PROGRESS, ALBEIT SLOW

Clearly, my plan to write twice a week is being honored more in the breach than the observance. Still, this makes twice this month, so perhaps that's progress.

However, the forward movement I'm more enthusiastic about today is that I've finally begun threading heddles on Sally, taking a break from awkward posture to hunker over this computer. (I'll need a massage after all this!) It's taken a while to get the suggestions and information I needed to proceed with warping this loom, and Janis Saunders has been cheerfully helpful and encouraging. So earlier this week, I finished sleying the reed, then (after a refresher phone call with Janis) I got the harnesses raised and stabilized so I can thread a sixteen-shaft straight twill, on which I will ring a number of changes, one for each of the five scarves to be woven. I expect to get about half done with the threading today, and should be able to finish on Monday. The rest of the warping is pretty easy sailing, and will probably be finished by the middle of next week, which means that I'll finally begin weaving off this gorgeous series. I've got all the patterns designed, and some of the weft yarns chosen. I'm excited.

I'll write again when the threading is completed.

More progress

The OPEN sign is up, the e-mail was sent out last evening (after considerable struggle to Get It Just Right), a few people have stopped in today.  In the end, I decided to have Open Studio both Wednesdays and Saturdays at least through the end of September.   The studio is neat and clean for the time being –- it took considerable discipline to keep nose to grindstone to accomplish it, however --  and I love it like this.  Orderliness may not be virtue, but I feel virtuous, and there’s no question that I function better when the accumulated clutter is removed.

The first section of hanging racks was installed two days ago, and there are a number of scarves and shawls hanging up now, looking dang good.  Marcia will be here tomorrow to put up the second section, which will be configured differently from the first.  This will give me the opportunity to rearrange both the racks and what’s on them when and as I wish, which makes me happy.  There are also pegs included in the design, so scarves can be draped over them or garments on hangers can be hung on them.  Lots of possibilities for display!

And it’s now time to quit fiddling around and get back to serious and steady production so that I have even more good work to put on these attractive racks.  Beulah (Big Loom) has a dusty teal rayon warp on her, with enough to weave off five scarves six feet long each.  Sally (Small Loom) is getting dressed with an earthy hand-dyed rayon/cotton warp I’m calling African Savannah, which will also produce five scarves.  I’m in the process of designing and planning a run of dish towels (which, in nearly thirty years of weaving, I’ve never done before), striped in about five colors of 8/2 cotton.  I want to have on hand some small, relatively inexpensive items which will still have my characteristic style of color and patterning.

It’s quiet here now, and I’m so enjoying it.  The first real Summer day here in the Maritime Northwest is bright and breezy outside my windows.  I’m glad to be alive and working at what I love.