Let me back up a bit... all the way to 2009 no less!
Do you possibly recall when Lynnette and I went to Saltspring Island to visit Jane Stafford's Studio and we came away with new Louet Spring looms each? If you are relatively new to my blog that link will help you to catch up! I briefly had a moment of insanity brought on by sticker shock and wrote an ad to sell my big Woolhouse Tools loom on the internet. Then reason set in and I decided to withdraw the ad and keep both. I could aways sell it later if the money thing got in the way.
So roll the clock ahead to June 2012. Do you recall the day I recently spent with Lynnette and Ngaire and they put all the 20+ cords back onto the loom? The day after I was still riding high from the previous day and came in from dead heading flowers in the garden to find an email from a dear friend. Long story short, I have a new Louet Megado 110 16 shaft computer assist loom coming! We are driving to pick it up in nine days time. Now I was positively floating on air!!
It will look something like this (with mine being the one on the left, as the one on the right is a mechanical dobby)
It couldn't come at a better time when you consider my health and joint issues! The truth is, some issues won't get better but steadily worse. Some can be remedied with surgery but that will be down the road a ways.
Its taken some days to have all this sink in and ponder things like... where will it go? Is there room enough? Lots of other important considerations too as we have been thinking of selling our home and moving to a smaller property, and smaller home potentially. Ideally a single level home with a walk out basement with a family room. I can't think about only just now and where we currently live but also the future which is difficult to do. Got a crystal ball handy?
I have the 12 shaft 36" Louet Spring with its small footprint and low castle. It makes sense to keep that one as it can fit easily into a smaller house. Granted it doesn't have a nifty tie up assist but we do lift it up and tie up's are done sitting on a stool. It's also light and can be moved easily too. No dismantling down to sticks! The treadling action is different. The treadles attach at the front and so its more of a heel and toe movement with my feet only sliding in one direction or another. I can weave here even when my back is cranky.
The Woolhouse Tools loom is physically large. Tall too. It's also has depth from front to back which gives you those great sheds. Its also my baby and it came to me brand new July 11th, 1998. We have fourteen years together and she doesn't look a day over four. :) We have been through upgrades together and bonded through many, many hours of weaving. The 20+ is great and helped me tremendously after my hip replacement surgery in 2001. I also have back issues as some of you have read here. The sad thing is, when my back is acting up from any one or more of my four bad discs, I can't weave on her at all and so she sits idle. Sometime for weeks, even months! You see, the action of stepping down onto the treadle to push it to the floor, works/ pulls on muscles in my legs, thighs and lower back and it aggravates the problem. I have to wait for things to settle down before I could use her and only for so much time at a sitting or it would set things off again.
So given the new loom coming, and our future plans to move to a house with unknown space limitations, the Big Girl is the logical one to go. Not that this makes me very happy! In fact, downright sad. Okay, a tear or three will be shed.
So Bruce and I stood there in the studio and discussed the hard facts of space, our future plans and such and I went upstairs to my laptop for some much needed distraction.
Here is where it really gets weird.
There, in my email inbox, is an email from a weaver in Ontario asking me if I still have the Woolhouse Gertrude loom for sale...(from that 2009 ad!) **nothing on the internet EVER goes away!** I sat stunned and read it two or three times. I thought over the discussion we just had but a few minutes ago and replied .... yes.
Esther, the inquiring weaver, was just as stunned as I was when she heard how old the ad was and the currents events in our house that had just decided that it was time to sell it. I felt that with summer and all the guilds on a break, I could put a tea towel warp on her and weave away and place the ads for the September newsletters. I would get a 'farewell' warp! No, not at all.... in fact my weaving on Emmatrude is over and I will be dismantling her and getting her ready to travel. Once she arrives there, she will be given a new name as Emmatrude is a personal family name consolidation and its being retired. Besides, the loom should be having a fresh start!
The new, soon to be owner is Esther and she is new to weaving but is already weaving well and is truly hooked! She is understandably super happy and excited about all this so I'll be posting about the loom's departure, and she will report at her web page about the loom's arrival and set up. Esther is busy pondering new names like there's a baby on the way!
(Her page Fishykissknits has also been added to the blog roll lists) Esther used to own and operate a knitting yarn store years ago and until the weaving bug hit, she was primarily a knitter.
In the mean time, when I feel down about all this I will remind myself about the new loom coming and the new adventure! I already have my cheque to PCW Fiberworks in the mail to upgrade my software and get the loom drivers I will need to operate the loom. Not sure yet, but I might need to find an old laptop to set up and run the program.
Lynnette said I have horseshoes 'somewhere' and laughed! I also asked her if she'd like to help take the cords off the loom.... and she said that she's busy! :)
So, I have plans to make for our coming trip to get the Megado.... and moving companies / freight companies to contact for shipping the loom after our long weekend!
Happy Canada Day!
