Meanderings of a Mermaid

The time has come to protect oneself and those around me even more. The pandemic procedures are quite routine now. But as the infection rate grows and the instances nearby start to appear, it is time to step up the procedures.  I have no access to the virus catching n95 type mask. It seems they are impossible to get before May or June. So all I can do for now is sew my own masks and wear them whenever I go out.  My only modification to the pattern was that I inserted one layer of a non woven interfacing in between the two cotton pieces.  I hope everyone wears a mask, any mask. Protect yourself and those around you. And if you have the sewing skills, and the medical personnel in your area need them, consider making masks for them.  Pattern from: https://www.instructables.com/id/AB-Mask-for-a-Nurse-by-a-Nurse/ With thanks.

With all the comings and goings in my two studios, I thought it was time to list out the Current State of the Union. Here are some of the larger items. Home South: Wheels - Electric Eel Wheel 5.1 with upgrades ( this wheel travels back and forth); Ashford Country Spinner 2; Lendrum upright. Looms - Harrisville Collingwood rug loom; Leclerc Tissart tapestry loom; Oxaback Ulla Cyrus loom; Ashford rigid heddle loom, Harrisville Belt Loom, Northwest Looms inkle. Home North: Wheels - antique East European flax upright; Lendrum upright; S. Laurence Canadian Production wheel; Kromski Minstrel. Looms - Leclerc Weavebird; Leclerc Colonial; Rio Grande Kit walking loom; Glimakra band loom; unknown maker rigid heddle. And here are some projects being worked on or completed. I've gone a bit crazy weaving potholders. Here is just one pair of many. Most have gone out as little hostess gifts.  the Muskox. He is my morning buddy. He really needs his mug of hot chocolat...

When this loom was offered to me FREE , and just for the cost of shipping, I jumped at this opportunity. The initial shipping estimate was 75 USD. Cool. I can do this. The loom is a 1970s era Tissart tapestry loom, made by Leclerc. It is a high warp loom, meaning it is a vertical warp loom. It has two shafts controlled by two treadles. The action is a counterbalance action.  This is the first time I had a loom shipped. The seller made a very sturdy plywood box to protect the loom. I will re-purpose this "coffin" with hinges and a latch and use it with my trailer when I haul things back and forth. The shipping (and crating) wound up being over four times more expensive than I expected, but I think it was a fair price.  Here is the Tissart in my home and waiting assembly. It is in the dining room, because all other suitable spaces are already taken. I have a very understanding partner. That window faces south and the loom was set up just to the right of...

Golly, but doesn't the passage of time go faster and faster every year? Those temporal landmarks whiz by more and more quickly as we become so familiar with them. For me a lot of my landmarks have to do with the seasons and also my annual snowbird migration. The blossoming of the daisies heralds the start of summer and my birthday. At the same time I am looking for wild roses. Guests visit us at camp, usually after the lupins are done and the heat of the place is well established. When the snow buntings are spotted in the fall, I better be packing up for the move south. Seems I only just got to camp, and yet I find myself in the southern home already. I am still able to accomplish a few things, even though I often feel that I could use more time. Am I parcelling up my time into too small of chunks. Trying to do too much DIY maintenance myself, and too many different crafts, outdoorsy fun, and the daily preparation of meals and cleaning. ? Maybe. But at the time I am doing it,...

Here is my method of purling. The noise in the  background is the water pump running and filling the tank. Also you might hear some birds. The project is a scarf made from scraps of yarn.

Ten years ago today I purchased this little rock house in the Hill Country of Texas. I was widowed and single and looking for a big change in my life. Not even three weeks previous to that point in time,  I had retired from my full time work (April 3) plus I sold and closed on my big house in northern Ontario, on the very same day.  So the idea was to come down here to Texas in the winters and return home for the summer.  Once I was sporting this terrific little home, I enticed a certain Mr B.S. to join me in all of life's adventures. So that tenth anniversary is yet to come (November). But retired life has treated me well and it is wonderful to be retired at a young age.  All is good. On to the next ten years!!

Get a look at what followed me home recently! I have gleefully adopted " Courage "  - my new addition to the family. WELCOME. The original owner of this loom was William Dyer, a famous weaver who lived in California and Washington State. He made very fine damasks with this loom.   A very large loom manufactured by Oxaback in Sweden. The model is called "Ulla Cyrus". It is a vertical countermarch with 16 shafts and 18 treadles. Plus it has the additional, optional unit draw and pattern shaft draw. Two different drawloom attachments. The weaving width is 63 inches.  I picked up this beauty in the north part of Texas, and the loom was already disassembled. This photo shows just a fraction of the gear. It was great fun to meet the current owner. Here we have returned home and both the box of the truck and the 5 x 12  landscape trailer are entirely filled with loom pieces. Completely. It is a lot of gear. And this is a glimpse at a small p...