MIA.........once again.......

I'm not sure why I can't motivate myself to post to the blog. Maybe those that have followed it for years have given up on me. I just don't have anything to say, often not much to post photos of.  I could say I'm going to do better but might as well not since who knows what will happen.  But for today there is a post...............

I've been wanting to do a summer & winter runner project since seeing it in Handwoven magazine back in the S/O 2001 issue. If I do use something from Handwoven I don't often follow directions for  projects exactly - usually I use a draft in totally different fibers for a totally different project.........but this time I decided to follow them......big mistake for this particular project. 

Phew, what a fiasco.......for a bit.  First I almost had the 400+ ends threaded through the heddles when I decided something didn't look right, too many warp ends left to thread - yep, I had forgotten to do a repeat back at the beginning.  Out it came, rethreaded the next day, sleyed the reed and tied on. 

I started weaving but it wouldn't beat square (no pic), it was at least 3 times longer than it should be. There was no way to beat it square.  When starting this project I was thinking using 10/2 sett at 24 epi was a bit much, should have been 18-20 epi but I kept with the instructions. And with 10/2 I would have chosen 5/2 for the pattern weft but the instructions said 3/2. The errata I found for this project was actually in the letters to the editor where someone brought up this exact issue - answer was that yes, it could be beat square (hah!) but there were changes that could be made. The changes I made were to give up the diamond summer & winter background which takes 8 shots per square on the profile draft to a plainer background that only took 4 shots per square which meant I could alter the number of repeats.......and to use 5/2 for the pattern rather than 3/2. If I were going to weave this project again I would change the sett so I could use the diamond treadling. I've now got 3 out of 4 table runners woven - hoping to finish the last one today. 

I went to Websters with a friend on Wednesday to see the trunk show for Greenwood Fiberworks - the owner Carolyn, was on her way to OFFF (Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival) so stopped in our area on her way to share with those of us not going to OFFF this year. I helped make her trunk show a success with the purchases below..........

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................

Still dealing with back and leg pain but it's slowly improving. I was going to PT for a bit, now doing the stretches and exercises here at home.  I'm able to weave again, slowly with many breaks but that's ok, I'm weaving. 

Maybe I'll post again soon........