Weaving hats

I've been weaving hats for Christmas on the 12" square loom. This one is the model for a kit I'm making up to donate to an up-coming retreat. It's Bernat boucle` yarn in their Super Stripes line. I like the texture for these hats. I've used handspun, chenille, the big fat chenille from Lion Brand woven every other nail, also their Woolease, which is just the opposite, very fine and needing fulling in the machine to be perfect. Plain Redheart worsted also works nicely. You can hardly miss on this project. With the fancier yarns you can add a woven flower to peek from under the 'brim' or like this one add a pompom. In black or navy without the pompom, they make a 'watch cap'. Great in team colors... my BIL's company loco is black and bright yellow. His will be Koolaid dyed yellow in handspun wool. That should keep his ears warm out there in the eastern Oregon high desert this winter!

A finished project!

Went to Sis's this weekend and we used the handwoven to re cover the old rocker. BIL says he can remember that rocker in his Mom's house when he and his 6 brothers were growing up. Says it got a lot of hard use! It's looking pretty good now. I think Mom would approve!
I have a bit of the fabric left over that I will find something special to do with... my first fabric off that loom.
I'm really pleased with this whole project and am looking forward to doing more.

Friday

Yesterday the PUD had the power off for the day so they can finish installing better service for us, up here in the boonies. It's to the prevent long power outages we've learned to live with every winter. And you know they wouldn't say so unless it was so...
But anyway, I went with some friends going shopping in Yreka and the power was back on when we returned to Coffee Creek. Later today I'm heading up to spend the weekend with Sis & do my monthly household shopping and buy lumber for the loom shop.
I posted this picture of Robin (orange) and Taz (B&W) because it's a rare event! I invited Taz out of my computer chair, and rather than go get in Randy's chair she decided to share mine with Robin. Aren't they just too cute?! I keep a sticky roller there because Robin will invariably scoot the cat blankets off so he can shed his fuzz on my dark green upholstery.
Well, okay. I hope you have a pleasant weekend. I'll post pictures (I hope) of the redone rocking chair, when I get back!

Windy Oct.

My old carpet on the back steps has been brightened up a bit today. Unfortunately, they get tracked in and brighten up the living room carpet as well! lol It's clouding up so we may get the promised rain after all. Got some yesterday, not a lot but enough to worry me because that stack of fir rounds there in the back ground is my winter's supply of fire wood, not yet split and stacked in the wood shed. And there's Cori, trying to hide from the camera. I think she dislikes the flash because she'll go hide when she sees it.
No yarn stories today. Mostly because I haven't done any. Been working in the loom shop, rather than the studio. But that's okay, too. Getting ready to start a new project.

My favorite season

Spring is a beautiful season, especially coming after the wet and mud of late winter, but there is something about autumn that I just love. The bright firey colors just seem to light up the world. And the darker and gloomier the skies, the brighter the colors of the trees appear. These are Grandfather's two American Elms. He planted those in the 50's sometime. We have a Hickory, too. Not many of those in California, either, I'd guess. The Mt. Ash in the yard is bright red, the leaves almost as bright as the berries.
It's sprinkling a little today and I think I'll build a fire later this evening, just to take the chill off. A great night for cocoa and a good book, don't you think?

I wronged him...

He is cutting firewood after all. Spent most of the day doing something else, while I spent it doing not much of anything. That's Jack doing his share... keeping the saw dust warm! His doghouse is in the wood shed and the pile of wood help insulate him so he does have an interest in all this!

Got it fulled and hung out to dry but was told to dry it flat so now it's on the LR rug. It's nearly dry but can only stay there until DH and dogs return. I think it turned out okay, anyway. It looks big but we'll see. It still don't show any mistakes... from that galloping horse!

A close-up

A close up of the fabric. I used linen warp and a tweedy wool weft. You won't see any mistakes from a galloping horse. ;-)

FO!

Well, I finished the upholstery material! It's neither as wide nor as long as my 'figgering' should have made it but I think we can make it work! If not... Well, I guess we'll go to Hancock Fabrics and buy a chair cover and I'll find another use for this fabric! Well, it was an interesting process and I did learn a lot. One of the things I learned was that I still have a lot TO learn!
So now I have to read up on fulling. I hope it doen't shrink much more! lol

At the start...

This is where I'm starting today. In spite of yesterday's many little problems I got quite a bit done. Won't make much progress today because it's Craft Lady's afternoon, which means knitting, and it's too cold to sit on the porch in the mornings anymore but I'll get back on it tomorrow because Himself has found someone to help him move the loom inside and I want my project off first... just in case. :-\

Just one more today...

Someone asked about knitting so I thought I'd post what's OTN. It's a cardigan for me. Yes, I know about horizontal stripes, but I want to use this handpsun and there isn't enough of any one color. I'm sure there are many Creative ways to use these colors but I opted for the easy way! I found the pattern in the Creative Knitting Magazine. It's called the Garter Ridge Cardi. Now all I need is the buttons. But I'm not there yet. Finished the back and am about half way to the armholes on the fronts so am in no rush about the buttons!
But I am already thinking of the next project. Aren't we all?

I'm weaving at last....

Got the mess all strightened out, including the crossed warp threads I found when I had started weaving. I'm rather proud of myself for being able to fix that little problem all by myself. Bro. in law may get his chair recovered after all! lol
But it may be an xmas present at the rate I'm going. :-p

Why I'm here!

I started this blog in order to explain that my 'real' blog has us locked out just now, which is why I haven't been posting to it. We're also locked out of the web site. Well, I guess that comes first as the blog is hosted on the web site. Sis, my web master, is working on the problem but not getting a lot of help from Yoursite. This is just the tiniest bit inconvenient!
But meantime, you can still order looms... that part of the web page is working. But there is no more reclaimed oak from the antique teacher's desk.
But here is what I have been doing this week, when I'm not in the loom shop, anyway!. I had such a mess but I think I've got it ready to go now. Boy! These big looms are a lot more work than my little ones! This is to be fabric to recover my BIL's rocking chair, inherited from his mom. Wish me luck!
Hope your week is... interesting ;-)
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