Annie's Towels...Part II

Just finishing up weaving...half a towel to go...then

it is off the loom, cut into pieces, hems

pressed and sewn, into the washer

and dryer, pressed, packaged and

mailed!

Helping design and warp

another loom for a student/friend

who is going to weave a wrap

at my studio.  So pretty!

Meanwhile my Mom isn't doing too well.

She is having problems breathing.

On morphine now.

Very confused though it

was good to talk to her this morning.

I'm off tomorrow to drive

down to Keene, NH to see

her.  I don't know when I will

be back.  My sister, Faith is

on the road driving up from FL.  My

older brother, Paul, is flying in from CO 

on Friday.  We'll see how it goes.

Enjoy your week, everyone.

xo

Annie's Towels!

I've been working.  I know.  I'm supposed to be retired.

but.  I love what I do and I'm back in the

swing of things.  I'm also doing Zumba.  WHAT!!

Yup.  Feeling energized.  And I'm figuring out

my horse.  Life is good.  

So anyway, I know it is Halloween but

I don't have any kids at home

and we live out in the back of

beyond.

Or as my BIL says...

"in the tundra."

or is it "on the tundra."  Oh well.

AND I have been craving candy all day

so I'm ignoring Halloween and

working on towels.

Here is the sequence if you want to bear with me.

 Designing the warp on the warping

reel.  

 Round and round building color...This is 15 yards

long and half the threads (210) needed for towels,

 Took off the first half and winding

the second half--another 210 threads.

 All tied off and ready to take to the loom.

Threads separated into the 21 inches wide

I need to begin winding on.

Looking down on the loom.

All 15 yards wound on and ready to thread.

Pulling each thread through the heddles in the order

I need.

 Done.

 Beginning to sley the reed...which just means to pull

the threads through the reed so I have the

width I need and the density I need.

 All tied on and ready to wind bobbins

and weave.

Loving this warp!

And, Annie, if you don't like these I can

make you another warp!  Plenty of time yet.

And yes, I can throw in a couple of

crayon colored towels!

Happy Halloween everyone!

xo

Morning Chores...

Miss Ellie and Duke this morning for their

breakfast and a roll.  I'm still working her in the 

morning in the arena.  Trainer dude can't

come until Wednesday afternoon.

After we worked this morning I brushed

her and tried to comb her forelock and mane 

but she was cranky and ducking her head

to escape me.

So we lunged some more

and tried again.  Lowered her head and she

stood there patiently while I rubbed

her.  According to Ellie it was time

to go to the pasture...not time for

grooming.  So she gets cranky when things

are changed around.  So we will

work on that...

Chickens eating tomato skins from

my sauce-making.  I love having

chickens pecking around the yard, 

clucking, chasing each other, being

chickens.  Soon...eggs.

Another amazing day!

xo

Crayon Colored Towels and Ellie Update!

I am so happy with these towels!

Though...I only wove two today...

12 more to go...

And they will look even better

when they are off tension

washed, hemmed, and dried.

Just the thing to wake up your kitchen

Especially when the snow is falling

and the light is dim...

And...Miss Ellie and Duke having their

breakfast this morning with the fog all around.

Took her up to the arena for lunging

for the third day in a row!

Oh yeah...

AND I rode yesterday when

trainer dude was here!

Second time...but just at a walk because

we are training her to pay attention

to  my seat not so much

with the reins.  It really

feels good to be on a 

horse again.  Even with

that big old Western saddle.

Having a stunning weekend with

this amazing weather!

xo

More towels...

Well...you might think you are looking at three different warps but...

actually...I am putting these

all together

to make some towels guaranteed to brighten up

anyone's kitchen.  Though the towels will

look somewhat different when I weave

colors over these warp threads.

Soon...

Crayon colors...Tomorrow I will be finishing

the winding and might have time to thread

the loom, we'll see.  

Meanwhile, my trainer dude came over this afternoon

and I rode Miss Ellie.  First time since I bought her.

We just walked...turning her with my seat...

very little with the reins...stopping her

with my seat...it was fabulous.

and there I go changing

my mind about selling.

sigh.

xo

September...

Well...it's been quite a month.  I have a show/sale next weekend so

mostly I've been weaving and organizing

and tagging and pricing, etc. all month.

 Scarf detail...

 Towels on the loom...

 Another scarf detail...

And we made butter

 Made 32 pounds of applesauce to freeze

Gary is building a deck for storing wood for heat

And I went to see my sweet Mom in NH.  My sister

Faith and her husband were there, too.

The second night I was there sleeping my Mom

wandered out to her screened-in porch and

got locked out of the house.  Luckily

there is a phone out there and she called

the operator who called the police.

Next thing I know there is a cop banging on

the door.  Sooooo...needless to say we now have

an awake night nurse staying with her every night.

But the next weekend she ended up in the hospital

with a blood sugar over 600.  Oh my god.

It really is a wonder that she is alive.

I think she is getting discharged today and

will have people checking in during the

day and making sure she eats properly.

It is so hard to be 6 hours away from her.

Isn't she totally adorable? 

Oh yeah...my horse. 

I'm going to see if we can

find her another home. 

Karen,
(http://thisoldhousetoo.blogspot.com/)
you were so right...

I see Miss Ellie more as

a hunter/jumper and she has way more

energy than I need.  I have put out the word

with my horse ladies and we'll see.

Meanwhile, I'm not telling my trainer because

he thinks I am giving up.  And for

a while I believed that but now I realize

that this should be fun and I am

not wanting to go out to the barn

anymore.  sigh.  But I still need him

to work with her so I'm keeping quiet.

So an eventful month and I haven't had

much time to even check in with my blog.

Hope you all are enjoying the weekend!

xo

Empty Nest and Weaving...

So odd being without the boys.  Noah went back to

Skidmore for his senior year.

Alex got an apartment in town and is finishing

 up his graduate degree in Engineering.  

Me...I'm just weaving and wondering who I can get

 to vacuum this place.  I tend to clutter up

all the downstairs when I'm working

and usually Noah gets fed up with my bad

habits and picks up (and hides things, I'm convinced).

Alex is always good for a vacuum if I ask

(neither he nor his father would ever

notice that it was needed).

So.  Weaving like a crazy person.

My Soft Stained Glass series

Three of each all sitting in my "shop" and virtually on Etsy.

More warping going on and towels still to be finished

and already designing new towels because 

Christmas is coming, people!!

Stripes!

So, now you know why I haven't been blogging

 lately.  Having way too much fun weaving.

Ellie update:

She is coming along though she has a bit of 

an attitude at times.  As in no I don't feel like working. 

But I am persevering and the trainer is still coming.  

This morning for the first time I took her out by myself 

to the outdoor arena to lunge and she was not too happy.

Even though she got some hay before going out.  

And we will do the same tomorrow morning 

and the next morning and the next morning. 

Trainer dude coming tomorrow. 

 We'll see how much progress we have made.