Cooler but still smoky, decisions and jam.

Today is only in the 80s, but the air is in the unhealthy range still, so I watered the flowers, pulled out a couple of weeds out front and picked up the junk mail. That's it for the great outdoors today.

And I made some decisions about fiberarts. I think my hands are not up for continuing knitting for the ministry. 

I'll finish the current socks then I'll switch to weaving for them. I'll probably take embroidery to the knitting group, weaving not being very portable.  

This is quite a hard point, the socks and gloves being my main volunteer work for six years, and a part of my current identity.  So it's a crossroads.

I have to see what useful items I can weave or Tunisian crochet, which I think I can still do. I'm thinking fingerless gloves in Tunisian. I've done them for myself, so I know they work. Woven scarves, including that recent one during the Great Busted Loom Caper.

I still haven't set up any warp threads upstairs for the big project,  because I'm so tired, from the bad air I think. 

Anyway I did sort yarns, set up cotton ones together for weaving narrow bands, wool ones together for other weaving. 

On the food front, it seems that the source of the cyclobadstuff is iceberg lettuce from Mexico, distributed by Taylor Farms, an international company which also distributes in Canada.  Just a word to the wise.  Check your sources. 

This means that my food isn't a likely problem, however I had got my mouth all set for strawberry jam so I did it anyway.

I don't skim off the foam because I like it and I don't urgently want my preserves clear, not entering them in a jam and Jerusalem event.

Afternoon tea will involve little cream cheese and strawberry jam sandwiches. Very Downton Abbey.  Lunch involved cream cheese and green Spanish olive sandwiches,  highly recommended. 

So that's Chez Boud today, and another candy cane mystery in hand. 

Happy day, when one door closes you may need to break another one open. 

Sez the Four Wise Guys

Old art, new weaving and an honor

I've been sending art to good new homes for a couple of years now, so that Handsome Son will have less to deal with after I've gone. I usually ask for a picture of the piece in its new home, and here are some of the latest.

A friend in Ohio modeling her woven bead bracelet

She gave this piece to her daughter 

 

The tiny embroidery on the shelf is in good company, as you see.
 

 

Here it's a silverwork piece, titled Flyover, now living in Georgia. And you saw the bergamot boxes and other gold things on Mary's blog Bless our Hearts, from Florida.

At this point my work is all over the world, there's just no escape!

Meanwhile at home on a cold rainy day, the weaving is well under way with workarounds.

While I work, I'm listening to a YouTube presentation about upcycling kimono fabric, by a young Japanese sewist based in London and knowledgeable about the history of these textiles. 

Nowadays kimonos, however beautiful, are thrown away because there's no room in the modern Japanese home for them and the big wooden chests they're stored in. 

That's probably how my kimono made its way to me via my friend buying it from a wholesaler in second hand clothes.

Meanwhile back at the loom

Knowledgeable weavers will notice that after ages warping and mounting and rolling the warp, I got it rolled backward, but I'm just moving on and we'll see how it works.

I did a row of twining to start the piece and some plain weave to establish the threads evenly. The card is inserted to give a clean start.

The boucle cotton is a bit too textured for the heddle in one direction, and I'm using the Stoorstalka Gehpa shuttle to lift the threads and help the wooden shuttle.  The wooden comb that came with the loom is nice but for this thicker yarn I'm using a bigger comb to pack down the work.

I already loaded a second shuttle in another color of the same yarn, this time solid. I'm looking for subtle stripes. We'll see.

If this comes out well it will be a cowl to send to the knitting ministry.  Rose, this is some of the yarn that Pony brought me! 

And today brought me an invitation to be a guest of honor at an upcoming event about embroidery, particularly gold work. Not my scene, too long, too many people, too orchestrated,  but I can send pictures. Nice to be asked though.

Happy day everyone, just accept invitations you want, not to get worn out at an event to oblige other people. It's okay. 

Meanwhile visit Cup on the Bus, because Joanne's back! She's baaaaack! Yay.

Rain, but indoor excitement anyway

Breakfast was toast with plum and lemon jam I made last evening.  Some of the plums are a bit tart, and have plenty of pectin, so I used them.

Just a small batch, and the texture is very good, spreadable.  It works on yogurt, too.

I'm continuing the current socks while listening to murder mysteries 

Then my new little loom arrived, really nice, surprisingly good for the price.

It arrived prethreaded, and I tried inserting the heddle but was defeated by the cheap springy yarn jumping out of the slots. 

So I discarded it and tried the idea of detaching the end piece and trying the proof of concept with the long warp threads. This boucle cotton yarn didn't jump out so I'm hopeful I can manipulate it.

I think this will work. First I need to find C clamps to secure the top bar and the loom to the table. 

Then onward to another weave. What larks!

Happy day everyone, despite our cold wet nonjoyous holiday weekend weather. 

 

 

Dismissed and glad, also socks

Last week Gary arranged to drive me today to the ortho who did Hippolyta a year ago, annual checkup. I called him to confirm this morning and he had forgotten. But he said he'd still do it. Then he and another neighbor showed up at the door -- she was taking over! Fine by me. 

And the surgeon told me my X-ray this morning was excellent, asked a few questions, manipulated my joint around, and said, all's well. If you feel like it you can come back in five years. I pointed out that this was a bit optimistic at this point but he said, correctly, you never know! 

So I did a happy dance on the way to the car.  Yay me.

And while I wait for the longnameshuttle which is in transit, to start weaving,  I started a pair of socks, using yarn I found while I was sorting out what to use in the weaving.

I think almost all my yarn is variegated. This one has cheerful colors and it's machine washable, fine for the Sock 'n Glove 'n Whistle Ministry.

Once home I took a walk to the pond and saw the first turtle of the year, cruising around, head above water, then diving and showing their underwater skillz.

A heads-up for May 1, on Friday. Traditional day for workers to celebrate, even a canonical Catholic feast day, St Joseph the Worker. This year there's a national shutdown on work and spending. Some people simply can't take the day off, but we can all do something. Sand in the gears. Make employers notice. Make everyone notice.

This blog will honor our workers and send my part of the message to big money. We'll go dark on Friday.

Happy day everyone, let's hope your joints are jumpin'.

Freecycling right and left

Today was chop wood, carry water, change the bed, launder all the laundry, make up the bed, take a walk to keep my legs working, and upload last night's pictures to Freecycle.

Handsome Son is moving right ahead with his decluttering, and my living room proves it. I didn't have much luck with the last group I showed you. I thought the holidays, all of them, might mean more free time. Evidently not, so I'll have to try again.

The boxes the declutter came in have gone to Gary, and today he brought over homemade soup his new friend made ;) and left with a crate for his dishes.

Anyway here's what's up 

This went within minutes of posting. It's a cassette player recorder. As you see I plugged it in to show it works.

So we'll see how this goes. It's a workday so people might see these postings this evening. All good.

 There are four little cigar boxes, but one showed up after I took the picture. And I realized a bit late that the tool in the basket is for clay. So I noted whoever wanted the clay tools would get that added in. 

Not totally organized, but that's what happens when it's not your stuff and you don't know what half of it even is.

I like the anticipation of Freecycle and the happy people carrying away their claims.

Happy day everyone, another day of total confusion in the news, so other than nagging my MOCs and posting comments on various wrongheaded bits of legislative proposals, I'm literally tending to my knitting. 

I like this yarn quite a bit. I'm guessing it's hand wash, so maybe the socks will be for me, can't give them to the Knitting Ministry, not fair. 

Happy day everyone, tend to your knitting whatever form that takes. The more I read of Elderhood the more fortunate I feel, good health and good doctors keeping it that way. I wish everyone could say that.

Good news, flower futures

This morning I got emails about the heddle and the lucet. The lucet shipper alerted me to a status change in my order. This is not usually good news, often meaning they can't do it, but this time the change was that it's shipped.  The heddle has been shipped USPS and will be a couple of weeks.. let's hope.

And last evening I was happy to revert to my favorite sock pattern, and did the toe area in no time. One stage procedure.

I don't know about the recipient, but the knitter is happy.

Yesterday also saw the prep for this year's flower garden. I'm waiting now for potting soil, but the plan is underway.

Indoors I planted some cotton seeds, and have some for knitting friends tomorrow.

After the picture I pushed them into the soil. They're in the kitchen till they germinate and I can transplant them outside. 

They get several feet tall, according to the friend who grew some in her community garden last year. These seeds were in the cotton bolls I carded and spun a while back to make the fiber and wire birds nest. 

I must remember to add it to the Easter decor.

Soon Handsome Son will be here with cheese and crackers and other good things. I have the vegetables ready to go.

Here's the cheese table

Happy day everyone, if you're in the hospital, get well wishes, if you're convalescing, get strong wishes, and if you're still seeking a diagnosis and treatment, get info wishes. 

Sez Ted and Big Ursy and Pony and Ursula