Getting Ready for Holiday Sales

After two weeks of subbing followed by the natural dye workshop, I knew that I had some serious work to do this week if I want to have anything to sell in the last farmers markets of this season and the upcoming craft fairs -'tis the season.  The worst to be behind in is soap since it requires weeks to cure.  I made three batches this week, and since I only have one mold, I can only do one batch a day.

I also finished weaving the four undyed rayon/silk scarves.  They look terrible when they come off the loom and it's hard not to discouraged - they're stiff and look like gauze bandages.  They're one project that truly isn't finished until it's wet finished.

They're worth it though because they finish up very nicely.  The yellow and green ones are from last year so I'll have six - I'm feeling better about Sunday though I still have very little soap.

The real push though was to finish the two commissioned rag rug runners.  I pulled them off finally about noon today.  I used every bit of the six Goodwill sheets I bought and was getting nervous that I would run out but I didn't, and that's what counts.

My client wanted them for her kitchen that she said was decorated in Red Rooster.  I'm not familiar with that theme but have a couple of roosters of my own that I used to direct the palette.

I put one down in the hall because I don't have any place to put both of them.  Her kitchen must be really big.  I absolutely love them.

The next order of business is to get warped for more dishtowels.  I've chosen these colors and with the help of my Ruby Beholder there in the foreground, arranged them according to value.  Believe it or not, that bright red has a color value very close to the yellow.  It helps me avoid creating stripes and get a more random effect - I hope.

My Neoworx counter emailed me this week that I had a visit from a new country - the Faroe Islands.  Check it out!  I'm always amazed at the global reach of the Internet and wonder how on earth (pun intended) someone from islands near Greenland found their way to the northwest corner of Nevada and me.

Color

I finished the looper bath mats and I'm thrilled by them.  I posted a picture on Facebook and one sold to a friend from book group.  I have enough loopers for four more and then I have to decide what I'm going to do next.  The loopers are pricey.   I'm trying to decide if I can sell enough of these to justify ordering more loopers.  The postage is killers.  Groan.  I think what I sell pays for my materials.  I suppose there are worse hobbies.

I picked up our CSA box after my dental appointment today.  This is our first basket this year and it's our first year to participate as a single family.  In the past I've picked up weekly boxes which we split with our neighbor.  This year we're on our own so bought the bi-weekly subscription.  I have learned from past experience that we will be challenged to eat all of this in two weeks.  By the middle of summer, we'll be getting twice this many veggies. You don't realize it,  but produce is dense food.  Tonight we polished off the Swiss chard, accompanied by a ham steak.  Uber yum.  The carrots were planted in hoops houses last fall and the yellow ball is spaghetti squash.

Baby Steps

It's been a while since I have warped Maudie Mae for towels.  I have looked at these colors for a couple weeks, but it wasn't clicking for me.

When I substituted the red, I knew I was ready to warp.

Aren't these crazy colors?  I have the warp hanging from the front beam ready to go, but it's been stormy the past couple of days and it's really hard to see without natural light.  I'll wait for some sunshine. 

I'm still working on the sock looper rugs.  Lilith is right in front of the window so I'm just going to weave here, until we get more sunshine.

I'm working on making up my own miscellaneous batts for spinning.  This is some of the stuff I'm drawing on - it's wool, mohair and sari silk.

These are the batts I'll spin tomorrow morning.  I've also added some badly processed Cormo.  I bought the fleece and had it processed it almost ten years ago.  It was expensive and I've just hung onto it.  I didn't know how to use it but didn't want to throw it away either.  We'll see.

I finished the scarf project.  I learned a lot but I don't have a scarf.  The green will be my "sewing with handspun" cloth sample for the weaving conference at the end of this month.  I'm thinking they might both be the samples and that's okay.  I'm confident that my next scarf project will produce a wearable scarf.

For those of you who have encouraged me to write the story of my daughter's high school pregnancy and her baby's open adoption, I just want to say that John's dad and I are taking baby steps towards doing that.  

Fixin' - Again

I've been fooling around with colors, looking at Google images for both crocus and hyacinth.  After pulling off the sea glass green towels, I'm ready for some spring color.

After endless weeks of grey days, the sun is finally here.  I haven't walked the dogs in the cold days because it hurts to breath so was thrilled to finally have a chance to get out again.

We walked down to the mail boxes and then came back again.  This is the school bus stop, I find it ironic that the vehicle attached to the bike rack is a quad.  That's the vehicle of choice out here - you won't see any bikes.

Self portrait.

After our walk, I went back to work on the rag rug.  I figured I could knock this one off in no time and was appreciating this shuttle.  It's one of those that Laura gave me after her mother passed away.  I haven't used it before and it's perfect!  And then I noticed that a couple warps had broken, so I mended them and then noticed that a couple more had broken.  I had only woven 20" and had eight broken warps.  I saw the handwriting on the wall.  This was old warp and was probably further weakened by the hot tea I used to stain it.  It sickened me but I knew I had to cut it off.

I needed to do something happy so I wound a dishtowel warp in a hyacinth colorway.  I love to dress the loom just as much as I love to weave on it so enjoyed seeing these colors come together.  And then I quickly wound a five yard warp for three looper rugs, which I probably should have saved for another day.  At least that's what my back is saying tonight.  So I'm fixing to weave two projects and wish I had space for a third loom.

I have never received a box from UPS in this condition before. 

It's a good thing this is what was inside.  I'm so excited about these colors.  I have to be in town tomorrow but you know what I'm going to be working on this Thursday.  

I can't weave on Friday either because good news - I'm a library sub at Traner Middle School that day and again next Monday and Tuesday.  I knew that there would be no library subs until the entire catalog conversion was completed in February.  I started this journey last August and the wheels turn slow.

 I have new books in my fiber library, courtesy of Benita Story.  She had an extra copy of one and included the other as good measure.  I cannot think of a good reason to weave rag rugs and I don't understand why they get under my skin.  They do not sell well at craft fairs and yet I am compelled to weave them. 

These are two brand new books.  The one the left I purchased for our guild and it will be part of a scholarship fund raiser.  I don't get to keep it but I get to read it for a week until I have to pass it on.  I buy, they pay.  The one on the right just came from Amazon today and it's all mine.  It's perfect for me and my four-harness loomdom. 

This is me visiting with Laura.  She called tonight and so I put the phone on speaker and pulled off the rag weft that I'm salvaging from the failed rug warp.  I have to say that if you have to savage (note that savage and salvage are only one letter apart) a warp that it's good to have a friend along.

Stop me if you've heard this one.  So a knot walks into a bar.  I mean this guy is totally frazzled, at the end of his rope.  He doesn't know which end is up.   "Are you ready to order?" asks the barkeep.  "I'm a frayed not." he responds.  (It helps if you read it aloud.)

The Rest of the Story

I finished the last two 2x3 rag rugs today.  I'm pleased with them both, but the one on the right was from a king-sized sheet I bought at Goodwill.  They use some kind of fumigant that has a nasty sweet smell.  Ordinarily it's just annoying but today the entire time I was weaving my allergies plagued me to the point that I was sneezing pretty badly by the end.  I love the rug but I'm not going through that again.  Even after I pulled them from the washer and drier I could still smell that chemical.  I'll have to try a different thrift store next time.
The good news is that I had enough warp left to tie off for a dummy warp.  I've never taken rag rugs to a craft fair, only place mats.  Ian says the problem is that so many people don't sit down at a table to eat together anymore that they don't want place mats.  Let's see if they want rugs.

This is the latest shell I've knitted from the pirate-booty fiber gift exchange at Spindle Camp in June.  The photo is a bit staged since I had just washed my hair and I wasn't wearing the sweater anywhere, but I really do like it and I have worn it.

The Ronco dehydrator that Ian ordered for me arrived within two days so I've been using both to double-team our aging produce.  Gretel says she thinks she's had hers for 30 years.  At first I didn't think there would be much difference, but oh boy, there certainly is.  Mine dries more quickly and also the food doesn't stick to the trays.  I think the change in plastic was more than cosmetic, or else 30 years of use has changed Gretel's trays.  We have Amazon Prime so the dehydrator and Farberware mandolin were $43 dollars with no shipping charges.  I'm really pleased.  I'm drying the zucchini chips that Cindie suggested and sampled one a little bit ago.  Yum!

This is what 20 pounds of tomatoes looks like after they've been dehydrated.  It's my understanding we can store them in glass jars in the garage over the winter.  They're supposed to be good for a year, but I hope to have cooked with them before then.  I think I'll prefer the frozen tomatoes in cooking but there was no more room.  I need to give the produce a rest tomorrow.  I need to give me a rest!

Trying to Keep Up

Friday I prepared eight quarts of blanched and quartered tomatoes for the freezer.  I have two lugs left to go but I ran out of ice from the ice maker and it's so slow refilling that I hope to have enough tomorrow to at least do another lug.

Gretel offered me the use of her dehydrator as she is canning this week so I drove over this morning and I picked it up along with her mandolin.  I've got five trays of cantaloupe drying tonight and expect they'll be dry in the morning so that I can restock the dehydrator.  I have more melon but would also like to dry some of the tomatoes.

Ian came in from the garden with these this morning. This is the most robust growing year we've experienced. I feel like the little Dutch boy with his fingers in the dike trying to save the whole thing. Ian ordered a dehydrator for me this evening which should be here Tuesday. I don't want to lose any of this food if I can help it. Our potatoes are ready too and I'd like to dry some of our onions. I thought I'd try making potato chips in the dehydrator.
The last warp of sea glass towels is off and the the towels are finished. This brings me up to 21 towels for the craft fair in three weeks.  I'm dressing my loom with the reds and purples, but by adding the lilac I ruined the image of Red Hat Society.  I'm not sure what I've got.  I guess I'll find out in another couple days.

I'm cutting strips from this king-size sheet for my final rag rug.  I think the rugs look awesome and was surprised when Ian commented this morning that he had noticed my finished ones when closing the blinds yesterday afternoon upstairs.  He said - they're gorgeous!  I have no idea if they're craft fair fodder so will limit myself to a few to test the waters.
I hope they do sell as they're so much fun to make. Plus, I have probably close to 50 pounds in cottons.   I forgot to take any pictures of the finished rugs but I love how this one is developing.  The rest of my energy until then will be in towels, which I know are craft fair fodder. 

Rag Rugs

Yesterday I pulled off the four rugs that I had finished, washed them and hung them to dry. It's a pretty meager offering for a craft fair but I was tired of fighting with the warp.
I formed a cross behind the heddles so I could pull the warp back through them and still keep track of the order of the warp threads. I decided to change to two harnesses and set it at six ends per inch. No time like the present, even if I'm working under a deadline. You know you have a problem when you call your warp the demon warp. I wasn't having fun so I either needed to stop or change something.
I actually got to this stage yesterday afternoon but warping from the back is back breaking. I don't understand now anyone can do it. There's so much reaching and stretching, and it was at this point that my back cried uncle.
I'm really happy with how the hem-
stitched fringe turned out. It takes much less time than actually tying fringe and there are no knots to step with your bare feet or wear out.
This is how knots wear on a rug. I love this rug from San Miguel de Allende and we had it on the floor for a year or two before the damage reached this point. One day I walked into my studio to find that Ian had tacked it to the wall, which has preserved it, though only I get to enjoy it now.
The fourth rug on the warp was this stubby one that I hemmed and put inside the laundry room door which is probably our most heavily trafficked area. I think a rag rug needs fringe but I made this one for utility purposes. It's from Tommy Hilfiger sheets and boy does it feel good to walk on Tommy Hilfiger.
I worked hard today. I finished the towels on Maudie Mae before lunch and after lunch I tackled the warp on Miss Millie. First of all, I'm grateful to Melissa and Linda for insisting that lashing on the warp is the only way. It is for me now. I was lashed on and ready to weave in ten minutes. Never has "live and learn" been more appropriate. I'm stoked - over the moon - gaga - gratified that my hunch paid off. Six ends per inch on two harnesses is the ticket. Not only that, because there's more space to pack in the weft, I can cut the strips at 2" instead of 3" and get more bang for my rag.
Meanwhile, I've usurped the balcony for my staging area. The dogs are confused. I've got probably 30 pounds of cotton in various colors and amounts. I'm trying to decide what the last two rugs will be in a huge hurry since I really need to weave about 30 more towels in the next three weeks.

Next year I'll do one craft fair - this one - and I'll have all year to get ready for it. Thankfully I'm sharing a booth space with Carol and Kerry again so if nothing else, I know we'll have fun. We've shared space for the last couple of years and I'd feel naked without them.

Thick Headed

I've finally been able to spend a day in my studio. There have been a lot of distractions lately. I'm cruising through my latest interpretation of Sea Glass. This is the last towel on today, along with my inspiration picture from Google Images.
And this is all the warp on the floor that I tore out to remove a too-bright yellow substitute for the broken warp in the first image. I used up several cones of variable yellows on this warp, but I think this substitute will be acceptable. The first was horrible - bad judgement.

I have had the most broken warps on this set than I ever have. Some of the UKI that I bought from the Georgia Company seems to be especially tender. It makes me wonder how long that yarn has been in storage. Broken warps aren't a tragedy but they're certainly obnoxious.
I have one weaving bench and two looms so I shifted over to work on this rag rug today. My booth space at the craft fair is supposed to have rag rugs. My shortcut to colorful stripes was cut short today with the realization that I would need a bias-tape maker and then would have to run the strips through it, ironing them into shape - ugh. Thanks to all the weavers who helped me with this. Hilary, who had brain surgery just two weeks ago, started me on the path to getting this sorted out. I smile as I hear my mother saying - there are no shortcuts.
I've added higher storage space in my studio, freeing up some of my meager floor space. Those top two units had been under the window with Charlie's bed on top so he could sleep in the sun. I spent the bulk of the day here, and when I got a text message from my youngest son that he and Julia would be by today to pick up the things they needed to take to Oregon and his brother instead of tomorrow, I asked if they'd like to have an early dinner. He said, Absolutely! It's six hours from our house to Bend so I thought it would spare them that stop and give us a quick visit.

And right after that I got a text from Kerry asking if she could stop by with friends about 6:45 to shop for towels and soap. It turns out the friends are visitors from England and they wanted local presents to take home for their house sitter. The green to the left of the yellow cone is American money. That was a fun conversation, about how all our currency looks the same. Their paper money is different sizes and colors, depending on denomination, and their coins have different edges. They find our currency bewildering. I told them there's a reason we call our money green backs.

When Ann chose a towel from the Yuba River series, I also gave her my inspirational photo that I had borrowed from Beryl. They suggested I look into images for the North York moors and also England's rapeseed fields. I have and both have fabulous color potential though not much color variety. England is so green. They left with something and left me with something.
Meanwhile, I pulled this book out again. It's mostly an oral history of tradition but I thought it might give me a little inspiration, and then an unanswered question became obvious. I've asked every rag rug weaver I know if they weave on two or four harnesses. Right below the photo they listed the weaver and the harnesses. I had the answer here all along. Unless they wove a twill, all of the rugs were woven on two harnesses. Thick headed German? Raising hand.