Never too old for new things

This little hutch I bought at a garage sale not long ago, has turned into a perfect spot for my electric winder. My friend, Chris Gustin , told me several times that I needed one of these. I resisted. But finally, I gave it up, and bought one.
Wow. What an incredible tool.
Like I said, I am still into 8 harness pinwheel towels, so I needed to wind 32 spools in white and green.
This little item, another suggestion from friend and mentor, Chris, is another life savior. You can buy it in Walmart, but I ordered mine from Amazon, as I am no fan of Walmart.
It is called a Shakespeare line counter, and you can find it in the fishing section.
It counts in feet, so you just have to remember to times it by 3. But for about $15, it is a steal. No more wondering how many yards you have wound on.
Unfortunately, my tension box doesn't fit on the back of the Baby Wolf, but this stool from the kitchen works like a charm.

Can you see the inspector over there in the chair??? I love the symmetry of the wound spools all the same size!!!!
Miracles never cease.

Well, you asked to see the finished scarves. So I had to have a model.
There are PERKS to having your 84 gonna be 85 in 2 weeks mother living with you.
Whew.
So here is the somewhat flimsy, colorful scarf with the lousy selvedges. I guess I will have to wear this one. Not happy with it.
Ooh, but this one, I like. Silky, yet substantial. Long enough to be stylish. This one in light beige.
(click on pics to see them better)
You can see my model is enjoying herself.
This one is the blush/salmon/beige......not sure what to call it.
And the last one in taupe.

It has been a different week. No rug weaving. Nothing strenuous. I guess sometimes slowing down can be a good thing. I have been weaving things that I wouldn't normally take time for. And other than the back twinges, I have been thoroughly enjoying myself.
And who knows, I might have opened up a new career for my mother.
Ay yi yi.

Sitting up straight.

(click on any picture to see it larger)



I have an excuse for my messy desk. It isn't just me. It's fat butt, here, laying in the middle of all my papers. And does she care? Not one little bit.
Have you ever noticed? Cats are entitled. And Miss Puss is the Queen of Entitled.

Anyway, I am still walking somewhat crooked, but not in quite the agony today that I have been in since last Friday. So I allowed myself some playing time at this small loom, where I am making scarves for Christmas. In particular, I am trying to get them done in time for the Christmas in the Country tour, which is the first weekend in December.
Forgive my multiple pictures of the same thing. I was incapable of choosing just one. The light was so perfect, and this warp that I wound with a paddle was just too pretty.
When I first used a paddle to wind a warp of multiple threads, I was a total incompetent, and ended up throwing it all out. But I am getting better at it, and for certain projects, it is exactly what I need.
I sampled and sampled to find just the right thread for the weft. I wanted something kind of silky, and soft, but something that would let the warp show just a little.
For the first scarf, I used this peach/blush earthy shade.
For the second scarf, I used a taupe color, in the same silky thread.
And for the third one, which is not finished, I used a lighter shade of beige.

I don't much make fancy scarves. It is just plain weave, and I mostly enjoy mixing up the fibers that I have on cones, to come up with something that appeals to me. And it doesn't hurt that I have lots and lots of cones in every color.
Now, whether or not it will appeal to anyone else, that is another story.
But I totally enjoyed myself, and as long as I didn't bend at the waist, my pain level was tolerable.....makes for the BEST posture.
I can hear my mother now (stand up straight).
Being tall from age 13, I heard that a lot.
Some days I can't turn my mind off. Especially when I am worried about something, or more specifically, someone. Even though it is exhausting, once my brain has started down that path, it is very hard to derail it. It doesn't matter that worrying doesn't get you anywhere.
And this year has been another life lesson in letting go, accepting what you don't have any control over.
Brings to mind that favorite line of mine, from Mark Twain. "A man who carries a cat by the tail, learns something that he can learn in no other way."
But today was a mindless day. Throwing the shuttle, over and over again.
And sometimes, mindless is pretty cool.

Pretzel woman.

Yup, that would be me. I woke up several days ago, and the minute my foot hit the floor, I knew I had somehow done something to my back.
It is amazing to me, that when this happens, every year or so, I never have a clue about what caused it.
So Saturday morning, trying to ignore it, which is my usual approach, even though I know quite well, that it doesn't always work out, I drove an hour north to pick up blue jeans.
I have a couple of great sources for blue jeans; thrift shops that call me when they have a pile of jeans not up to their standards.
I had planned all week that I would go pick up jeans on Saturday. So back pain or no back pain, torrential rains or no torrential rains, I went.
And when I got there, I found that there were three times as many garbage bags full of jeans than I am used to finding. And they all had to be hauled out of this huge bus garage to my car.
Bet you can hear my screaming back from there, can't you?
You can't see it, but the back seat is crammed full, as well.

Oh, please, don't feel one bit sorry for me. I am, as you have already probably guessed, and as my DH and daughters will be happy to tell you, my own worst enemy.
Pig headed, stubborn. Yes, I do think I am invincible, in spite of the evidence.

By this time I was in such pain, that I didn't even unload them. I had the good sense, if a day late, to ask my DH to come to the studio on Sunday, and drag them into the house for me. Which he did.
Kizzy, my handsome boy, what do you think of all this?
Yes, it really is me, just listing hard to the right.

I did some dishes. That was about all I could do.

So this morning, I called the chiropractor and begged. They got me in. And when I lurched in, looking like the hunchback of Notre Dame, they didn't laugh. They probably see that a lot.
I have four more appointments this week, and maybe by the weekend, I will be walking upright.
I have a new respect for those cave people who lumbered along looking at the ground.
I managed to get to the studio today, to feed the cats, and to push two boxes (with one foot) out on to the porch for the UPS pick up. So while I was there, I wandered around with my camera, and took these shots. They cheered me up. The sun was pouring through the windows, and for November, it was a lovely day.
These are the mug rugs I have been making for the last few weeks. There are sets of 4, and a basket of individual ones, to mix and match.
But as lovely as the studio was, and as much as I felt guilty leaving, the pain was speaking to me, and not saying very nice things. I went home.
To the couch, and an ice pack, and some muscle relaxers.

Not sure when I will be able to weave in my new sunny window, with its perfect glass, but it is a very appealing prospect, and just thinking about it makes me feel better.

Time to make the donuts

Not really, but it is time to tie the fringe.
I like to tie them as soon as the rugs come off the loom. If I keep on weaving, and then have a stack of 10 or more to tie, it somehow is not that much fun.
These are the cottolin towels I just finished. I am somewhat addicted to this pinwheel pattern. I think I am going to make them again in a different color combination. Eventually I will tire of it, then I will move on to something else, but for now, it keeps on amusing me.



Before I knew I needed a new roof, I had ordered a window for the shop area. The three windows in there are vintage 1790, and they are in pretty bad shape. I love the wavy glass, but the wind blows right through them. I broke this one last week, when I was trying to wash it, so I decided to replace it with a special order window that looks like it belongs here.
It was a fairly mild day, and I had this room shut off, so this open window wouldn't tempt any of the cats. I think they are mostly scared, and wouldn't go near it, but I don't want to chance it.
Here is the new window, ready for DH to prime and paint. The opening was anything but square. As always, this old house proposed a challenge. It looks good though. Now I just have to decide if I want to replace the two old windows on the front wall.. .......wavy glass vs warm house.
What a choice.

I am totally done with renovations for this year. I hope. My checkbook hopes so, too.

But sparkling clean windows are very appealing. The loom in this corner will make a lovely place to work.
Everything looks better through crystal clear glass. The world looks better. Sometimes I wish I could give the gift of clear glass to someone I love.
Watching someone you love go down a path that appears to be certain heartache, is very difficult.
There's that pink elephant again.
But I am choosing not to participate. Not today, and not tomorrow.

I love making choices. There was a time back when that I didn't feel I had any, and then there were times when I couldn't seem to make the right ones, no matter how hard I tried.
I think age has a lot to do with it. Now, choices seem so much easier.
Clearer.
Love that glass.

Ka ching.

Evicting the squirrels from the attic revealed leaks that appeared to have been going on for awhile. Not big leaks, but any water coming in through the roof is not a good thing.
Apon investigation, the shingles were brittle and snapped in your fingers like saltines.
Yes, we have been through this before, on the old part of the house, just this past spring.

It is a big roof, and since the weather this week is unseasonably balmy, and the bees have gone where bees go this time of year, we decided that it was as good a time as any to put a new roof on.
Can you hear the rustling of money?
OK, enough about that. It is, after all, what it is. I knew the risks in buying an old house, and I have taken on the responsibility of taking care of it, and doing whatever it took to make it last another 200 years. I have never felt more the owner of a house, than I do about this one.
Today was a beautiful, sunny NOVEMBER day. Sometimes in life, you just need to find a sunny spot, no matter where it is.
I have been trying out some different warps, combining some colors, and textures, to make scarves.
I wound the warp out of 10 different threads, with a paddle. Yes, I am aware that I am crazy.
All you weavers, you know just how crazy.
Anyway, I finished one scarf off a long warp, and proceeded to critique it ad nauseum. I just don't like it. I am not sure why, and not sure what I could do to make it into something that I did like.
My youngest daughter came to visit this morning, and she saw it.
She immediately put me in my place......said she LOVED it, there was nothing wrong with it,
"Look!"
"I love it."

Isn't she cute?

Later we went to a farm in Argyle that sells grass fed beef. Morgan wanted to buy some, and first we did a tour of the farm, and saw their operation. Morgan wasn't buying any unless she was sure that it was raised the right way.
If you remember, she and I read "Skinny Bitch" back in the spring, and then agreed to not eat any meat at all for 30 days.
The end result of that was that she only eats local meat, and I hardly eat any meat at all.
It wasn't planned, it just happened.
I always love to see my daughters. Even though they are all grown up, and on their own, there is nothing that makes me happier.
My brain is pretty much non functioning tonight. Does that ever happen to you?? Just a blob here on the couch. Thinking about sleeping, and how good bed will feel, with the breeze from the open window.
good night all.

Alive and well.

I am finally feeling more like myself. I gave in and went to the doctor on Saturday, and had someone tell me what I already pretty much knew: You have a sinus infection.
And I have been on an antibiotic since, and I am feeling better every day.
Today is the first day that I really had some energy.
So I moved all these cones of wool to this shelving unit.
Basically, I am trying to get a little organized, and ready for the Christmas in the Country tour, which is the first weekend in December.


I have struggled with the balance between retail space, and working space. The bottom line is that since most of my business in online based, retail space is not my highest priority. I get some walk in customers, but it is rare, except for this weekend in December, and then I am mobbed.

The old living room, which I call the 'front room' or the 'shop', was originally the part of the house that I designated to retail. But then I continued to acquire more looms, and now this is working space, as well as shop space.
I have decided to maintain Crazy as a Loom as a working weaving studio. And even though I have some nice retail displays, having an actual store isn't the most important thing to me.
Of course, keeping the studio clean and generally picked up, so that it looks nice if people do come in, well, that is a challenge.
I have tried throwing that "creative muse" thing out there, but you can only take that so far.

I moved some stuff around today, put the big Weaver's Friend loom over in the corner between two windows. It seemed to be less of a presence in the room over there. And it is a really nice place to weave, with all that light.
See the boards on the floor behind the loom? The action of beating the weft in makes the loom walk towards me, and next thing you know I am trapped in the corner. These boards will prevent that, and I won't have to be pushing it away from me every five minutes.
My DH would say,"that's OK, I don't need to know, I already know more than I wanted to."
You're not saying that, are you??


And these two shelves were in the corner where I moved the loom, so I had to find a place for them. And it is good sometimes to get behind things and clean on occasion. I found some serious dust bunnies behind them.
I am so looking forward to having a better week. It is such a relief to feel better.
So it was a quiet day.
Oh, yeah, one big excitement.....I need a new roof. They will be pounding over my head tomorrow, and I will be hoping for some orders to pay for it.

I'm grateful anyway. I know that sounds odd, but I am.

This morning, I took my mother to get her hair done. When we were leaving, and she was gabbing and joking with the girls at the counter, one of them said to me, "she's something".....I said, "yeah, you ought to live with her"...........and another girl piped up and said...."try living without her"..................my mother was still gabbing, and heard nothing.
But as I was walking her to the car, something got in my eye. Must have been some dust or maybe the wind.
Can you believe that??

All I Got.

This morning, I felt like I might actually be able to do some work, after lounging on the couch MUCH of the week.
So I went to the studio, and started weaving Solmate Sock rugs on the Weaver's Friend.
I must say it does a great job, probably the force you have to use to operate the beater that packs the weft in so tight.
Unfortunately, I wasn't up to much of that, even though I wanted to be.

The inspectors were quick to jump on this one........
"She's been sick all week.....do you think she should be weaving?"
"You'd better check it good, she probably made some mistakes."
"What's this??"

Yeah, I know what you're thinking.
Probably too much cold medicine. Yuk.

So I slunk over to the Baby Wolf and finished a dish towel. That was really more my speed.
I did manage to stay at the studio most of the day, but was glad to get home, and thankful I had the good sense to cancel the weaving weekend.
I LOVE weaving weekends. But I need to be at my best. I have to be loving what I am doing, and that is not so easy when your head feels like it is the size of a watermelon, and you cough til your ribs ache, medicine or not.
But I did come home and hem the four towels, so I was somewhat productive.
And that is probably as good as it gets for me today, but it is progress. Maybe tomorrow will be better.
I am trying to keep my sense of humor.
It makes me feel better.

Ack! The Truth.

The truth is that this Weaver's Friend is a brute. Look at the size and heft of this girl.
With new straps on her front beam, and the brake adjusted, she looks like the workhorse she is.
But that's not the whole truth.
It started last Wednesday. I felt the beginnings of some viral illness coming on. But I was intent on putting a warp on this loom. I felt driven to get her up and running after she had sat neglected in a barn for several years. It seemed my responsibility.
But the back beam was round. My tension box didn't fit.
And, alas, my brain was not working so well, with little germs flitting about looking to take hold.
So instead of all the things I "could have" done, to make this work right, I did the one thing that was guaranteed to be a disaster.
I won't bore you with the details. Suffice to say that it would have been bad enough had I put 50 yards of warp on her back beam. But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, not me. I had to put 100 yards of warp on.
I should have quit 3 sections into it, but I persisted, and finished all 13 of them.
The sections are soft, they look awful, the threads break, and it is probably the worst warping job I have ever, ever done.
That is the truth, so help me God.
The rest of the evil truth is that while the weaving weekend was successful on many levels, I continued to get sick at an alarming rate. By Saturday night, I had lost my voice. I felt horrible that my two students might catch it from me, but honestly, they were pretty busy, and probably hopeful.
I hope they still feel that way.
And they didn't complain once about their whispering weaving instructor.
By Sunday afternoon at 4pm, I had all I could do to crawl home and take a position on the couch with my box of tissues, and hot tea.
Yesterday, I went to the studio and waited for the UPS truck to come.
It brought my Wolf Pup, and I had boxes to go. I opened the box with the loom, just to make sure it was all there, and crawled back home to my spot on the sofa.

I ordered it with a sectional beam, above. I managed to pound in all the dowels this morning. And I put the Wolf trap on the front, that little catch all that is cute as anything. And I put the heddles on, and the wheels, and a couple of other things.
The only thing that is left is to put the sectional beam on the loom, and that called for a 1/8th" drill bit. Looking for that seemed a gargantuan task that sent me right out the door, and back across the 8 miles or so to my waiting sofa.
Where I remain.
And that, my friends, is the sad truth. Today, I don't care if I weave or not, and that is proof that I am one sick cookie.

But I can still appreciate how sweet this one is. Maybe tomorrow I will feel like putting a better warp on this little Wolf Pup.

Boot Camp

Just completed another weaving weekend. Or as my husband says, "Weaving Boot Camp".
And sometimes I think he might just have something there. We weave all hours.
We had Kathleen from the California coast, and Jean from the New Hampshire coast.

Jean bonded with Miss Puss, and that is not an easy thing to do.

Kathleen was partial to Sydney, who seems to have everything under control.

There was a whole lot of weaving going on, and now the world is +2 weavers.
That is a very good thing.

Dirty jobs

Remember last weekend.......when my weaving weekend canceled??? And I was upset, but gave the deposit back anyway?
Well, these flowers came on Friday, they were from the three ladies that canceled. The note thanked me, and said they would be back.
That was very nice.



If you haven't already guessed, this is a squirrel attack. First you have to make lots of noise, so they exit the premises, and then you lay on your back and nail up hardware wire all along the roof and the floor, from one end to the other, and on both sides.

When they were done, I was informed that it was the worst job ever.
I had already guessed that.
It was quite hot up there, so they took the window out while they were working.
Now we just have to wait to see how well it works.

In the meantime, the Reed Weaver's Friend came through the front door. 35 inches wide tipped up on its side, through a door 35 and 1/4 inches wide. It was a tight fit.
And it was dirtier than I thought.
What followed was a couple of hours of cleaning it with 409, polishing it with Howard's Feed and Wax, greasing it with the white lithium grease. Then I cut off the rotten cords on the front beam, and put new strapping and a wooden rod on it.
Operational!!!!!!!!!

This is a rug I played at today.......it just struck my fancy.....to me it looks like blotches of paint in different colors. Do you like it??
Then I got more serious, and "normal", if you can call it that.
Sometimes I think normal is overrated.

Sydney Sue agrees.
Does she look like she has made herself right at home?
Ya think????