The Weaving Project Continues...

I am weaving on the new Pipe Loom that I made and considering that I started weaving yesterday and worked all day, you might ask,

Is that all you got done?

Well yes, in a way. At five O'clock yesterday, I was more then half finished when I realized that no matter what I tried, nothing looked good, I would have to

START  OVER.

If you read this blog or know me at all, you will know that starting over is not too unusual for me. In fact, it seems to be part of the process. As I have said before, nothing seems to work for me until I have torn it apart at least once. So, I ripped out all the weaving down to the bottom two stripes and started from there today. It is nothing special, but I do like it better!

The Copper Pipe Loom

Hooray!
I finished making the loom, warped it and started weaving.
Thanks to my husband for cutting the pipe!

Parts Is Parts

What now!
Yes I am trying to make one of these pipe

Tapestry Looms.

I know.

Don't ask.

Just because.

A Shawl Named Shadow

I finally finished this shawl. It was a long haul. I love the pattern (you can find it on Ravelry), but I have to say that it was sort of boring to knit. The stripes were OK, but the rest of it was just solid color garter stitch and it was absolutely necessary to find a good movie to watch or a book to listen to! I like the pattern enough to make another one, but not anytime soon.......

October Yarn

Remember that orange and gold wool I dyed this weekend?
If not, you can look up and see it in the "header" photo.
Here you see it spun and plied.
I plied it with a commercial sock yarn that had similar colors.
If the terminology is not familiar, plying is simply twisting yarns together to add stability.
I like it a lot, so yesterday, I dyed some more of the yellow wool and
carded it this morning. I put it through the drum carder several times so,
as you can see, the colors are more blended.
For non-spinners, the carded wool is the fluffy stuff you see in the background.
That "fluff" will magically turn into yarn on the spinning wheel.

I would like to spin it today, but I think a trip to town for new tires is on the agenda.
Sigh.....

All Over Yellow

 
Everywhere you look in the Texas Hill Country it is Yellow. The Sunflowers are having a whole new season and the Yellow Bells (Esperanza) have doubled in size and in number of blossoms. Our house and studio are presently surrounded by fields of Sunflowers full of Monarch Butterflies. The butterflies visit us every fall on their way to winter in Mexico (nice huh?). The Deer also like to bed down in the Sunflowers and when they do, they are completely hidden from view as the plants can be 3-4 ft. tall. It is a magic place for my Jack Russell, Tess as well. She likes to get lost in the Sunflower Forest.

 

The Dyeing of the Roving

Yesterday, I finally got around to dyeing this roving.
I have had the acid dye powders (a step up from Kool Aid) for a while
but I felt like I needed an afternoon with no interruptions to actually do the deed.
I had to soak the wool, mix the dyes, paint the wool and then steam it.
The only part I was really concerned about was the steaming.
I was trying hard not to visualize a mat of hot felted wool.
Think only positive thoughts.....
Finding the right pot to steam in was an issue, but I found to my delight
that we had inherited a black speckled canning pot from one of my husbands relatives.
It was hiding in the back corner of the closet in the garage.
I put the rim of a tart pan in the bottom to elevate the rack and
low and behold,
I had the perfect vessel for steaming wool.
And yes, it all came out all right.
The white roving is painted with green, blue and yellow.
The orange and red one was dyed over some gold colored roving.
After it was mostly dry, I hung it over the shower rod for the night and here it is,
Ready to spin.
I can hardly wait.

The Sketchbook Project 2014

A change of pace. I am working on my sketchbook for
The Sketchbook Project 2014.
My friend Bobbie got me started on this several years ago.
After the first one, I swore I would never do another and yet here I am,
working on this one for 2013. I have lost track of how many I have done.
Four? Five?

Once Upon A Time

Once Upon A Time

13" x 14"

 

Remember this Piece?

It took First Place at the San Antonio Fiber Artists Exhibition.

I am so pleased.........

Lifesaver Sock

I started knitting a new sock. I wanted to use up small bits of different colors and I wanted a fairly simple design. These "rings" worked out well (they look like Lifesavers to me) and I like the stripped sole. The dotted toe is a little wonky. But, I just love this sock. It is knitting up quickly too. I am reminded that I always finish things lickity split if I design them myself.

Gourd Baskets

It is time for another Basket Class  and this time, we are going to make gourd baskets with pine needle edges. Consequently, We needed to clean out some gourds. Mindy brought over gourds as well. We had quite the morning. Every saw I own was out on the table including two or three of the same kind. I mean you never know and one might have a sharper blade then another. We also had out  other implements including Dremal tools, pocket knives and Japanese scrapers. Blades flew off of the Dremel tools, blades were so hot they burned through the gourd instead of cutting it. Some serious surgery was going on. I won't bore you with the details, but we did get the tops cut off  and the insides cleaned out so we are ready for class in November........

Design Pages in a Sketchbook