A Record?

I don't know if there is a Guinness World Record for the longest time a short, narrow sample warp has stayed on a loom, but I know this is definitely a record for me! I decided to finish the second boundweave sample before cutting off the warp. My original plan was to make little bags for my nieces so the designs were upside down, then after a plain area for the bottom they are right side up. Here are the after-washing shots. The project details can be found here.



This tie up gave the fabric a wonderful hand. It was heavy but still had some drape. The motifs came out clearer with this tie up also. This would be perfect for placemats.



While I liked this colorway better, I didn't like the ridges that this tie up created. The fabric is heavy, heavy, heavy. It would take an incredible amount of foot traffic without showing signs of wear. If I ever (and, by the way, feel free to shot me if I do) decide to weave a boundweave rug this is the tie up I'd use.



When I switched to this tie up I had more draw in. It takes four shots for one row and you can see that the weft was not packing in well. Notice the horizontal line through the flowers where you can see the underlying red thread. I changed the way I placed the weft after that.



Here I made sure to position the weft at a 45° angle before beating and you can see the difference. Not only does the weft pack in completely but the fabric is not drawing in.

I probably won't be weaving any boundweave in the near future but I'm glad a tried it out. Maybe when life is not so hectic I'll try a small wool rug.

Baby Blankets

Whoa, is June over? The last few weeks have been a blur of activity. The most important of which was Jackson, of course, but lots of other things too. The end of school and beginning of my new job (second job, not replacement!) Thinking ahead I realized that when I leave my high school students I still need something to bring in the dollars. None of those 30-and-out deals for me unless I'm willing to wait until I'm 71. Um, no!

So, I'll be teaching for the same masters program I went through a couple of years ago. I'll teach one or two classes this summer and then probably two each semester. These are intensive, week long classes during the summer and span two weekends during the school year. I was scheduled to teach in August but they aren't sure if that will fill so when an opening came up for the week of July 16th I took it. To add to the chaos, I'm also heading up to Clark University again for the APA/Clark workshop on Sunday. Maybe this time I'll get my picture taken with Freud!

Now, what's on my loom? The same freakin' boundweave that's been there since January! I was going to try a couple of other motifs but let's face it - it's a sample and I've sampled several motifs so it's time to move on.

Baby blankets seem appropriate. Besides Jackson there are several new babies arriving this summer and fall that are going to need covering. I have several ideas in mind.

Choice 1:
Choice one is a log cabin in 5/2 perle. I got this draft from Handweaving.net. It's a little different than my usual log cabin because it uses both colors in adjacent heddles.



I want to make at least two with each warp. I was thinking that my only choice was to make two identical blankets - I didn't want to use a solid weft and have stripes, but then I decided to play around with two different colors for the weft. I like it! Instead of the more pastel blue and yellow I could use a brighter primary yellow and blue for the first blanket and use red or purple and green for the weft with the second blanket. It reminds me of a circus.


I could always go with my basic log cabin draft





or step it up to a three color ABC sequence:



Choice 2:

This is also a good choice because I can use one color for the warp and then change up the weft for several different blankets.




Choice 3:

Ditto for this one - one warp, different wefts:



Guess it's time to get off the pot and get something new on the loom!

He's Here!

Jackson Matthew arrived Thursday evening weighing 8 lbs. 2.6 oz., 21 inches long.



I got to see him for a few minutes right after he was born. Friday I went straight from work and got my hands on him! Doesn't he look enthralled with every word I said?



Here he is enjoying his first day home. I've got a portacrib set up and ready for him - I am so ready for this!

The Waiting Game

Justing hanging out waiting for the little one. Laura's water broke last night but no contractions yet. They went to the hospital this morning and now I just have to keep myself busy.

I really need some summer tops. If I wanted a baby doll top I'd be in business but after considerable hunting I came up with two patterns I like. Simplicity 3786 has several variations. I'm using the View B (the bottom left) in a medium weight sage green eyelet. I also like the one with the tucks and cap sleeves (upper right).



Simplicity 3790 is for stretch knits only. I'm going to make the large view in a bright teal with white inset. What I like is the inset goes from seam to seam so you can use a nice summer weight knit but have extra coverage for the front.

We had to reschedule the tie dyeing at school but finally got a chance to do it last week. The kids were great and we got some fantastic results, especially considering we used 50/50 tee shirts. I printed out the folding directions from ProChem and the electric bunching gave the best results. Unfortunately I returned them before taking any pictures. I did dye a few but they were squirt and dash as I was busy helping them.

I do have a problem though with the dye stocks that were left over. I showed the kids how to use the syringes to fill up cups and then use those to pour, squirt, etc. Naturally, kids being kids, I saw them using syringes to squirt on the presoaked fabric and then put them back in the dyestock. I know they must have touched the fabric occasionally. I have quite a bit left over. Is it all ruined?

Squeezing in a Little Time for Dyeing

We had off on Tuesday due to elections. We never used to but I think the parents of younger children aren't happy with the number of people coming in to vote while their children are there. In November we had a professional development day but Tuesday was ALL MINE! After spending a lazy morning doing a little spinning and a little knitting I decided to dye up some onesies from Dharma for "the kid" as he is affectionately known for now. After soaking in a soda ash solution I wrung them out and started to work.



Left: Using syringes I squirted bands of color diagonally.
Right: I twisted and rubber banded and then soaked both ends in dye and left it wick up for about 3 minutes.



Left: I squished the whole thing into the dye hoping for a mottled effect.
Right: This one was done with lots of twists, a more traditional tie-dye.



Left: I wanted to keep the bands intact so I put a big piece of plastic wrap over the onesie and wrapped it up like a jelly roll.
Right: I batched overnight in plastic bags. I kept it outside where the temps were in the low 80s until evening and then stuck them in the laundry room.



Ta da! I gave them to Dan and Laura last night. They loved them! Dan was laughing because Laura had bought some little sandals and he asked if she was going to dress him like a little hippie - no question about that now, is there?

The second from the left was the one that wicked. After a few minutes I realized that it wasn't going to completely wick and blend so I squirted in some blue. I think that there was less blending one these because the soda ash was already in the fabric and the dye struck quite fast. The solid blue is slightly mottled but not as much as I thought. I thought it was low immersion but because it's so tiny it sopped it right up.

Coincidentally when I was leaving school on Wednesday the advisor for the GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) asked if I was still interested in helping them tie dye, so we'll be doing that Wednesday afternoon.



Gratuitous glowing spinning picture I'm loving this Crown Mountain superwash! Each day I come home, make a decaf espresso and pull off about 2' of the thin roving. I attenuate into a soft nest and sit down to spin. What a nice way to relax.

Korean Tree Peonies Are Blooming

(Or Charleen Gets A New Camera)

It's that tiime of the year again. Time for my Korean Tree Peonies to strut their stuff!







Since I got a new camera I wasn't able to stop shooting pictures of flowers. My Christmas cactus hasn't stopped blooming, although I think it's on its last hurrah.



I bought a bunch of these Gerber daisies for container on the deck.



We finally got around to replacing the roof and soon we'll have new siding. To mark this momentous occasion I tried to get a picture of our new roof. Yikes! Once I saw my shadow I was forced to run inside.



Freaky, isn't it? Reminds me of these crazy guys I saw on my trip to Canada last summer!

Next!

The last month or so of school is always crazy. I get through it by starting lots of cool projects that I can finish up over the summer. At this point my attention span is about a nanosecond but I have to say this superwash from Crown Mountain Fibers has kept me interested. This colorway is The Beat Goes On. Love Me Tender jumped into the box on the way here! Makes you want to break out in song, doesn't it?



On Kim's advice, I've pulled off about two feet of roving and then predrafted. Doesn't it look like tropical fruit sherbet?



This is the first time I've spun superwash and it is a bit slick but after a few minutes I was able to fine tune the take up and things progressed smoothly. Did I mention that I have 23 days left?