When Things Go Wrong

I'm trying.  I really am trying.  But right now life - and conference planning - is at the really messy stage.

For the past few days I've been worrying away picking nits, polishing as many of the rough edges out of our plans as I can.  Yesterday and today I was determined to get the two looms needed for a workshop dressed and cross those off my list.  One of my lists.  Because I have multiple lists.  I could make a book out of my lists.

Yesterday I ran into an issue with the heddles on the larger Leclerc table loom.  One of the flat metal heddles had gotten jammed into the hook that holds the shaft onto the lever that lifted it.  Try as I might, I could not get it unjammed.  Finally got a tool and cut it out.

Got it beamed, and started threading, only to realize I'd wound only two ends instead of the four indicated in the draft to divide the sections.  And then I ran out of heddles on one shaft.  Well, that's easy-peasy - just tie in more.

But all of that meant that instead of getting that loom ready to roll before end of day yesterday it was after noon before I lifted that loom off the table and set it aside.  Onto my foot.  You know, the one with the severely arthritic toe.

It was time for lunch.

After lunch I headed for the guild room where I found a reed of the correct size for the second warp/loom - both length and dpi.  Yay!  I could maybe finish off the second warp today, too!!!

Um no.  Got side tracked by a couple of things - emails/questions both personal and conference.

Finally finished rough sleying the warp and beamed it.  I'm not a huge fan of table looms, but they serve their purpose, so just gotta bear down and deal with it.  Eventually that warp was beamed and the cross transferred, the reed removed from the beater. and started threading.

Got about an inch or so into the threading and realized that, in installing the warp into the loom, I'd swapped selvedge edges.  Which would not ordinarily make a difference except these are gamp warps and not symmetrical.  So the coloured stripes are to be in a specific sequence lined up with the threading.  Which is also different from one selvedge to the other.

Pulled the threads out and started again.  This time I started in the 'wrong' place in the threading draft.  So that got pulled out too.

By then it was 5 pm and all hope of threading the loom today vanished.  When I make that many mistakes I'm too tired/distracted and there is no point.  But I did figure out what needed to be done (no I'm NOT going to pull the warp off the beam and flip it over) and I let Janet know and she will change the draft to reflect my...customizations...

Just to make things really interesting the mail server that both I and my co-chair use went down on Friday.  My email came back by around 4 pm on Saturday, but our conference website is also hosted by the same company and the info/contact emails were not being forwarded to Birthe.  The dam finally broke around 7 tonight and last I talked to her, she had 200 emails downloading.

Tomorrow is another day.  I WILL get that loom dressed.  I WILL go through the rental agreement outlining the room set ups in the Civic Centre, which I downloaded and printed out around 4 pm.  I will address the other things on my job list - I had to start writing down my daily tasks because I was bouncing from one thing to the next, never seeming to finish anything.

However, we got the good news from the hotel today - there will be a concession area in the hallway across from the ballroom with extra seating down the corridor.  This should reduce congestion at the hotel restaurant.  I've asked for gluten free and vegan options be provided.  Was also able to confirm with one teacher that the white board we are renting for her is size XL.  (I've taught workshops with tiny flip charts or minimal access to a black/white board - it isn't fun!)

I've let a couple of people know about the guild offering to have consignment sales of used equipment plus there will be bulletin boards in the lobby of the Civic Centre where people can post notices.

The Civic Centre has already printed out the classroom signs and will post them, while I have found out the orientation of the sign 'frames' at the hotel and will print those out and put them into teacher's packets so they can post.

There will be a computer and printer at the check in desk at the Civic Centre in case instructors need to print out additional class hand outs.

We will have floor plans posted so people can orient themselves - or at least we've requested them.

And so on and so forth.

But when things start going wrong, it's time to stop and rest - and start again in the morning.