In the (Weaving) Saddle Again

I cannot believe what helping Jeanne with her loom as done for me. It was like taking a weaving vitamin or something. I wove these off today. This was that white warp that I wound a year ago because I wanted to see what it would look like with colored weft. I didn't think I liked the Ms and Os when I was weaving, but finished - I love the texture. These are going to be super absorbent dishtowels. I won't do white again. I can't really see it but it doesn't do anything.

All my dishtowels always seem to be different lengths. I just haven't been able to measure accurately. I read in Laura Frey's blog this week that you can cut a strip of ribbon the desired length of your towel, pinning to your weaving as you go. When you're out of the ribbon, the towel is done. These three are all the same length!

Jeanne blogged about our experience on the Jimmy Beans blog and included a very important piece of the experience that I had omitted. Charlie was a dedicated snoopervisor. Do all weavers have cats? They must be our familiars.


These are the very first cones of yarn that I ever bought. They were in a liquidation sale and a friend helped me pick them out. I'm not eve sure that they all the same thing, but one of them has a 5/2 sticker inside. There was about a yard left on the loom after I cut the towels off. I'm rethreading and going to use it as a dummy warp so that I can get three more towels from this cotton. I'm setting it at 18 epi. I hope that works.

DIL Missy stopped by this morning on their way out of Nevada. My grandsons were confused because they left Nevada, entered California, but were suddenly back in Nevada. California is like - just across the road. I'm confused too. Quick visit, hugs and kisses - but when Missy got to the car, she smelled cat poop. She also had their dog and three cats in the car, two cats in one carrier and one had messed. What a mess. She had to give them both bathes in our laundry room sink before they could resume the journey. Josh just messaged that they have arrived. Missy is diminuitive and that massive Suburban was piled to the gills. The final leg of this journey to Oregon has ended - what a day for her.
Ian loves to feed the birds, so during the day, we get to enjoy songbirds and at night we get the ground-feeding quail. I juststand in the window and watch them. I couldn't resist this photo tonight. Do you see the rabbit?

Last night we went to the Red Rock Hounds Christmas party. They throw this party for our valley every year as a thank-you for letting them ride through our properties during their fox hunts. (We don't have foxes.) They ride English saddle and wear hunt apparel, with the Master of the Hunt the sole wearer of red. The party is always a wonderful time, and last night Rita Mae Brown was there. It turns out she's a Hunt Master. I got to meet her and visit for a bit. I had to admit that I've not read her books but that's because I'm unable to enjoy the mystery genre. It was awkward for me, but not for her. She knows so much about authors and writing history. We ended up talking about literary authors who tried to become screen writers, and in the end she suggested a book that she knew I would love because I'm a Fitzgarld fan. I wish I could remember what it was!!