74

74 WHAT? Varieties of tomatoes of course!

Unfortunately, counting the tomatoes has been about all that I have been able to do because I have been weaving up a storm.

My bundle of pink warp has been transformed into three scarves/shawls. They are at that awkward size where they may work as either. Which is about 18 inches. I have fringed two of them and will wash them this afternoon.
And I made up another mixed warp yesterday at work and went back after supper to get it on the loom. I have it threaded through the reed and heddles and about half way wound on. I am warping it front to back because of tangling issues that I have had with warps like this before. The pink series of scarves was a bit of a pain to go on, but it was a breeze to weave. I am glad that I know both methods of warping and am learning when to apply each. Although I will say that for regular warps, back to front wins every time.

It is my big sale this weekend and I am hoping that there will be a lot of people and they will spend a lot of money. Not just at my booth, but at everyone's . I wish that you all could come.

Time to push the kids out the door and get ready for a meeting with the other organizer of the sale. And then it is off to the college to finish warping my white and cream shawls. I found some silk sari ribbon in gold and white that I have also incorporated and they are so pretty. I can hardly wait to see how they turn out.

It's Here!

My seed catalogue! A full page of pea varieties, three pages of cucumbers, and four full pages of glorious tomatoes to chose from! Oh yeah! Spring is just around the corner.

As Promised

Here is why I haven't been around much lately.

Three chenille colour and weave scarves. I had made the warp last year and put it away before I had a chance to weave it off. After Christmas was over, I also put my loom away and concentrated (such as it was) on knitting socks and relaxing. So there it languished all winter, spring, and summer. When I went to put it on, I remembered that I had made it three scarves long. I usually make the chenille scarves 60 inches long, with 6 inches of take up. I forgot about the take up part and wove them 60 inches long. Which meant that they were a little short when they came off the loom. Except for the last one. Which ended up being 94 inches long. That is one long scarf. I guess that you are never to old to get careless.
Next are the four merino shawls I dyed. I dyed the shawls in my usual way by laying out the warp and painting each shawl a different set of colours. These ones all ended up being 72 inches plus fringe. It was easy to see where the old shawl ended and the new one began because the colour changed. Too bad the colour didn't change for the chenille ones.
And yet another handspun. I am liking the striping that I get when I use the black.
And this is my next set of scarves. It is a mixture of pretty much anything that I had that was red or pink.

I'm off to see the babe sing in a wee concert. Should be cute.

Stuck

You know how sometimes you get a song stuck in your head? Yesterday at work, this was stuck in my head. All. Day. Long. Thankfully, I work at a place where you can sing people songs like this and everyone thinks it great. It's an art school so people are doing weird stuff all the time. I fit right in.

Come back later for some progress pictures.

Would you just make up your mind

Hi, remember me? From the land of ice and snow a few days ago. I get up this morning and check to see what is in store for me weather wise and I can't help but note that it is 17 C. That would be 62 F. This following on the heels of snow that stuck around for 24 hours plus. It is suppose to get colder during the day and end up being just below freezing by bedtime.

So my big question is, what layers do I put on today so that I don't melt this morning, or freeze tonight on the way home? Did I mention the heavy rain that we are suppose to get between now and then?

Weaving progress.....

First two shawls fringed and washed
Third shawl cut off and fourth shawl ready to weave as soon as my weft dries
Second chenille scarf almost finished weaving
New mixed yarn warp in pinks and reds ready to go on the home loom as soon as the chenille comes off.

And for no other reason than they are really cute, here are some yearling alpaca's at Legacy Lane Fiber Farm.

Weaving up a storm

Two more shawls woven and fringed, they just need a wash. Two more are on the loom. I usually cut off the shawls as I weave them. The thought of all that fringing at once makes me break out into a cold sweat. I am weaving them at the school to take advantage of a 36" 8 harness loom that is at my disposal This way I can fit the fringing in around the rest of my life at home. One and a half scarves in green chenille are on my 17" 4 harness Dorset at home. I got a really great deal on some chenille a couple of years ago and wove a few scarves off last year. I had put them away for the summer, but have had them on the table at market for the past few weeks and people have been showing interest, so I decided to weave the warp that I had made last year. I have some more chenille yarn and may make another few warps depending on time. I also have another handspun scarf to weave. I just love weaving these things off. Talk about instant gratification! Less than 4 hours from balls of yarn to finished scarf (drying time not included )

And upon waking up, I discovered that we have our first snow fall. Just a few inches. But still.

Heaven Sent

Via Lilloet.

Thanks Kansasa of Canadian Crafter for the gift of Grape Jelly (two kinds) and the most amazing Carrot Cake Jam that I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. I'd take a picture but empty jars are kind of boring to look at. Actually, only the Carrot Cake Jam is empty. But when I get my shawls (and laundry) all done, I am so going to make some of this stuff. Some of it will be given away for Christmas (I can hear the moans of delight already) and some will end up on my jam shelf. I think that it won't last long though.

I have also participated in a traveling journal which needs to be sent off today, and alas, no photo of the piece I did in that either. But it is going to come back to me again so hopefully I will be able to share my work. It is a collage with the theme "where do we go when we die". I was thinking of Charlotte. I can see her in the big studio in the sky, weaving with exotic fibers and perfect tension.

I think I may have won!

Today I unbag that last two bags of wool that have been sitting for the past two weeks fumigating. The last two bags are, of course, the ones with all the small balls that students use for tapestries. I guess that I was saving the best for last. And then ( I hope) the battle of the moths will be over!

I also started weaving my next set of shawls. I am about 2/3 of the way through the first one but there seem to be a few problems with my loom. So, seeing as fixing looms is the technician's job, I am also going to work on that today. I am using a 36" Macomber and it is just a wee bit fussy about a few things and I hate to have my weaving interrupted to have to stick a few of those metal things back on the treddles and lamms.

I needed that.

Wednesday night Bill took the boys and the wee one out to do the candy snatching rounds. Mira went off with a couple of her friends. And I stayed home to wait by the door and hand out loot. Thankfully the computer is in the room right next to the door and so I was able to spend some time surfing while waiting for the door bell to ring.

For some reason, a couple of weeks ago, I started thinking about Carol Burnett. Actually, I started thinking about her show. I remember watching it as a kid and laughing and laughing. Ten years ago thinking would be about as far as I would have ever gotten. Now, we have YouTube and you can almost guarantee that if it was once on TV, someone has posted it. So out I go looking and I find Tim Conway's Elephant Story. Or more accurately, the outtakes from Tim Conway's Elephant Story. I think that I watched it 3 times and each time I ended up laughing.

I worked on Wednesday and I think that about 75% of the people in the school were dressed up. Staff and students alike. I love working in such a creative atmosphere. There was also a costume contest for the students and for once the female with the least costume didn't win! The winner was a third year fashion student who had made a roman solider costume complete with breast plate, shield, skirt, sandals, and helmet. And the helmet had the little feathery thing sticking out of the top. Second place went to a first year who came as Batty McSomething-or-other. She is a little bit of a thing and a goth girl and her costume really was spectacular. And third place went to a trio of students who dressed up as Dorthy, Tin Man, and Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz.

When I told Bill about how many people had dressed up he asked me if I had felt left out. I didn't because I had dressed up as the Studio Fairy. She's the one that picks stuff up and puts it away. Fixes threading mistakes when the poor student is on their last nerve. Finds lost things (because she put it away, don't ya know). The two third year student dressed as a pot of gold and a rainbow. I wish that I had had a camera with me.