Kitty love.

All church and mother related commitments filled.
Weekend almost over.
Whew.

I can't say that I got anything else done, but that's ok.
It's just the way it is.

I went to the studio for a little while this afternoon, more to make sure everything was ok, than anything else.
After giving love to the four needy cats INSIDE, I took my cuppa tea out on the porch.
I don't know why I find this cat to be particularly sweet, but I do.
And anyone who says all cats are the same, well, that's just dumb.

 He is always happy to see me.

For awhile, he took a rest by the bottom of my chair.

But he is always ready for some love.

Thank goodness for my Iphone.  I could never have done this with my camera.

I think he was trying to hold my hand.

Easy with the claws there, buddy.

This is going to be a busy week.
Weaving weekend coming up.

There is always a lot to do to get ready.

Which poses the question, why am I wasting time playing with Nexxie??

Well, I should think the answer would be quite obvious.

It isn't monkey love.

It's kitty love.

I am wasting time, because I can.
And because he is so obviously enjoying it.

Silly boy.

 Well, OK, I am enjoying it too.

But honestly, could you refuse this guy?

He is a love bunny.

He's a boob.

I have never been adopted quite so thoroughly.

 I often think that cats have a better perspective than any of us do.

 Here's a perspective.........whiskers and feet.

Oh, sorry.

 Ah, tomorrow is Monday, and there will be plenty of time to get all the things on my list done.

There won't be so  much time for these shenanigans.

So I've been to church twice in two days.

And yet somehow.........

spending time with a cat that USED to be a stray, is more meaningful to me.

Guess I'm a pretty hopeless case.
What do you think, Next???

Weekend blues

OK, so I am not having the best weekend of my life.
It happens.
I am sure you all have them, right?

I have spent the last two days in the car with my mother, whom I love dearly.
But truthfully, she tests my patience.
Same questions.  Same stories, things that don't make sense, neediness, a little whining.
Oh, I know, she is old, and she gets to be that way.  And who knows, I may be as bad, or even worse.
But trust me, it doesn't make it easier knowing that.

Today, memorial service for a family member that passes away a couple of months ago.  Tough reality that he is really gone, forever, from this world.  I tell ya, it's a mine field, this life.

Tomorrow, my turn to take my mother to the Salvation Army.
What the heck??  Am I a bad person, or what??


On the brighter side, today I tried strawberries, sprinkled with a little raw sugar, spritzed with a little balsamic vinegar (mine was pear infused).  Let them sit for 20 minutes.

Oh my, they were simply divine.

And maybe it's me, it probably is......but I will never understand organized religion, never, as long as I live.
Thankfully,  their churches are often quite lovely, which I find makes going there bearable.

I have been on the road three days this week, and I am really looking forward to NO traveling this coming week.  I am honestly looking forward to MONDAY.

And did I tell you, that Roy is SO spoiled, that even though I only have ONE FREAKING MONKEY in the studio, even though there are lines of people waiting for them, ROY has his very own.

MONKEY LOVE.
It's a wonderful thing.

Roy is actually doing quality control.
Right Roy???
Roy???

Daily Grind

We have one, a daily grind. 

 Stuff that needs/has to get done.  Not the most FUN stuff.

Like the "looper dance", which entails us opening box after box on a white tarp in front of the barn, for the purpose of mixing up the colors.

Periodically, it has to get done.

So far, 28 monkeys have FLOWN out of the studio.
If I'm not careful, I will be MONKEYLESS.
Oh, God help me.

I really couldn't get into anything today.  The phone kept ringing, and I kept getting interrupted.

And to tell the truth, I wasn't feeling all that motivated.

You know when that happens??

I did tie fringe on two rugs I finished yesterday.

Tomorrow is Friday, and I'm glad.
Hopefully, next week will find me more inspired.

Taking a breath

I do seem to be taking a lot of days off lately, don't I.

I think I'm making progress in that direction.

HH was/is instrumental.

Years ago, when I first started weaving, I bought a used Leclerc Mira loom.  It was too short for me, I'm 5'9".  But I didn't know any better at the time, so I wove on it for at least a year, or more.  I had a permanent muscle cramp in my shoulder blade.

There was so much I didn't know, and I struggled trying to get the loom to do what I wanted.

Somehow, I came across Tom Beaudet, on an online weaving forum.

I emailed him, asking for his advice, and he was kind enough to listen to my tales of woe, and he took the time to help me figure out the answers.

Over the years, I have talked to him often, and finally went to Massachussetts and met him.   I bought two looms from him.

A year later, he came to visit Crazy as a Loom, and he gifted me with another loom.

So you could say we have history.

Tom graduated from high school when I was ONE year old.  So he at least 80......or so.

But I aspire to be just like him.  He is the youngest 80 year old I have ever met.  He is interesting, interested, he is living his life with commitment and purpose.  He is a weaver, but more than that.  He knows more about looms and weaving than I could ever hope to know.

I am smitten.   

You can read about him HERE.

So today, I went to see him yet again, to test drive the Leclerc WEAVEBIRD, something I have wanted to do for a long time.

This is a 16 harness, 36" wide loom.

I know that someday I am going to want a computerized loom.  Something that never, ever has to be tied up, so I will never have to crawl around under the loom ever again.

I got to weave on this baby, and it was quite sweet.
I loved it.
I was afraid that I would.
I'm an addict, you see.  I think I've told you that before.

I told DH to take a picture.  He did.

I should have told him to take 10 pictures, and he would have.

But you get the one he took, for what it's worth.

I'm not sure when this loom is in my future, but I'm sure that it is.

I thought it would be noisy, but actually it's really not.  And it's smooth.  And it treadles like a dream.  One treadle to open, and one to close.

I suppose you could point out that I did not get one bit of work done today, and you would be right.
But I'm ok with that.

If you never look up, you'll miss the blue sky.

Little of this.

Since we put the 7 foot Toika in the front bedroom upstairs, there is no longer a bed in there.

But when I have weaving bootcamps weekends, I need someplace for me to sleep, if I have filled the other bedrooms.

So I bought this chair and a half.

It opens to a single bed.  It will do the trick nicely, without taking up too much room.

It is presently covered with a large bedsheet, cause you know the cats were fighting over who would lay on it first.
Sydney won, btw.

Talk about monkey business........I have sold monkeys all day.   I guess I better get CRACKING.
Oh, dear, what I get myself into.
We just ordered boxes the exact size of a monkey.
That's real monkey love.

This boy, Next/Nexxie/BubbyBoy, has become quite the fixture around Crazy as a Loom.  While the other cats rule inside, he has the outside covered.
He appears to be happy, and he is most definitely handsome.
Winter will be problematic.  I don't want to leave him outside, and I'm not sure how it will work out to bring him inside, with 3 females, and 1 male.
Any ideas???

Monkey Love

Yes, I admit it.  I'm love struck.
Can you blame me, really?????

They are all on my web site, and one has sold already.


These are monkeys with the BUTTON EYES, for big kids.  The monkeys with felt eyes will be ready the end of the week.

I cannot tell you how happy I am with these, they have far exceeded my expectations.

They are $34.95 retail, but until July 1st, if you are a follower of my blog, they are $24.95.  Just click on Add to Cart, and then add a message that you are a blog follower, or shoot me an email (ragrugs@crazyasaloom.com)  and I will credit you back the $10.00.

And then you got some monkey love of your own.

Here's the link:    Monkey Love

A little blah.

The newly retrofitted Reed Ideal is working well.  I have already made a few rugs on it.

I am going to add some weight to the beater bar though, to help pack in the weft without so much effort.

For these rugs, I just went up to the loft and grabbed a bag of fabric, all one color.

I love the texture of it.  Even though I am usually in to bold color, lots of color, sometimes neutrals are a breath of fresh air.

Maybe I'll do a whole line of neutrals.

Sydney says:

Go for it, Mom.

Little girls

My granddaughter, Ava, is only SEVEN.   Just.

Which is what makes her weaving talents so incredible to me.

She wanted to stay overnight, so she could weave again today.

Which she did.

Weavers......go ahead and lust.........her selvedges are perfect.

Natural born weaver, I say.

Last night, we went for ice cream, then we chased fireflies, or lightning bugs, depending on your preference.

It is easy to forget how much fun the world can be, but when you're around little kids, they are quick to remind you, if you're listening.

We lost a tooth, and the tooth fairy came.

I was pretty shocked when she told me what the tooth fairy was paying these days.

We played 'cats'.

Not sure where she got the idea that cats had ears in the middle of their forehead, but hey, who am I to comment.

And we celebrated flag day 5 days early.



I'm still smiling.