New Tricks

This was a fun box to receive last week! Its like Christmas all over again.   Now, not all of these are mine as some are for a friend who also weaves.

I have been weaving  all kinds of kitchen towels warps in the past few years and using only my stash yarns.   I still have lots but none of the "neat colours". I seem to have 8/2 cotton colours that really need something else to liven it up and nothing left for white or black. 

So I called in an order to Brassards and gave them my customer number and order. They called back to tell me that they have no record of me and that number belongs to someone else now.    Its been so long since I placed an order, they gave my number away!  That sure made me chuckle....

So now that I have a nice selection of colours to choose from I'm searching for a draft to do some more kitchen towels.   I'll make it a long one....

That book sitting on top is a brand new sample book as my old one is from 2013.   Its worth every penny too! Can you imagine sitting threading cards like these for hours on end? 

So what else is new?   Well, I have two completed shawls and three table runners all waiting for their glamour shots with the camera. Its been dark and stormy here and on the days the sun comes out, it almost blinds you!   So there's been  much going on and it will all be posted here in due course.  The shawls need to have natural light to show them to their best due to the colours of the warp and the weft.

The runners.....they can be hard to photograph decently and not look like blocks laying on a table and something more interesting is required.     But soon!

I discovered some new 3D printed brackets for the lease sticks on the Megado and ordered a pair along with their silicone bands to hold them in place.   They are printed rainbow style and shift from orange to aquamarine.   

 I just tried them out for the first time and apparently set them into the wrong spot but it seemed to work okay for the most part.  I'll try the proper spot next time on the next warp.  So here they are in use and a sneak peek at a new warp.

If I place them on the correct centre board mid way and turn the holders the other way, it may be too far a reach? I'll have to see next time. The lease sticks need to be trimmed down by half an inch as they fit too snugly between the sides of the loom.    I know they are a bit too low for threading where they are, but I love the whole idea that people (in this case the husband of a weaver) are thinking of new ways to do things and improve the process!

These lease stick holders are made with a Megado loom in mind  by https://www.gingerlockshandwovens.com  but there are other options out there for a few loom  make and models  at https://loftyfiber.com and they have one for Spring looms and a few other manufacturers.   Check them both out!

We have some valiant spring flowers starting to make their way up between rain squalls and gusty winds. They are much tougher than they look!   🌷

So I'll be keeping the camera near and watching for some sunshine (minus high winds!) and will be back soon.

This is our grandson Ethan who just won a gold and as silver medal at a recent jujitsu tournament.   For the readers who may recall me announcing his birth (which feels like yesterday) he's turning 10 in April. 

So me missing posting for the month of January is nothing to the decade that went by in a blink!  😳 🏆