The New Year Beckons

All day I’ve had the niggling feeling that a cold is trying to take up residence in my head.

Not wanting to deal with a cold I decided to stay home this evening rather than join the games and music up at the church. It would have been fun; friends, table games, puzzles, jamming with other musicians, food and hot drinks until midnight but a quiet evening in our woodstove toasty home is more sensible.

I took the spindle for a walk for the first time in what seems like months early yesterday morning. The spinning and exercise felt so good and natural! Here’s to having more sunny days ahead than the extra rainy autumn and December which were not conducive to spinning wool in the rain.  A neighbor and I walked out to the cemetery and back before church time. I ended up not going. We were deep in one of those conversations about life stuff that sometimes need to be shared and it was more important to listen over a cup of coffee when we returned to the house. We plan to walk again in the morning before I head over to spend time hanging out with Aurora.

2013 is a good year to get back into weaving on a more regular basis! I miss sitting at the loom and getting into the rhythm of watching the cloth grow.

Yesterday afternoon I began the process of measuring out warp and sleying the reed for my next weaving project. Super time and darkness fell before the last bout was sleyed and today there was no time. I want to get the loom completely warped tomorrow afternoon while there’s still good daylight. My eyes feel the strain of the close work of sleying the reed and threading the heddles with artificial light. This will be a small project but using a technique that’s new to me: 3 shaft weaving . I’ve had the pattern and materials for months but haven’t been able to hurdle the idea of manipulating only 3 shafts on a 4 shaft counter-balance loom. Sometimes a person just has to take the plunge and hope that the muddy surface was just an illusion and that once in everything makes sense! It’s a short enough warp that if it doesn’t work out as intended then it’s a small loss that will have been worth the trying and learning.

A Pretty Thing cowl seemed the perfect way to close out 2012. Except. I’m slow. It’s only 1/4th of the way. But there’s no rush, it’s not for any particular birthday or occasion.  We’ve been watching Tripods almost every evening and I couldn’t keep track of the pattern while watching the show.  Ed ordered dvds of Tripods from England a few weeks ago and they arrived just in time for Christmas. He decreed we’d watch only three episodes a day. Sometime back in the 80s or 90s we stumbled across the weekly BBC show but on our local station it was always hit or miss and then suddenly it was off the air leaving us hanging. It’s one of those low budget shows which wormed its way into our hearts.

A new blog was started today at our Yarntools website!!! It’s been at the back of my mind to have one at that site, mostly for those times that Ed’s up to something new or information needs to be available. The past couple of weeks so many people were expressing concern for Ed’s back that rather than try to answer via email it was easier to put it out in one place where customers could easily find it.

Fiberjoy will continue to be my main outlet.

One spinning project that’s been in the works off and on for too long only needs one more braid (maybe 2) to spin for the final color. I just might get spinning on it tomorrow evening. A good way to begin the New Year: an early morning walk followed by girl time with my daughter, some loom work, and finishing the day off in the evening with spinning. Wednesday, the 2nd, is our 35th anniversary. Another day of celebrating!
Here’s the skeins of yarn spun up so far, the 2nd and 3rd from the right are each about 270 yards, the others are about 140 yards each

All from various braids of Picperfic Polwarth, Polwarth blend braids. (oh! I must not look at her shop! There are more colors that would be great with this blend of yarns!)

Blessings on the New Year! May it be filled with Peace,  Industrious use of time, hands and mind,  Contentment and Joy

 

Unproductive Days

It’s been a month and the Jenkins Woodworking website still isn’t near where I want it to be.

Nothing has gone as planned. Nothing concerning getting the website updated has progressed smoothly. Nor has transferring files and setting up email accounts on the computer built for us by a friend Ed hired. All day I chased shadows and hopes. Progress on several fronts has been made but by 7 this evening I ran out of steam. There’s still so much to do. I’m almost at the point of plugging the old beast back in just to update the website a little.

Tomorrow I have to take the car in to be serviced and do a bit of birthday shopping for our son who, along with his wife, will be riding here from the Boise area tomorrow on his motorcycle. One of their longtime friends is getting married Saturday and they decided it was a great excuse for a road trip. Their kids will stay home with friends minding them.  His birthday is Friday. Friday afternoon I’ll deliver Standard Turkish spindles and Delights at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival for Morgaine of Carolina Homespun and Jim Pritchard of Herndon Creek Farm. (Ed doesn’t wholesale his other types – simply too much skill and/or time involved in them.)

Gotland sheep and spindles are the featured items for this year’s festival and we were asked to put some of our spindles in the display upstairs in the 4-H building. It’s been fun pulling together a sampling of our spindles and working with Kristi Gustafson who has been a delight. I am looking forward to meeting her in person on Friday. If you make it to OFFF (open on Saturday and Sunday) please check out all the displays upstairs – it’s also where the items that have been entered in the competitions are displayed, it’s always interesting to look at the different items.

Our daughter-in-law’s mother is moving out of state the end of this month. It’s sad to see her leave the area but for years she’s dreamed of living where she’s moving and she realized that she could either dream of it the rest of her life or do something about it. Last night four of us women friends got together for pizza and a puzzle. We had a lovely time celebrating our friendship with good conversation, food and a puzzle. We’ve watched our kids graduate from high school then college, witnessed their marriages and held their babies, and marveled that we could be so old already. We’ve cried, prayed and held two of these dear friends close in our hearts as they battle cancer. It wasn’t goodbye yet as we will all be at the wedding on Saturday that all of our grown children will also be attending. A huge family reunion, tied not by family blood but by the love of Jesus Christ.

As a children who both grew up in families that moved often: changing schools several times, new sets of friends every few years (more often for Ed), new scenery, new churches, it’s a wonder to Ed and I that we’ve been in one place for over 24 years. Roots settling deep. People in the church become our family and as with family members we take the good and bad in each other and try to have a sense of humor about the “trying” personalities.

Not all has been totally unproductive on the home front! Two more items have recently been finished:
This is the last of the rugs from the summer’s warp, shown draped over the loom. It wanted to live with us and now gives our toes a cozy cushion in the bathroom.

These socks make me happy! The superwash wool/nylon yarn which was a gift from a dear customer and his friend, Christiane who dyed the colourway for him, the color, the way they fit, and the fact that though they accidentally ended up in the washing machine they suffered no ill effect! They’ve been worn twice and feel wonderful.
Toe up, short row heel  – no pattern except for what was in my head.
Needles: double-point #2 / 2.75mm
Yarn: Drachenwolle  420 meters/100 grams – plenty left over to do a pair of socks for a small child

To avoid 2nd sock syndrome both socks were cast on the same day. The toe of first one sock was worked and then the other toe. From then on I alternately knit an inch or two on one or the other sock.  I debated doing 2 socks at once using 2 circular needles but in some ways it’s easier not to have two dangling socks going round and round, sorting out which the pair of needles.

I’m in that limbo between knitting projects! The vest weaving is still on the Julia loom. A hairpin prayer shawl is well underway but neither of those are for traveling. With OFFF coming followed a few days later by another jaunt that should have some good knitting time built in I need to settle down and decide what to cast on next.

 

 

A Busy Month

Six days to Christmas and the only evidence in this house is a lonely tree not yet decked out with lights nor ornaments, and a string of lights glowing on the porch railing.  Ed likes Charley Brown trees so here in Christmas tree country we always find a small, somewhat scraggly tree. It looks happy enthroned on top of the kid’s toy box.

The past month is a blur. What’s been happening? No cookie baking, candy making, house decorating festivities. Rolls were so fun to make for Thanksgiving that I made another batch the next day while envisioning setting aside a baking day per week. Orders to fill,  a week of below freezing weather with sharp clear days and lots of woods burning trying to keep the house warm, a visit from the grandkids, one shirt off the loom, two other projects finished and ready to gift, two separate Christmas music programs to practice the violin for, and an article deadline to keep. (I haven’t heard back from the editor, I hope she’s not totally dismayed with it.)

On the first day of the minus 20F week Ed and I took a short trip. We stopped at a bridge where I’ve long wanted to stop and snap this sight:

The zoom brings Mt Hood closer than in real life with the Molalla River in the foreground.

Mandy drove with the kids to Oregon to visit her mom. We were able to have Feather and Gus overnight. We went to the yarn store to let them pick out yarns for me to make them legwarmers.

Feather wasn’t sure about this guy.I cast on and knit the first 25 grams of Feather’s legwarmer and realized there wasn’t going to be enough for both legs. So until I can find some matching yarn (there was only one skein of the multicolored yarn she liked) I’m knitting on Gus’s pair.

I’ve been puzzling out a solution to warping with even tension but one that doesn’t take up extra space or cost much money. I figured out a temporary way to keep the warp under tension as I wind on the warp, it may be hokey but it worked great. (go ahead and laugh – I certainly did) My footstool turned upside down and placed on top of the warp laying on a woven rug. The warp was already sleyed through the reed, threaded through the heddles and tied to the warp beam in back. (Someday I will work up the courage to try back to front warping but I’m in the rut of staying with what I’m comfortable.) I thought I might need to add weight to the footstool but there was just the right amount of friction and tension to do a good job.A sample weaving thrown in the washer and dryer brought a revision for the warp originally planned for three shirts instead it’ll be enough for two shirts and one dishtowel. Sampling also allowed me to see if using color tencel in the weft would work well with the white cotton warp.
An aspect of this shirt is for the article to be published in weavezine. Please watch for it next month. (In the meantime go listen to the podcast posted today Dec 19th – I found it fascinating. Be sure and listen all the way through, the solo sung at the end is beautiful!) Shirt number one met all my expectations and I’m eager to start the next one though it may be after Christmas before there is time to sit at the weaving bench. So many ideas are brewing in my thoughts I wish I were successful in carving out a regular time to bring them to fruition. Early mornings and evening are when I can best fit them in which means there’s not much time for the computer and reading blogs. I have been keenly missing knowing what’s happening with my favorite blogger friends and somehow I need to figure out a better scheduling that also allows time for reading. By evening I’m often so tired of looking at a computer that I find myself reaching for a novel to relax before bed. In the past few months I’ve read The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger ; The Queen’s Fool, Philippa Gregory ; Spin a Wicked Web, Cricket McRae ; The Bird Cage, Marcia Willett ; and currently The Boleyn Inheritance, Phillipa Gregory. I do not agree with how Philippa portrays the Queen Boleyn or Queen Elizabeth for her viewpoint doesn’t line up with what I’ve read in the past of these two queens. I believe they were both Godly women rather than the tarts she makes them out to be. Still, they are novels and she is a good writer providing entertaining stories.

I hope everyone is able to enjoy the coming week without too much last-minute rushing around. I’m looking forward to taking three, perhaps four days off from the computer and office to truly relax and enjoy time with my family, especially on Christmas day, the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus our Saviour.

 

Stole(n)

The bag was too light, how was this possible? Taking it from the hook I burrowed past the wallet, keys, and other bits deemed essential when going out the door.

No camera. Odd. Well, maybe not so. Not with my lack of organization and brain function lately. Checked through the fiber bag and spinning wheel case. No camera. Try to think back, mentally retrace my steps. I’d been to the spinning group, on the way home a vista made me pull over and take a few pictures, also of some tulips still bravely nodding. Amazing to see their bright colors; hard rains and winds during the past couple weeks had shredded most tulips.

Arriving in town I needed to do some banking but first a stop at The Purl District to show off the stole. They were in the chaos of moving across the street and down the block so didn’t stay long. Had wanted to take a picture in there. Wish I had. Stu, the mayor of the town was sitting at a table set up on the sidewalk in front of a coffee house, having coffee and talking with a man I vaguely recognized from library days.Stu used to be on the library board when I worked there and we still cross paths. He’s often out and about talking with people on the sidewalks, hanging out here and there: a very public figure. Stu said hi and I thought, “why not?” I don’t normally walk around town showing off my handwork but I was so excited about the stole. Besides, Stu likes to dress up in fancy clothes and I figured he’d appreciate the drape and sheen of the stole, as well as the rows of pearls. He did. I hoped for a second he might commision one for himself.  He didn’t.  I seriously, badly, wanted to ask if I could take a picture of his holding the stole – Kennearing fashion, you know? But it wasn’t a sock, and so many people take pictures of Stu that I really did not want to climb onto that band wagon. I wish I had. I believed the camera was in my bag at the time. At the bank I took out the wallet and did the bank stuff that needed doing then showed off the stole to three of the women (hey, it’s a rather small town – people do get to know each other).

The only thing I can think of is that after stopping to take the last picture of a great view looking towards Mt Angel and the Abbey is that I didn’t put the camera back into my handbag but just stuck it into the little woven bag. When I got to town I grabbed the bag off the seat but in the jumble of an empty lunch sack, spinning wheel case, two bags of fiber (I was sent home from the spinning group with eight ounces of mystery fiber to spin for a Christmas exchange) I assumed the camera was back in my bag and didn’t stop to make sure. No, the truth is, I didn’t even think about the camera at the moment I got out of the car.

Heading to the computer Wednesday evening to post about the stole I discover it’s gone. With the pictures taken that morning of the stole freshly laundered, dried and pressed. I’ve searched high and low, throughout the car (three times), in the office, in the fiber bags, in the wheel case – now empty. gone. My one consolation was that it was a relatively cheap camera we’d bought last fall.

Ed dug into our savings and bought me a new runabout camera on Friday. It took hours to charge the batteries. The clock was swinging around to the moment that I needed to leave the house and pick up Aurora for the wedding showers put on by her in-laws to be. I did manage to get a couple pictures snapped before wrapping it as a gift.

It was washed in the machine, in a mesh bag. I was only slightly concerned about the pearls tumbling in the washer (a front loader).  I took it out of the dryer while it was still a bit damp so I could press it with the iron set on medium.

Pattern adapted from Interweave Press Handwoven Magazine, Nov/Dec 85  “Twill with a Twist” by Doramay Keasbey. The treadling pattern: 1,1, 2,2, 3,3 4,4, 1,2,4,2,3,4  I changed it to repeating the double shot sequence before weaving the 1,2,4,2,3,4 for I wanted longer undulating twills than the original.

8/2 Tencel sett at 15 epi for the warp,  weft sett at 20 – 24 depending on my beat which did vary some.

The bridal shower was lovely, several of the young daughters (future nieces ranging from 12 years old down to 6 months) were there helping with her presents and bringing good cheer and brightness to the gathering. She’s marrying into a wonderful, large family which is a fulfillment of one of her childhood dreams!

The wild dogwood tree in front of the home where the shower was held.

 

A Hint

Here’s a clue to what Ed enjoys listening to while working:

While out driving yesterday Ed heard a song by a singer he really likes, Jim Reeves who was singing with Patsy Cline. He thought about his favorite vocal singer of all times – a woman who is no longer alive.

All names of everyone who’s ventured a guess about Ed’s listening entertainment have been placed in the hat for the Pink Ivory US7/4.5mm 32” circulars.

Want to see more of Ed’s excellent work?
Jenkins Needles

To add to the drawing here’s a chance for another winner:

If you can guess the exact name of his favorite singer you will be eligible for a pair of needles made specifically for you: circulars size from US1/2.25mm up to US50/25mm in the length you’d like!

Since I will not be home until late tomorrow evening I will check for last comments early Wednesday morning (Pacific Standard Time, Nov 5th) Drawing to take place that evening. Get your guess in while you can.

Shadows on the weaving The weaving is finished! Only the hemming, cutting it off the loom and wet finishing left to do tomorrow.  Anyone know of a good tailored vest pattern?

 

Fiber Works

First up is the scarf I’d started last spring. After finishing Aurora’s broomstick lace vest in September the 2/3rds complete scarf and yarn came out of hiding and I stayed faithful to it until it was finished. Originally it was intended to be a present waiting for recipient unknown. I’m in love with it and will keep it.  MC made reference to the fact that almost everything I make is given away. Her remark has made me consider why that is. Aside from a pair of socks made over five years ago and the Red Sweater that took a year to knit I haven’t completed anything personally for myself. (Nevermind the long, ongoing spinning, hairpin lace ruana which was seriously sidetracked months ago.

Pattern: Gust by Knitspot
Yarn: Ball and Skein Arequipa 80% Alpaca, 20% Silk  (Wonderful stuff)

Please ignore the #4 needles! That join was an experiment of Ed. His newer model are much more refined, especially his method of joining the cord to the needles. I’m so spoiled with his sharp perfect-for-lace small circular needle tips! (go ahead have a peek, click on pictured tips to enlarge)

I bought roving at OFFF that I thought would be perfect for a felted bag. The first ounce sample was spun up on the 2.6 ounce Turkish Spindle.  I rarely sample (shame, shame) but I needed to know how much it’d shrink. Or if it would. While spinning it at guild meeting one of the ladies recognized it as Abstract Fiber’s and said it was superwash. Demurring in slight alarm I dug into my bag and produced the tag. BFL SW. Rats! Someone must have fondled it then placed it in the nearest matching cubby instead of back into the superwash section. That sample was subjected to scorching hot water, soap, pummeling, and a plunging into a cold bath. Superwash does not felt. Not in the least.

What I did learn is my gauge started out relaxed but tighten about five rows in. And that the colors matched the autumn squash I’d put on the table for decoration.

I’m now wheel spinning some merino for the bag. Pictures in the future.

Meanwhile Faith celebrated her second birthday. It was a pleasure for this grandmother to make a sweet child a pair handmade socks. They’re a take-off of the first Sock Wars pattern. The cast on is pretty rough looking on the one sock and once again, I discovered the need to work on gauge consistency. The first sock is more relaxed and a bit looser. Made on #2 dpns using Fearless Fiber yarn

A little girl needs a pocket companion, don’t you think?

(Bunny did not want to sit still.)

My first venture into needle felting. Ed spotted Wool Pets at the Knit Crochet conference. He talked with Ken Sharp who was demonstrating how to make a wool pet. Next thing I knew Wool Pets by Ken & Laurie Sharp had landed in my bag. This was a fun Saturday afternoon project.

At long last there is weaving to be seen. Only two feet have been woven so far with another three feet to go but I’m ecstatic with the way it looks.

The colors are deeper and richer than on my monitor. Periodic threads of merino/tencel warp give hints of sheen – it’s easier to see on the unwoven part towards the top of picture. All of the warp and weft are my handspun yarns with the exception of the grey Irish wool that makes up less than 10%. (One of these days I hope to find my project work paper with all the yardage and weights.) About 8 inches were woven in this picture which shows the shoe string method for tying a warp onto the cloth beam (beam is out of sight). The shots (or picks) of white is the header. A header is used to get the warp spaced evenly since the knots bunch the warp threads. The two threads you see looking out of place on the web (the term used for the woven part) in the middle of the picture are where I had to start a new bobbin of yarn. Once the cloth is removed and wet finished they will be clipped.

A couple people wondered what Ed was listening to in the last post. Place your guess in the comments and I’ll enter all who make a guess into a hat for a drawing. What does Ed to listen to most when working?

Winner will receive one pair of Jenkins #7 32″ Pink Ivory Circular knitting needles!
Drawing on Nov 4th in celebration that we won’t have to listen to anymore inane ads!

I don’t want to offend anyone but I feel strongly about putting in a plug for the person who would get America back to being America, defend our own borders, stop the endless craziness of having our men stationed all over the planet as if we were an empire. A true American, not a globalist who wants world power. This is a man who believes in the United States Constitution first and foremost, who will honor his pledge to uphold, defend, and protect that Constitution: Chuck Baldwin Constitutionist Party. We were able to see and listen to him at a public library in a Portland suburb. Excellent ideas and vision, honest (he asked for no campaign money or financial help!), humble, understanding that America is by the people and for the people – not the gov’t. We believe he is what America needs at its helm. I am so tired of the media thinking they can lock us into a two party system that is a stumbling block to the people.

 

Potential Projects

It’s sobering to realize that 20 days have passed since the last posting. Too many project deadlines invading my regular evening computer time.

The tencel/merino spun up beautifully.

50/50 Merino/Tencel from Crown Mountain Farms, Chasing Rainbow dye, colorway Madrona (I think. The tag is long missing)
2 ounces = 160 yards
16 WPI

This has been measured out and sleyed, meaning that I’ve threaded it through the reed which is a device on a loom resembling a comb and used to space warp yarns evenly. (Someday a post will be devoted to weaving and the various terms.)

I had planned to weave the entire vest with the corriedale/camel yarn with random streaks of merino/tencel in the warp to give it a bit of spark. Did you hear my groan around the 11th? I discovered that I’d forgotten to tally in the amount needed for weft which meant there was only enough yarn for the warp.(huge groan of dismay) Back to the spinning wheel with another 4 ounces of the dark brown corriedale wool. Several days later and another 250+ yards of yarn, still not nearly enough. Ransacking through the stash I found the perfect treasure!

Do you see that gorgeous smushy grey in the upper left of the picture? Authentic organic Irish wool straight from the Emerald Isle and Jo. It had been languishing, waiting for a very special use. I’m so tickled that it will be part of Ed’s vest! The four different yarns that will make up the vest are pictured above. The dark corriedale is a bit hard to spot under the tencel yarn.

Since the vest was still being assembled on the loom come the 24th I scrambled to make something for Ed’s birthday the next day. At night he empties his pockets and puts keys and the odd coin into a plastic container. Potential for a great present for change.

Saturday, the 23rd, we’d gone to The City of Books (aka Powell’s Bookstore) in Portland for a book fix then stopped by a yarn shop where Ed snagged a ball of Nettle Yarn. Yep, yarn made from nettles. At first I tried crocheting a basket (sans pattern) from the nettles but the yarn is stiff, bumpy and very uneven. Digging out various bits of my handspuns I devised this just in time to gift Ed on his day.

The nettle yarn was used on the turning rows.

What else have I been up to…My first attempt at Broomstick Lace! Destined for someone special.

Last week Ed and I were activity engaged during our local church’s Friend’s Kids’ Days (VBS). Ed helped with crafts and made paddle wheels for the kids to paint which they then raced during activity time on the last day. I got to oversee, organize, and teach. We’d been put in charge of directing the VBS this year. It was great fun, totally exhausting and at times very chaotic when the rain poured down on the third day and everything was taking place inside our little church.

But oh so worth the time to make a difference in some of these kid’s lives. To hear a boy declare that he can hear Jesus whispering in his heart during a dark night, “Be Brave, it is I, don’t be afraid” fills our hearts with joy and gratitude.

 

Warp Woes

Saturday afternoon at the loom proved a disaster.

The warp had been threaded through the heddles and sleyed through the reed at 6epi, the ratio I normally use for weaving rugs. But this time I’d threaded the linen warp in a 2-1 pattern (two threads through a single heddle, then one thread through the next) threading through shafts 4 and 3 with the next thread suspended between shafts 1 and 2. Something felt wrong.

At the end of February I’d spent some time with Mr B who weaves magnificent weft-faced rugs using the shaft-switching technique. Having never taught the subject he wasn’t adept at teaching the concepts, nor was I able to actually sit down at his loom and work through the process with my hands. I purchased the recommended Jason Collingwood dvd which I’ve watched numerous times but there are still crucial gaps. (And Mr B. has significantly modified JC’s process. Mr B had JC in his home this past May, I’m curious as to what JC thought.)

Saturday I set out to re-sley the warp to 4epi. Once the warp was set at the correct 4epi I went to the back of the loom to remove all the extra, miscalculated warp. Leaning forward something caught my eye. What in the world? A missed warp thread?

Scooting the loom away from the wall to get behind it and disentangle the wayward warp, I tried to find the loose warp end but it continued on around the beam, under and over other warp threads. My heart sank.

Somehow a thread had gotten wrapped around a section of the warp then threaded and sleyed along with the others, thoroughly mucking up the works. The entire warp needs to be unsleyed, unthreaded, unreeled from the back beam and evenly spread out again. One huge advantage is that the lease sticks are still holding the cross so it won’t be the total nightmare it could have been. In fact this may turn out to be a very good thing in the long run for I’d been fretting that the beamed warp didn’t seem to have equal tension across the warp.

Feather’s swears she had nothing to do with the errant thread! (see June 18th post)

 

More Videos, More WIPS

I’ve posted two more videos: One of Ed making a Turkish Spindle shaft. It’s a silent film. For some reason the sound didn’t record and I still haven’t figured out how to add sound while editing. The second shows the setup of a hairpin loom and the start of making a strip.

Works in Progress?
How about some socks?

Sock Pattern: Brigid

Yarn: Ball and Skein Sock Yarn: Mountain Spring
75% merino / 25% nylon
450 yd. skein … 4 ply
Needles: DPN Brittany US3

The second sock leg part is almost done, the cables seem to make the rounds go by quickly. This is a wonderful introduction to knitting cables.

Want a quick gift idea? Hairpin lace bracelets. Fast and fun.

The first one was for an exchange. To personalize it even more I used some of my handspun silk. The clasp part still needs some refining, at this point I’m just crocheting a knotty ball.

Next I made one for myself with linen thread.

I could get addicted.

Linen warp was put on the loom last Thursday. We had Faith on Friday and she spent the night with us not much was accomplished those days but I’m hoping to make decent headway on the my first block rug. I’ve been trying to wrap my brain around new concepts for tying up and block weaving.

Faith’s little brother was due to make his appearance last Tuesday, May 20th. He’s taking his merry time. I’ve been taking the phone to our bedroom at night, just in case. Faith will be staying with us while Mandy’s at the hospital. Any bets on when he’ll make his appearance?