A long while from my last post

If anyone is still out there, hello.

It has been a awhile since I posted or even followed fellow weavers. I would like to say I was too busy weaving but alas I was not. Once again my life was taken over by costuming a theatre show. I look forward to checking in with all the weaving blogs and once again take inspiration from everyones creative endeavours.

Chris

a piece of history

As I was playing in my garden today my very elderly neighbour came out with a booklet about making a box loom. This little booklet was published by the Community Programmes Branch of the Ontario Department of Eduction. It lists the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners executive. There are no postal codes or any date. Quite the piece of history and it would be great to contact anybody affiliated with this booklet as they may like it for archival sake.

Happy Canada Day (tomorrow)

Things that get in the way of weaving

Days should have 48 hours, I should get paid more for less time at work, my house should be self cleaning and my husband should learn to cook. There are a lot of things that get in the way of creating. At this time of year the garden and yard work place huge demands on my time. It is close to the end of my school year and so much needs to be done.

But today I needed to deal with lots and lots of tomatoes. A good friend has many connections and through these ended up with 8 crates of greenhouse tomatoes. I was given one. So after a full day of work I had to chop tomatoes, red and green peppers, onions, garlic and cilantro for salsa. 18 Pints worth of salsa. The last nine jars are boiling away in the canner as I type. My darling daughter very graciously bought pizza so dinner was taken care of. And now I must take my weary body off to bed. ...Maybe I'll just fix my selvege........

gardening

It is finally cool enough to spend some time in the garden (don't get me wrong I love the heat but it's best for lazy activities). I had been thinking that my veggie garden is quite lame this year. My poly sheeting green house did not survive our wind and snow of this past winter and as I am paying for new front teeth for my son somehow my greenhouse is low priority. And I am thinking about a garden replan so it's location may change.

I ramble on back to my adventure in the garden. I went out to play and put a few seedling veggies into the beds. Weeds seem to have taken over my beds grrrrrr. But wait what am I seeing not weeds but many many self seeding tomato plants. how can this be then I remembered I topped my beds up with compost. Last season when I cleaned up the green house I discarded my tomato plants into the compost. There were some straggler tomatoes no longer edible and a few green. Although the soil looked great from the compost the seeds survived. I transplanted some to other areas. I have no idea what they will become or how many will survive.

Another happy dance occured when I saw new leaves on the little fig tree that I had started from a cutting. I thought the snow had killed it but it is starting new leaves near the bottom. And the hops are growing as well.

Things inside get put to the side in good weather.

Happy weaving , gardening, or whatever your current passion may be.

Is this piece fated or what?

The piece on the loom; the 'ultra frustrating warping' project on the loom, is it ill fated or what? I am happily weaving, enjoying the forming pattern and the colour play between warp and weft when I notice my right side is loosing it's edge. My floating selvege thread has snapped. So backwards weave until the edges hold. Grrr. I wrote a note where I was in pattern and what to fix and walked away.

On a happy note my family heard my request and bought me the stand for the kniiters loom. I want to explore some pick up weaving techniques with my rigid heddle and possibly double rigid heddle patterns while away on holidays this summer. I know the knitters loom is designed as a lap weaving loom, I find that everytime I need to rewind a bobbin or change colour it is awkward to shift it from my lap. Or maybe I am just a clutz.

I was outside watering my garden at 5:30 am this morning. What a beautiful time to be up. The birds were singing and a Great Blue Heron flew over. The grass was damp from the morning dew and felt glorious on my flip flopped feet. Yes my garden needs TLC and would never be right for tours or a magazine but gardening is not just about the finished project but about getting outside, planning, changing, nurturing, and learning. (okay I really am saying my yard's a mess but trying to be okay with that, not)

Have a great day every one.

Fear and Weaving

A few months ago I bought a 2 harness Gobelin style tapestry loom. I warped it then my life got crazy. Now I am looking at this loom and I am scared to start. I have done tapestry on a small scale before on a frame loom. I need to get passed this and start. I have felt this fear before with painting. What I call masterpiece syndrome. Making sure my design and my technique is perfect. So when I am unsure or in doubt I don't start. I need to just try have fun and enjoy the process.

I also think time and beautiful weather is a factor. I am an Early Childhood Educator and this is a busy time of the year. I only have 4 weeks left before summer holidays and these weeks are so full. When the sun is shining I wish my looms were upstairs where I could enjoy the sunshine. If and when the kids move out...........

Happy weaving

Just a Few Inches

I did a few inches of weaving while my family cleaned up the dinner dishes and to test the pattern out. I am very happy say that after the hassle of my being brainless warping it looks good and I am very happy. It is a simple twill variation using tencil (ocean, wintergreen and white)and will hopefully become some scarves.

I just love the history of weaving and the weavers who are passionate about weaving. Our guild is 75 years old and I am a fairly recent returning member. It is an honour and a priviledge to use equipment that has been lovingly used by other weavers to create beautiful things. The bobbin winder that I have now attached to my loom was custom made by a now passed life member's husband. I hope that I can create beauty and continue the tradition.

Hope everyone has a glorious day.