Change One Thing

beaming the warp for the next project

still some 'goat' trails

With my retirement from production weaving and selling my work, the move out of the annex, the disbursement of production equipment, there have been many, many changes in my life and my work space.

With the acquisition of someone's silk yarn 'estate', space had to be made for the seven (!) boxes of yarn, much of it extremely fine.  

Moving everything from the annex back to here meant gigantic upheavals, daily, as my studio got snowglobed and things got put where ever they would fit.

Doug is in the final stage of finally (finally!) moving the last things out of the annex and pretty much everything that needed to come here, is here.

One wall of the laundry area was turned into a gigantic wall of shelving.  There are bins of spinning, lace and teaching stuff there along with all my finished inventory (what is left) and the goal is to clear all those bins out from there and put them...somewhere else...and then what isn't finished inventory will be pantry.

Our house is modest and one of the things that has made living - and running a business - in this house challenging is the lack of space.

People don't realize that in order to be 'organized' you need to have the space/room to do that.

For about 40 years I have had goat trails in the studio as the boxes of yarn and such were stacked here and there.  Not to mention I wasn't just weaving, but teaching, spinning (at times), lace making, knitting, writing, self-publishing small run publications - and not so small run.  I not only wrote it, I - and Doug (and various family and friends) - assembled and shipped it.  So, shipping boxes, labels, unsold copies - all had to be stored somewhere.  Which is where the annex came in, for a while.

The top photo is the Megado.  Changing the AVL (60" weaving width with fly shuttles, two beams, air assist et al) to the smaller footprint Megado helped enormously as it freed up quite a bit of space.  Every inch of wall space that could be was converted to more shelving.

My goal was to be able to see my stash so I knew what I had in order to use it up.  We have done fairly well in the main area of the studio, but there are still some piles of rubble - things I'm not quite ready to get rid of, things that haven't yet found a home while Doug keeps trying to get them into the hands of people who might want them, teaching things I desperately need to sort through and decide if they are applicable to the Olds program - or not.  And if not, what do I do with them?  I also want to get back to spinning, but just haven't found the right time/place/motivation/energy.  And then there is the lace.  

Since December I have mostly been making a serious effort to become friends with the Megado.  Mostly we are.  But it is a different loom, engineered differently, and requires a different approach to things.  In the end I kept the AVL tension box and had Doug mount the tension box rail to the loom.  I looked at the Megado tension box and kept balking at actually using it.

So yes, holes were drilled.  It's a tool, it needs to work the way I want it to.  Or as closely as I can make it.

Am I happy I bought the Megado?  Let's say that at this point it was the correct decision.  There are things about it that I wish it had - like auto-cloth advance - but it doesn't so...

Do I wish I could weave faster on it?  Yes, but it won't go faster than it will go, so I must adjust to it.

Do I like that it is quieter?  Yes.  I also like the fact that much less physical effort is required to weave on it.  But it is still noisy enough when the solenoids activate that I will continue to wear hearing protection - because I already have documented hearing loss and would like to keep what is left.

I wish it had a bigger circumference warp beam, but Doug and I looked carefully at it and the loom is so tightly engineered I decided I would just have to get used to the smaller diameter.  And in the end, a 20 yard long warp is plenty.  I am no longer a production weaver, I am a retired production weaver.

So what does retirement mean for me?

Mostly it means not having critical deadlines by which time product must be ready to be sold.  It means no longer doing business tasks such as balancing books, collecting and remitting sales taxes.  It means not having to juggle multiple deadlines daily.

It means sitting in the sun soaking up the sunlight.  Making jigsaw puzzles.  (Still not reading much - my brain still feels incapable of absorbing much - even though I have stacks of books I do want to read.  And will.  Eventually.)

It means not beating myself up when the energy drains out of me and I don't feel like doing anything in the studio.

It means I am learning how to focus on what is important to me - and what isn't.

At the weekend I led an Intro to Weaving class and it was a delightful group of six who got that they needed to understand principles, gain knowledge, practice their physical skills mindfully.  I am hopeful they will continue, but mastering weaving is a lifelong pursuit.

Learning how when you change one thing...everything can change...

Winding Down

More steps towards closing down my business.

Yesterday Doug went pressing one last time, then started taking the heavy duty wiring apart in preparation for disassembling Puff.  I will really miss the ease of hard pressing my textiles, but on the other hand, I used a small flat bed press for about 20 years before acquiring Puff, but with my new reduced production as a hobby weaver, I am really really glad I kept the small press.

Mine is an Elna, but Singer and other sewing machine makers like Pfaff are apparently making them.  They are more expensive than an iron, but press about 4 times as much area.

Today he will go back to the annex and continue to work on preparations to take Puff apart.  His helper is available tomorrow, he thinks, so a lot of what he does today will just make their work together tomorrow easier.

This morning I submitted the sales taxes - GST (federal) and PST (provincial).  That is the last time I will have to deal with collecting/remitting those.  My appointment with the accountant will help me close down those accounts so that both government agencies know my business is in fact shut down.

We have given the landlord notice that we will be out of the annex by the end of January.  Since I doubt he can find a new tenant to move in Feb. 1, we may ask for a week's extension if necessary, given the weather and the icy loading ramp which may make moving Puff out problematic.  But we have contacted someone with a self-loading flat deck and will have to work within their schedule as well.

I took yesterday 'off' from weaving, first having a long brunch with a friend.  She has been very busy so it was great to catch up on all that she has been doing.  Then I tackled my Dec. ledger, got that balanced, reconciled with my cheque book and with the filing of the taxes this morning am well prepared for my appointment with the accountant on the 16th.

We are nagging the landlord to cash the January rent cheque so I can close my business chequing account as soon as the last two cheques I wrote clear the account.

It took me years to build my business into what it was - taking 7 months to get it all shut down is not unexpected.  I'm just so tired of the constant juggling, rearranging, remembering more things that need to be dealt with.  My business telephone number will be closed on Jan. 11 so at least we won't have all the spam phone calls that line gets.  And no, I couldn't list my business number on the Do Not Call Registry - any business may call any other business.  So we just had to put up with it.  Since we rarely get any phone calls for us, the interruption to what we were doing to answer yet another spam call was annoying to say the least!

Doug has some more people to contact re: AVL parts and will work on those soon.  If you haven't heard from him, he's been a bit busy.  As soon as his list gets updated, I will post here just in case anyone else is interested in anything that is left.

Today I am going to ignore the looms and start clearing clutter out of the guest room, remove a pile of clutter from the living room floor to pile somewhere in the studio.  I fear that goat trails will begin to appear as we do the final push to move things out of the annex.  I just don't have the energy to start diving into boxes to see what is in them, stirring up decades of dust as I do.  (I'm allergic to dust, so every box sets off more sinus issues.)

There is one more set of shelves to be moved from the annex.  They couldn't be moved last week during the snowfall, and now the ramp to the annex loading dock is akin to a luge run.  Doug will try to back the truck up today so that he doesn't have to walk up the slippery slope.

Anyway, that is where we are and what we are dealing with.  Thanks for letting me vent...

State of the Studio

from doorway - Leclerc Fanny, library, cone winder, wall of shelves to the right and to the left

from other end of the room - Leclerc Fanny, shelves at the end of the room and at the side

middle of the space - warping board, storage cubby, shelves to the right with things that have no permanent home temporarily stored, on the floor in front of the shelves

other end of the studio - worktable moved to opposite wall, things on that wall moved to where the table was, Megado moved away from the back wall to make space for another shelving unit to go, plus shelves with yarn

view of loom, spool rack, cabinet with music and misc stuff, shelving unit with bins and boxes

laundry area - wall of shelves with bins and boxes, Doug in the middle of working on something using the washing machine top as a work space

entry to store room with 7 boxes of things that need to be unpacked and stored, plus shelves and shelves of yarn

behind the shelving on the far right of the above photo - surprise!  - more yarn

The studio reorganization has been on-going for six months.During that time we got rid of the AVL (just some bits and pieces left - Doug is working on finding new homes for some of it, the rest will go into the garbage/recycle as appropriate).  

In order to make the transition as stress free as possible, a lot of things got taken to the annex to make room for the new shelving to be installed, and the rearrangement of how things would be placed in the space.  As the shelves were installed here, things were brought back from the annex.

The Leclerc Fanny got rotated and the valet installed above it, a counter that really wasn't being effectively used was removed and a wall of shelving was installed.  That allowed me to get all the rayon chenille out of boxes and onto the shelf so I could see what I had.  I made a decent dent in that stash pre-craft fair production.  I could actually condense the stash, but I like being able to see what is there (although I won't be doing any rayon chenille for a while.)

The cone winder got moved into the studio proper and out of the laundry area - Doug is discussing a sale with someone but is having a challenge about shipping it.  It's too big to go into the mail so a courier will have to be used.  Then the holiday intervened and things stalled on that front.  Along with some of the AVL pieces which are facing similar challenges.

(When he gets firm word from the people he is in discussion with, I will post an updated list of AVL parts here just in case.)

Once the pirn winder went to a new home, that area got turned into more shelving/storage space and the silk yarn I picked up in August was set out in two locations - one by the cone winder, the other in the pirn winder area.  

The other end of the studio, where the AVL had lived since 1982 was cleared out and when the Megado arrived Doug and his helper put it together.  Since then it has been shifted several times as we tweak the space and try to make it work more effectively for me.  This week Doug finished tweaking a table by adding casters and a larger table top so that I have room for the laptop, mouse and bobbins on the top, my boombox, headphones and cassettes live on the middle shelf, and I now have a bottom shelf for storing things that are used occasionally.

The laundry room had a wall of shelves installed which now hold remnants of the booth things (office box, cash box, electrical boxes) plus some of my teaching bins, some of the fibre stash, plus most of my bobbin lace.  All of those need to be opened, sorted and organized.  But not today.  At the far end all my woven textiles are set out.

There are also still piles of empty boxes which we tend to keep to use for whatever needs to be boxed up.  

In the yarn storage area, there are still boxes that need to be emptied and sorted through.  Once those are dealt with, I will be able to get to the lower shelves currently hidden behind those boxes.  Since most of those boxes contain things that have not seen light of day for a very long time, I suspect some of it will hit the recycle bin/garbage.  But until I have somewhere to put the contents, I am not opening them.

I took these photos this morning.  No effort was made to tidy for the photos, and some things are in the middle of being dealt with.  Like the silk warp.  The decision was made to strip the excess yarn out of the warp chain, the design will now be asymmetric, and the yarn stripped from the chain will go into the recycle bin (which goes to a friend to use in her craft practice.)

Things are not set in stone.  As I use up my stash, things will shift and change.  My goal for the coming year is as it has been for decades - work from my stash as much as possible.  Doesn't mean I won't buy more yarn, but that I will do it with more intent with the idea that I do not need production levels of yarn, just a broad enough stash that I can design from it. 

I have depth of inventory of rayon yarns of various kinds.  As I use that up I will not replace it (except if I need more warp quality yarn to use up the weft quality yarns).

The goal is to move the last of the things at the annex to here, including the last set of shelves which will go against the wall 'behind' the Megado.  At some point soon Doug will begin taking the industrial steam press apart.  Hopefully he can find a buyer for the baby boiler.  The rest will go to the scrap metal place.

It served us well, but it's time for it to go so we can move out of the annex.  Notice has been given to the landlord so we are on deadline.

I gave myself to the end of the year to shut down my business and convert my weaving practice to hobby status.  Last night I emailed my accountant to request an appointment to discuss what I need to do to officially close my business.  Company arrives on the 18th and I want as much as possible done before then.

There are several special orders that I intend to also have (at least) woven, because I can sit and hem with my company (who actually enjoys hand hemming and usually helps - but it's not a requirement!)

The first box of Olds homework arrived, but the student is on an adventure so I'm not in a hurry to open that while I try to get my weaving done.

I have pitched a couple of ideas to Handwoven - we will see if they accept them.  Also want those done before company arrives.

There are two Intro to Weaving workshops in Feb., and since I will be dressing the looms for the students, I need to get those warps ready by Feb. 14.

When I said I was 'retiring' I didn't say I was retiring from life or weaving, just trying to keep a business afloat.  I look forward to taking more time to design things and if they take more time to weave, that isn't a big deal.  But I do love me some deadlines, even if they are just internal ones.  

So I begin this new year the way I mean to go on...weaving, writing, teaching...

Sending love and light to all for this coming year.  

Progress, One Bin at a Time

Today Doug and his helper carried 14 bins and a box down to the studio and set them up on a saw horse table so that I could work on sorting and condensing them.

The bins and box are filled with miscellaneous stuff I've been ignoring - sometimes for decades.

Several bins of bobbin lace supplies, some teaching samples, some spinning stuff.

Plus, peeking out from behind, the bag from Brassard with a fill in order of 2/8 cotton, and from underneath an order from Ashford.  I notified guild members that I was giving up my Ashford dealership and several took advantage of the fact that they could get an order before I gave it up.  

It got caught in the truly nasty road conditions we had last week at the south end of the province and only arrived today instead of last week, but never mind, it's here.  As soon as I have more room on the table I will open the box and sort the order into who purchased what.  Including (ahem) my own top up of spinning fibres.

I'm not exactly sure where my blending board has gotten to, but I have several bins of rolags (punis?) ready to go so as soon as I've burned through some of my jigsaw puzzle stash, I will get my spinning out again.

I have also knitted the commercially spun wool yarns and should finish the last shawl made from those yarns in the next while.  In the meantime?  I have hemming to do as I did find a spool of thread to hem the first of the lavender place mats.  The second warp will have to wait a few days as I had another pain treatment today and I'm on 'light' duty for several days.  A place mat warp is not 'light' duty and I'm wondering how much longer I can continue to weave a textile that needs a hard beat.

However the doctor is very pleased with my progress after the first treatment and feels sure that I will regain some strength, perhaps even sooner than I expect.  OTOH, my whiplash injuries are decades old so I'm staying optimistic but trying very hard to not be impatient.  Goodness, at my age, perhaps I'm learning patience????  Who'd a thunkit?

Having the bins at a good level to work on means that I have actually managed to go through about half of them, but I have stirred up enough dust for now so I'm taking a break.

There is a jigsaw puzzle calling....

Ch-ch-ch-changes (studio update)

Change one thing and everything can change.

Earlier this year I decommissioned the AVL Production Dobby Loom I had woven on since 1982.

For nearly 40 years it was my tool of choice for most things.  I was trying to earn an income from selling my woven goods and it was a production loom that I could weave on quickly/efficiently and produce a lot of cloth.

But it was large (60" weaving width) and had a large footprint taking up what would be a reasonably sized bedroom, if I had put it in a bedroom.  Instead it was installed into my weaving studio in the basement where it took pride of place from the time it was installed until the time it was dismantled.

As a piece of equipment meant to produce, it had certain features that allowed me to do what I needed to do.  Doug built options for me and as it was upgraded, first to a computer assisted dobby, then air assist for the fly shuttle and treadle, Doug further customized it.  He maintained and repaired it as I wore things out or found that a tweak here or there would be beneficial.

I got comfortable with the loom and wove pretty much any and everything on it.

But things wear out, like my body, and the loom.  It was time to make another choice.

When the air assist was added to the AVL it no longer was capable of weaving to my preferred rhythm.  Instead of my usual pace, I had to reduce my speed by about one half.  It was teeth knashingly frustrating but necessary that I accommodate the equipment and eventually I adapted and accepted my new weaving rate.

The Megado is also demanding changes in my routine.  It is a different tool with different needs.  I must again adapt my processes and pace to the requirement of the loom.  Once again my pace has to be slowed down, which was again frustrating, but a reminder that I am no longer producing to sell at craft sales and there is no need for me to go faster.

I am half way through the tea towel warp I put on the loom a few weeks ago.  It is weaving off nicely.  I have mostly ironed out the beaming and any minor tension issues are not going to make a huge difference to the cloth.  As I beamed the warp I worked hard to make sure the sections went on as evenly as possible and I think I'm going to be happy enough with the finished cloth that I can count this warp a success, even though it is not 'perfect'.

The dobby is slower to react than the AVL dobby, so I have to make sure I stop and let the 'fingers' settle before opening the next shed, but I'm now comfortable with the slower pace and in the end my speed has not been very slowed down.  Instead of about 30 minutes to weave a towel, it's taking me about 45 minutes.  A not unacceptable time change.

I bought the Megado because I could no longer physically work on the AVL.  The Megado is much easier physically, and even though I'm still having issues with my neck and shoulders, the new loom is much gentler on my body.  It also takes up less space in my studio which has allowed Doug to install a bunch more shelves for storage.

We are still unpacking boxes and moving bins.  Yesterday we discussed where things might be moved to, and we will continue to adjust for a while.  As my stash gets woven up, I'm sure the shifting and shuffling will continue.

My goal is to reduce clutter and eliminate goat trails.  I'm tired of those and want a more peaceful organized space to continue to weave in.

Doug is still looking to sell AVL loom bits although things seem to have gone quiet for the holiday.  He will go pressing today on the industrial steam press and may go once more to do the current tea towels once they come off the loom - hopefully in the next little while.  I am working on a couple of special orders for place mats on the Leclerc Fanny as well as trying to weave on the Megado.  But place mats mean beating 'hard' and I don't know how much longer my body can weave that 'hard'.  I'm hoping the current pain treatment will help with the physical wear and tear I've done to my body, but it may mean I stop weaving textiles that require such a hard beat.

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

Tweaking the Set Up

Little by little, the studio is taking shape.  With the replacement of the AVL with the Megado, changing the old computer cabinet into a music storage cabinet, I needed something for the laptop to sit on.  We jury-rigged something until Doug had time to fetch the table from the annex, but I asked if he would put a shelf underneath. 

There were a few things I wanted to have beside me, rather than behind me - pads of post-it notes, pencil, scissors and a place to put bobbins.  And the boombox.  The Megado has a fairly loud solenoid click, and with hearing loss a reality, I felt it would be prudent to wear hearing protection while weaving with the Megado - just like I'd done for 40 years with the AVL.  Different looms, different noises, but still...noise. 

There are still lots of things to be done, but these little steps of progress feel good.  The studio becomes a little more functional every week.

The corner at the back, behind the computer stand, will have another set of shelves installed, but they need to be fitted to the space so will take some time and effort yet.  Once those are done and whatever I decide to store there gets stored there, the final position of the loom and stand will be determined.  And then the rest of the studio can be adjusted as well.

In the meantime I managed three sessions at the loom today.  The bad news is that I'm so far 'behind' where I'd hoped to be I don't know if I can get the shawls off the loom and fringe twisted in time for Doug to press next weekend.  But the press is waiting for this warp to be done as these will be the last things pressed on Puff.  The end of an era!  Then it will be back to the small flat bed press.  So in all likelihood I probably won't make shawls in the future, just scarves.  To be determined.

Now that I'm almost at the half way mark on this warp I have been thinking about the next warp.  I will return to tea towels, so the width will decrease to 24" but the length will increase from 32 turns of the beam to 45.  The warp will be 2/16 cotton at 32 epi.  The yarns are already pulled for two tea towel warps, each one intended to use up as much linen as it takes to weave them off.  I just have to decide on a design.  I will continue to scale up slowly until I'm sure I've worked out all the processes so that I'm getting good results.  This warp was 32 turns and so far the tension is fine, so that is feeling positive.

And it just dawned on me that the Megado has almost no vibration to speak of so I could actually listen to CDs on the boombox, not just the cassette tapes.  Hmm....more options!