Moody Blues

So that last project was fun to weave up and see the colour effect!    I thought "let's try that again"! This time I used four colours instead of three: Navy blue,  grey blue, whipple blue and baby blue.  All 8/2 tencel and sett 24 epi.  I have a nice selection of colours to play with at a time like this. 

Again, it was awkward to photograph effectively!  But it was clear that there was a completely different look and feel to the project. The warp width and length was the exact same:   8.41" at the reed and 6.5 yards. The scarves were woven the same way: network and as-threaded. 

The weaving went along well and I was pleased at how my knee was feeling with the exercise. It did swell slightly by the days end so I would elevate it and keep an ice pack on it.... plus pour a cold, well earned drink for me.  Endless days of rain was the perfect weaving weather in the quiet days of late January.

Below is the woven 'as threaded' scarf.  Once again it has the look of flowers or circles and they are much more visible with this colour arrangement.

I did find some beads that were a good match for colour.... so there's a few in each corner. Somehow less was more this time round...

It looks sort of flat but that's due to my arrangement to show the pattern off. The tencel is soft and silky with a lovely drape and cool hand.  I see either one of these paired with jeans and casual wear quite nicely for Spring. 

The network scarf requires only ten repeats to equal one scarf. The repeats are six and a half inches long!

This one has some bead accents hand sewn in off the loom as part of the finishing.

Again, I had to drag every light  into a huddle to shoot these pictures..... and today the sun came out in all its glory as I write.    I might try retaking the pictures and see if it makes a difference!

So that concludes my ombre style colour gradation  exploration (for now). Its time to move onto something different. I get bored easily and so my runs of anything are limited. I couldn't be a production weaver as I would suck at my job   :)

So here's a sneak peek at the next project..... to keep you coming back!

Magenta Ombre

Its sure been a long time for both you and for me when it comes to a new weaving post!     I'm having to reach way back to last September to start this story.   It was a tense time getting things together in the studio, plus getting the house and me ready for the surgery to come.

This project started with watching a video by Margaret Coe on how to use the colour gradation feature on the Fiberworks program.  It looked simple enough so I thought I would try my hand at it.   After a few fumbled attempts, I pulled together a three colour gradation of just over two hundred ends and then  found a nifty eight shaft twill draft at Handweaving. net wound a warp long enough for two scarves and some samples.   

{ I love that web site.... I could spend *hours* cruising through their random drafts feature..... and I do!    If you are a fan of authentic tartans, then go and take a look! There have been many entered into their web site and give the actual colour setts. }

 I wound the warp and got it ready for beaming once the guest towel warp came off the loom.    If I recall, the warp came off and this warp was on the loom all within an hour or two!   Hubby Bruce helped me so it went smoothly and quick.   I'm not a fan of naked looms.... they should be kept dressed at all times  :)

I wove the first repeat, which measures six to seven inches to see what it looked like and admire the colours.... and then left it to sit until I was able to weave again.  Something to look forward to.

I noticed it was hard to photograph it well between the darkness of the colours, the flash, and the shine off the tencel. I had to try different angles and settings. I'm sure someone with camera 'know- how' could do it but I only play with the auto settings.   So you might notice some changes in the lighting and appearance.  Its just me trying to get a better picture!  So my secret is out... I just take lots of pictures and see what turns out.... and then play with them in the computer.   Hey!  its worked okay till now.

The weaving part took some time. I tried my first few inches at about six to seven weeks post op. (So about mid November) and quickly discovered .... it hurt!  My first few sessions produced a few inches and only a few minutes each time.  The knee would swell up and so need a couple of days off and then I tried again.... with the same results.   But it felt good to be resuming a normal activity again. 

Then we received all the photographs from my Dad's estate, which I sorted, and then Christmas came along and so there was a three week break away from the loom.  This turned out to be a good thing in hind sight as it gave me more time to heal.  I felt much stronger when I got back and not as much swelling and pain.   I planned to be on the bench for New Year's Day and I was !   It sets the 'weaving tone' for the new year and I wanted  to start 2016 off right. 

To be truthful, I have finished these two scarves plus two others since then but the second batch are for another post!

It sure felt good to pull them off the loom. Bruce was there for the 'unveiling' and he also helped me load the next warp right away. I was on a roll and not about to stop!   The next day I serged my samples up, and measured my fringe allowance and evened the lengths up.  I pinned them out on my board and got busy twisting the fringes.  I had a good look through my bead stash but other than small basic black seed beads, I have nothing in the magenta colour line at all. They were just going to have to go naked!

Its okay as the ombre effect sort of takes centre stage anyhow.... who would even notice they were there?

These pictures show the scarf where it was woven 'as threaded'.  Its a neat little design that reminds me of flowers somehow.  Fully reversible and so it has a slightly lighter and darker side. I arranged the scarf to show both sides in the pictures.   I had waited for some sunshine to take the photographs but we have had endless rain.... or I was away from home when the sun did break out! I finally gave up and dragged every lamp we own into the studio and set up a white sheet across the Megado and gave it my best shot. (pun intended)

Etsy shop

The other scarf was woven 'network' style as shown in the draft above.  It has a whole different feel or mood to it.  Its also fully reversible.   I think this is my favourite of the two.   It would look stunning against a black wool dress coat, or suit.  Well, they both would!

So to review: six and a half yards of  8/2 tencel in colours black, eggplant and red-purple; sett 24 epi.  Both scarves were woven to approximately seventy four inches and end up being seventy two inches in length when all done and a final seven and a half inches wide. The fringe measures 6 inches.

The next warp that went on is a repeat of a few things.... the drafts used, the ombre effect but this time all different colours and a whole different look and feel.   I used four colours this time as well.
I had to plan to use the same tie up again as I wasn't sure of how things would go changing it, even propped up on crates. Parts of me just don't bend the same way anymore!     The treadling does count as exercise though for the leg and knee so its been good that way!

It was my goal to get a new weaving post to you in January and I made it!  By the skin of my teeth but I did it!      :)

Down to the Wire

Its been a very busy time since I last wrote!

In my last post I showed you a sixteen shaft draft for the Megado and a wonky shaft.... which is now fixed!   So this was done:

So the Megado is all set and working nicely.... and I have a basket of wound pirns. I plan to change the colour every 32-34 inches for a new towel colour. 

I also wet finished the previous project of book marks and have them all washed and pressed and in the Etsy shop for sale (which is now temporarily shut for my operation).  Twelve shaft twill in black 20/2 cotton and a fine linen; sett is 50 epi.

I have done a lot of tidy up in the studio. Put yarns aways, finish up sample records, and got a new clear plastic storage bin for the recent tapestry yarn purchase.  

What else can I do while recovering?  Well, when the time comes ... I can sit and wind a warp or three and so have one planned, complete with cones and notes all ready to go.

I got the warp on the Spring *finally* woven off.   It was a slow weave due mainly to my wonky knee but also because of the very fine weft used and all the hemstitching involved. Four rows at the start and a row of double hemstitching for the end hem.   It was a ten and a half yard warp and I got twelve guest towels and some samples.   They have been serged apart and pressed and pinned for hand sewing the hems while I recover.  I like to have some hand work to keep busy with.  I'll do a full project blog post once its all done, washed and pressed up and photographed for you. I'm going to wash and steam press them later.  Here are some of the towels waiting for the sewing needle:

Front edge of the butter cream towel

.... and the back edge.

Here are a few.... and there's twelve in all, featuring two different huck patterns 

I don't think the loom was even cold yet and the next warp was beamed on!   It was threaded and sleyed PDQ as well. Then she was hoisted up onto her crates and the tie up done.   I'm not likely to be able to weave on this loom for a time but its nice to know its ready for when I am.  The warp is for two scarves and one will be woven "as drawn in" and the second will be woven "network twill style". In fact the warp that is waiting to be wound on the warping mill is for another set of two scarves, woven the same two ways as well.  Different colours of course, but I won't have to change the tie up for a time. I sit on a low stool to do that and I'm not sure my new knee would like trying to get up from that until its well healed.... so I'm being kind to my future self!

Anyhow, here's the start of "as drawn in"  as a tease.... and there will be a more full disclosure much later on.

So that means everything is done and ready in the studio for my eventual return.   In the house I have been busy too!   

We have completed the last of the medical visits and tests.   We picked up all the equipment necessary at the Red Cross loans cupboard and our guest room is full of walkers, bath bench, raised toilet seat, crutches, a bed assist bar, another frame device to lift and keep the blankets off my knee, and my new cryo-cuff machine!

You place water and ice into the 'cooler' and a quiet little motor circulates the water via the hose to the pad which is wrapped around the (cloth covered) knee. This helps reduce swelling and inflammation.  We tried it out today as a trail run and it worked fine and no leaks.  You can barely hear the motor!  I wish I had known about this gizmo for my hip surgeries!   I used leaky  doubled bags of ice in 2001 for my left hip..... and frozen gel packs for the right hip this past December.    There are different pad types for different body parts available. What is shown above is called a universal and mine is specific for a knee joint.

We have arranged for a ride for me to come home using Medivan transport as our Santa Fe SUV isn't user friendly to get a newly operated left knee into.  Even with the seat back all the way, its still high off the ground and there's not enough swing room to get the knee in without doing a bend and a maybe twist.  Medivan staff will get me home and into the house, up the stairs and settled into my own bed.  That will be my big accomplishment for the day I'm sure! I'm thrilled to not have to worry about the stairs on my first day home!

The seasons are changing and work goes on around the house and yard to get ready. Bruce got the snow tires mounted on rims and onto the car yesterday. The higher elevation road between here and my hospital has the requirement of snow tires as of October 1st to March 30th.  So he'll be safe on his commute to see me at least!

Recent rains showed us that some repairs are required for our gutters and they will be done this Monday.   Lawn mowing has begun again now the grass has started to grow once more and the usual end of summer clean up has begun in the gardens and patio.  I'm just an observer in all these details....

We had an arborist come and assess some dead standing trees on the property that must be cut down before the winter wind storms start as they are too close to the house.  They died from the dry spell in the summer of 2014 and failed to revive this past spring.   We won't know what has died from the long drought this summer until spring 2016.   We also found that our neighbourhood deer have started eating things normally labeled in garden shops as "deer proof", so we need some new plants to add to their buffet.... but most likely next spring.

Now all I have left to do is some laundry, and pack my bag to go.  I have to report in 7:45 am on Monday. Yes, I'm nervous and wishing I didn't have the week to come ahead of me but I do want to get to the benefits of a new knee which is walking pain free, and weaving again.      Wish me luck!   

Bruce bought me some dahlias from a local roadside stand and I must say that they are simply lovely. A real other world inside the petals....  here are some shots so you can enjoy them too.

I'll see you here again soon.