Thursday, October 22, 2026

Textiles and Tea, Misfits, Knitting group, third party Freecycle

I made it to the knitting group this week, bringing my new portable weaving.










M brought her wheel and was spinning some bluefaced Leicester and silk roving. I made a video for the YouTube channel which caught her explaining the process. 


Here's my new little weaving, a seamless pouch for my phone. The loom is the side of the box my Ashford loom clamps came in.


You see how you weave round and round to make it a seamless tube.

Such talent in this little group. Chat fell into many tributaries rather than group, for various social reasons.

Home again for Textiles and Tea with high energy 


She's an English woman, former professional oboeist, now wildly creative weaver and teacher, currently based in southwest France, in this great studio/teaching space 


 Here's her latest book, full of fearless ideas and philosophy 










Behind her are stalactite forms woven in a variety of threads including paper




She pursues seemingly impossible results and gets them. When she teaches, she limits the group to two or three so as to give maximum attention to each person's journey. 

I asked her if high jinks pretty much summarized her life and adventures and she cheerfully agreed that was a fair assessment.  I've rarely seen a happier more joyful worker, who tackles steep learning curves with total energy. 

Meanwhile back on earth, Wednesday saw me in the cardiologist office 

Shortly before being seen by a procession of nurses, nps, and the cardio, all of whom told me I was doing well and needed an annual ultrasound, or something, come back in two weeks. 

I notice my doctors now all have a walker at the scale, good thinking. Stepping onto that wobbly platform is a fall waiting to happen.

Then Misfits arrived so early today I never saw the driver, being upstairs getting dressed.



A couple of items were out of stock, dandelion greens and salty chocolate mix. Too bad about the greens.. 

I ordered a couple of starkrimson pears, of one of which I gave a sample slice to contractor Mike, who made a note. He and his wife are once again eating healthier, so he was glad to learn about a pear he'd never had.

The carrots are partly cooked for future quiche purposes, with the rest of the kale and maybe mushrooms from the freezer.

This is why I stocked up on the various cheeses. They're not in stock often, so I seized the day. Lunch may be a tuna melt, haven't had that in a while.

The strawberries will accompany the favorite yogurt, now back in stock. And maybe a smoothie or two involving bananas. Black beans to go with other pulse foods in the house. 

The bathroom is almost complete, soon to be usable again. I'll be glad to get my house back. I haven't seen so many people in years, more than I need really. 

The knitting group, all the doctor personnel, Handsome Son, who's always welcome, contractor Mike, neighbor who brought over a fall chrysanthemum, on and on.  My social cup is overflowing and I need recovery time. 

I put up a "spotted locally" Freecycle notice about this bicycle 

I know little about bikes, but I see the chain is rusty and needs attention. Maybe someone will want to rehab it.

Happy day everyone, well done, Alberta,  and everyone keep pushing for the good people. Most countries are in a right wing wave just now, and resistance is required, sez Ted and Big Ursy and Pony and Ursula 




30 comments:

  1. The knitting and the weaving are also beautiful. I'm thinking of joining a knitting group. I'm going with a friend tomorrow afternoon to see how it fits in my life.
    You eat such a healthy diet. I wish I did too but I can't see changing anytime soon due to taste and texture problems. Oh well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope the group works for you. They vary so much, but it's good to try one and see. Are the eating issues the family, or you? Sometimes we feel obliged to please family because they have strong objections to certain food and textures.

      Delete
  2. Such talented and exciting work going on at your knitting group. Some of those projects I'd love to get closer to and discuss with their makers. The yarn for your weaving is a gorgeous colour - results of that awaited with interest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The weaving is a pretty small project, results soon.

      Delete
  3. Look forward to a tour of that redone bathroom.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wonderful color and textures!!!! So nice to gather like that.
    Glad you got a good report and good luck with your scan.
    Your food always look good.
    Cathy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This week's knits were particularly good, lovely to handle.

      Delete
  5. A very Textile-y post! Ms. Harvey-Brown does indeed look joyful and up to any task. Isn't it wonderful how much of a joy it is to be around truly joyful people?
    There are some very fine projects going on in your knitting group.
    I am sure you WILL be relieved when your home is your own again. You will need time to recharge. Even the best things can take it out of us.
    We early-voted today! I thought of you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. More people than I usually see in a month, and most in my house. Lovely people and I'm happy they're gone now. Thank you for early voting. That's good for any number of reasons in Florida, including the local party's ability to move funds where early voting is light, to do doorstep work. And to put the wind up the oppo.

      Delete
  6. Alberta was a thorough whuppin. Hopefully, there is another to come.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That was an encouragingly huge margin on the separation issue.

      Delete
  7. The knitting class projects are all so colourful this week. I have never seen pears that red.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was wall to wall color in the group. Beautiful work. The starkrimson are spectacular, nice flavor and texture too.

      Delete
  8. Today’s post is a feast for the senses. So many crafty people. I’ve never heard of starkrimson pears. I’ll have to keep my eyes open.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not sure if they're to be found in Spain. They're a variety of Bartlett, only better. They're not very common, so I seized the chance when they showed up on misfits.

      Delete
  9. What wonderful projects on the go at the Knitting Group!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have a pink hat like that from the first time you know who was elected. We had such a fabulous march in Chicago and a woman gave me the hat as she had made an extra. I gave my 1960 bike to a guy I went to high school with. He refurbishes them and passes them on to a charity to give to people who need them to ride to work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The bear is wearing the one I made for kitty Duncan, whose furious expression indicated this was one p***y you didn't grab! Ursula is wearing one of the minis I made as pins to give to no-hat people. I sent several full sized ones to women marchers.
      I'm hoping someone takes and refurbishes the bike. We'll see.

      Delete
  11. I would definitely be exhausted and wanting my house back after all that.
    At least they are all there at the same time and it will soon be peaceful again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it was basically one continuous upheaval, now all successfully completed.

      Delete
  12. I like the colorful vest. Reminiscent of a rainbow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's lovely. She's really talented, and she knows how to get the fit.

      Delete
  13. There's always so many interesting projects ongoing in your knitting group. I'm sure you were glad to go, if only to get away from all the upheaval in your house.
    Whoever thought of adding that walker to stablize getting on and off the scales was brilliant. All doctors offices should follow suit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are walkers in all the doctors' offices in the building. I cynically wonder if it's also clever lawyer's idea, there being a lot of old patients! I'm glad of it, anyway. I plan to request one from now on, anywhere I have a doctor's appointment where the scale doesn't have one. They're certainly cheap enough, and don't need installing.
      It was nice to be in the group this week, no drilling and banging! Just showing and telling and laughing.

      Delete
  14. How cool on the knitting group and I love that the worker is that happy. That rocks.

    ReplyDelete

Please read the comments before yours. They're often the best part of the post!