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Thursday, March 26, 2020

🌎 One Day Among Many

Sorry about the missing pictures, but this is a problem that Blogger is looking to resolve.



Welcome from the  'bunker' formally known as our home.  We enjoy our house and yard, but the instant you are told NOT to go out, you are suddenly filled with a desire to go shopping, visit friends and just get out there.  I can get over that urge!

Well, we tend to stay home a fair amount anyhow so there's not much change really.  We got some groceries ordered on line and delivered to our front door, we both have three months worth of our medicines, the car's gas tank is full and we have propane for the BBQ.   We have scads of books, internet, on line streaming services..... and even some toilet paper left.  We're just fine here.

Hubby is puttering around the house and yard. Fixing irrigation lines and doing light garden work.  The primroses, crocus, heather and tulips are up.  Everything  that needs pruning has been done and the hedges have been trimmed up. Power washing was done  two or three weeks ago.    I guess window cleaning is next up soon. Maybe when it warms up some more?

The Covid 19 pandemic is top of mind for everyone and the uncertainty is the hardest part.    I have seen some interesting memes on FaceBook:

Your grandparents had to live through and fight in World War 2.... you are being asked to sit on the couch. You've got this...."

The virus doesn't move, people do..... so practise social distancing!

Adopt the attitude that you have the virus and then work hard to prevent passing it to others.


Our days seem to have settled into a routine.  Coffee and news in the morning, then house chores and / or laundry.... then lunch. I go into the studio after lunch and work on several things, all of which are under way and not close to being finished.

I have been spending all of my weaving time on the Megado and my 9.5 yard 8/2 towel warp.  I have about five or six towels done. This the one currently underway and its a muted plum shade


The roll is starting to build nicely  and its a great stash buster as I dig through the cottons looking for choices for the next towels.


Here's the winding station with all the part pirns of colours and I may just do a towel with multi colours for each pattern change to use them up.  The blue and teal is for the crackle weave on the Spring which hasn't advanced at all  and is patiently waiting for my attention. 


I've been doing project planning and warp winding.  I have several projects and drafts all worked up.


I like having a longer warp on the Megado for towels and so dug around in the stash and found a lovely  two pound cone of natural 8/2 Venne cotton and have been winding six bouts of  one hundred ends, ten yards long.  I have also wound another warp, also ten yards, of 10/2 cotton for table runners. Here they are hanging on the beater bar assembly of the tapestry loom.  (This weavers equivalent of "laundry on a treadmill" right now  😁 )


I still have one more bout of one hundred ends to wind of the cream cotton. This is where I confess to a guilty pleasure. I like to stream nature shows on my computer and sort of half watch, half hear them as I wind away.  David Attenborough has a delightful way of narrating the episodes and no matter how dire the situation environmentally, he always ends them on a positive note.


Here's the colours for the runner and the cream is the Venne cotton.

Here are the drafts:



So between what's under way and the warps waiting, there's lots of daily activity here.   I have taken my Etsy shop off line and in 'holiday mode' as I don't want to deal with post office trips.  So that's why there is a large white empty box on the right hand side of your screen.   We will get back to normal eventually but I believe it will be many weeks of social distancing as areas of infection peak and diminish.   Past history of pandemics show second and even third waves so we must be very careful. It could come back to bite us on the arse otherwise!  😳

I don't believe that people will return to normal spending habits for some time as they recover their financial lives.  So things like my scarves and shawls are not essentials.   I'll keep weaving to keep myself busy and build up my inventory for the better times to come. 




As you can see, I have many scarves, and a good number of shawls on hand.  Towels and runners are my only gaps  ..... and one runner will be for our large dining room table and will be 98 inches long!   I've been promising to weave one for us and apparently I have the time right now. 

So if you are at home  refusing to be an Uber ride for a virus bug, enjoy the time that comes along with this situation.  Read a book, watch movies, write, paint,  spin or weave.  Whatever your heart and mind feels like doing.   If somedays, its to simply do nothing, then that's okay too.   This is a stressful time for everyone and we must be kind with each other, including ourselves. 

Some humour for you:   





2 comments:

marlenetoerien@gmail.com said...

Hi Susan, what an inpirational blog. Here in South Africa we are in a 21 day complete Lockout, which means that I have quite a lot of weaving time. I am also carrying on weaving so when selling starts to pick up I have stock. Your work as always are very inspirational!

Lynnette said...

Hi Susan,
You made me laugh with your 'big girl panties'. I think it sums everything up nicely. Like you we are doing small jobs around the house, weaving and making the best we can of this weird situation. Had a lovely gardening conversation with a lady walking her dogs by shouting across the road; well, needs must! Love the look of your new tea towels, such a pretty pattern.