Daisy supervises the goings-on around here and looks after the cats.

An unexpected Xmas treat!

I have been pining for another of the AVL end-feed shuttles, but they are so expensive. NOW, flash back to a couple of years ago when I bought a "large lot of weaving tools" off ebay for around $40. Lots of shuttles, most wrapped in those foam sheets. I didn't unwrap several of them, I forget why. Anyway, tidying up yesterday, I decided to unwrap them and put them with the other shuttles, that I had stacked by type. Well, TWO of them were the AVL shuttles I had been wanting! So, now I have three (one came with one of my loom purchases.) I feel like Santa stopped by and brought me a present! Nice surprise there! One of them has the older threading system, but Lucinda filled me in on how to thread it. The other is the newer model! (The picture is from the AVL website. I have two long ones now and one short one.)

missed photo op

Wish I had had my camera along on the drive to Camden yesterday. I passed through the flooded area around Miller's Ferry, Alabama, where the Alabama River has been cresting. The only way I could tell the creeks from the flooded swamp-area is that there is a little "white water" going on due to the speed the creeks are flowing. An old, familiar one called Cedar Creek looks more like a river! The only good thing is that few people live where this is happening. The area is heavily-wooded and I think that the only thing close to dwellings out there are some hunting camps.

Old friend gets dusted off!

Well, not too much dust, since I keep the looms covered when not in use. I am threading up the Macomber to do some towels. Such a treat to be back to one-on-one with that loom. There is nothing like the feel and sound of Macombers! They're so solid and work so smoothly and reliably. I DO have to say that I am not a fan of the tie-up system, but that's just a quibble, since I can't think of anything that would replace it. Macombers, being built so that you can either do delicate, fine yarns, or wham away at the thickest of rugs if you like, need the extra strength involved in the way the lamms and shafts are engineered, so, whatever my quibbles, the tie-up system is still 'way ahead of whatever would be in second-place.
I remember trying to make a rag rug on my Schacht, which was my first loom and having to "sandbag" the thing to keep it from "levitating" across the floor a couple of inches every time I whammed down the beater!!
One of these days, I have to set up the new brake-system I bought a couple of years ago, although I am beginning to waver on it. I rather like the old ratchet-system! Feels comfortable and familiar, I guess.
If you are looking for a truly great all-purpose loom, you can't do any better, and there are second-hand ones out there at great prices these days. I paid all of $1000 for mine,: 48" with 8 shafts and two beams...plus room for two more shafts. Not bad at all. The "Baby Macs" are a great deal, even new, and easily packed up to take along to workshops etc. I like to take mine out to the back porch on nice days and weave outside! Also a very solid loom!
Well, guess this is a "mash note" to my Macombers!

Weavolution goodie

I just got my little Flashdrive that was a "thanks" for contributing to "Weaveolution." Really neat little drive. I'm putting the "do not delete" files on it.

IN (VIRTUAL) PRINT

My article for "Weavezine" went live on Tuesday. VERY exciting for me! Thanks, Syne, for being such a great editor and admitting me to "the ensemble" where the company I keep makes me feel quite privileged!
http://www.weavezine.com/articles/baa-humbug

dove

New idea for bookmarks in Taqueté. This won't be going anywhere as a "project" so, up for comment. I have the warp ready to go and will start dressing the loom for this tomorrow. Crossed fingers. I have no idea where the imagery is coming from, except just all the iconography stuck in my brain over the years.

MORE bookmarks!!!

I decided to recycle the Confirmation bookmarks design, using a black warp. Coming out very "dramatic!" I found some interesting "variegated" dyed tencel on my shelf and am using some of that. Quite nice crosses on the black ground! I am wondering if they are more "goth" than Christian though! (-;
Still, we shall see who, if anybody, goes for them!
I decided to put them on the table loom since it seems a waste to load up a dobby loom for just 8 shafts, but, I think the next batch might go faster. Still, I like using that loom!

tempus fugit

Man, does it fugit! I just realized that I need to get some stuff done for my "store" as well as get back on to the Daniels Stoles! August will be here before I know it, and I'd like to have at least three of them ready for that, then there's "Convergence" in July, Art Camp etcetcetc...what it means is that Summer is off the radar and, since I have to start preparing the kids' looms in April, then my window for doing other things is between then and now. So why am I lying around blogging, facebooking and listening to audiobooks? Well, shoot, it's Sunday? Is that a good excuse? I'm slightly hung-over from the wedding supper? More likely....

cut, clip, iron

Taking a break from ironing scarves and cutting bookmarks apart. "Peripheral activities" I guess you could call it. I was kind of wishing the Catholic Channel would broadcast the Pope's General Audiences. We are not on the same page theologically, but they were playing snippets of his "fireside chat" on Cathedral Architecture and I found myself wishing for more.
Hmmmm, Cathedral bookmarks????hmmmmm
I need to mull over photographing the stuff. I might bribe the girls to model the scarves.
The E-Lift is back so, as soon as my knee doesn't object to contact with the floor anymore, I can go hook it back up. Right now, crawling around under the loom is not on the radar.
Now that I'm getting used to the look of fringe on all four sides, it's bothering me less. Still trying to figure out how much I can charge for these objects and not price them out of the market!
OH well, back to trimming and gluing down edges.

MY word is famous

I coined a word to express my annoyance with companies or individuals who hijack my email address and send advertising: "spampaign." I mentioned it on the BBC "World Update" discussion group and heard myself quoted on the BBC! I've been giggling uncontrollably ever since! THAT was a great way to start the day off!!!!

Gremlins at work!

Had to outwit the gremlins again, but, at least it only involved a ride over to Walmart! Suddenly, the flashdrive with all my "Weavezine" files on it is nowhere to be found! Fortunately, I had copied the contents to the laptop so I drove over to Wally's and picked up new drives, and a proper, FINDABLE little case...bought three 2 GB drives so that I can "dedicate" them to different content.
The drives are needed since I was switching back-and-forth between the two platforms in order to save the drafts in .dtx format as well as .wifs.
Anyway, everything "in the can" except the 16-shaft "lagniappe" so I can breathe a bit and go play Bridge Sunday afternoon, with plenty of time left to get the 16-shaft done and photos off, then start thinking about Easter/Confirmation designs. I am thinking in terms of grapes and wheat-stalks for the Confirmation design, or, perhaps a dove. I might even do these as Finnweave this year.

Off to see the wizard(s)

Well, after a frustrating day of trying to get my new Macs to "communicate" with the Handycam, I decided a trip to the Apple Store in Birmingham was on the agenda. Got up early, Daisy hopped in the car and insisted on coming along, I threw everything into a "wheelie" bag and took off. Happily, the Apple Store welcomes well-behaved pups, so The Daisy had a great time. In the meantime, a "genius" and I settled in to what seemed to be an insoluble problem.
NOW, another great thing about Apple is that they hire across the generational spectrum (-;. When the 20-something "genius" threw in the towel, a white-haired gentleman and I figured it out in about 2 minutes: wrong cable. Then, after the 20-something (albeit a really nice and earnest kid) swore that the requisite cable was not available, the Senior-Citizen-Staffer, and the Middle-Aged-lady customer (moi) found it, hooked it up, and VOILA!!!!!! The kid was properly appreciative and amazed!!! In any case, it's so much fun going to one of the retail stores, and, as I said, Daisy, being a primo "people dog" had a GREAT time and got herself a lot of attention!!!! I need to get a picture next time!
So, came home, downloaded the videos I needed to do and got them processed: one of Liz and Taylor being dragged down the Alabama River in a giant tube and another for "Weavezine" on keeping the selvedges straight on the project I'm submitting. (Gawd, I LOVE technology!!!!) I guess, if you are really into video, more is required, but I find the combo of "iMovie" and "Quicktime Pro" do the job beautifully! Burned a DVD for each of the girls and got the little movie off for Syne.
Today will be finishing up all the files I need to send her, then I can take a deep breath, get with my BFF, here from Germany for a couple of weeks, and start planning the next "trick." My e-lift gets back from AVL sometime this week, so I will be hooking that back up, then, maybe I can get back to the "vine" design I have on the loom!!!

Good news from AVL

Well, the good elves at AVL have diagnosed and corrected the issue with my e-lift and it's on its way back. Oh, Weaving Gods and Patron Saints, PLEASE make it work!!! I have so much I want to do on that loom and, with the Weavezine project done, I have the decks cleared to do it! I also need to learn that wool-on-silk felting technique. So, lots to do!!!!

ho-ho-ho and a jolly old OUCH!

Well, the bookmarks are going really well and I hope I will be ready to email everything off to Syne well in time for her deadline. I might already have buyers for some of them! HOWEVER, I know enough not to count my chickens too early-on! Right now, I am mulling over whether I want to go out to the weaving shed or lie around and write instructions. I took a tumble last night and my knee hit the concrete first...have some bruised ribs as well and numerous scrapes from the concrete and the piles of acorns. Well, we shall see. Writing the article itself is really the hardest part of this whole thing. This could be the "weaving god's" way of making me get down and get writing!

Happiness is..

Somebody put the "mother lode" of Lily pearl cottons up on ebay this week and I got most of them! Paid 'way too much, so I had better weave up lots of wonderful little towels and sell them! The stuff is just so gorgeous, and the colours are so wonderful. It's like getting soft jewels! Anyway, I'm very happy right now!!!!

more sampling

well, triumph to "harrumph." Working on a Xmas design, part of which involves a little bug. I decided to re-thread at a different epi and the bug now looks like somebody stepped on it. Back to the drafting to "stretch" the whole thing out a bit. Happy to say, though, that the 16-shaft version is perfect! Now I am just fooling with an 8-shaft version. I had had it threaded up at 36 epi and the design proportions were great, but, at 24 epi, it's a little, well, squashed.
No big deal, just tedium.
Ok, stretch, yawn, open "Weavemaker" and GRAB THAT MOUSE!
Thrilled to death to see both my doglettes outside, enjoying the cool weather and playing...sometimes TOGETHER. This is BIG step for little Cedric! His going up AND down stairs is already a biggie for him, but, now he's up and down all afternoon and has figured out the commands for "let's go to the weaving-shed" and "let's go back to the house." I am SO proud of him!!!!! I love to see him out in the yard, investigating sights and sounds and having doggie-type fun!

YAY

well, my "anti-xmas-card" design just wove up damn near perfect in the 16-shaft version! THe 8-shaft is threaded up and ready to go. I really wanted to stay in the weaving shed all night, but that would be a bit silly, I guess. Well, tomorrow is midweek Communion and breakfast with the "Wednesday group" then I can get back to it. I also have to prepare to "guest" at Liz's art class on Thursday, then prep potatoes for the Lobster Fest, so I'm glad I've gotten my samples well-under-weigh!

sampling time

"Production Line" sampling going on. I am working out one design in two different shaft sets: 8 and 16 and I still have the "Ivy" going on on the other WDL.
whew. Good thing I enjoy threading! Issues with the shafts on the 16/24, though. Number 6 keeps rising and I get "neighbouring" shafts rising with the others. I am doing a "threading wif" so maybe it has to do with just raising one shaft at a time. I'll have to see what happens when I start weaving. I've checked the solenoids, the shafts themselve, the cables. Well, wait and see!

when machinery talks back

My AVL e-lift is being a pain in the arse. I am seriously thinking about trading it in for the air-lift. WE shall see. At present, we are talking packing it up and sending it off to AVL for testing.
Soooo, I shall be confining my attentions to the WDL's. Lord knows there is PLENTY to do there!