Sunshine Warp for Wraps/Scarves

Working on a yellow warp for a shawl...Of course I can't just make it only yellow but...

This is only about half the width I will need so I

am still in the designing phase.  My favorite thing to do.

After this I still have to tie it up, remove the warp from the 

warping mill, slide it on the back rod of the loom,

put the lease sticks through the cross,

separate the warp threads into inch sections to put into a raddle

temporarily taped on the top of the loom,

 (so it winds on as wide as I need the finished piece to be),

wind the warp onto the back beam,

thread the yarn ends through the heddles in the order

of my weaving design,

pull (sley) the ends through the proper sized reed so the

finished weaving has the density I need as 

well as the width,

Wind the bobbins with the weaving thread (weft)

then

I weave.

xo

Weekend in Saratoga!

Off to Saratoga for Gary's company's regional meeting held every year.  This year it was at the Gideon Putnam Hotel.  The weather was perfect...the food was yummy...treated like kings and queens.  Thank you Edward Jones!

The Gideon Putnam...

Walking around town...

The flowers are so beautiful!

Saturday night was Derby night and we all dressed up for dinner in hats and bow ties.  

I love my hat!  Thanks, Faith, for all the crafty help!

More walking around downtown...

And Friday during the day I got to visit with Hilary of www.crazyasaloom.com

Amazing woman and amazing weaver.  I could have spent hours and hours in her studio just 

looking at all the wonderful weavings!  

Now we are home...I'm making a warp.  Yesterday was too hot to weave so I made a couple

of potholders...pictures to come!

xo

Ellie...

Tomorrow is a training lesson for us, for Ellie...but tonight it is all about grass.

Unfortunately for my blog we can't photograph the training sessions but we both love the guy who is coming every week.  Ellie is learning to tolerate strange things on her body, things flapping next to her...she is learning to be very sensitive to the rope connecting her to trainer Al...leaving slack while she walks around him...ears forward...waiting for his signal to stop, turn, set her hindquarters, face him, step back and lead out with the right foot going the other way.  But before this, I have to say, I brought her up to the arena and took off her halter to let her eat some grass.  Then when Al came she decided that she didn't feel like working that day.  After 15 minutes of cantering, trotting, bucking and not being allowed to stop and eat grass, or turn her butt to him, she stopped, faced him, and let him put her halter back on.  phew.  On to the lessons.  I totally love this stuff though I do miss the actual riding.  And, of course, I could ride Duke...but he is so boring.  So I think by fall I might have an amazing horse!  We'll see.  Meanwhile I'm weaving and selling and trying to make enough to afford her education!

Three more days until Saratoga and Gary's regional meeting (which is always a lovely weekend!).

xo

Sister to the rescue and my Derby hat!

My sister, Faith, came up to visit...and I needed it.  We don't get many visitors way up here in the North Country (or Tundra as Faith's husband likes to call it).  So we had a party and celebrated both Faith's birthday and my good friend Edie's birthday.  Noah fiddled, Edie's husband, Mark, played the bodhran, Gary on the guitar...

Yesterday, Faith and I went shopping, bought shoes, matching bracelets...

Gary and I are going to Saratoga for his company's regional weekend meeting in a week and one of those nights they are having a derby party so we had to decorate a hat for me.  So much fun crammed into two days with my sister!

  

Faith rolling flowers...

Hat ready to party!

I think it is beautiful and we had so much fun doing it.  All the flowers are glued on a ribbon so I can remove it and the hat is unharmed.  Really needed to have fun and laugh and do arts and crafts like a kid.  Thanks, Faith!

xo

Life Lessons...

OK...I know I've been among the missing lately.  I know I'm supposed to be head-over-heels in love with my new mare, Ellie.  I know I'm supposed to be loving every minute of every day.  I know I'm supposed to be making the most out of what I have...blah, blah, blah.

First of all, we have been giving Ellie too much grain especially since she is living a life of leisure.  So she became quite a basket case and I haven't even ridden her yet.  Also she doesn't know any ground work (re: manners).  So we hired a trainer after much stressing and fussing and lose of sleep on my part.  He is wonderful but doesn't want me to film him.  He has been out here twice and Ellie is beginning to respect our space, lunge properly, lead properly, set her hindquarters, and give to pressure.  She is still not comfortable around his flag which consists of an old car antenna with a crinkly flag attached to one end.  He hits the ground next to her with it and she is at the point where she just shivers but doesn't move her feet.  He can then touch her all over with it pretty much...again sometimes she flinches but she can tolerate it.  She now lowers her head to put her halter on.  She stands quietly for him.  She is easy to catch in the field.  So we are making progress.  He is almost at the point where he will have us work with her.

Brings me to the second point.  I think I am still very reactive to losing my Dommie.  Ellie isn't him.  I haven't been riding because I don't think (and the trainer agrees) she is ready.  Spring is flying by and I have been somewhat depressed by all these events happening in our lives.  I'm supposed to roll with the punches but sometimes...everything just sucks.

Did I mention that she has gone into heat twice in three weeks?  And Duke thinks he is a stud so we have to separate them?

Stud Muffin

Ellie in her stall

OK enough complaining...Noah is home from Australia and I love having my boys here.  My sister Faith is coming Monday afternoon for a few days!!!!  I really am happy about her visit.  This is the sister who went across the country on a train with me!  It is always so much fun to have her here.  We can make triangle scarves, go to St. Lawrence U bookstore which has fabulous coffee as well as fun stuff to buy, walk downtown, cook amazing meals, stay up late talking and sharing a bottle of wine.

Had my 6-month checkup with my oncologist who said that if it were him he wouldn't have any more CT scans because I have already had way too much radiation.   So that's that.  And I can keep the port in for another couple of years.

Life Lesson:  when stressed...take a nap.
xo