I'm At The End of My Warp!

Is that like being at the end of my rope? Nope! It's a good feeling!

I wove all day yesterday. A good eight hours of work.

I started out by winding the pirns in a few new colors. This one will be for my dining room table to match my yellow ware bowls with the blue stripe.


The work in progress. It's good we had food leftover from the previous day or Zip would have gone hungry (he CAN microwave leftovers!) I had a huge mug of coffee and my book on CD right beside me. No excuse for getting up and wandering off.

Finally late in the afternoon I'm seeing the knots that tie the thread onto the loom coming up over the back beam! A few more throws of the shuttle and I am ready to cut off the fabric.

I've had this warp on the loom so long I can't remember how many yards of linens I was planning to make. As I'm pulling it off, it seems like a nice amount.
Oh! I love this part when the project is OVER!

I wish I had a room long enough to stretch the whole length out for a picture. I measured, and I have ten plus yards of napkins, table runners, and one dish towel. Now I need to serge across the raw edges so they don't ravel and throw it in the washer and dryer. Then I will cut the individual pieces apart and hem them.

And plan the next project!
I'm debating between some twill napkins that I particularly enjoy doing in different colors and the white-on-white runners and towels with lots of texture like this one.

Deiter has been sitting on the chair behind the loom all day waiting for Mommy to pay attention to HIM! Or maybe he was listening to the story on the CD.

I feel like I finally accomplished something!

Now if I can just get some hooking done....

A Big Fat Nothing Week

Tipper

I'm feeling really guilty about my blog. It's just sitting here not being updated because I haven't done a darn thing worth talking about this week. I have been so lazy and worthless.

OK, there have been several large sinks full of dishes that I've waded through. You didn't want to see pictures of that, did you? And I didn't even cook anything good enough to merit the whole mess!

I did finish up a WW2 tunic for Brad and Kami. One of those jobs that I should never have agreed to in the first place. No Pattern, very sketchy body measurements, A few not that great pictures, and I'm supposed to make it FIT??? Now all I have to do is make the trousers this weekend.

I went out to eat on Wed. evening with my friends Willa and Diane. That was the highlight of the week. We hadn't gotten together for quite a while so had lots of catching up to do. Diane had on this lovely sweater in reds, orange, and gold with a wide collar truimmed in fringe. This got me to thinking that I needed to upgrade my wardrobe. Those of you who know me well, know that my idea of clothing shopping is stopping at KMart and grabbing a pair of jeans (yeah, the old lady kind with the elastic in the waist!) and a sweatshirt. Today I went to a real clothing store, tried on more tops than I am old, and came home with 3 tops and a shawl. I guess that's a start!

I have done a little bit of weaving, but it's the same pattern that I've shown before, only in a different color. I haven't been hooking at all. I think I have the winter blaaaaahs!

Even though I don't sound like it right this moment, I AM grateful for having a good life. There is so much tragedy in the world. It just really depresses me when I don't have anything creative to show for my week. I guess my identity is too dependent on what I DO.

The happy thought is that it was 40+ degrees today! And the days are getting longer.

We are looking forward to receiving our seed catalog.

Spring isn't that far away is it???

It Looks Like a Mess

And it is!


About five years ago I had a website for selling my weaving and thought I would like to do it again now that I'm back at the loom. I needed to do some inventory and see what I have left from the time when I was going to shows. That way I could decide what my next project should be.


I am primarily a weaver of table linens. Love those dishtowels, placemats, napkins and runners! Whew!!! Didn't realize I had so much stuff!




Since the last time I had a weaving website all my pictures were taken with my old Nikkon 35mm, I will have to do all the photography over with the new digital. That will probably take about a week to haul out all the props- the redware, yellow ware, the 1950's green stuff, etc.

Am I going to have to revise my colors??? What do you all think. I try to stick to rather traditional stuff. I'm not sure I can do the lime green and turquoise thing that younger people seem to like nowdays.

These white on white textured linens are some of my favorites. Not exactly prim though. I love the really nubby ones for bathroom hand towels.

Better get back to work before the little heathens get fur all over everything!

Speaking of which....

I got these lovely fake-o poinsettas on sale at Joann Fabrics yesterday for only a dollar! Real poinsettas are poisonous to cats (and probably dogs too). Every year I wish I could decorate with them but just know that Someone will just have to take a bite. These are the perfect answer!

Do I see your lips on the edge of the leaf, Deiter???

And here is Deiter saying 'Elvis! Eat your heart out!'
Or maybe he's learning new tricks from Joanne!

I want to thank all of you for the kind emails and comments on the passing of our dear Sophie. I so much appreciate your support. I can't believe that someone so small can rip such a hole in our lives.

When I finally get my weaving inventory sorted out you will find me here, in my little corner of the living room in my comfy chair thinking about hooking and throwing the shuttle. But probably taking a nap!!!

Until next time, keep on hookin'!

She's With the Angels...

Our dear little Sophie passed away yesterday morning.

She was diagnosed with heart disease when she was two years old. She was expected to live only about two more years. Her feisty spirit kept her going for six and a half years. She was a little fighter, who loved life, had a wonderful sense of humor, and a gentle soul.

Six months ago she was diagnosed with diabetes. I knew then that this was too much for a little one to bear for long. But she accepted her insulin shots and went on. I could see that for the past month since her brother, Robbie died that she was getting thinner and didn't have her usual amount of energy.

Over the weekend she went downhill quickly.

Zip is especially heartbroken. She was his 'Little Princess'.

She is terribly missed by all of us!

The Celebrations are Finally Over

All our Christmas socializing is over. We are home with the woodstove warming our weary bones, enjoying the peace and solitude.

Christmas Even was spent with Brad and Kami and grand-daughter Emily. We had a lovely meal featuring snow crab legs and beef tips. Brad and Kami are both excellent cooks! We opened a few gifts, talked, ate, talked, petted the kitties, talked...

This is their big boy, Ernie checking the dessert selection set up in the sewing area.

The lovely and sophisticated Whisker Woman prefers a soft seat near the fireplace.

Today we went to Mom's for a Christmas lunch. A few days ago Mom was cleaning and arranging the top shelves of her kitchen cabinets...standing on a chair. She admits this was not one of her brightest moments! When she tried to step down, her knee didn't bend properly and she fell to the floor, causing a major scrape along her right shin. She drove herself to the ER where they bandaged her up and told her to keep her leg elevated as much as possible.

She had planned to make a shrimp feast for all of us, but we talked her into postponing it until a later date. Brad, Kami, and I cooked up a big pot of spaghetti, made some garlic bread, and dinner was ready in a jiffy. Zip entertained Mom.

Kami and I did a cleanup and then we all gathered in the living room to sing carols accompanied by Zip on the guitar. Here are Brad, Kami, Emily and Mom.

Mom is a Christmas nut! She has a huge collection, from antique to newer handmade decorations and old postcards. She only put out a small sampling of her ornaments this year. She usually has a huge tree in the living room, but this year she settled for a few favorite feather trees.

This display cabinet is filled with small santas, cotton batting sheep, and reindeer sleighs.

I love this Santa dressed in white cotton batting.

This is the 'bird tree', with old celluloid parrots and a few glass clip on birds.

Here is her collection of Old World and Radcoe santas. I see an angel in there too!

Here's a tree with some of her antique Santas. These are her favorites.

I just had to stick this in. It's a paper cutting, scherenschnitte, that I made for her and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary. I don't often do paper cuttings, but I'm very pleased with this one.

The three eggs in the nest are synbolic of their three daughters.

And here we are at the end of the celebration. You can tell it's time to go home.

Hope you all had a great Christmas!

THE END

A Christmas Gift to Myself...

It's been a long time since I've done any weaving. Over a year, I think. And I've missed it!

I started weaving back in the 70's. I remember purchasing my first loom from California through the Whole Earth Catalog (remember that?) and bringing the huge box home from the freight station sticking out of the trunk of our '52 Chevy. Those were the days!!! I used that loom off and on for about ten years before I decided on an upgrade. I sold it to a good friend of mine and she's still using it.

My next loom was a Schacht Baby Wolf (the one in the pictures). There have been many looms in the meantime, but the Baby Wolf and my big Norwood are my favorites.

A few years ago I was lucky enough to find a used computer dobby for the Baby Wolf. That's the wooden lump on top of the loom.

There are three different things that determine the weaving pattern of the finished fabric.
The order that the threads are drawn through the heddles (those little wire things), How the harnesses (the wooden framses that hold the heddles) are tied to the treadles, and in what order you press the treadles with your feet. With the computer dobby, I program all these things into my computer weaving program and the machine does the selecting. All I then have to do is work the treadles.

The thinking is done beforehand so the weaving is easy!

The dusting off of the loom took some time. It needed a few minor adjustments due to the fact that a lot of the nuts and blots had loosened. And thank goodness the antique computer is still running (chugging) along. The Schacht loom company no longer makes the dobby mechanism so this one has to last for the rest of my lifetime. It still runs on Windows 98.

And here I am happily weaving away!

Even though I love the computer technology, I am a very traditional weaver. One of these days I want to weave an overshot coverlet. I at one time thought that spinning all the wool for it would be a wonderful project. Don't think I'm gonna live THAT long!!! hahaha!

These are some of the Christmasy fabrics I have woven in years past. The red and green striped runner has tiny gold threads running through it that did not show up well in the picture.

I'm heading back to the loom before I have to start cooking for our Christmas Eve party at Brad and Kami's.

Have a very Merry Christmas, everyone!

Horay for the Winter Solstice!

Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Officially the first day of winter. In ancient times this was a celebrated occasion.

When we think about the fact that most of our coldest weather and the bitterest winds happen in January and February, why be happy about this day? Because after the 20th of December, the days will begin to get longer again! Only by a few minutes a day, but still it is progress toward spring.

For people like me who suffer from seasonal depression from lack of sunlight, this is indeed the big turning point in the year. I know that it's still going to be cold and dark out, but the thought of extra daylight brings me hope. The seasons are turning in a positive direction!

This was the scene out my front door early Saturday morning. It's snowing and the weather people were predicting a nice one!


A few seconds later I snapped this picture. I don't know how the snowflakes turned into fat white balls! Isn't that crazy??? I took a few more pictures afterward and none of them turned out like this.

It snowed all day Saturday and into the night. On Sunday morning at dawn our front yard was blanketed in about eight inches of white. You can see the very pale pink where the sun is going to come up.

It looks very stark and wintry out our back window looking toward the mountains. The wind comes rushing down from that direction without much to stop it.

I am not a cold weather person, but I do love sitting inside by the woodstove watching it snow. I hope some of it lasts until Christmas.

Keep warm, friends!

Have a joyous Christmas!!!

Peace and Love from Pat and Zip