Happenings

So, it's been awhile, since the last post. I've been busy doing substitute work at a local private school and really enjoying it! However, I'm still even more enjoying creating some exciting things. I finished the orange towels and am tempted to make some more with different colors. They were really fun to weave and the simple color pattern strikes my eye. They washed really well and became nice and soft.

And as usual, I had more warp than needed and got 4 nicely sized towels out of the deal! But the next weaving I ventured to work on did not have so much luck. I was totally short on the warp. Please consider, this warp was some which was pre-measured out sometime in college and wasn't used. So the take-up during the weaving was not truly accounted for. The weaving that this warp was newly assigned to was a rep weave I had tried in college and couldn't quite figure out. I've read the book about 7 times, to still not understand the treading patterns. Regardless I decided to just go for it.

It was all going well, until I was about 6 inches into the weaving and things weren't matching up with the treddling patterns. The thick versus the thin weft... which next? So I undid it all and started again, only to find the same problem. Oh what to do... the theme song of so many facets of my life... (including making dinner) I come to a conclusion, I'll just make it up. And I did. The crazy part was it worked! Unbelievable! Apparently one is just supposed to use his or her own judgement and research to determine how to weave the cloth once it's on the loom. Weaving continued with the make-it-up-as-you-go theory. It was going swell, when for what I think is the first time in my personal weaving history, the warp is too short! I only need to weave about 6 more inches to complete the pattern to make it symmetrical!! Hm, what to do. I waited until my lovely husband returns home from work and bombard him with problems of the weaving. He graciously sits behind my loom and detached the back bar and holds the warp a few inches from the heddles for a good bit of time and I was able to finish it up! I have such a wonderful husband, he was able to hold the bar nice and stable as the beating part of rep weave is very important. Regardless, it is finished, and now occupies a once bare wall in our apartment.

With plenty of weaving happening, and I've been trying to use up what I have before I purchase more. In between planning my next happening, the blank wall above our couch is driving me insane! I thought until we can afford something that we really like to put there (or move?), or a fiber idea for it comes to reality, I started a few paintings to hang there for now. The paint materials are all here, and there was even a half gallon of gesso in the trunk of our car! We went the cheap route and got heavy duty watercolour paper to gesso. So I'm just painting large heads of flowers right now, one is complete, the others, on the way. I think I'll make 3 or 4... They may not stay forever, but it's nicer than white. The size is 22 inches square. Again, the picture is not great.. I really need to figure that out!


This has been the past 2 weeks here in my little world. The weather is absolutely wonderful! We had a cook out last night, and if the screen was not warped, the windows would be completely open! It's been in the 70's, sunny and not very humid! Hopefully it just might stay this way for a while, is there still snow in Pennsylvania? I know my family and friends in Minnesota still have it! Enjoy!