiber front as I'm dealing with other 'stuff' at the moment but I hope to play with yarn tomorrow..........

Etsy shop update

New handwoven towels and table runners available in my etsy shop

A good part of my day was spent with the camera and these handwovens, lots of editing to get some decent photos to use in my etsy shop. This is the part of the job I struggle with but no one else is going to do it so I've just got to suck it up and do the best I can.

Table runners ready to cut off the Gilmore Gem loom - I really cut it close - back bar all the way to the back of the heddles trying to eak out those last couple of inches.


I got many emails asking for more details on the Gem loom. As I've said - it's a well made, high quality, sturdy, compact, easily transported little loom.......it's just not the loom for me. I don't want to discourage anyone else from considering one until they give it a try - it might be perfect for someone else, just not perfect for me. Threading heddles gave my back fits and weaving gave my feet, ankles and legs fits.........I think I'm just a Macomber gal that loves a front beam that folds down, beater that comes out and treadles that push straight down with little effort.

 Latest handspun washed and out on the blocker.  This pvc pipe yarn blocker design came out of a very old issue of Spin-Off........I made a few changes but it's pretty much like the one in the magazine. I'm sorry I don't know which issue it was in - it was before I subscribed and a friend made me a copy of that page (no page number or issue on it)

 My little herb fairy garden is doing well so early in the spring

Mom, I'm here - did you say you needed some help???

Just not for me...........

Today I got the Gilmore Gem II loom warped up for some patriotic table runners. Theresa loaned me this loom so I could see if it was a loom I'd be interested in ordering for the beach cottage. Well, it's just not right for me. It's a quality made sturdy little loom but just doesn't work for me. I made myself a pros and cons list when I started today and the cons were overwhelming.  So, now I'm thinking of putting some money into fixing my 24" 8H Macomber that was 'dropped on it's head at birth'. I think I'm just a Macomber gal - I've had my 40" 10H Mac for 30 years - it had decades on it when I bought it and I will never give it up.

Yesterday was my guild hands-on program on bow weaving. I taught 30+ fellow guild members how to bow weave, most finished their beaded bracelets by the time the meeting was over, others well on their way to finishing. It was a bit overwhelming to teach that many but I had two friends, Linda and Margie, who kindly offered to be helpers - they were life savers. I think everyone enjoyed the process and had fun.

I'm done weaving for today, will pick it up again another day. So now I'm off to work on hemming a huge stack of towels while I watch the first episode of the new season of Outlander. I signed up for Starz on our satellite service just so I can watch this........and after I watch that I know I'll still have more towels to hem so I'll put on Thursday's dvr'd episode of The Vikings.........

ACK!!!

ACK!!! Re-entry sucks. We spent the last week on the coast getting back late yesterday afternoon - on the drive home I was already getting stressed over my upcoming week and how much I have on my to-do list. If we lived over there full time would the craziness and stress migrate over there?  Or would it stay relaxing and idyllic?  To make matters worse I opened the big freezer this morning to get something out only to find the door not tight and the entire inside full of frost.......ack, I didn't shut the door completely before we left for the week. With all the frost I couldn't get the door closed back up so I chipped off all the frost from the edges of the shelves and quickly closed the door to deal with it another day. We did need to defrost it but I was hoping to eat everything out of it first, not have to take it all to the landfill..........


Anyhow, we had a great week getting lots done on the cottage (well, Sam got lots of remodel work done on the cottage), many walks on the beach, some reading, knitting, weaving and twisting of fringe of scarves and shawls. The weather was perfect - sunny and just warm enough to have windows and doors open.
 

I have some newly woven scarves up for sale in my etsy shop - another few of my original ginkgo draft. They all have a ginkgo charm on one end.

Here's the process of twisting the fringe, adding little silver glass beads along the way. I've shown my handy dandy hair twister in the past - makes such fast work of twisting fringes.

Here's that scarf finished. I can't begin to describe the sheen in these tencel scarves.

Here's another scarf - twisting fringe underway.

And here it is finished.

Rather than weave another ginkgo scarf on that warp I wove my vines & leaves draft, this one has tiny little gold beads in the fringe.

And here's one of the silver rayon slub shawls - it feels like 'butta'.  This would make for a great wedding shawl with a white gown with lots of bling.........it would make for a great shawl for any time, summer or winter.  I have another one that I used white for the weft but I haven't finished twisting the fringe on that one.

I spent time weaving while over on the coast too - this batch of towels came off the loom and were washed - they're now awaiting pinning and hemming.  I'm doing great with weaving up all my cottolin stash.

I also wove this warp while over there of checked twill towels in brown, some in red and some in a charcoal gray/green. These are now in the queue to be hemmed......it's a big pile now.......

I started another shawlette using some of my handspun - this is merino and soy silk.

Bailey wanted his pic up today to show what a great time he had on the coast last week - today he's totally exhausted sleeping the day away.........all that running and playing on the beach wore him out.