Colors of March

Whiter than January and February, and the sunlight has changed quality with the longer days. Certainly MUCH more inspiring than mud! It was a lovely Saturday morning and since Sue over at Life Looms Large started this, I haven't been as good about participating as I would have liked.

Hasta La Vista, Baby...

It is literally boxing day here. The grey sweater will be boxed up for shipping this morning and start thumping and bumping across country to its new owner. Good bye sweater, you were a fun knit until the neck, but we got you done.

Seriously, the neck knitting was just awful. I don't know why they had me do some of the things they did, and the sweater itself was heavy to move along a short circular, but next sweater, we're going to do the ribbed collar exactly as the ribbed bottom. I caught Gene petting his yarn yesterday too, so I know it won't be long before I start in on that one. I might just do the two sleeves first on a long circular together. Might.

I have some boxes for Carolyn so her final packing is on the to do list for today. Some weaving is also on that list. The blanket was whispering to me yesterday as I only had time to do an inch or two of weaving before it was time to head for town.

The Murphy loom has not sold. There has been some interest, but we'll see if it pans out. Shameless plug here, I've put together one heck of a good weaving package for under $400.00. Loom, bench, warping board and raddle. So if you know of someone in the west who is looking for a nice weaving loom, send them over here. ;-)

The ride home yesterday was a NIGHTMARE. Two inches of wet white grease that packed down to ice as you drove over it. The steep incline, the lack of plows or any other cars on the road, the windy white out and the tires that really are at the beginning of the end of their useful life all made for a very slow and tense ride home.

Okay, lets get to the good stuff. The new loom is ordered. Susan at Thrums asked what I was going to get in one recent comments. I have ordered a new Glimakra Julia 4 harness, 6 treadle counterbalance loom in red. I hemmed and hawed over going for the countermarche set up but in the end decided that I like a CB and having a simple tie-up on one loom is not a bad thing. This is a very small loom with a footprint of just about a yard square. I might even try my hand at some rosemaling on her beautiful bright red finish. Seems red is the color of new equipment. The Schacht Ladybug spinning wheel is also red. I suspect it's because we all know they go faster....

I'm working on a small, thoroughly silly project, which you all will see when it's done.

A first toy pattern has been selected too, along with yarn. I looked over my weftovers, scraps and half balls and couldn't come up with anything that was suitable, so while it doesn't look it now, this is the Deadliest Crab in waiting.

The yarn is from The Philosopher's Wool Co. and since Dona sells her Romney wool to them, it might even have some local sheep in the mix. Should make a nice red crab!

On farm news, Buzz somehow got himself into the dog pen overnight and was so terrified he went under the porch and couldn't figure out how to get out of the mess he got himself into. Plus the dogs all sniffing around the lattice of the back porch had him frozen with fear. It's good he didn't try to bolt. I put the dogs in the house and scooted him out from under the porch into the open pen. He looked pretty pitiful meowing at the chain link, but let me scoop him up and carry him outside to safety. He won't do THAT again. He was back to his sweet unruffled kitty self by afternoon feeding and met me at the front steps like usual. Only a passing glance at the fearsome dog area.

Geeky Gifts

I have often thought my prodigious fiber activities could be in direct response to the copious amounts of tools we have kicking around here. If fiber is my legacy, tools certainly are Gene's. We have saws and drills and all sorts of things that look like they could be used to torture cats.Only joking, we save all nifty torture devices for the dogs!

:-)

But there is one tool in his arsenal that we fight over. I won the good hammer battle BTW, it now sits in my little tool section in the studio, but this tool has both of us at odds. At any time of the day or night, I will hear, "Okay, where did you put it?" Closely followed by some sort of ear burning curse to keep my paws off his cheese. I then usually point out he has a lot of cheese, certainly he can find other cheese to do what this cheese does. He's getting smart though, yesterday mornings comeback asked if I would use linen when I wanted wool, after all they are all CHEESE! So, Mr. Smarty Pants finally did something about the division of tool cheese. He bought me my own.

Other than a hammer and a nail, this is the most useful tool in the house. You gotta love a man that brings you home stuff like this.

The sweater is just about done. The sleeves are all sewn to the shoulders and awaiting me to sew up the sides and sleeve seams.

Then pick up and knit the neck ribbing,weave in ends, wash, block, dry, pictures and then off to Massachusetts. I spent part of my afternoon scanning the hoards of toy patterns. So many fun ones to choose from.

Carolyn has been reduced to the sum of her parts. Finding boxes for some of the odd lengths and sizes is proving challenging. I'll tell you one thing, when the new spinning wheel and loom come, I am saving their boxes. It just makes life easier all around.

The pillowcase warp goes slowly, but then again, what's the rush?

There was a bit of weaving on the blanket but most of the fiber time was spent on the sweater.

On farm news, the horses not only are muddy but shedding. They look very unappealing right now. I can't find my shedding blade so this Friday another will be picked up. Everyone is stomping around, full of high energy and all of them need some quality time on the lunge line and a little pre conditioning for the riding mounts. Hay this year was good and they are all a little fat. Spring brings along with warmth and sunshine, an assortment of wormers, the clippers will come out soon and hoof nippers, the annual farm vet visit and some serious barn clean-up. Gene and I have a date to take Cooper and Dandy for a long walk down the BLM road. Not riding, just good fun walking the big dogs kind of stroll thing. Let them rubber neck at the trees that might have fallen and get any jump and jiggle out while in hand and so we can all go investigate if need be. We'll split up on one of the trails to get a sense of how buddy sour they may have become, see if we can find some delicate shoots just waiting for a quick graze and marvel that we have had these two fellows for so many years and what truly good kind horses they are.

Plaid

I'm not a big plaid person, although some day I would like to sit down and do some tartan cloth on the loom. It can however wait until the mood strikes. The plaid I am actually referring to is in the blanket. Now I could do the whole thing plaid but I much prefer just the bits at either end with the middle bit just being stripes. I had the foresight to take a picture before I rolled past the plaid part completely. Done in the same sequence as the stripes, yellow, blue, white, dark green and tan. At the other end it will be the same but in reverse, starting with tan.

I also need to say that every time I weave on "Hey Baby" Delta I fall in love all over again. This loom, however expensive it was to buy, is worth its weight in gold to me.

The hardest thing about these triple weave warps (once you are past the threading, sleying and adding the evil slippery fishing line) is getting a nice even beat. One layer builds up while you are weaving another layer and makes it difficult to keep everything perfect, at least for me. Thankfully, I can say the fulling process works wonders in this area and is just as important as all the other steps in weaving a wool blanket.

The pillowcase warp has been started on too, not much done but really it's 5 yards of 20/2 organic natural cotton done at 700 something ends total. It's like measuring thread out. I can't imagine doing something like 60 or 120/2 warp, but I am sure someday I will get to it. For now conquering 20/2 is just fine. ;-)

Not too much else to report, some snow, some rain, some cold temps, some sunshine.

House cleaning was uneventful yesterday ( unless you count a short period of critter terrorizing...) although I would like to say it is SO MUCH easier to clean in the studio without Barbara there. She was a hard loom to clean around and under. The Louets sit high and open allowing for easy vacuum and mopping access. A good and wonderful thing! The Carolyn loom is getting slowly taken apart ( and documented) for shipping cross country. Today is guild meeting so hopefully tomorrow I can get her completely broken down and begin the search for some big boxes.

The Anti Merino

I know, I know, everyone loves merino for it's next to the skin softness and it IS soft and dreamy to wear. I like knitting with it when it's mixed with other things. In the yarn petting zoo, it is always a favorite. But for spinning, it drives me crazy. There is a balance there between hard twisted little singles and singles that disintegrate back into roving. I have a hard time finding that narrow middle ground. So it was when I went into town Friday and picked up one more skein of wool for my Dad's sweater ( I think we're up to 14 but who's counting) and there was a lovely ball of pure Romney roving, grown and sheared in Ashland at Dona's farm. This fiber has umami!

Dona ( who owns the Webster's) sells this and yarn, Silver Cloud Farm, which is what went into the saddle blankets. The cost for the yarn is $8.00 for 210 yards and it's knit on a US 7-9 needle. Gene's cabled sweater will be made from a lovely dark moss green

version. The roving cost $2.00 per oz, cleaned and all ready to be spun and I am the happy spinner just waiting to finish this merino bobbin to get to it too! Why the recap? Appreciation. While I was in New England in January, I did get to poke around a couple of area yarn stores and in one was a Romney yarn from Maine. I don't remember the farm name but it was beautiful yarn, maybe a tad softer due to the spin. It was more open and it was hand dyed. It all makes a difference and the cost was $18.00 per 150+- yard skein. Now don't think it wasn't worth it, it was. American grown wool, processed and lovingly dyed local to New England. Next trip I may have to revisit it. But I also gained an enormous amount of respect and appreciation for my local flocks and the people who bring their goods to market for me in whatever form.

Whenever I work with a truly home grown fiber, I get a special boost knowing I could probably hunt that particular flock down and meet the sheep and certainly the shepherd or shepherdess.

Now, there has been some weaving going on and the blanket is making a nice start.

My feet remembered the treadle pattern all on their own. It interesting to note that every weaver likes a certain footfall pattern. I know many who like a walking motion. I don't. I split my treadles right down the middle and let the left foot do the left side and the right foot do the right side. I read my treadles like a book, left to right and I will rewrite a treadle pattern if it doesn't accommodate. If there is tabby, I give it to the left foot to deal with on treadles 1 & 2.

This treadle sequence has no tabby, it runs 1-3-5-6-4-2-1, the left foot does 1,2&3 the right 4,5, & 6. It works for me.

On farm news, I was woken up at two in the morning by distant caterwauling. MY cat caterwauling. Rodger didn't make it in for last call Friday night and there must have been a stranger around. I jumped out of bed and flew down the stairs, dogs barking in tow and lights flying on, all to rescue my kitty. He came to the front door, 3 times his normal size, a little dirty and certainly upset. I gave him the once over and noted no punctures or scratches. He had been clinging to a pine tree. His underside certainly smelled of pine and there was a spot or two of pitch, but otherwise untouched. After a good sit at the food bowl he spent the day curled up on one of the dog blankets. Close call! Because of this I am making a little sign by the front door, it will say "CAT IN" on one side and "CAT OUT" on the other, so whoever goes to bed last will know to call in the kitty or not. Should have done this long ago.

So, Has There Been Progress?

Well, the sweater cables on. By now I can do this pattern in my sleep. Good thing too since I have two more of the same pattern requested. This is all that stands between me and getting it together for finishing the neck band.

Then washing, blocking and off into the mail. I will be taking a break to knit a few little fun things for me. I have wanted to do a couple of toy patterns and by gum, I'm going to do it.

The blanket warp is threaded and sleyed. I am getting the 12 ends (6 per side) of fishing line in for folds and selvages. The weekend should see the start of some actual weaving. Triple width=magic. Woohoo!

Some math and putting planning to paper has happened on the pillowcase warp for Hannah Hollandia. While the original uses a 10/2 natural cotton at 20 epi, I will be using a 20/2 sett at 30 epi for a total of 736 ends over 24 inches. Four selvage ends are doubled, hence some additional ends.

I just started spinning some bright colored merino top. Surf & Seaweed by Frabjous Fibers.

I love the colors, cobalt blue and acid greens, but honestly, I don't enjoy spinning merino. It's just too soft. I like wool with some body, some texture, some...umami.

On the equipment front I have made some decisions and as always, your suggestions helped me to clarify my goals. I have listed and sold the Carolyn loom already, the Murphy loom is also listed and going with a lot of goodies as a beginners package. I don't think he'll move quickly because a lot of people are afraid of both an older loom and unfamiliar with the charms of a counterbalance loom, but hopefully some enthusiastic new weaver will come along and make a nice home for Murph sooner or later.

So, the age old question you probably want to know is, what am I going to get to replace those two wonderful looms? The short answer is a Glimakra Julia.

They now have a number of different configurations, either CB or CM, but I'm looking at a straightforward 4s/6t, in bright red...of course!

Now that could change, I am fickle gal but for right now, that's what's under investigation. In the meantime, I need to break down and pack up Carolyn, give her a good polish and pep talk to ready her for her new home and say my good byes to a lovely loom that I never really utilized as I should have. Through no fault of her own I might add!

On farm news, really it's all about the weather. We've had the norm for this winter, some snow and then within 24 hours, melting. This winter of mud has made me pretty grumpy. I feel cheated out of a whole glorious season, my favorite I might add. Not much can be done about it. Shaking my fist at the sky and stomping my feet has had little effect. It did make all the outside critters give pause, wondering if I had finally gone round the bend. You could almost see a train of thought as they looked at each other and back at me. "Did you do something?" "No, not me, I was thinking maybe your daily roll in the mud right as she's bringing up the hay could be the cause..."

Cake: Breakfast of Champions

Or in my case, breakfast of birthdays!

As Gene pointed out if he had put all 52 candles on it it might have looked like the Olympic torch. Funny guy, he went for tall instead. The cake itself, dark chocolate with raspberry. I spent some of the day in sugar shock, the other part stuffed to the gills after a very nice meal in town at Cucina Biazzi. Our favorite place to have dinner. I will be having a lunch fit for a Queen of leftovers today. Indeed!

There were hand made chocolates, cute cards and a couple of IOU's.

I have a new spinning wheel being built in Colorado by Schacht, one of their little Ladybug wheels.

Gene wisely consulted with me after my grumbling that the Timbertops is just too big to be considered portable and asked what would suit. The wheel has been ordered via the Websters and while it's a bit of a wait ( April), I would rather support my local yarn store than do internet shopping for such a big item. They are always so good to me it's an easy thing to do.

I also have another trip back to MA for a true vacation visit planned at the end of April.

Thank you Gene, there is nothing more precious than the gift of time.

So while the b-day itself has passed, it is still birthday week and First Friday art walk is slated along with an Indian food lunch. Counting calories would be a lesson in futility this week. LOL, it's futile just about any week actually.

Thank you all for the birthday wishes yesterday and the equipment suggestions. They were wonderful and helpful respectively. I'm getting close to a decision about equipment and it's already the start of the yearly march towards...53! ;-)

I do have a little spinning to share. Consider it my cheating version of the colors of February.

This lovely green colorway was dyed by Cindie at Eweniquely Ewe ( the pink and browns too for that matter). For the life of me I can't remember the name but that makes it no less pretty.

Equipment

As you all probably have figured out by now, I spend a lot of time acquiring, organizing and culling. If there were only two categories of people, tossers and savers, I would be in the former, Gene would be the latter. With spring on the horizon, the yarn purging past and the book purging ongoing, I am also taking a hard look at my true equipment needs. The two Louet looms I have are simply wonderful. I love them both and plans are always in the works for weaving projects for them. They are keepers.

The Woolhouse Carolyn has not been put to use at all and while it is a fine and lovely loom, it's a piece of equipment that might be sold for something for which there is a steady and compelling need, so too the Murphy loom.

I have dedicated Murphy to doing prayer flags but while a wonderful friendly loom, I am doing 10-12 inches of weaving width on a 42" loom. Do I NEED that width at all for what it has been earmarked for? No, I don't. It was my first loom though....

So, while I wrestle with equipment changes,( sell one, sell both, sell neither) and hope for some words of wisdom or an equipment epiphany, I'll leave you with this.

Decisions for Smoochie are very easy; eat, sleep, love and Oh, second breakfast is always welcome.