Tis the Season

Its the day before, the day before Christmas! Isn't it funny how my childhood memory of  December 23rd  is extra special. It was the peak day of anticipation! I think it has always given short shrift as a day that is in the way of the 'real days'... or if you are an adult, its the day that isn't nearly long enough!

We are about as ready for Christmas as you can get here and grateful we aren't being affected by nasty winter snows or floods. We have a roof over our head, food on the table and reasonably healthy!

We had to reacquaint ourselves with our tree and its where abouts! Last year we were treeless due to the kitchen flood and impending demolition. The boxes has been taken down to the garage to be stored and never made it back to the house until recently. As I pulled out the decoration boxes with 27 years of Christmas past, I found that mice had check things out sometime this summer! Fortunately, they just nibbled on the tissue paper and then exited, so we only lost a few items.

Our tree has a star theme and we have a snowman theme for decorations around the home. You are greeted at the front door by these handsome fellows:

Then on the mantle, along with garlands and lights:

There are a couple of other smaller cohorts but this is the troop leader! Then there is my favourite:

Just love his sweater and scarf! Then this year we have our very own handmade stockings by Lynnette !

They feature her handwoven fabric along the top and in mine, the foot. I have them filled out with some tissue paper to give them shape until Santa fills them! Bruce's is quite the dandy huh?

I have received some lovely woven cards this year!

From Martha in Utah on the left and Joan in Kamloops on the right.

Now we have some other creative, personalized cards...

This one is unique! Alison took close-up photographs of snowflakes (no small feat!), placed them into a computer program and digitally played with them and created her one of a kind card, with small added snowflake to the front. The card stock is beautiful quality as well.

Then my two friends who live thousands of miles apart, both sent 3D type cards! (Funny how that happens..)

Guess that's why they are my friends!

Last one is by a long time family friend Joan Rowan who is watercolour artist. Every year we get a printed version of one of her recent paintings:

"Made In China" The mountains at Zhang Jai Jie, artist Joan Rowan

Joan and a group were in China earlier this year and visited the Zhang Jai Jie region with its uniquely shaped mountains, that inspired the floating mountains in the film Avatar.

I'd like to take this time to wish you all a Merry Christmas and to thank you all for visiting my blog through the year. I have come to know some of you rather well and feel I have friends around the world now. I hope your time with family and friends is a memorable one! 2011 is just around the corner and I see it as a fresh, clean slate on which to lay out your plans and dreams. One goal we have is to bring a new puppy into our lives in the spring.  The plan is a male Welsh terrier and his name will be Gwyn ( Welsh for 'fair').
This is not him, but he will be something like this:

This is Griffin of Snowtaire Kennels and he's just too cute for his own paws. I don't know how they got him to lay still for the picture...

Happy Holidays everyone!

A Dozen Extra Inches More

I was browsing through my sample binder looking for a particular pattern when I realized that I seem to have a few 'spares' and that got me to thinking!  I always budget sampling length of 12 to 15 inches into every warp. Its just part of the calculations now. If I'm unsure of the sett, then I sample at the beginning; if I'm good to go, then I do some at the end.  I have a few special weaving friends that I swap samples with and if you haven't tried this, you should! Its great fun getting an envelope from a friend out of the blue one day and it has samples and drafts that you can review and touch.

Some times if I'm able to squeeze out one more useable towel (for example) then I'll forgo the sample and my friends understand....

Every Christmas I get a few handwoven or handcrafted cards from friends near and far and I have saved them all!


looks like its time for a larger box!

I recently found some card stock that I bought through a guild bulk buy many years ago and on Sunday afternoon I pulled all my supplies together and sat for an enjoyable afternoon of making up special one of a kind cards for Christmas and other occasions too.  

My supplies?  washed and pressed handwoven samples, scissors, tape, card stock and a glue stick. Extras such as beads and other embelishments can be added  before, during and after.  I'm opting for after as that way I can accent them according to the occasion and the recipient!  (That will involve dab glueing the beads and glitter).

I position the sample in the window in various ways so to show the pattern to the best advantage. Check the view from the window outside and then perhaps cut it down smaller to fit better. Then I tape it on four sides over the window.  There are two solid fold over sides to the card stock and one is just a smidge smaller. That's the side that covers the sample! Then out comes the UHU....

I use a coloured glue stick so I can see where I have applied it.  Then press the side down firmly. Then I sit a heavy book on it. Very high tech huh?

Here's the line up and I'm sure that you will recognise many of them if you are a regular reader:

Remember the so called 'quick' plain weave scarves that took three time longer than the most complicated twill?

Then there was that pesky black silk warp that was rethreaded to this fancy twill when the edges went bad on me. The two above are woven with silk/ yak for an amazing metallic grey.

This one is left over from a fancy M's and W's threading I did  about three years ago or so and is all tencel.

Here's a pair of snowflakes! 12 shaft snowflakes with tencel warp and silk/seaweed weft. I have flipped one over so they are like 'positive and negative' images.

I found that the border edging on the snowflake twill was also pretty and these cards show different aspects of the patterning. If you click on it (or any of them) you'll see the details.

Then, lastly....

I had a fine bamboo 8 shaft huck lace warp on my Jane table loom some time ago that was murder to weave due to a manufacturer problem with the levers. I had to give up and cut it off but the small portion I did  manage to weave became these cards. One card I tried hand sewing beads to before but I didn't like the way it softened the pressing the sample had been given. The loom was retrofitted and works fine now and I think the lace turned out alright too.

This was fun to do and I would encourage  you to do a small thing and add on 12 inches or so to your next warp and cruise the internet for some interesting card stock to have on hand.