First results

Here are the results from my first warp. These are not all complete yet. The two mats are, but the three little bags need to be completed. The clutch sized one needs to be sewn up. That will take me about 15 minutes doing it by hand, so it's that close....

The other two bags still need straps. I am going to put a warp on my inkle this afternoon/evening and make straps using the same yarn that I used on the warp.

To make these I used up several odd skeins of hand spun yarn I had saved.

Some were over spun and some were underspun and some were just perfect. But I didn't have enough to make a knitted project. When I got the loom, I put on my first warp and went right to the basket with all these odd skeins of handspun yarn.

I could have done more as I had about 3 yards of warp left, but I was anxious to see what these looked like off the loom. Next time I will use the warp to the end.

There is much to learn. My selvages for the first few really sucked.

But I love the Earthy feel and look of these items.

When I wove the grey mat I got really, really excited. The black and white was the first roving I ordered from Sheep's Shed Studio. It was some of their black and white roving that I spindle spun as singles (sort of worsted weight). The grey, at the one end is commercially spun grey yarn at roughly the same weight. But it is two ply. It's nice and even. It is completely different from the puffy, thick and thin of the black and white singles. I want to make blankets out of this stuff!



Then there is the small mat from some of the very interesting mixed up buncle yarn that came with the loom.
I have quite a bit more of this

and I think it needs to be made into a set of placemats.

This bag is crying out for a tapestry design in that unwoven area of the flap. I just have no concrete ideas at this point. I may take it to Sally and ask for her advise.

This bag has a magickal feel to it. It wants to carry crystals or an altar kit or something... not sure as it tells me that it does not belong to me but it's new owner, when he or she finds it, will know exactly what it's role is.

The little clutch is just that: a little clutch.

Next warp going on starting tomorrow.

From Always to Depends

Years ago - before children -- I used to try and hide my sanitary napkins under the bread and bananas while shopping at the grocery store and I always picked the checkout lane with a woman behind the register even if it was the longest line in the store.

Then I had kids. Considering that when in labor you don't care if you are laying naked on a gurney in the hospital hallway, I lost much of my shyness when it came to feminine protection.

I was even willing to purchase condoms if my fella felt a little shy about it.

But now that I'm past the baby stage and well on my way into menopause, I'm finding that I'm kind of back to hiding those bags. And gods forbid I should sneeze in the check-out line. I think I'm just not quite ready for this stage of life.

Hey, what time is it really?

They pulled a fast one on me this year and the official time changed on Saturday.

Now it is Monday morning and every single clock in my house has a different time. I have no idea of the correct time. Once I could go to my trusty computer and look down at the bottom right-hand corner and know that this was the time that the entire world was running on. But not this year.

I just hope I'm either not overly late for work or that all the clocks at work are wrong as well and we will all eventually get this straightened out before it's time to change things back again in the fall.

Loom pictures

This is the way my loom looked when we brought it home.










Just a tad cramped.


Here is the first "project". It's just a narrow strip about 8.5 inches wide and I'm using up odd bits of spindle spun yarn that has been lying about for a couple of years.

I need to learn to do better/smoother color changes and my selvages suck at this point but I know this is just a matter of experimenting until I figure out how this loom and these fibers want to behave.