Note To Self!!!!

After I cut off my handspun cotton warp, I thought--Self (do you talk to yourself??)

why not warp something else--just tie on and weave?

and then........................

You would think that someone who has been working with fiber for years and years would know better!  NOT!  I have been moving this bag of spun skeins from place to place.

Inside the bag are two skeins of lovely handspun (I swear it is silk/merino blend) and it's

my handspun too!  Along with the two yarns was a wound warp--

Yes, a wound warp!

and that's all!

No other information--how many threads per inch? where was my brain?

I began putting the warp on the loom the other day and I'm thinking to myself--

what was I thinking?  What is this warp?  It was in the bag with the handspun,

so one would naturally think it was handspun--well, some of it is but

there are some lengths that are not.

I'm kicking myself--why didn't I write some information down about this

project to keep for future reference?  I think I remember winding this

warp in summer of 2014 or maybe it was 2013--it is certainly aged!

BIG NOTE to self--WRITE IT DOWN!

Same thing happen with these Fingerless gloves--I started knitting on them

several months ago--even finished one glove and for some reason, but left

the second glove aside until last night when I pulled this project out from

under several knitting projects.

Here is where I stopped on the second glove but

where am I on the instructions?  I use sticky note paper to line up my place,

somehow, the paper slipped and it left me scratching my head--

Okay, I'll go back over the work and see if I can find where I'm at--

I think I'm in the right place--another BIG NOTE TO SELF--

WRITE IT DOWN and DATED IT!!

Off The Loom And Feeling Good..............

Finally!  Finally finished weaving 7 yards of handspun cotton--

I had several skeins of single cottons spun--white, brown, green

I tried to use the two ply cottons that were in my stash--

I found this multi indigo dyed cotton so thought it would work

I'm not sure it looks great, but it's in the towel now and I don't plan to

unweave!  

It was fun to just play with my cottons as weft--

Cutting off this yardage was a happy point of my day!

nothing like taking off a warp of woven fabrics and to have this

handspun cotton as my prize--Double Happy!

I've sewed the warp at both ends and in between each towel--

now, I can hem and wash and admire even more!

I'm so delighted with my handspun cotton towels!!

Hope you are excited about one of your finished projects!

Knitting For Cool Weather--Shoulder/Cowl

Shoulder Cowl is the perfect answer to handspun yarn--Have this awesome yarn

just waiting for that special pattern?  I think you'll be happy with this look

Here it is knitted in solid color--I saw a similar cowl/shoulder wrap in an exclusive

store in Las Vegas--it was totally neat looking as it featured that bumpy, sparkly

yarn!  I thought to myself--this is IT!  But, I couldn't find a suitable pattern

to recreate that expensive look--now, I have!

  

Want To Swivel?

Here is your chance to learn more about Swivel--

Heddlecraft is a new weaving magazine that strives to offer something new and different!  It's a digital weaving magazine designed for weavers who love to weave and want to know more!
Heddlecraft is published six times a year and in includes weaves and weaving techniques for weavers with with four- and eight-shaft (or more) looms .Heddlecraft is published by Spady Studios and is edited by Robyn Spady.  To learn more about Robyn, go to www.spadystudios.com

They're At It Again...........................!

Expatchers gathered for another day of sharing--

we swap stories of our adventures as we work on our current project.

Sometimes, there are sad tales but most of the time we laugh till we cry;

give encouraging hugs all around for the tough times--

Here's what went down on this day!

Brenda was working on her half square triangles

to create magically pinwheels

Everything is cut and ready for assembling

Here is her goal--

Our hostess Judy is quilting either Ronald MacDonald or Binky quilts

Here she's hand stitching the binding on this colorful children's quilt

All lined up and ready to sew--Debby is working on our friendship square swap quilt

Annette has her paper pieced grandmother's square pieces all ready for stitching

Karen was doing the binding on her finished quilt--Trip Around The World

Then we take a trip around Judy's wonderful studio to enjoy the festivities of the season

She always has the most wonderful creations in her studio

Ready for fall holidays

No witches here!  Just friends who are 'bewitchingly ' blessed!

The Bird Did What??

I think you'll find this a fascinating read, much as I did!

This is small excerpts from Hyperallergic post on how the bird based

color system became Patone 

An effort to describe the diversity of birds led to one of the first modern color systems. Published by Smithsonian ornithologist Robert Ridgway in 1886, A Nomenclature of Colors for Naturalists categorizes 186 colors alongside diagrams of birds. In 1912, Ridgway self-published an expanded version for a broader audience — Color Standards and Color Nomenclature — that included 1,115 colors. Some referenced birds, like “Warbler Green” and “Jay Blue,” while others corresponded to other elements of nature, as in “Bone Brown” and “Storm Gray.”

Ridgway’s scientific work was inspired by Milton Bradley, who, along with selling board games, was a proponent of color education. He published Elementary Color in 1895 and manufactured a color wheel that, when spun, visually mixed different hues. Daniel Lewis, author of a 2012 biography of Ridgway, wrote in an article for Smithsonian magazine that the ornithologist paid tribute to Bradley in his color system with “Bradley’s Blue” and “Bradley’s Violet.” Lewis added that Ridgway’s “book evolved into the Pantone color chart,” the first edition of which was printed in 1963.

Math and Knitting

When I saw this--I was blown away!  I know math is involved in most aspects of our lives, but 

to think Pat Ashforth & Steve Plummer - Mathekniticians did this with knitting--

like oh WOW!

Plunge yourself into their world of Woolly Thoughts and you'll be magically transported

I've down some Illusion knitting, but this takes the cake!

This is their fanciful afghan--okay, my brain is in overload!  I'm so glad

their brains are working for me!