OK, so I was wrong. The big rug is actually ok, not what I would want for myself, but it's ok. I have to hem the ends yet, they are just pinned, but I was really anxious to see what it was going to look like, and I wanted to measure it.
Measuring a custom rug is always a tense moment.....it isn't easy to get the length exact.
All you weavers know what I'm talking about.
It's 48"x102", and it's going to California. I guess the colors work, kinda.
Not the best photo, with my iPhone.
We add 20% to the desired length. That sounds like a lot, but it's not. The threads go up and over the weft, which has to be accounted for. And the warp is stretched tight while we are weaving, so when the tension is taken off, the warp relaxes, and the rug shrinks. When we put the rug down on the floor, we are always amazed that it has shrunk 20%.
It also depends on how tight you crank the tension up and how hard you beat the rug. Every weaver is different. But we've found that 20% works for us.
We've got a list of things to be done at the studio that will keep us busy for a while. But it's all good.
Being able to do the things I want to do is such a gift, even if I have to take breaks to get them done.
Right now I have some rhubarb crisp in the oven. I have been very good lately about eating a healthy diet, but a girl has to draw the line when it comes to rhubarb, don't ya think??
After all.
Sometimes orders are totally fun, and sometimes they just boggle the mind.
Like this one.
I have the fabric samples approved by the customer, and I can't quite wrap my head around their choices.
L says I often am not wild about color combinations I am asked to make a rug out of. And then sometimes, when all is said and done, they turn out to be ok.
We'll see.
The jury is still out on this one.
Tell me truly, do these colors go together?
There is a "freeze warning" for tonight, and today it was only in the 40's, with a chilly wind.
Roy doesn't care, he loves walking between the river and the canal.
The Hudson is lovely here, and it is generally pretty quiet in the middle of the week.
On the weekends, when it is warm, not so much.......there are usually "too many" people jumping off the dam, littering the area, and generally being rowdy.
On weekends, I like to walk EARLY in the morning, before they all roll out of bed.
You know what I am grateful for???? That my surgery was SEVEN weeks ago.......BEHIND me.
Instead of in front of me.
Hallelujah.
My mother was on one of her rants yesterday, repeating a litany of complaints I have heard over and over. I sat there politely listening, as she listed them. Mind you, she was in no distress as she launched into her monologue.
Finally, when she took a breath, I said: "Say one positive thing."
She said, "What?" I said, "Just say ONE POSITIVE THING, because everything you are saying is NEGATIVE, so say just ONE positive thing."
She thought for a second, then looked me straight in the eye, and said, "I love you, Hilary."
The road home.
It's cold, but the lilacs are finally out.
And my mother loves me.
Here's a link, to another blog post, that my BFF sent me today.
It reminds me, that in spite of the infirmities of age, and the changes in personality, my mother is the same woman that has been in my corner, my whole life.
My life is getting back to normal.
I can feel it, ever so slowly.
I still have moments when I feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and generally not with it, but I am beginning to see progress in my daily routine. I am beginning to get a rhythm, a new one, but a rhythm none the less.
The studio is pretty much a wreck. We have managed to still produce, but L has been pretty much on her own in so many ways.
Can I just tell you that NOT ONCE in this whole past winter did I carry a bag of pellets into the house from the barn.
She carried them all, because of my head/neck surgery.
I probably owe her my first born, but I don't think that's possible. Or desirable.
Maybe I could get her a kitten.
Next week, we are going to be organizing after a long winter, room by room, and then maybe it will be time for Chica to do some cleaning. The place needs some spiffing up. And I am not in the mood, and L is too busy.
Today, I cranked up the commercial sewing machine. I won't tell you that it was easy, since I have barely used it since acquiring it 2 years ago. I got a little distracted by the headache, and it just sat there.
But today, I started using it again, and while I am experiencing some tension issues, the machine, not my head, I am positive that I can iron them out.
And you have to be impressed by what this sewing machine will stroll on through.
Amazing.
First I sew the sides of the bag together.....the straps have already been sewn on.
Then I make a template, this one is 4" square.......out of some cardboard. I place it on both bottom
corners of the bag, both sides, and put a T pin on the inside corner........look closely, you can see it.
I used to just eyeball it, until I made a bag that was a little cockeyed, then I decided the template would work.
Then I sew from pin to pin, that makes the gusset to the bottom of the bag.
I only have about 22 of them to do.
oh, dear.
L has been busy reweaving a rug. I made the mistake of including some knit fabric in a custom rug that was otherwise 100% cotton. I guess I liked the color or something.......I did it last year.
I guess I could probably blame a lot of things on my head last year, but for whatever reason, I made the choice, and it was a HUGE mistake.
The rug, a 12' runner, was finally laundered ( for a winter home in the south), and the knit material shrunk wildly, while the rest of it didn't. SO..............the rug had a distinct wavy, bumpy look, that was not very attractive.
So we took it all apart, ditched the knit fabric, substituted a cotton fabric, and started over.
We aim to please.
Especially when we were at fault. (in this case, it was just me)
I think the customer should be happy, and that's the point, after all.
Last night, I went to a meeting of the Hudson Mohawk Weavers Guild, my first time. It was really a lovely group of weavers, and I was amazed at how many people I knew there. Guess I'll be joining when they start up in September. Maybe I'll even be making some towels over the summer for their dish towel exchange.
Last night, the presentation was by Rabbit Goody, who owns and runs Thistle Hill Weavers, they specialize in historical textiles for movies and designers. All the work they do is custom, and it is amazing.
If you go to her web site, in addition to lots of pictures of the fabrics they make, there are three videos, under the About Us link.......I have never, ever seen a warping wheel as big as that, or a loom that goes that fast, so fast that I could not pick up the shuttle going back and forth. I know it did, I just couldn't see it.
Worth the trip over.
I bought her book, even though some of it is quite basic. I thought it would be nice to have, and especially since she was signing them.
I have to give her credit, she is a "quick thinker". She signed mine, and when I got to the car, and flipped it open, it said.....quite appropriately, I might add, though she doesn't know me........
"Hilary......you don't have to be Crazy as a Loom(n), "
Rabbit Goody.
That's perfect, really.
Finished the first project on the AVL. Not entirely sure about it.
But here it is anyway.
It's a baby blanket, made out of I Love This Cotton from Hobby Lobby.
It turned out to be extremely soft, and quite thick.
I couldn't figure out how to zoom in and save it to show you the detail. Maybe I am just challenged tonight, but I took a short cut with a screen shot on my phone.
You can see the pinwheels better.
Waiting on my sectional beam from AVL to put on the next warp.
The other day I was walking Roy, and I saw this item on the curb with a FREE sign.
I have no idea what to do with it, but I went back with DH's truck, and picked it up anyway.
It seems to be talking to me about what it wants to be in its next life, but I just have no idea what it is saying.
I guess the Toika isn't going anywhere. Fate has spoken. There has been no interest generated from any of my ads, so I guess it is meant to stay right where it is.
I am a believer that nothing is a mistake, so in that frame of mind, L and I are going to make some 4'x6' rugs.
Here is one we just took off the loom this week.
It makes me think of watercolors.
By popular demand, I will be selling kits of WHOLE socks SEWN together, in 5 lb bags, enough to make your very own CHUNKY rug.
They will be $39.95, and no, they are not on my web site yet, but you can email me.
It's been a busy week, but it's all good.
I had a smasher today, you know what I mean. But it didn't really bother me.
It does.
No matter what befalls us in this world, life plods on. I remember a book about the American Revolution I read eons ago, called "The Day Must Dawn", by Agnes Sligh Turnbull. I always thought that was a phrase to remember, no matter what.
The day must dawn.
Things you can count on. Like the sun coming up every morning.
Another book has stayed with me for 20+ years. Control Theory, by William Glasser. It is hands down one of the most important books I have ever read.
What I remember most from it is this: it doesn't matter what happens to you, what matters is what you do about it, how you react to it. That is really all you have control of. You can't change history, even your own.
That being said, I am making a concerted effort to spend more time with my daughters. In the last year and a half, my headache ruled. I didn't make the hour trip to visit and hang out with them and my grandchildren. Now that I am getting better, it is on the top of my list.
In the past three weeks, I have gone three times, and it feels good.
Gabby in the new skirt Mimi made her.
I have also scheduled Weaving Weekends again. The one in June is full already, and there are weekends in July, August, September, and October. I just gave myself permission to make my own schedule, and to not feel guilty if I'm not working all the time.
I'll probably have to remind myself many, many times that it's ok. I'm like that.
Lois was in charge of the camera on Sunday.........I really couldn't stand it around my neck.
But the paddling didn't bother me one bit.
Now THAT was good news.
I also instructed her to take some pictures of me kayaking, so I could send one to my neurosurgeon.
What better kudos could you give to someone who has been inside your head, not once, but TWICE?
He responded right away. My email to him, with these photos, was " a picture is worth a 1000 words", and his answer right back was ....."you made my day, maybe my whole month".......ha !!! now that made me smile.
Here is Nuff, last summer. He came to us wild and not very friendly. We coaxed him, socialized him, got him neutered, fed him, wormed him, treated him for fleas. We made places for him and his brother, Nexxie, to sleep and be warm.
We loved him.
He repaid us with affection every time we walked by him. He loved us back.
We tried to bring both of them in, even just to the inside porch, but it was not anything either of them were interested in. In fact, they were downright frightened of anything that looked like we were trapping them. They had been outside for their whole lives. They loved hunting in the tall grass, lying in the labyrinth, stalking the bird feeders.
We knew that there was danger for them, and that we wouldn't be able to always protect them.
Mostly from the road.
Today was a beautiful day kayaking for the first time in a year. I'll have to wait and tell you about it later. Cause when we came back to the studio to drop off the kayak, we found Nuff by the side of the road, and it became a sad, sad day.
No matter how much you can do, sometimes it is still not enough.
Nexxie is going to miss you, Nuff.
And so will we.
Spring has arrived in northeast New York. I am not alone in saying hallelujah.
I mentioned FREE fabric rolls the other day. They are up in the loft of the barn.
The outside of them is dusty, but after you unroll the top layer, they are fine.
They are huge rolls, from 30-40 lbs, and they are shades of black...............and shades of blues. No other color choices, unfortunately.
You pay shipping, and you can have one, or two, or more.
They make good rugs, but I won't live long enough to use them all, and I am in downsize mode.
Here are some of them......see them in the front right of the picture? and in the way back.
My barn is air conditioned, not in a good way.
We have cleaned out a lot of loopers, sock strips, and more Several sales have done a lot to help me pare down my stash.
Next week we are going to have a sale on rugs that have been around too long.
I bought an interesting metal floor rack, that was used to display carpet samples. It looked like it had promise as a rug rack, and I was right.
I am very happy with it. We have about 30 rugs hanging on it, and it is really sturdy. It makes the rugs so easy to look at, and it frees up shelf space for other things.
We're moving things around, making it look better, and making it feel more comfortable.
Refocusing with my new normal.
Here are some of the rugs L has been cranking out while I've been recovering, now there is room for them to finally get inventoried, and have a home.
She must have been dreaming of summer when she made this one.
Have you heard of Holstee.com??
I never have, until today.
My blogger friend, and worthy Scrabble opponent, Cupcake Murphy, has recently been featured on their My Life, HERE
If you have not been entertained by her on her blog ODD GOOD TRUE well, you have not lived, that's all I can say. And you should go there ASAP.
This is the Holstee Manifesto......... it should be everyone's.
Right before this last surgery, my BFF and I took a road trip to one of our fave yarn shops, this one was in Manchester, Vt, Yarns for Your Soul
I bought a book of baby knits, and fell in love with this blanket, so I bought the yarn to make it, thinking that knitting up a stack of blocks would keep me busy while I recuperated, and lounged around.
And it did.
So here it is.
I already texted a picture of it to expectant daughter, so I guess it's ok to blog about it.
I am SO bad at keeping gifts secret. Notorious in fact.
I had a baby surprise jacket in progress when I started the blanket but I put it aside.
I'm so patient, ya know.
When the blanket was done, I said NO WAY, you are not starting another thing, until you finish that sweater.
I boss myself around quite often.
I did get a tad carried away with the button holes. But I just loved the teddy bear buttons.
I told my daughter if she didn't want so many knitted baby items, she should never have told me so soon. I still have all summer to knit.
At the studio:
L is quite happy, because her "cat house extraordinaire" is a big hit in the house.
So much so, that she is about to change the letters on it, since Next and Nuff have never been near it.
Sydney found it to be almost heaven, next to the open window ("yay it's spring"), while Miss Puss stomped off disgusted, because she always wants the spot that Syd has.
(see her leaving)
L and I fired up the Toika, to weave off the natural warp that is on it.
This is going to be a totally random/spontaneous spring rug. Four feet by however long it turns out.
It's the first time we have used this loom since last summer.
I was not much in the mood, you know, the headache thing.
But yes, I am better now, every day, I get a little stronger, and a feel a little more like myself.
You know, my OLD self.
Sydney says:
We may be getting older.
We may have a couple of extra pounds.
But we still freaking rock.
I had a plan today, to get the AVL dobby running. I have been full of anticipation about it.
I wouldn't know if I liked this loom, and if it was everything I was expecting it to be, until I tried it. It was a leap of faith to buy it, and I hoped it was the right leap.
I did get a short warp on it yesterday, so I decided to go for it today.
I have to say that at first, this loom was really intimidating. I was a little afraid that I wasn't going to be able to figure it out.
It is pretty terrific when you realize that you are beginning to understand it.
The dobby bars have pegs in them, and these pegs raise the harnesses, and it makes a pattern, if you have pegged it right.
This loom came with a LOT of extra bars and pegs.
This is my pattern.
I'm only using 8 harnesses. I'll work my way up to 16, since that is what the loom has.
Now this isn't perfect, but it's my first try, and I'm happy with it.
If you look close you can see my mistakes.........but overall, I am LOVING this loom. The dobby mechanism is intriguing. There are two treadles, and I thought they might be hard to treadle, but they aren't. I can foresee getting used to this loom pretty easily.
It isn't noisy, and you never have to remember where you are, because the dobby remembers.
There is no brake release, the tension remains perfect all the time.
What's up with that??
I know I have some harebrained schemes sometimes.......can I just tell you that it is a huge relief that I was not wrong about this loom working for me.
It made me smile all day.
