More Staycation

This is the 30-year-old stove that was in the house we bought five years ago.  Before then I didn't know that some stoves in open floor plans have to vent down under the house.  They also cost a whole lot more than updraft stoves with range hoods.  The control panel part of the oven died last year and while the oven was probably still working just fine, we couldn't control it.  We decided to order a replacement last August.  Due to supply line interruptions production has been at a snail's pace and our replacement didn't come until last Thursday,

This is the brand we were replacing.  Ever hear of it?  Us neither.  Apparently Whirlpool bought them out.  There are no replacement parts.  Our installers had visited the house a couple of months ago to scope out the job and called a couple of weeks ago, wondering if we had gone with another crew.  Nope.  No stove, still waiting.  

When Ian called them last week to set up an installation date, Damian put us at the top of his list, said we had waited altogether too long.  He and Zach are the crew and worked three hours yesterday getting as much of the installation completed as possible.  The unpleasant reality is that the old stove was a 30 amp without a ground wire, the new one is a 40 amp and we were going to need an electrician in order to finish the job.  

Ian found a journeyman electrician on the Next Door app and darned if he didn't show up this morning and rolled up sleeves.  He said he has an overload of work, like all of construction in Bend, but he felt bad that we were left hanging.  That's a phone number we'll hold onto.  Damian will too; he was excited to have a reliable electrician to call on. 

Our installers put the stove box back in the hole because we told them we had a baby coming in the morning.  Delaney was absolutely fascinated by this new thing.  They left the door off to make it easier for the electrician.

This is the new stove.  It's unlike anything I've cooked on before.  The burners are instantly hot, just like gas.  Ian and I falling over each other planning meals and baking.  It even has a steam rack for bread.  With the installation expenses, it was a hefty price tag but I know it will be worth every penny.  I think it's part of Covid thinking - since I'm stuck at home, why not make home a little better.

I am still trying to weave summer and winter without having loops on the backside.  I know now that they're from not advancing the warp as often as I should.  There was one more cobalt towel which I kept for myself.

I had a couple cones of pale yellow so I decided to weave that same draft but with three colors instead of two.  The yellow saddened everything.  I should have known.

So I decided to stick to yellow companion colors, bright yellow and lime green.  Same thing.  I have more warp so guess I'll see how the light yellow can butcher orange.

I'm trying to keep pace with the Aran knit-along and have now divided for the sleeves.  The instructions for saddle shoulders were a week ago so I am falling behind.  Ian told me that if I were to knit him an Aran sweater that he would wear it.  I love these crazy cables and am happy to have another sweater in the wings.  I told him it won't be ready until next winter.

 

Deadlines

Matt and I are both working on deadlines, his to finish the bathroom in October and me to be ready for the Guild Holiday Sale this coming Saturday.  While we were in SoCal he cut floor tiles into 2” squares and set them into the shower pan and painted the walls with a waterproof membrane to seal out moisture.  That large tile on the floor into 2” squares!  It boggles my mind and I’m sure it took all day to cut them on his ceramic saw and seat them.  If you look closely you’ll see he’s carved SFG into the mud in the middle of the shower lip, honoring his favorite team, the San Francisco Giants.  He says there are houses all over Bend with his special tribute.

I got the sunrise towels off the loom and got a little help from my studio assistant as I prepared to hem them.

Meanwhile, I got my order of Brassard 8/2 cotton, my part of a group buy that reduced the price to about $15 per pound.  You can’t beat that price but we only do it once a year and it’s hard to plan ahead.  I am no longer using the 8/2 cotton from UKI and unfortunately I have a lot of it.  I’m going to talk to a couple of the other weavers who are making this same move and see if they have any ideas how we can put it to use or who we can give it to.

I liked the Brassard medium blue so much I decided to wind another Fiesta(ware) warp.  I’ve converted to warping from the back but have gone back to winding it in six 3” bouts.  I’ve found that it preserves the color order and thread count.  And it also lets me move the bouts around if I discover that I don’t like the color order as planned, and in this case I did just that.  I had put the red and orange in the center and realized that I had a whole lot of green and blue together, so I moved it to the side and put the teal and yellow in the middle.

Matt came back on Saturday and got more tile installed.  He worked the entire day, from 9:00-6:30 to reach his stopping point, then called us back to ask us a question.

There was no question.  He had something to give us - these packets of candy.  I have hoped for years that they would have a baby and my wish will come true this April.  I cried.  They are still in process of telling everyone so mum is the word until after they make the announcement on Facebook, but I’m telling you because I know my family doesn’t read my weaving blog.  I have to tell someone!!  Another granddaughter - so excited!!!!!

I got the sunrise towels washed and pressed Saturday morning and my loom warped again that afternoon.

Here’s Matt, still working, and if he looks tired, that’s because he is.  He worked all day Saturday and then all day Sunday.

We had matinee theater tickets yesterday and went out to eat afterwards with another couple.  When we got home the shower was finished!  The grout has to set for three days and if we want to, we can buy a tension rod and shower curtain until the glass door is fabricated and installed. Since we still don’t have a sink in here, we’ve decided to continue using the upstairs bathroom.  It’s going to be another couple of weeks before Matt can get back to finish the sink.  It’s beautiful already!  This is his first total remodel using his own design and he’s really happy with the results as are we.

This morning I finished dressing my loom and have woven four towels and started the fifth.  I have several obligations this week but if I am careful, I can have all ten woven and hemmed for the show this Saturday.  This is my last sales opportunity this year and if I don’t have them at the show I can’t sell them.  That’s motivation!