Bears, Bootie and Barbara

You would think I was working with 20/2 silk on 60 inch warp the time it has taken me to get Barbara threaded! Really the warp is a scant 180 something ends at 6 epi and 30 inches. It's done now and just about sleyed in the 6 dent reed. I remembered to crawl under her and do the treadle tie-ups before I put the breast beam back on so I'm giving myself at least a couple of brownie points for working more efficiently even if not quicker. The sleying is a piece of cake and just about done. Rag rug weaving will commence later this week.

I also got the guts up to cut my dog on the loom. Carolyn was freed from bondage yesterday and the length of bamboo "scarf" will be used for lavender sachets.

It took 53 picks to make one repeat. It was simply too much for me on a table loom. I love the pattern and next time I revisit something like it will be on Hey Baby, not a table loom.

Between Tuesday's guild meeting and Friday's sidewalk sale, there has been a bit of the bootie to share. Cindie at Eweniquely Ewe did some request dying for me. I wanted semi-solids in light blue, pink and a taupe and she came through with some beautiful BFL and wool roving. I've made a promise to myself to spin more for weaving. And nothing could be nicer than starting with this beautiful soft and crimpy roving. As they would say in Boston, this will spin like buttah! :-)

It's also official, fiber arts are in take over mode in the house. The spinning wheel has made it back downstairs and taken up residence by the fireplace. We use the darn thing about twice a year, and now that the living room has been rearranged there is a plenty of room to move the wheel away on those very occasional occasions. Fiber equipment has spread to 3 rooms in addition to the studio.

I showed amazing restraint at the sidewalk sale at Webster's. Some nice black and white mohair came home and an angora mix yarn. I've never used angora in weaving and it was a good opportunity to give it a whirl. Kidsilk Haze in my most favorite rust color also popped in to give the black and white a little pizazz and there was one lonely all Suri yarn from Frog Tree that hopped in the basket. Not sure what I'll use it for, but it's a lovely natural color that will find it's way into something.

The last little treat, which wasn't on sale, was a weighted knitting sheep that has a leash for holding scissors. She will take up residence on Hey Baby and make sure the sweet and very sharp little German scissors I bought don't migrate. Doesn't she have just the silliest expression. Makes me grin whenever I look at her. She won't be nameless for long.

The highlight though, was meeting Renee from Renee Weaves . She and her husband and dog have just moved to Ashland and I can't think of anything more welcoming than a yarn sale, can you? We had some time to chit chat and since it was sidewalk sale day I sent her up to some of my favorite stores to look at this and that. I hope she had fun. I had to go do the weekly hunter/gatherer routine at the market.

Now for bear updates. It isn't going to be a happy ending, so you've been fairly warned.

The bear over this last week had made himself into a dangerous nuisance. He charged and chased another soul and actually made home base a friends house on Soda Mountain Road where he proceeded to rip apart their pump house and make it impossible to even go out of the house. Oregon Fish & Wildlife made the decision to exterminate rather than catch and release. Wednesday afternoon 4 hunters arrived and Thursday morning, on the above mentioned property, the bear was dispatched and removed. There was no tracking needed, he was still hanging around the property. It was quick and without incident. The folks who own the property are heartsick, this is not what they would have wanted if it could have been avoided. In fact no one is particularly happy, but it is what it is. We live with predatory wildlife up here and most of the time we do everything in our power to make sure the wildlife doesn't go wrong and that with the plentiful wilderness up here we can reduce our impact on their lives.

Sometimes crap just happens.