Canoodling with Canopus

And Canopus, which is a star (the second brightest behind Sirius), is also the name of a woodworking company that makes weaving tools. I splurged on one of Jon Hayman's lovely creations right before the Christmas holiday season was in full swing and just yesterday finally got to use it on the Gilmore Gem warp. The pictures however are it resting on the Murphy loom warp....



 Smooth and satiny in the hand, the shape is just right for smaller hands and best suited, at least for me, for narrower warps. This is a very light shuttle, coming in at less than 5oz's I believe.
And oh so beautiful.



I haven't bought any weaving shuttles since Ed Jenkins stopped making them. I adored his shuttles. I know that many folks love Bluster Bay shuttles, but the blunt short nose on them just doesn't suit my hand and style of throwing well. So I was thrilled when I discovered Canopus Wood and Weave Works. I have a wing nut tool on my list of coveted items for 2015 also!

So there has been some movement on the looms now that the holidays are behind us and a wide open, brand new year is before us. I have been thinking about St. Nicks first warp and deciding on colors.
I need to find a couple of "S" hooks for two of the shafts and also put those tricky flat steel heddles on a number of shafts that they were removed from. Not my favorite thing to do, but it has got to be done.

I was given a generous gift certificate this holiday to The Webster's, and that thing certainly didn't gather dust. I brought home some beautiful wool and cotton for weaving. The cotton is spun in Italy and has an unbelievable sheen.



 I bought all they had in these three colors ( 9-cream, 7-orange, 5-dark teal), at a great price. The yarn sadly is discontinued. The wool will make a fun something something.



Maybe a runner or a scarf, for me those things are interchangeable, but I want to play with that long color change in the Freia yarn.

In the sewing room, I completed a Blueprints for Sewing "Cabin" pattern. It was a wadder. This happens quite often with cut on sleeves for me, although what really made it awful was the  French dart. Usually this is quite flattering but this one hit above the breast point. Now I did tissue fit but it is hard for me at least, to get a feel sometimes for where the shoulder seam will fall and I wasn't too close on this one. I could adjust the dart easily but then that would mean adjusting the cut on sleeve and frankly, it is not that a unique a pattern to bother with. I will be keeping the very nice pocket pattern pieces to use on other things. It is a sweet welt pocket, easy and well drafted.

I can also show the two wonderful canvas shopping bags I made my Mother for her birthday.



 Sandi at Fabric of Vision puts these up as kits with everything you need and instructions. I loved this fabric combo and there were a couple of these kitted up so I grabbed them way back in early November.



Two works just perfectly for my mom since these are pretty generous in size and of course, they are wash and wear!

A couple of Vogue patterns have been completed also, one skirt and one felted wool jacket and I have got to get pics of both of them. I wore the skirt New Year's Eve and it was warm and comfortable. First finished project of 2015, is a Merchant & Mills pattern, "The Dress Shirt" and came out quite well. It's a fun and fast pattern to make.



 I did a few modifications, I did not line the bib or yoke since this was a first run through and I was using a fairly heavy fabric. The only thing I need to change on this pattern is to raise the armhole an inch on the next go round. It's just a little to low. I have all sorts of fun ideas for this pattern.



These pics are in process. The dress had the neck and hem done yesterday. Next post I will feature some of the new fabrics that found their way into my stash from Fabric of Vision's annual sale. For those that are in striking distance, it goes on until the end of the month.

So what about the foxes? In late fall things got sporadic with their visits, maybe twice a week. This is normal. Everyone seems to leave the nursery area and hunt and cache all over for the winter. But now that the winter has set in, we're back to an almost nightly visit. If the weather is really bad it is unlikely they'll visit. Mating season is approaching so I am expecting to see a bit more activity as we get into February. My tack room was ransacked by a raccoon and it finally figured out how to get the container of cat food I keep down there. Plan B was implemented. Lock cat food in metal barrel with bungee cords. So far, so good and after a while, they stop coming around since there is no benefit to it.

Parting shot: Hazel Rose, who learned to walk on a harness and leash over her holiday vacation. ;)