Let Freedom Ring!

Let Freedom Ring! Quiet weekend on the home front--grilling ribs, brats and beer is on ice--what could be a better way to celebrate our day of freedom. We give our thanks to all those who have braved the fighting front to give us that peace and quiet! Yes, there will be fireworks during the dark hours-- lighting up the sky with our happiness of being free!

OFF the Loom--Finally!!

Yes, finally the scarf that was begun last summer has finally come off the loom--fully woven. There is a disclaimer here too. Since we are only at the summer house four months out of the year, it stands to reason that it would take a year for this scarf to be woven--right?? The warp is from the studio of Prism Yarns by Laura Bryant. And appropriately named Albuquerque Taos Silky for Convergence 2010 to be held--where else but Albuquerque, New Mexico in July. The yarn is commemorative yarn custom dyed and handpainted by Prism Yarn's Laura Bryant. 6 ply, 75% rayon, 25% silk, weight is 16 oz. with approximately 2,000 yards.
The weft was silk thread (sewing machine) in blue and gold. Nothing like feeling you are at the end of a long warp and throwing those last few shuttles to complete the work.
Yeah, it's time to cut those ties--let's leave them in the dent, just in case we want to tie on another warp set at the same threading.
Loose from the warp, it is now considered completed. Just untie from the front beam cloth.
Not much waste on the back beam either.
The scarf resting in the front apron--love the colors!
Measuring the front fringe.
The ends that were tied to the back beam are one big mess!
So a little pressing will solve that problem.
Measure to the same length that the front fringe was and cut with rotary cutter. Now all those loose ends need to be neat and tidy-- twisting will take care of that problem.
Wash in warm water, hang to dry and we can come it off the loom--finally! Just in time to wear in Albuquerque!!

Onward to Another Project

Okay, maybe it will be just another UFO, but it's time to begin another project. Yes, there has been a completion of a couple of small UFO's so doesn't that entitle a person to begin something new, different and exciting? Well, of course.
Beginning this week is another mystery She Knits scarves. This time she teamed up with a dyer, and we were given choices as to colorways and this is what I chose. Here is a cool entralac project that is on the needles--a small pouch using silk on left (blues and greens) and cotton yarn on the right. These will be gifts.
And a new book has hit my bookselves! Thinking outside the sox--way cool socks! Nice to look at but don't know if any of these socks will actually make it to the needles.

Refreshing on Hot Summer Day

Recently an old recipe popped into the head--well, it took some poking by brown headed daughter to actually remember. Isn't that what they are good for? In the days when the kids were growing up and the summer days were hot and humid, we would make fruit freeze. The recipe came from a friend; her name as we recall was Barbara. Anyway, this summer as all summers go, the little red line on the thermometer has been climbing and with that poke from the BHD, we made fruit freeze once again.
Now, this makes a large batch but it does well in the freezer, so here we begin with our shopping list: two (2) large cans of sliced peaches, one (1) can of apricots (but since there is a passion for this fruit we add more than one can), four (4) sliced bananas, one (1) large can of crushed pineapple, one (1) 12 oz. can undiluted orange juice, 20 oz. strawberries, juice of three (3) lemons. This time around we added one (1) can of Mandarin oranges and one (1) can of pears. All these fruits have no sugar added. You also need a large container for the freezer and gingerale (we use diet).
It takes some time to open cans and pour into the container, but it's all worth the time and effort. Mix well, pop into the freezer and wait........ The next day when the temperature is in that higher range, you can enjoy! Take the fruit freeze from the freezer and chop into small pieces to fill your glass, pour gingerale over and you have a nice refreshing delight to cool your body and mind.

Sundry Items and Other Things

Here are a couple of items that might be of interest to fiber minded enthusiasts. If you are traveling in the northern Colorado area and want to see an outstanding fiber show, stop here: Tointon Gallery for the Visual Arts, Union Colony Civic Center, 651 10th Avenue, Greeley, CO to view the Fiber Celebration . This exhibit is sponsored by Northern Colorado Weavers Guild each year. This show will run June 4 through July 11, 2010. If you are not in the area and want to travel via your fingertips and computer, hop to the web page and give a look at the 2010 pieces.

Point of interest to quilters, hop over to Fat Cat . Sindy is offering a monthly Halloween row of the month opportunity and the first row is indeed 'frightening' to assemble!
The Colorado Quilt show was held recently in Estes Park and here are some of the photos from that exhibit.
Erin's blog

Yarn in Waiting

Recent purchase at Estes Park Wool Market included only one skein of yarn from Brooks Farm . For years the Brooks Farm people finished their mohair into lovely colorful yarns. But this yarn, called Willow is a cable summer yarn that is 70/30 blend of wool and bamboo. Nice handle.
A simple self fringing shawl pattern was given along with purchase of yarn. You can find this free pattern, along with others, on their website, listed under patterns. So, this lovely yarn is like a lady in waiting.......waiting until she has sufficiently aged!

Wool Market Sheep to Shawl

One of the must visit areas of Estes Park Wool Market is the sheep to shawl tent. Here you can visit with spinners and weavers as they go about the business of creating that lovely shawl in one day....well, almost one day. This year's contest was sponsored by Shuttles, Spindles & Skeins Inc. of Boulder, CO. The Registration booklet states the following:

"There are five members on each team. The emphasis is on carding, spinning,weaving and providing an educational presentation for the public. Teams will use sheep’s wool from a natural-colored, cleaned fleece. Up to 10 percent fibers, specifically angora rabbit, mohair, llama, alpaca or pygora, may be used in the shawls."

After registration money is received, teams will receive further information in regards to their participation. These rules will allow each team to have their loom warped to their specific weaving pattern. This warp must be handspun. All other spinning and weaving will take place on site. Each team will supply their own fiber to spin.
Okay, spinners treadle those wheels!
There were four teams at work when we arrived in the tent around mid afternoon. One team had finished their shawl and was adding the finishing touches. This group was madly spinning away.
With their fiber piled in the middle of their team area, one person was carding this natural wool.
Busy treadling to hand off to the weaver that was working her magic on the loom.
This team chose a 8 harness twill pattern for their shawl. And as you can see, the weaver is coming to the end of her warp.
This was a good photo of knitted hat along with the warp on this loom which was a plaid. The weaver is also wearing long sleeve shirt that shows the logo for the wool market. The team had about another yard to complete before their shawl was ready to be taken off the loom. All the looms were common sights to this weaver but one really was interesting.
Now, this is one loom that was produced during the 50's for occupational therapy. The wheel allows the weaver to just turn clockwise for the pattern and lifting of the shafts. Pegs are inserted to give the pattern. This loom is Nadeau "Hand-skil". Know anything about this loom, please leave a comment. The weaver was having a difficult time with the shed on this loom.
One team had finished their shawl and team members were adding beads to the fringe, which would be twisted to complete. One of the team members said that according to the rules, the shawl must be woven, washed and dried before the deadline in order to win. Looks that this team is on their way to that first prize of $75. The weave pattern was 8H Bronson. Completed shawls are used in a raffle and the funds collected are presented to a charity organization. Have you ever participated in a sheep to shawl? We'd like to hear about your event.