Happy 6th Birthday to my granddaughter, Kylie!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Celebrating the Number 70
Sunday was my father's 70th birthday, so we made the trip up to their home near Cumberland, WI. The drive was spectacular - the leaves are changing in a hurry up in that area, so it was quite scenic.
Another reason for the trip was for Wilson to help get the dock in. Of coure, late September equals cold lake water! My husband is quite a trooper though. He jumped right in to the lake without any waders or anything. (Of course, knowing that he was going to be helping with this, he did bring a change of clothing along.)
It was a lovely day with good company, good food, and good made from scratch chocolate cake!
On the fiber front, I finally finished up some yarn that was on one of my wheels for quite a long time. I ended up with approx. 1040 yards of a two-ply laceweight.
Now I hope to get back to the loom and finish up my towels, then get it warped once again for some holiday towels.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Another Weekend, Another Drive
After a quick run into the eye doctor yesterday morning, then a longer run into the vet with Josie (ear infection, bacteria infection and yeast infection, and 3 medications), the weather started to look like it was going to clear and become pretty nice, so Wilson and I headed out for another little drive.
It's no secret that I have been starting to weave, and in my email inbox yesterday was an email from a lovely little shop called Color Crossing in Roberts, WI. Since I know that they carry weaving supplies, Wilson agreed that it would be a nice drive to head out in that direction. The owner and staff were lovely and very welcoming! Wilson got to look at some looms in the shop, and also in the studio area. I ended up getting two small fiber bumps for spinning, a magazine and a nice little handy caddy that I can put my notions in on my work table.
After Roberts, we headed into River Falls and walked along Main Street. On the way back, we alsso headed into downtown Hudson and walked Main Street there too.
On the way back into the cities, we took the chance that the weaver's room at the Textile Center would be open and as luck would have it, they were! Picked up some unmercerized cotton for a set of towels that I hope to weave for Christmas gifts.
An early dinner was had at the Longfellow Grill, then we headed home.
All in all, a nice day and time well spent with Wilson.
Today will be a "working at the shop" day for me.
It's no secret that I have been starting to weave, and in my email inbox yesterday was an email from a lovely little shop called Color Crossing in Roberts, WI. Since I know that they carry weaving supplies, Wilson agreed that it would be a nice drive to head out in that direction. The owner and staff were lovely and very welcoming! Wilson got to look at some looms in the shop, and also in the studio area. I ended up getting two small fiber bumps for spinning, a magazine and a nice little handy caddy that I can put my notions in on my work table.
After Roberts, we headed into River Falls and walked along Main Street. On the way back, we alsso headed into downtown Hudson and walked Main Street there too.
On the way back into the cities, we took the chance that the weaver's room at the Textile Center would be open and as luck would have it, they were! Picked up some unmercerized cotton for a set of towels that I hope to weave for Christmas gifts.
An early dinner was had at the Longfellow Grill, then we headed home.
All in all, a nice day and time well spent with Wilson.
Today will be a "working at the shop" day for me.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Lovin' Early Fall
My favorite time of year is early fall. The air takes on a crisp feel, but the sunshine is still nice and warm and the humidity levels are gone.
This past weekend was a spectacular early fall weekend. I worked at the shop on Saturday, but had Sunday off, so the Mr. and I went on a little road trip (again). At least once every fall, we tend to take the loop down through Red Wing, to Wabasha. There we cross over to Wisconsin and head to Pepin and Stockholm.
Wabasha was lovely - what a cute little river town. There were corn stalks, pumpkins and goards all over town, but what surprised me is that there were NO smashed pumpkins anywhere.
While we were driving through Pepin, we discovered that they were celebrating Laura Ingall Wilder days in town. People were lining up along the road for the parade and there was a little area in town where people were in period costume. There was one woman weaving there and I was able to take her photo (with her permission). I didn't get her spinning wheel in the photo, but she had a Kromski Majurka!
In Stockholm, which is a quaint little town that thrives on tourists - but in a tasteful way - I noticed some of "nature's lace".
All in all, it was a great little road trip. I highly recommend the route. In a few weeks, the fall colors there should be spectacular!
Of course, I did manage to get some weaving done too! I'm loving this project though I have 2 small threading errors. I chose just to leave them in - one will probably even out when the towels are washed, and the other is close to the selvage.
This past weekend was a spectacular early fall weekend. I worked at the shop on Saturday, but had Sunday off, so the Mr. and I went on a little road trip (again). At least once every fall, we tend to take the loop down through Red Wing, to Wabasha. There we cross over to Wisconsin and head to Pepin and Stockholm.
Wabasha was lovely - what a cute little river town. There were corn stalks, pumpkins and goards all over town, but what surprised me is that there were NO smashed pumpkins anywhere.
While we were driving through Pepin, we discovered that they were celebrating Laura Ingall Wilder days in town. People were lining up along the road for the parade and there was a little area in town where people were in period costume. There was one woman weaving there and I was able to take her photo (with her permission). I didn't get her spinning wheel in the photo, but she had a Kromski Majurka!
In Stockholm, which is a quaint little town that thrives on tourists - but in a tasteful way - I noticed some of "nature's lace".
All in all, it was a great little road trip. I highly recommend the route. In a few weeks, the fall colors there should be spectacular!
Of course, I did manage to get some weaving done too! I'm loving this project though I have 2 small threading errors. I chose just to leave them in - one will probably even out when the towels are washed, and the other is close to the selvage.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Fiesta!
I figured it was time to get the Baby Wolf Loom warped again and decided that I would do something a little more ambitious other than a plain tabby or twill weave.
I went through my drafts that I have and decided on some Fiesta Towels.
The other weekend, I grabbed my warping board and got started. The warp ends are about 4-1/4 yards long and I needed 360 ends. I'm using some 5/2 Cotton that I picked up from my shop. I hope to get 4 towels out of this warping and will make them in several different colors for the weft.
Over several weekends, this is what I have done -
Here's a close-up of the heddles threaded.
Yesterday, I finally finished getting this all warped. On Labor Day, I had discovered a threading error that I made (I got off on my pattern mid-way through.) Of course, that meant that I had to take almost half of the warp threads out of the heddles and re-thread them. It wasn't too bad though - I do enjoy warping the loom, which surprises me - I always thought that would be the worst part of weaving.
It's now the unofficial start of Fall here in Minnesota though things are still nice and green. Here and there, you will spot some fall colors starting to emerge. Ponding season will be winding down and soon it will be time to bring the fish inside to the basement.
Our pergola has been overrun by our grape vines this season. Underneath all of the leaves, we do have a boatload of grapes. We never harvest them though - we just leave them for the birds to enjoy.
The weather this weekend has been spectacular, so I think the Mr. and I will be taking a little road trip today to enjoy the scenery. I'm not sure where we will end up, but it will be some time spent together which is always in short supply.
I went through my drafts that I have and decided on some Fiesta Towels.
The other weekend, I grabbed my warping board and got started. The warp ends are about 4-1/4 yards long and I needed 360 ends. I'm using some 5/2 Cotton that I picked up from my shop. I hope to get 4 towels out of this warping and will make them in several different colors for the weft.
Over several weekends, this is what I have done -
Here's a close-up of the heddles threaded.
Yesterday, I finally finished getting this all warped. On Labor Day, I had discovered a threading error that I made (I got off on my pattern mid-way through.) Of course, that meant that I had to take almost half of the warp threads out of the heddles and re-thread them. It wasn't too bad though - I do enjoy warping the loom, which surprises me - I always thought that would be the worst part of weaving.
It's now the unofficial start of Fall here in Minnesota though things are still nice and green. Here and there, you will spot some fall colors starting to emerge. Ponding season will be winding down and soon it will be time to bring the fish inside to the basement.
Our pergola has been overrun by our grape vines this season. Underneath all of the leaves, we do have a boatload of grapes. We never harvest them though - we just leave them for the birds to enjoy.
The weather this weekend has been spectacular, so I think the Mr. and I will be taking a little road trip today to enjoy the scenery. I'm not sure where we will end up, but it will be some time spent together which is always in short supply.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
New Beginnings
Despite all the crapola that has been happening in my life, there have been some good things happening for my daughters!
My youngest daughter purchased her very first home!
The Mr. helped her out in searching for homes, meeting with the home inspector, going through the walk-thru and even taking time off of work to attend her closing with her. He also spent a good portion of Labor Day weekend painting the inside and making some minor repairs.
Good Job, Dani! I'm so proud of you. Homeownership was just a dream for me at your age!
My oldest granddaughter, Kylie, started her first day of school!
I was able to talk to her the morning of her first day and she was so excited! I can't believe that she is old enough for school!
And I won't be able to post any photos until probably sometime in December, but it looks like I'll be getting a grandson around that time!
My youngest daughter purchased her very first home!
The Mr. helped her out in searching for homes, meeting with the home inspector, going through the walk-thru and even taking time off of work to attend her closing with her. He also spent a good portion of Labor Day weekend painting the inside and making some minor repairs.
Good Job, Dani! I'm so proud of you. Homeownership was just a dream for me at your age!
My oldest granddaughter, Kylie, started her first day of school!
I was able to talk to her the morning of her first day and she was so excited! I can't believe that she is old enough for school!
And I won't be able to post any photos until probably sometime in December, but it looks like I'll be getting a grandson around that time!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
d.e.p.r.e.s.s.i.o.n.....
I'm feeling blue today.
There has been lots of negative energy funneled my way lately, and I'm at a loss as to how to deal with it. Let's just say that there are some mean-spirited people out there that seem to get quite a kick out of messing with someone's livelihood. Unfortunately, I'm 99% certain that I know who this group is. I'm working on getting 100% proof and then I'll have to probably take this up through legal channels.
Add that to numerous things happening around the homefront and it sometimes gets hard to stay upbeat and positive.
Anyone that knows me, knows that I love my dogs. Quite simply, they are family. Unfortunately, Koby's sight seems to diminish more each day. Gone is the spunky, funny, get-into-everything dog. And frankly, it makes me quite sad. He's not an old boy either, which makes this all the more depressing for me. He'll turn 7 in November. I'm committed to do everything to help him though. He is fine in the house in that he knows where everything is and gets around quite well. Outside terrifies him though.
Here's a photo of him taken this morning:
How can you not love a dog that looks like that????
My husband's job continues to be slow. I know he worries about money and making ends meet. We're trying to cut back on almost everything that we can. We've been working on a mortgage refinance since May and still haven't gotten the A-OK on that one. Our appraisal on the home came in so low that it's been tough getting this one through. We have one car broken beyond repair that will be sold off for parts, and the Mr. traded in his SUV for a more economical car. We don't do vacations, I don't buy clothing and/or shoes, we basically live "bare bones" right now and still it doesn't seem to be enough. Add all of this to the "group" that is intent on trying to destroy my business and it is stressful and depressing.
I'm trying to ward off the depression that I feel enveloping me right now.
There has been lots of negative energy funneled my way lately, and I'm at a loss as to how to deal with it. Let's just say that there are some mean-spirited people out there that seem to get quite a kick out of messing with someone's livelihood. Unfortunately, I'm 99% certain that I know who this group is. I'm working on getting 100% proof and then I'll have to probably take this up through legal channels.
Add that to numerous things happening around the homefront and it sometimes gets hard to stay upbeat and positive.
Anyone that knows me, knows that I love my dogs. Quite simply, they are family. Unfortunately, Koby's sight seems to diminish more each day. Gone is the spunky, funny, get-into-everything dog. And frankly, it makes me quite sad. He's not an old boy either, which makes this all the more depressing for me. He'll turn 7 in November. I'm committed to do everything to help him though. He is fine in the house in that he knows where everything is and gets around quite well. Outside terrifies him though.
Here's a photo of him taken this morning:
How can you not love a dog that looks like that????
My husband's job continues to be slow. I know he worries about money and making ends meet. We're trying to cut back on almost everything that we can. We've been working on a mortgage refinance since May and still haven't gotten the A-OK on that one. Our appraisal on the home came in so low that it's been tough getting this one through. We have one car broken beyond repair that will be sold off for parts, and the Mr. traded in his SUV for a more economical car. We don't do vacations, I don't buy clothing and/or shoes, we basically live "bare bones" right now and still it doesn't seem to be enough. Add all of this to the "group" that is intent on trying to destroy my business and it is stressful and depressing.
I'm trying to ward off the depression that I feel enveloping me right now.
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