Emmatrude

This is my main floor loom and I call her Emmatrude. It's for my mother and maternal grand mother combined. My second name is Trudy, so perhaps for me as well?
It's a Woolhouse Tools countermarche and is called a Gertrude by the builder, John Low. {http://www.woolhousetools.com/} So, sort of close name wise. Yup, that pink blur is me and yes, I'm camera shy. A friend tonight says she loves seeing my hands in pictures, but to give me some credit, it's hard to photograph yourself weaving!

Anyhow, my loom has 12 shafts, 16 treadles, a second warp beam and a tie-up assist. The action on this loom is so easy and smooth! Since she has the floating lamm system (upper jack cords come down the outside of the loom) you can get a full allotment of treadles underneath. She's nice and gentle on my creaky joints and I don't think I could really handle a jack loom with this many shafts anymore. Easy treadling action is a big consideration when shopping for a floor loom..... not that many of us planned to get old(er) and creaky! The picture was taken at our last house in Powell River and the windows faced east. It was nice and bright in the mornings.

Today I woke up with more back pain and then the sudden realization that I had an early guild meeting. {http://www.northwestweavers.org/MemberGuilds/MGTzouhalem.html} I dashed through the shower and was reasonably ready when my ride came. Thank the gods for drugs! I really enjoy being with the other weavers and sharing ideas and planning workshops. In fact, I'll be taking part in a workshop with Jane Stafford later this month called 'Twill Explosion" featuring 8 shaft twills. I picked up my warp today and my 12 shaft table loom will be featuring (ta, da....drum roll...) a 4 shaft twill. Okay... not quite what I imagined but I'm game and really looking forward to the class.....

In April, I'll be attending 2 half day seminars with Laura Fry featuring her "Magic in the Water" and " A Good Yarn". I'll have my camera handy for both events and will report after they are done. It's been a while for me participating in a workshop as moving homes seemed to coincide with the last few I had a chance to take. In June, my best friend will come to visit us and we'll attend Victoria's Fibre Festival at Saxe Point Park. That should be a fun time too.

Weaving can be quite a solitary hobby, so a day out with like minded friends is a great diversion. It's uplifting! Hey....I just realized that I'm not entirely alone...

This is Connor, our Lakeland Terrier. He hides his toys in the end sections of my loom bench and stuffs his rubber balls under my treadles, usually when I'm using them! He doesn't know or seem to understand that he's 11 years old. We could learn a lot from our pets....