Meanderings of a Mermaid

 So when I first got the Mighty Wolf loom with its eight shafts, I wove a long piece of cloth just to get the hang of it. I was using up all manner of yarn I had lying around. With the pattern draft and spacing I had selected, the very thickest cotton yarns turned out the best. So today I cut up the one long fabric into different pieces. I made a couple of tote bags. This first one I am calling Mocha Mint. I wove the outer fabric. The lining is linen I had left over from making drapes. The handles are made from the curtain tie backs and the striped strap I added to the handle is from a thrift store pile of ribbons and bands.  You might not be able to see it on the blue bands, but on one the woven pattern is Xs and on the other one it is Os. One is the reverse side of the other. So I called this tote, Xs and Os. And this is a little knitted piece I just finished. I had a little bit of green wool, and came across a pattern I quite liked. I just knit until I ran out of t...

 How's this for a cool little gadget? I bought it recently for a few dollars to have as a decoration. It is from an old ribbon weaving loom. The wooden box or base was mounted vertically on the front of a giant loom, with the thread feeding out the hole in the top of the handle. The base of the shuttle is notched and a cog wheel adjusts the angle of the shuttle on the base. As I hold the smooth, worn handle, I wonder about how many miles of ribbon were woven.  I have been remiss at photographing completed projects (as all my friends are informing me) so I am going to try to catch up. But as you all know I would rather be crafting.... Above is a piece that came off the loom last night. Blue cotton warp, with alternating bright green and sage green weft segments. It is a balanced twill pattern. I had two crossed threads at the start and one warp thread broke midway into the weaving. Both are easy fixes. Detail of the twill above. The warp is running left-right. Thi...

 Learning new stuff is just the best thing! I am keeping my mind and my fingers nimble. So it was about time I tried to make a boucle yarn on my spinning wheels. The starting point I used are mohair locks after they have been dyed. You can see the locks of hair are very shiny and are packed together quite well. With a flicker, which is just like a dog brush, I brushed each lock to open it up. You can see how things look a little more fluffy. This gives the opportunity to remove any last bits of straw and decide what colour to spin next. On my Lendrum wheel I spun a medium twist single. With the grey yarn shown in following photos, I tried for a loose twist. As of today I have spun three bobbins full of a slick mohair single (this gold-pink-brown; a natural grey shown below; and a gold-orange-green).  The boucle burn happens in the second step, which is the first plying step (ply S twist). A thin but strong core thread is plied along with this mohair single. I am f...

Hello Folks, It's wintertime, even in Texas and sometimes it means we are indoors more than usual. I have been doing some weaving lessons from a book on the small Medico loom. Yesterday I was trying my hand at tapestry weaving. I still have some issues with tension, but the main part of the instructions I am getting! My days have also been occupied with painting the family room with the same colour scheme as the adjacent dining room . In this photo the floor only has one coat of "parsley". Once varnished it will look very spiffy!  A recent visit to some yarn stores means I have new things to play with. This fuzzy yarn (cotton based actually) was begging to be paired with this shiny ribbon yarn. I am designing on the fly, as is pretty common with me. The mermaid is contemplating a stole or wrap with this lightweight pairing. I can't help but think of some sedimentary rock layers when I knit on this.  I like the idea of knitting several strips (very portable and ...

 I don't think I have shown you some of the lovely loomed beadwork pieces I have on hand. My late husband made these and was an expert in the technique. I have also done a few small things and fairly soon I intend to warp up a little loom and try my hand at it again. The first photo is a closeup of the piece he was working on at the time of his death. He had this design in his head (if you can believe it) so I am pretty sure that I won't be able to finish it. I also know for a fact that I do not have the eye/diligence/stamina to sort beads for uniform size like he did. So I think I will probably either just display this piece on the loom as is, or I might mount it and finish it at this point.  Here it is from a little further back to give you a sense of scale. This would be considered a large piece to do on a loom. He had made bigger pieces though. Most of his work sold quickly and can be found around the world.  This tropical fishie still needs to be mounted ...

The other day we celebrated 45 years since the Apollo 8 astronauts took the first image of "blue marble earth". Has it been that long? What a lovely looking place to live, especially if you like water, as I do. The physical aspects of the rocky upper crust, combined with a suitable hydrosphere and atmosphere, make this a humdinger piece of real estate. Since this first photo of the Blue Marble, many satellites now circle the earth ceaselessly, taking snaps all the time. Being a geologist I am often mesmerized by the images of erupting volcanoes. No place on the planet is too remote for satellites to see. For me the New Year's Eve is a time to reflect on where I've been and where I am going. Like a satellite in orbit, I try to find some distance from the here and now.   Since I am away from camp right now, I can think about it objectively. This year we completed the second of the boat barns and now all of our storage needs are taken care of. Garden ...

I am sure now that I suffer from OLAD. O bsessive L oom A cquisition D isorder. OK, so maybe I am not "suffering", but enjoying. Here is the grand unveiling of my third loom. This one is made by Schacht, a company based in Colorado. this particular model is called the Mighty Wolf. It sports a set of nifty wheels to make it portable. The eight shafts and ten treadles mean it can do more complex weaves than my other two looms. In terms of size, this one can weave cloth up to 36" wide.       I couldn't wait to get the loom dressed. I found a pattern draft for an 8 harness loom so here's how it looks so far. I think my sett is too widely spaced. But for now I am more concerned about getting a feel for the working of the loom.     You could say I am just goofing around. I suppose it is yet another OLAD symptom.