Happy New Year!!!!!.

Finished weaving 3 Morning Skies scarves (one is a special order but I can't just weave one, ya know).  Now just have to put in my label, tie little, tiny knots in any thread that I think will unravel in the fringe, iron, photograph and list on Etsy.  Probably tomorrow, I hope.

And I'm starting on another scarf.  This one will be black with lines of different yarns running through it.  Also a special order from a lovely, long-time customer.  And we decided after she saw this picture that she needs to have a little hot pink in her scarf so I'll add some of that, too.  I haven't done a black scarf before because they are so difficult to photograph.  But we'll see what I can do with it.

Meanwhile my kids are off celebrating New Years Eve while Gary and I watch some TV, share a bottle of bubbly, and probably go to bed before the ball hits the ground.  Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year full of health and happiness!

xo

Blog Burn Out in December

 Oh, what can I say.  I remember trying to post a horse picture in early December and blogger wouldn't take the picture without payment and I tried a couple of times and finally just quit for a while until I had the time to figure it out.  Well. I never did figure it out and now I can post pictures again.  I just got overwhelmed with weaving before Christmas as well as shopping and generally felt exhausted.  It was a crazy month and I am so heartsick over the killings in Connecticut.  I know there is nothing I can do but I just don't know where to put those emotions.  I actually met my first husband (and Adam's father) there.  We worked at Fairfield Hills Hospital for a few years together which was in Newtown.  It has since been turned into a prison I think.  Lovely small town.   Unbelievable.

In early December we drove to Massachusetts to see Adam, Alicia and Ava because Alicia's brother got married and we got to babysit Ava during the wedding.  We are of course totally in love with her and hated to see them leave again.

Ava--too much partying

Papa Gary and Ava

Alicia, Ava, Adam

Then, weaving, weaving, weaving, shopping, buying, wrapping and finally Christmas!

My boys still want their baby stockings!

Christmas Dinner ready

And now I have two orders for scarves.  Just finished one and have to design the next one which will be in black with shiny bits here and there...just started pulling the yarns I want to use.  Pictures will follow.

I have woven one of these and have two more to go before I empty the loom.  Also weaving off towels.  And I'm planning another triangle weaving class for January.  phew.  I need a vacation.

Oh and we had a snow storm!  I haven't taken pictures of that either but we have two or more feet of snow! It is incredibly beautiful up here.  The plow dude got stuck in our driveway and had to call another plow dude to pull him out.  We offered him a shovel but I don't think he found it funny.

Hope everyone's Christmas was lovely.
xo

Triangle Weaving Class

 We had a triangle class yesterday!  It was so much fun...the women were wonderful...I had precut and packaged some yarns for them to choose from because all the other classes I have held attendees always bought and cut their own yarn before the class.  But a lot of the women were not happy with how their scarves came out with their choices so I did it for them...I think the results were wonderful!!  And they all left happy and beautiful!  A full day's work from 8:30 to 5:00.

 

Carol checking out her work...a study in autumnal colors

 

Joyce, sitting viewing her amazing scarf and Nancey standing...

Nancey's daughter, Emma, working in reds, oranges, and pinks...love her socks!

 Alex, devised a method for measuring her fringe between the nail holes...

a study in blues and violets...

Nancey's in yummy, textured blue/gray and cream...

 

 

Joyce's amazing scarf in greens and blues almost done!

Hmmm...wonder if I can get Emma to model for me!

 

 

Didn't get to photograph everyone with their scarves on because light was fading fast and the pictures got blurry but they were all BEAUTIFUL!!

 

It was a wonderful day...full of music, joy, women and creative energy!  What is not to like!

xo

 

Farm Stuff...

Oh my Dommie...Dorothee the Vet came in the kitchen and said

"He nickered at me!"  I told her he just wanted her to open the gate so they could get out of the paddock and eat grass.  He had no idea what was in store.

Next thing he knew he was sedated, his mouth ratcheted open with a metal thingy, his head held up with a padded strap to a beam in his stall, and a drill in his mouth.  Nothing like horse dentistry.  Duke's teeth were fine because his were done in the spring.

But today, he is fine and not fussing with the bit anymore.  Though I took it easy with him because he also had vaccinations and had a couple of swellings in his neck where she stuck him and one in his chest. 

He was happy to get out, though.  And we had a wonderful ride in the field before we came back to the ring to do a little work.  Not too much because it was hot and he got sweaty and we are both out of shape.

 He is a good boy...smart, fun to ride, feisty enough, and sensitive to my leg.

Tomorrow is another day and the week looks wonderful for riding!

So much for getting any weaving done today.  Made bread, made chicken soup from one of our chickens, went and bought some wine, brought soup and a second bread to a friend who broke her foot, and rode.  A good day.

26 chickens in the freezer...potatoes in the cellar...garlic tied up...blueberries picked and frozen...squash harvested...hay in the new barn.  Life is good even with Bell's Palsy!

xo

Blue and Turquoise Towels in Ms and Os

Yay!  I'm making towels happily...We have a couple of wedding presents to come up with so I figured blue is a color that most people like.  I have no idea what the couples actually want but...Oh who cares!  I'm having fun!  And the Bells Palsy has evened out a bit.  My mouth is straighter.  I have some movement in my cheek.  My eye doesn't shut all the way but my eyebrow is up some.  And I am not wearing a patch except at night so my life has improved tremendously!!!!!  Except for riding.  The drs. and my acupuncturist want me to keep out of drafts, wind, cold air, etc.  Don't quite know how I'm going to work that yet.

Making the warp

 

 Enough for 12 towels, I hope...

Winding on the warp

Threading the headles...

Tied on and ready to weave...

Weaving Ms and Os...This will tighten up quite a bit when I take it off tension and wash and shrink the towels.

First towel almost done!

 



 

I'm a happy camper...my looms are humming!  Now if I could only sell something on Etsy!

xo



October Bliss Scarf...

My latest...browns, pumpkin, purples, pinks, blues and greens.  Did I leave anything out?  Sorta like walking in the woods on a blazing autumn day, leaves swirling, orange and crunchy...  My favorite time of year.  But now that I look at the pictures I realize that the blues are a little too prominent...in fact there really isn't very much blue in the scarf.  Oh well, I have dye in my eyes and I'll rephotograph for Etsy tomorrow.

Rich and deep and mysterious, this scarf might go with everything.  First one is done.  Two more to weave when my eyes feel better.

Hmmm...so much for heat.

And everyone is getting washcloths for Christmas.  I'm on a roll. And I'm ready to mail the baby blankets.  Pink one is finished, hemmed, and labeled. 

So even with Bells Palsy, I'm getting some stuff done.  Acupuncture went well and she thinks three more sessions should help.  Saw the eye doc today and no damage to the eye and he thinks I can leave the eye patch off longer and use more drops.  So I'm not as one sided this afternoon. 

xo

Bell's Palsy

OK before I get into that I wanted to post something prettier.  My latest warp which has been sitting on my warping mill for a few days.  I took off the girl baby blanket but haven't photographed them yet. 

And a triangle scarf...

Believe it or not the gray is actually a pale, lovely green but my camera doesn't like that color and I haven't figured out how to fix it.  The green is an organic cotton, very soft, and the variegated blue/green is a soft wool acrylic blend.  The purple is a variegated cotton.  All in all it came out yummy, soft, squishy and warm!

 Oh and here is the horror that is my face...Two days ago I woke up and couldn't close my right eye all the way.  Couldn't spit out my toothpaste.  Looked in the mirror and I looked like I was having a stroke.  The right side of my face was collapsed.  So I didn't want to go to the ER and told Gary to call my nurse practitioner to see if she had time for us.  She told us to go to the ER.  of course.  I hate the ER.  Anyway, they figured out pretty quickly that I had Bell's Palsy, not a stroke.  So while that is good news I am GOING NUTS WITH THIS!!!  I have to keep a patch over my eye because it won't close and keeps trying to open.  Drops on and off all day to keep it from getting too dry.  An anti-viral med, prednisone, ointment at night.  bleh.  Meanwhile, I can't ride because I feel very unbalanced (Did I mention that my horse is blind in one eye???!!)  I can't thread my looms which are empty (though I might try that later, again).  I can't read very well.  TV is hard because I have to look straight ahead and that damn eye opens under all the gauze and I have to take the bandage off, close it manually, and retape.  I have been able to knit some because it involves looking down which helps.  And maybe I'll get faster at it with all the practice.  And did I mention that everyone on my list is getting knitted cotton washcloths for Christmas?? But I am beyond frustrated.  Prognosis is from 10 days to 6 months.  Or maybe a year.  Oh and some people have it forever.  WHAT!!!???  I know I was a wild child in my youth but I thought I had paid back that karma.  So, I'm trying to be patient...ignoring the drooling.  Gary gave me a straw for my wine last night.

Me, trying to smile...

So I thought I would leave you with something nicer to look at!  My Dommie...perfectly happy not being ridden.

xo