Caution: woman at work

I took a walk this morning to loosen up my back, which was stiff, after a lot of searching and arranging and losing and finding various tools. The walk worked, it usually does.

I walked over carpets of whatever these blue flowers are 

The tool frenzy is about the upcoming narrow bandweaving plans. I'm wondering about a narrow band loom, more portable than back strap, and just right for the bands.

I briefly considered making one then decided maybe I should for once do it the easy way. We'll see.

Meanwhile I thought I should organize the various tools I have around the house and then I thought you might like to see them. If not, scroll on!

Here's my range of rigid heddles, from the smallest on the right on top of another, which I carved from a piece of stiff plastic and wove lanyards with, to the latest, yet to be used for bandweaving,  to the medium one I wove something on, probably that scarf, to the biggest I used for that little mat now in the bathroom.

The one at the back is set on heddle blocks which fit the other wooden heddles. These hold the heddle up vertically so you can thread it.  Heddles come in sizes and dents, meaning warp ends per inch, epi, which is the equivalent to knitting stitches per inch. My new one on the left is a 10 dent.  

Heddles keep the warp threads organized and evenly spaced, and lifting and lowering the heddle enables you to make alternate sheds, the space your weft thread travels through back and forth to create fabric. It's a simple and brilliant invention, around for thousands of years.

Then there's other weaving tools, mostly either historic or diy.

There's a container of artisan-made weaving sticks I've made straps with, for bags I've woven on one of those cardboard thingies. They're all purpose-made cardboard looms I made for specific projects, from parts of clothing, to bags to potholders. 

In the bag on the floor are the sawblades for circular artworks I've shown you before, and on top a lovely artisan made and signed tapestry loom I've made small artworks on. 

Somewhere I have the green metal potholder loom from Harrisville, not sure where, on which I've made potholders and runners.  

And my little pinloom may be in a picture somewhere. I've made a ton of squares on it, also artworks incorporating wire. As you see, these looms defeat my capacity to organize them.

Then there's spinning 

These are carders, used in the processing of fleece into roving for spinning. I used them to process that cotton you saw a while back though strictly speaking they're for wool rather than cotton.

That round metal thing is my version of a diz. It's an ancient tool you feed roving through, that tiny center opening, to help the drafting -- drawing out evenly to spin better -- and I used an old button back. My own drafting is inexpert, so this helped with consistency. 

Then there are spindles used to spin yarn from roving. Left is a spurtzleur, a modern idea in beautiful wood by an English artisan, using only wood brought down naturally by wind and rain. 

Then three wooden Schacht spindles, the biggest the one I used for plying, that's spinning strands together for yarn.  The green one is 3D computer-printed to order, and has a wonderful balance. 

On the right are two spindles designed to be used with the end supported, to spin fine thread such as silk. I've just done a bit with them and need more practice.

And knitting, crochet and Tunisian crochet come with their own tools, just a few here 

Top left is a measuring device to measure sizes of crochet hooks and knitting needles and to measure gauge. 

Since UK and US sizing works differently you sometimes have to make sure. Also my bamboo needles are all mixed up in a drawer and I measure to be sure I get the right size for the current project. 

You see regular crochet hooks and long ones with knobs on (!) which are Tunisian crochet hooks, for a cross between knitting and crochet. And you'll recognize my lucet there.

Oh, and there's the pinloom, I knew it was somewhere. That little blue metal square makes little weavings which need no finishing after they come off the loom. That's a vintage one, with its original needle,  much better than modern adaptations.

And the Harrisville potholder loom, all American, showed up among a bunch of embroidery.

 

A lot of people recognize this one from making potholders for your mom at camp. It's a really beautiful tool, much better than the plastic imitations. The teeth are designed to hold the loops just right so they don't fly off.

So that's a lot of my fiberarts tool kit. I'm like that old guy with a collection of nails he insists on showing you, explaining lovingly all their functions and where he's used them. And you nod and smile and look for your Uber..

And here's a spinning weaving knitting adjacent item

The cotton plants blazing ahead.

Anyway, if you got this far, you know what gets me up in the morning! Thanks for sticking it out if you did 

Happy day everyone 

 

Walking before the rain, AnneTyler and garlic bread

Yesterday I walked during a brief sunny interval between rainstorms, starting with a look at my own front yard. Here's why I love sedum. The rosettes have been growing under the old foliage.

And this is one of those runner plants I like, which some people think is a weed to be pulled,  which will have yellow flowers soon, getting under way.  Name escapes me.

further afield, nature's abstract expression 

The very first daffodils I've seen in bloom, miniatures

Then another clump, full size ones

The pale gold of beech leaves stays all winter, floating in clouds

Then home again, I found a really good audio book to knit by. I feel an affinity with almost all of Anne  Tyler, her characters'  missed connections, the East Coastness.  Her dialog is pitch perfect.

Happy day, everyone, raining today, Tuesday knitting group ifn the creek don't get up, with the current endless rain. 

Meanwhile, I made some instant garlic bread to go with anything -- slice of multigrain, butter, minced garlic, crumbled parmesan, toasted.  Could be cut into croutons for soup or salad. Or just picked up and eaten.

April Flowers, Simple Food, no fooling

White Rabbits!  April Flowers!  the first sprigs of thyme today, the warm weather having put the flavor back in them.

So here's my New Year's Resolution, the last one, which was to get a bunch of cut flowers on the first of the month, just because they're nice to have in the house.  I completely forgot it in Jan and Feb, and did manage a little bunch in mid March.  But today, I was in the, gah, ShopRite, a shop I postpone as long as possible going to,and they had some nice choices at the door.
 
And home to a very simple lunch, since today was a frenzy of squirrel in the walls eradication attempts, traps, neighbor up and down stairs checking, calls to HOA roofers to fix part of the corner, neighbor planning to get some mesh screening to fix over the inside of my roof fan in case that's an entry, someone swiping my parking tag from my car, different issue, the HOA requiring a raft of new paperwork to get a new parking tag, different issue again, the car dealership calling, another different issue, gah, I have to take it in next week and use a loaner, dreaded thing.  And so on.  

The car, oh yes, after much deliberation I decided I was not up for a car loan this year, and decided to swallow hard and have the expensive brake repairs done.  The car's running like a bird, a shame to turn it in when it's faithfully starting in any weather on the first touch, and generally doing a good job.  So the dealership has got the parts on order, I will take my dear old beater in next week and be without her for two or three days and a weekend. Hence the loaner. There just isn't a time on my calendar when I can be without wheels for that long a time. 

Newer cars are so much more sophisticated than my 99 Civic that when I have to drive one I feel as if I've come back from the eighteenth century, and seeing modern contraptions, what be this button for, then, prithee? mixed language but bear with me, I'm stressed.  This may account for my bah humbug attitude to April Fool jokes today, on finding that Blogger is fooling with my posts and losing them. Let's hope this one survives.

So, one thing and another, lunch was a plate of veggies from the freezer, celery, red bell peppers and watercress, with a pinch of new picked thyme, heavenly first smell of the year, and sharp cheddar grated over.  

In the course of grating it I found that I have three graters, no idea how I came by them all.  One flat, one round and small, one round and big.  I might have a grater giveaway at some point!

Take teapots, too.  I recently noticed I seem to have half a dozen of them. Now I do like my little afternoon tea with a little something to eat, but all those pots. I don't remember how they got there, since I don't collect them, on purpose, that is.  They just seem to be attracted into my orbit.