Waiting

I took this picture yesterday afternoon at 4:00.  You can barely see the sun or Petersen Mountain.  The smoke is from the American fire, named for the American River where it's burning.  The last I checked it was up to 84,000 acres and with almost 2,000  personnel on it.  Friends in town and on the other side of the Sierras assure me that they're getting the same treatment.  The area is very remote and containment is only 45%, though the wind has shifted and today isn't as bad for us.

Today is completely free.  Melissa is driving up from SoCal to see her accountant and we'll get a couple of fun days.  I decided to weave while waiting for her arrive.  I put on a Tencel warp and am sampling some Navajo-ply handspun silk that I did years ago.

This is the yarn and when I showed it to other weavers, asking for advice, I didn't get much encouragement.  I's really not lovely.  Rae Stuart helped and while I could tell she didn't love the silk either, she gave me a suggested ends-per-inch count.

Here's the scarf in progress.  I really like point twill and since Rae suggest 24 epi, I found a pattern in Anne Dixon's book that is threaded over 24 ends.  I'm beating, oh-so-gently.

This is the scarf just done.  I'm so in love the way the colors travel.

I have the scarf wet-finished on the ironing board.  Okay, technically it's wet and not finished, but the selvedges straightened up in the process and the already drapey scarf is sinuous.  I did it!  I got the beat.  I now have three beats in my repertoire:  dish towels, rag rugs and scarves.  I wish someone would have told me this a long time ago.

Next project?  I suspect it's going to be this "art yarn" I spun while demonstrating at the Nevada County Fair.  I thought it would make a cool hat.  It's just not cool.  Once I unravel the hat and determine my yardage, I'll know if it's going to be warp or weft.  Apparently I like to torment myself.

It's going to be a while before I start it however as my dance card is filling up.  School just started and I already have two weeks of subbing at a high school library.  I love to weave but subbing pays.  Meanwhile, when Melissa gets here - I get a play date.  I just looked up and she's here at the gate!