New Year's Eve

Happy New Year to all!  

My boys are home until the 3rd.  We had

an amazing Christmas and I got

a new camera from them all!

Now I just have to figure out how to use

it because I think the color is a little off...

Here is a warp I just put on one of the looms 

and it looks way too purple...

Gary with his new Christmas present!

Now we will have music even if Noah

isn't here with his violin!

Alex, Noah and Sofia!

(We got to have Sofia visit for

Christmas!)

Another towel warp...

this time in pastels for Spring.

and it will probably take

until Spring to weave off

16 of them!

The other half of the warp

I started weaving...but for

some reason got distracted.

So here's to a new year of love, health,

and happiness!

xo

Pre Christmas Commissions and life full of color...

A couple of weeks ago a returning customer asked for 12

Crayon towels...I hadn't done towels in a year.

And I said yes before I knew whether or not I had

the materials to duplicate what I sent her last

year.  Sometimes I am an idiot.  And

sometimes the universe helps out because

I almost ran out of the dark green but

I didn't.  ha.

Winding bobbins

Loom threaded and sleyed and ready to weave.

Weaving...

And I promised another customer a rainbow scarf.

And I added enough warp to make cuff material.

Unfortunately there was not enough time to

make cuffs this year and photograph them

and put them on Etsy.  However, they will keep.

Then a cousin of mine saw the darker rainbow and

wanted a lighter one for her sister...

Lighter rainbow scarf.

It has been a season full of color and love,

snow and friendship and horses!  Hope you didn't

think I would leave without a photo of my Django!

xo

Remembering...5 years ago

Five years ago the doctors here decided that I was sick enough with something to send me over to Burlington for an endoscopy which they do not perform here.  A three hour trip.  I remember being so sick and so tired because I hadn't been sleeping for weeks with the itching.  I literally tried sleeping with ice packs on my feet and when that didn't work well enough I would get up and sit on the side of the tub with my feet in ice water until I couldn't feel them anymore and then go back to bed hoping to sleep before I started to feel anything.  I would spend enormous amounts of time just itching my hands.  I told the clinic I went to that it was "orgasmic itching."  It felt so good to scratch but I was bleeding.  Gary moved down to sleep on the floor so he could get some sleep.  And the last week I had been sitting up in a rocking chair by the wood stove with my feet in ice water to stave off the worst of the itching while feeding the fire.  Miserable, exhausted, nauseous, and as it turned out (the lighting here must be bad) jaundiced.  One of my sisters (Eileen) met us at the hospital.  They struggled to put in an IV.  I don't know why that is so hard on me, but...when we got into the operating room the anesthesiologist said the IV wasn't good enough and I tried to hide beyond the nurse next to me and started to cry so he said he would make do and redo it when I was out.  Then  sweet oblivion.

The recovery room and I was just waking up when the surgeon stood there shaking his head and telling me how sorry he was but I had pancreatic cancer.  I didn't realize then what a death sentence that really is.  I didn't know my sister and husband had found out in the hallway while they wheeled me out still intubated.  Or that they were out there crying.  What the Hell!  I rarely got sick...we eat healthy foods...ok I could exercise a little more...and I do like wine but...and I used to smoke but had quit 28 years before...The good thing was that the itching was from a blocked bile duct and the bile was under my skin and they fixed that with a stent while they were in there.

Anyway, we called the boys and said we would talk when we got home the next day because I didn't want them to find out over the phone.  However, my Noah had already looked up enough on the internet that he knew.  I was sorry we hadn't taken them with us.  Adam was already living in Hawaii by then.

So...that was December 11, 2009.  I remember it well.  The best thing???  I'm still here.
xo

New Towels!

I don't know what happened to November. I don't know why I said yes to 12 towels before Christmas.  Just starting the warp...16 1/2 yards long and 380 threads will make 16 towels so I should have 4 left over for sale...And I have another customer who wants a scarf...will probably tell her I can't...and a brother who wants a shawl for someone special...omg...I haven't mailed (or wrapped) gifts to go to HI to my son, daughter-in-law, granddaughter...A tree?  Presents?  Cookies?  I need to practice saying no.

In any case, I love making these towels...my crayon towels...Strong, beautiful, happy colors!

And the sun is shining! 

Time to tie up this warp and transfer it to my loom for winding, threading, sleying...

Might get to start weaving tomorrow...

And hopefully get a walk in today!

Look where the old barn used to be!!!

And Noah being funny and Alex trying to ignore him just before they took off after Thanksgiving...

Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was wonderful!

xo

Rainbow Scarf for Nancy...

All finished!!  Washed, dried, pressed, tagged and ready to go!

I really have slowed down quite a bit in my weaving...

I think the horses have gotten a lot more attention

though and that's a good thing.  But

customers, I know, are waiting

longer for my work.  

Mailed today and now working on a wide red scarf

for another good customer on Etsy...Walked in the woods

to the pond on my new road today!

Looking back at the house and new barn.

Can't wait to drag the road and seed it...but

right now it is still drying out.  It will be

a wonderful path for the horses!!!

xo

New Scarf for Kori...

OK I do not have any idea where this is going...my customers are much more adventurous than I am and sometimes they help me design...I hope to work on this today because even though it is sunny and bright out I have no one to ride with and feeling just enough energy to muck out the barn and maybe, maybe, maybe move some more sand into the yucky part of their paddock.  The old barn is still a mess but I expect them back to work this weekend.  Meanwhile...

So cheerful!  I love it!

xo

The barn is down...

8 hours later the barn is down.  It looks like a bomb went off.  

 But I now have this amazing view of my field

and having the hulking, dark broken barn

out of my life makes me very happy.

And they will be back (maybe tomorrow) and

will work until everything is cleaned up.

Yay.  This is a load off my heart.

xo

Barn Demolition Preparation!

The equipment is coming for demolition tomorrow morning!!  Finally!  There goes my weaving weekend, however, because we've also rented the bobcat so we can scrape the top layer off the paddock and put down a layer of sand.  Hopefully that will alleviate the horses slipping and sliding for a while.

Should be interesting taking this monster down.  And I can't wait to see the view when it is cleaned up!

xo

Rainbow Shawl is Done!

Well...I had fun with this one for sure!  It is almost ready

to go...just have to tie the little knots on the ends

of the fringe...

So...one more to weave...hope Kori likes

this one...and back to designing packages

for the triangle loom.  More on my class

tomorrow...

xo

Rainbow Shawl Continuing...

Done with the weaving on the first shawl...there is one more to go.

Cut the first one away from the rest of the warp.

Pulling the shawl off the front where it was rolled up.

The shawl is now washed, dried, the fringe is trimmed

and I just have to put tiny knots in the fringe yarns

so they don't ravel and sew on the label.

Kori, if you are reading this I will photograph

Sunday and send them to you!

Meanwhile I'm preparing for my triangle class

tomorrow all day...baking, cleaning, setting up...

hoping no one is terribly allergic to my kitties...

rearranging the kitchen to fit the stands.

And of course have to go for a ride

on Django!

xo

Rainbow Shawl/Scarf

I am in love with all this color and texture!  My customer says

she is "drunk with color!"  What a way to go!

Threading the heddles

Done.

Sleying the reed.

Done.

Tying on the front rod.

Done.

Beginning to weave!

Crazy weather the past two days on the farm!

Squalls coming through then bright sun,

then more rain and rainbows!

xo