A few more.......

A few more towels.  I didn't do too much weaving today as I'm trying to not aggravate my back/sciatica issues.  Wove 2 towels with the light dusty sage weft above......note that is not a color difference between the left and right side of the towels, it has to do with the window beside the loom making it look different. 

Started on towels with a lavender weft.  Not sure what color I'll choose next. 

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. 

Playing with fiber on turkey day......

We're having a very laid back turkey day which suits me just fine. It's harder this year with no family here locally but we're doing fine. I'm playing with fiber and Sam is watching the Commanders, formerly Redskins, our team as we both grew up in DC/MD. I am making a small turkey dinner but got much of it done yesterday, will finish up in a bit and put a spatchcocked turkey breast in the oven which shouldn't take long to roast. 

 

I've got more socks on the needles - this is sock number two of this pair. Kind of weird color combinations but I like them. 

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. 

I hope you all are having a wonderful Thanksgiving. 

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. 

Comedy of Errors.........

 Many thanks for Peg for sharing this draft in her late July blog post. I just started weaving on this today and love the look although it is fiddly but then she warned it was......lots of color changes and I haven't gotten a rhythm yet, also always trying to make sure the colors get carried up the side for their groupings. 

But it was a comedy in errors getting this on the loom - I'm blaming it all on the prednisone I started on Saturday for intense sciatica pain. It is helping quite a bit but I'm wondering what will happen when my 9 day course of this med is over, will the pain return???  I'm waiting on the scheduler to get me in with PT so hoping that happens soon.  Now back to this project.  I wound the warp, got it wound on the back beam yesterday. I threaded the heddles. Then I sleyed the reed - I'm using 24 epi in a 12 dent reed only I didn't double check which reed was in there and it's so close to my 15 dent reed. You can guess what happened - I got to the end of sleying the 'wrong' reed and sat back and could see it immediately so I pulled all 476 ends out, put in the 12 dent reed and re-sleyed.  I got the warp tied on the front beam and started to weave to make sure all was correct - nope. But it wasn't a threading error, I had 3 out of 10 treadles tied up incorrectly. I have NEVER used the wrong reed and NEVER tied up treadles incorrectly in my 37 years weaving so I've determined it must be from prednisone brain, if there is such a thing.  At least fixing treadle tie-ups is much quicker than dealing with a threading mistake. 

I stopped to watch HGA's Textiles and Tea zoom presentation at 1:00 and now am having a hard time going back to the loom, just can't seem to focus. While the presentation was on I did cut out fabric for 4 tote bags for gifts (maybe one a gift for me) - I'll get to sewing those another day as I need a color of thread I have none of........isn't that always the way it is.........

Polka dots.........

 Here's a picture of the 8 finished towels - I wove each one with a different color weft. Feels strange to only put on enough warp for 8 towels but now that I'm not selling I don't have the need to. Four of these will immediately be used as gifts, others will be stashed away for future gifts or for me.  Next up at the loom is to finally weave off a scarf warp that's been on the AVL for way too long.  But first I need to trim  and sew binding on the quilt I picked up from the long arm quilter this week - picture of that to come once it's finished. 

On the loom........

I decided to weave this towel draft again although now I'm not sure of my color choices in the warp.  I do know once off the loom and washed the circles will show up much more so hopefully I'll like them. 

I'm sorry I can't tell you whose draft this is but I do remember I found it in the May/June 2019 issue of Handwoven. Well, being honest I don't remember this off the top of my head, I had it written in my notes from the last time I wove these towels. 

This is weft color number 3. I'm not sure what color will be next. I had hoped to have this warp woven off this past weekend but it didn't happen. Since I no longer sell woven goods I'm not weaving much these days but would really like to get back to it.  There have been many projects on my very long to-do list that I could never find time for.....not sure how to get my mojo back........

 

This and that.........

 A big thank you to Susan of the Thrums blog for posting this plaited twill and herringbone draft she got off of handweaving.net . Her baby blankets are so beautiful. My towels are much plainer as I want to weave many colors. I used two different off whites in the warp, one of them a barberpole of two colors of off white.  I love this draft so much I'll probably weave something else in it soon, maybe some table runners. 

I've also been working on small cross stitch projects in the evenings but can't show those since they're gifts. Actually, I shouldn't have shown this towel pic above as most of this warp will end up being gifts.  I'm getting close to starting a quilt top for the trundle bed in the guest room/office but need to finish all holiday gifts first. 

Fire season isn't over yet, not sure when it will be but we have had some rain which has given some relief on the fire front. Unfortunately, it's been in the mid 90's and dry again. The next two days will go down to the mid-70's but then temps back up to the upper 80's/90. I am so ready for fall weather, hoping it happens soon. 

I really haven't had anything to share lately, kind of still in a funk, and just not doing anything I think is share worthy.  Maybe that will improve, maybe not but I can't worry about it. I do appreciate all who check in when I do post..........

turn your head.........

Going to have to turn your head to see these towels.  Have never figured out how this happens when I use my phone for photos - I even took the photo twice holding the phone different for each picture and both turned sideways.  

Anyhow, so I have done a little weaving, not much but a little - 10 towels on this warp.  I do have 2 more projects in the planning stages to get on the loom.  I went shopping in my own cupboard in the sewing room to find several small cross stitch kits - been stitching on those in the evenings while we watch tv - they will be small holiday gifts. 

I've cut out squares to make a toddlers blanket out of recycled blue jeans with different sheep fabrics on the back side.  I need to google how to make it - it will have raw edges and will get washed so they fray. I have plenty of jeans but not sure if I'll make more than one of these..........

Hoping others are keeping cool enough in this heat spell. We were already in the process of getting bids on a new HVAC system when our AC went out yesterday.  It's limping along today with the outside unit being continually misted to keep it cool, not sure how long it will last, if it will even last the day. (hmm, wonder what our water bill will be) I think it was 111 yesterday, today the forecast is for 113. Dry thunderstorms are in the forecast for the next several days - not a good combination with how dry the vegetation is and this heat - additional fire strike forces are now in the area in prep for a possible big fire. We have had numerous small fires in the region, all human caused, morons......

I know I haven't been posting much at all for a long time, I guess I just don't have much to show or share.......not sure when that will change but I'll post when I've got something. 

 

This and that..........

The other day I decided to put a towel warp on for some Valentine towels. It's hard to get away from production weaving but then I also won't spend the time warping for just a couple towels.  I compromised and put on enough warp for 8 towels.  I'll keep a couple for myself and eventually gift the others.  Of course, I probably won't put them out to use in February as I have to pack up much of the house in order to have new flooring installed and painting............will be living in a disaster zone for a while. 

A friend gifted me with a mini-charm pack of already cut squares, 2 1/2" square.  She also gave me some fat quarters. Yesterday I had planned on weaving but ended up going down the rabbit hold playing with the 42 little squares. 

I ended up making a tote bag.  I mean, everyone can use another tote bag especially when we have to bring our own bags to shop with. If I'm buying fabric or clothing I don't want to put them in the same bags I use for groceries.  I used all 42 squares on the front of the tote, one of the fat quarters to frame the squares..........

 .........one fat quarter for the back and then 2 fat quarters for the lining.  I just happened to have some brown webbing for the straps in my stash.

So on to fabric shopping - in my local fabric store all the ladies I've encountered that work there wear those little clear masks that sit out in front of the chin & mouth.  I mean, what's with that???  What good do they do???  And they cut fabric so slow when all I want to do is get out of there. Good thing I rarely go in that store.....I wonder how many others rarely shop there these days because of this.  I want to support local businesses but not compromise my health doing so.  And it's not just that local store - we found the flooring store staff and customers weren't wearing masks, same at the door store and many other stores in town. We rarely go in stores but the past few weeks we've needed to and are shocked. We do have an indoor mask mandate. Our region has low vaccination rates because people refuse to get vaccinated, they also don't want to wear masks.........so the rest of us pay.  I'm growing very weary and very irritated at how inconsiderate others are. And I'll stop at that because I could go on.......and on...........

Loving twill......

Late last week I did the dreaded photography work on the latest towels off the loom. Some of them are now listed in my etsy shop for sale. Check them out in the handwoven towel section of my SHOP. 

I have really grown to love the simplicity of twills

These all are using a different weft but they are coordinating

I have set aside some for a future wedding gift

I have a table runner warp (for gifts) on the loom now but have only auditioned weft colors so far. Hoping to get back to it in the next few days but the nice weather is continuing this morning and the garden/yard clean up has been calling.  Grapes have been pruned, as well as 2 apple and 2 plum trees, perennials cut back, new growth can already be seen. Two new raised garden beds have been added to the other two - one is already filled with new strawberry plants. It's time to plant snap peas so I must get those in the ground, everything else will wait a bit, still a little too chilly. There is lettuce growing in the 'toy' greenhouse, it will most probably be ready to start picking this week. 

 

On the loom & needles.........

This week I got another towel warp on the loom - I've been weaving bright colors this last year so decided to go with more subdued colors this time and I love them.  Actually the reason why I chose these 3 warp colors was because I had mega cones of each of these 8/2 cottons. Of course I've hardly made a dent in those cones but at least I'm using some of it. The first towels I'm using a pale seafoam green weft and love it. Original plan was to use the 3 colors in the warp for wefts, I may still do that for some of the towels but right now I'm loving weaving this seafoam.  This is a two block twill.......seems I've been loving weaving two block twills this last year too.

And here's what's on the needles. A friend gifted me with this Malabrigo sock yarn over a year ago, I kept it right on my sewing table trying to decide what to use it for. My original thought was a knit shawlette but I just hadn't found the perfect pattern yet.......that I already hadn't knit. Then I decided on socks and I'm so glad I did - I love the way they're turning out. The pattern is called Tidal Wave Socks.  I have knit these before and love the pattern. Here's the link to the pattern on Ravelry.  Just enough to have something to think about while knitting the leg portion but not so much that I can enjoy watching tv in the evening. 

This morning I blocked the cowl I knit a few weeks ago, when it's dry I'll share a picture of that.  Now off to throw the shuttle on that towel warp.........

 

Towels ready for new homes.......

The towels are off the loom, washed, dried, hemmed, ironed, photographed and up in my etsy shop for sale. I love the thickness of them. These are all off the same warp. 

 

Color abounds

Yesterday afternoon I finally got some time at the loom. Here's the start of the towel warp - I'll weave with this navy weft until I run out, then I'll move to another color, maybe fushcia???  Unfortunately it was a cloudy day so this photo doesn't do the towel justice.

 And here is the colorful handspun all finished - looks like it's a coordinating yarn to the towel warp. It's a polwarth and silk blend.  I still need to wash this skein and count the yardage. Not sure what this will grow up to be yet. 

I'm going to try and get back to spinning in the evenings but I've also started knitting a pair of socks so might work on those for a couple nights. The leg portion of those requires me to pay attention so will have to be selective on knitting while we watch tv in the evenings as some shows/movies require more of my attention.

Need some color in my life..........

This week I find I need some color in my life.  My family lost my cousin in January, he was way too young but had many health issues..........and no, it was not to covid. So now I need to deal with his affairs so am just taking it one day at a time as the process will go on for months. I'm also feeling the need to get back to something that resembles normal in my life.........I mean the new normal in covid times which other than not being able to go to a fabric store to pick out fabrics in person for a quilt and eat out it really doesn't affect me much, I'm happy staying at home. 

I just put this towel warp on the loom. This is where I'm auditioning wefts just weaving an inch of a color to see what I like. Not sold on any of them so far so will come back to this project in a day or so.

Yesterday I decided I needed to get back to spinning while we watch tv in the evenings and I just found out season 12 & 13 of Heartland were up on Netflix streaming so we've started our binge watching in the evenings. In my stash was a small amount of this Dicentra Designs roving - what fun to spin these bright intense colors.  I have no clue what I'll do with the yarn, will have to think on it once I see how much I get. I'm spinning fingering weight. 

I'm going to make an effort to post more often and maybe I'll actually have something to share. Hmm, where are those pictures of some gifts I made this year..........

Just when one thinks life can't get worse..........

 Just when we think life can't get worse or more stressful it does.  Dealing with a declining family member, younger than we, who is 4 hours away at a hospital in Portland, who we would like to get back down here to where he lives so he can be near family for his last days, weeks or months is stressful......and then there's covid on top of it all. Each day we think it can't get worse but it does.  

Getting anything done is almost impossible as it's hard to focus. I finally got 10 towels off the loom which were started a month ago - that must be a record length of time it's taken me to weave a warp. They were finished last week but then sat waiting to be hemmed.  Finally yesterday I decided I needed to do something for myself and get them hemmed. They are done awaiting photographs when we get some good natural light again. They are two block twill towels with 2 shades of green and natural in the warp - then coral, teal and lavender used as wefts. I love them all but the lavender really calls to me. These will eventually be in my etsy shop for sale.......after the photography work/dreaded chore. 

I still have hope that 2021 will end up being a better year for all of us but I'm beginning to wonder. Between family health/mental declines (more than one family member), covid and politics who knows what will come of the year. And I still fear the worse politically even after January 20th when Biden & Harris are sworn in, I think the unstable individual in the white house will continue to wreck havoc, for years, long after he's dragged kicking and screaming out the front door. I rarely say anything political on this blog but sometimes I just can't keep it to myself........this is all I'll say right now. 

My wish is that everyone have a safe and peaceful new year.........

Life sucks at times.......

Life is uncertain right now, things change hour by hour. These days my life is centered around talking with nurses, doctors, social workers, case workers, palliative care teams, etc concerning a younger relative who is gravely ill. Tough times for my relative, us, and for the rest of the family out of the area who I'm drawing on for strength and support. 

 

I haven't been able to do much for myself but when I have a little block of time I've gotten back to the towel warp.  The first towels in my last post I used a teal as weft which I loved, here I'm using a rose color as weft. Only 2 towels left to go on the warp at this point. 

Here I've used a lavender weft - I love it. Eventually these towels will end up in my etsy shop but with life the way it is right now I have no clue when I'll get the final 2 towels woven, then all washed, all hemmed and photography done.....just can't worry about it at the moment, taking it one day at a time, when it happens it happens. 

Here are our holiday cards for this year. I chose a quilt theme rather than weaving this year - these are my wonky stars. And I decided I didn't need to use traditional christmas color either so they are all over the place. I like how they turned out. I am so glad I worked on these during the summer so they were ready to go. I also had 9 wonky stars made up in seaglass blue and 9 in apricot/peaches. I was on a roll when sewing so had way more than I needed.  The seaglass and the apricot will end up being miniature wall hangings at some point, maybe I'll hand quilt them.........that small size is about my limit for handquilting........

MIA.......

I have been MIA on this blog, just can't seem to post. Life is stressful dealing with family health and aging issues.  I'm not really motivated to compose a post, too much stress plus I don't really have much to say but I'm trying this morning. I am trying to get myself moving on boxing up some gifts that need to be mailed, today handmade holiday cards will go in the mail. I'm really not accomplishing much creatively.

Last week in-between other things going on in my life I did get a two block twill towel warp on the loom. I only had time to weave 3 towels so far but it's a start and it did my mental state good to sit at the loom threading heddles, sleying the reed and throwing the shuttle. I am trying to use what's in my stash rather than purchase more but I'm running out of my favorite colors of 8/2 unmercerized cotton in addition to white and black. This is not to say I don't have 8/2 - I've got shelves of it, just not all the colors I want.  But I've got loads of greens, I mean loads of it so this warp has 2 shades of green (and natural) and I'm using a teal weft right here, next up a dark green weft. 

 A couple weeks ago I plied this yarn that had been on bobbins for a year. It's bamboo, merino and nylon. I'm not sure what this will grow up to be yet, it's sitting on the shelf 'marinating' for the time being. I am thinking about starting to spin something fun and colorful - I think I said that in my last post but it hasn't happened yet. 

I'm hoping to post more often and have fun creative fiber projects to share in the near future. Everyone stay safe and wear your mask. 

Pastel rainbow

I finished the pastel rainbow towels woven in a variation of the friendship towel draft from the Handwoven Treasury. I loved the other rainbow towels so much I just had to weave another warp off using pastels this time. I like these so much I've set aside 2 using the black weft for our guest bath.

And here they are using the gray weft, it was a hard decision to decide on which to keep but I went with the black weft.......but who knows, I may end up eventually putting aside 2 of these too.   All towels are now available for sale in my etsy shop.

It's hard to be motivated to do much these days, too much stress in life with an aging mother with memory issues (putting it mildly), a cousin, who lives locally, who is very ill, covid and politics. I think what's hard is that I have no control over any of these. The only thing I can do is try to limit my news watching to help with what gets thrown at me concerning politics. We did vote - dropped ballots off in a drop box right at the courthouse on Monday and since Oregon has been doing vote by mail for many years successfully I have no concerns about my vote being counted. I hope everyone else has voted or will be voting soon. 

 

This and that.............

When I saw green/blue polka dot towels in the May/June 2019 Handwoven magazine I knew I eventually had to use that draft to weave my own version of the towels.  I call mine tutti fruiti, they could also be called clown towels. These are a turned taquete weave structure.  The design by Susan Poague.

Here I used a navy weft

Dark wine is the weft here

This one, currently in progress, I'm using a green weft.  I haven't decided what other weft colors I'll use on this warp, will figure that out after I weave 2 green ones.

A weaving friend helped me make driftwood looms to teach the kids across the street how to weave. I had encourage them to use found items of all kinds along with wool yarn but they both chose to only weave with wool in solid stripes. Theirs are still sitting on my front porch along with the yarn waiting for them to finish them - short attention spans.  Tapestry style weaving is not my thing but it got me enthused to give it a try. The driftwood is held on a frame of scrap wood while I'm weaving.  Once I'm done I'll take the screws off and it will just have the driftwood at the top and bottom of the weaving. I'm using yarn, some commercial, some handspun, fabric strips, shells and since this picture I've started adding sealife buttons. Don't know if my driftwood is too big, guess I'll find out once it's done. There are no rules.  I'll hang it out in the yard when I'm done.

On the house front more work has been finished up.  We took out the arches between the living and dining rooms. That's hubby covering up furniture before taking a saw to the arches. We actually took them out and built new stud walls, they had been that way for several months but we didn't want the drywall guy in the house due to covid.  Notice how I keep saying 'we' - well, it's the collective 'we' as I only watched.

We threw caution to the wind and had the drywall guy come. We could have done the drywall ourselves but could have never matched the texture on the walls so we let him do it all. I must have wiped down the knobs and anything else he may have touched 10 times while he was here - hopefully he left no virus germs in our house. Like this look so much better.  Next up, at some point, we will be painting - white ceilings, light gray walls, white trim, all new baseboards throughout the house. Once all that is done we'll tackle the new flooring. Long term projects. Notice the new black tv stand in the after pic?  Our oak entertainment center was overwhelming for that wall so it now sits in the garage waiting for us to sell it, we got a new wood console, painted black, distressed. Much happier with it, the other one fit much better in our old house.

In spite of our governor being very conservative in loosening up covid restrictions too many in my area still refuse to wear masks even though they are mandatory they seem to think it violates their civil rights. So we have increases in cases, not as bad as other areas of the country but still scary.  I took my mother to two medical appointments this week and have been having anxiety attacks since wondering if I could have possibly been exposed while sitting in little exam rooms with questionable ventilation. I hate feeling this vulnerable and paranoid but that's life these days.