Keeping God Amused

I had a plan.  It was a good plan.  I was going to get soooo much accomplished this weekend.  Can you hear the chuckling now?

Doug offered to take over the pressing this weekend, which would free me up to work on the samples for Handwoven and the designer.  Great!  I was looking forward to having the 5 buckets of textiles pressed ready for the next step - trimming the fringes of the scarves/shawls Tuesday evening at guild, spending Wednesday getting everything tagged and priced so that Doug could start loading boxes with inventory on Thursday.  The van was going to have it's winter tread put on sometime during the week so once we loaded the van for the first show on Oct. 20/21 it would just get loaded back into the van ready for the next sale.  Everything was going to go smoothly.

Hear the chuckling yet?

We went up to the annex and I reviewed what needed to be done to the shawls/scarves, the finishing press for the tea towels and the yardage for the 'after' samples for A Good Yarn: Rayon, then came home to tackle some of the stuff here.

Well, it was lunch time, so why not start with that?

I hadn't even finished eating when the phone rang.  "The press has broken down, I can't get the press to release the cloth.  Come now!"

Off I went - by the time I got there Doug had figured out how to release the top 'jaw' but obviously it had to be fixed before he could continue so the boiler got shut down and he ran looking for parts and pieces to cobble a fix together.

The press is very old and made from cast iron so getting a replacement part is not really possible and even if it were, we need the press back up and running today!

I will be heading back up there in a few minutes to act as mechanic's helper.  In the meantime I started cutting apart the loom state samples for the rayon chenille Diversified Plain Weave sample for A Good Yarn: Rayon - and ran out of masking tape.

Surely you hear the laughter now????

Rat's Nest

Shortly after this photo was taken I finally gave up trying to salvage the rest of this skein.  I'd spent the better part of 2 hours winding it off and decided that I have enough yarn for at least one scarf warp and that was enough of an investment of my time in this skein.

I don't much like one pound skeins, especially when they are slithery textured yarn as this is.  In fact I thought the put up was 2 eight ounce skeins, so imagine my dismay when I discovered that of the four skeins I'd bought two of them were in fact one pound.

The first one pound skein wound off without too much difficulty but this one started misbehaving right from the get go and by the time I realized the squirrel cage swift wasn't doing a good job of controlling it, it was too tangled to try the umbrella swift instead.  So I carefully put it onto the Leclerc metal swift but in the end the loose ends tangled around the handle and the cross arms as well as themselves.

I threw away 6+ ounces of yarn with deep regret because the colourway is really pretty and I'd been looking forward to winding a scarf warp with it tonight.  Instead I have a sore back from constantly bending over the swift to untangle the yarn.

I can always make more money (to buy more yarn), I cannot make more time.
I can always make more money (to buy more yarn), I cannot make more time.
I can always make more money (to buy more yarn), I cannot make more time.

Currently reading The Unbidden Truth by Kate Wilhelm (and that's what I'm going to go do, right now!)

Unwinding

This is a squirrel cage swift.  I find that it works much better than the more common umbrella swifts that are available.  The skein behaves better in this orientation, so even when I'm using an umbrella swift, I will mount it with the axle horizontal rather than vertical as seen in every ad for them I've ever seen.  :)  Notice that I am taking the yarn off the bottom of the skein, preferably from the outside of it.  The skein is placed as low down on the swift as possible.  If it is up higher there is a tendency for it to tip if a snag develops.

And this is a Silver Needles cone winder.  It's not as good as an industrial cone winder but actually works quite well for doing small numbers of cones.  If used for any length of time the motor tends to overheat, eventually shutting itself off until it is cool enough to run again.  But for winding off of a skein, it does work.  I do find that placing the winder in this orientation when winding directly from a skein it works better than having it come from the side as I would if I were winding off of a cone.

The winder should never be left to wind off of a skein unattended.  If the skein is a dense or slippery yarn, the upper layers of yarn can cut down into the lower layers and snag.  The motor will stop winding, but does not shut off and therefore the motor could burn out if left stuck like that.  For yarns like rayon it is sometimes necessary to help the swift unwind so that the motor doesn't labour unnecessarily.

When we got the cone winder it did not have a vent to help cool the motor, so Doug cut one into the top and filled the hole with a piece of screening to help prevent fibres from being sucked into the hole - or anything else, like unwary fingers.

So while I tend to put off coning skeins off, it is necessary if I'm going to wind a warp.  If I'm just winding from the skein for weft I will take the yarn directly from the skein onto the bobbins.  I got the skein onto cones and will wind the 'sample' warp for the Handwoven article sometime today, in between running loads of textiles through the washer and dryer.

Heaps

After driving to Quesnel and back (90 minutes each way) today I felt like doing exactly.....nothing.  And that was pretty much what I did for the rest of the afternoon.

I did make a large pot of soup from the leftovers in the fridge which will feed us for the next few days because I have a feeling that after I'm done pressing on Sunday (and possibly Monday) I will feel like doing precisely.....nothing.

However, after examining the heap of textiles to be wet finished I realized I'd better begin tonight in order that I can have it all ready to be pressed on Sunday.  There are 6 loads to be done and the scarves may need several rinses depending on how much fugitive dye is left in them, so I began with them.

Tomorrow I will work on finishing off the last 2.5 yards of Diversified Plain Weave and hope to get it off by evening.  (Doug is having a buddy over to watch football - a perfect opportunity to work all evening.)

I have also decided on title and first sentence of the article for Handwoven so I will work on that, too.  In between I need to cone off the skein of yarn for the first sample, figure out how long a warp to make and maybe even wind the warp.

In other words, I have heaps of things to be done and ignoring them all really wasn't particularly helpful.  OTOH, I've learned that when my body and mind rebel like this, I'm further ahead to take the day off than force myself back into the harness, all good intentions aside.

I don't expect to get all the pressing done Sunday.  In addition to the above heap, there is also a large heap of tea towels needing their final press.  The goal is to get all the pressing done this weekend, trim the scarves and shawls Tuesday at guild and then Wednesday tag everything so that Doug can start loading the boxes with inventory for the first sale - UNBC's Artisans of the North, October 20/21.  There are 5 sales on 5 consecutive weekends before I can take some time off.  I have armed myself with heaps of jigsaw puzzles so I can veg and do something completely different.

(The rest of the sales in order:  Seattle Weaver's Guild sale, St. Mark's Cathedral meeting hall, Oct. 25-27; Studio Fair, Civic Centre, Prince George, BC Nov. 2-4);  Circle Craft, Vancouver, BC Nov. 7-11; Art Market, Calgary, AB Nov. 15-18.)

But my 'down time' won't be for very long because by mid-December I shall have to be getting the Jan/Feb workshop materials in order.  Not to mention continuing with A Good Yarn: Rayon and samples for the designer, if she likes my samples - which still have to be woven.  Heaps.

Currently reading The Girl of his Dreams by Donna Leon

Medusa Deadlines

To make things easier I cut the woven web from the apron rod (and beam), insert a plain beam and tape the cloth down to it.  You can't see it in the photo but I usually weave enough length that I can turn the raw edge under so I'm not taping to that but to the fold of the cloth.  Makes it easier to remove the tape from the web.

I'm feeling a tad overwhelmed right now as a Medusa head of deadlines looms over me.  Weaving this sample is very slow going - using two shuttles is more than twice as slow as weaving with one.  Plus the weaving rhythm is not regular - two picks with one shuttle, one with the other.  It's very difficult to get into my usual weaving zone so that everything flows smoothly.  It's a hop, hop, skip kind of thing and more often than I like I find myself with the wrong shuttle in my hand for the shed that is open.

But that is what this weave structure requires and the resulting cloth is so worth it!

It looks like I may be able to submit an article for Handwoven - right now I'm just waiting for final go-ahead - and therefore for the yarns to arrive.  I have a feeling it is going to be a huge push during the local craft fairs in order to get it all done.  So I'm trying to marshal my thoughts about the text - what I want to say, how I want to say it.  I've got the title but not the first line, which usually is my key to being able to write with focus and purpose.  And since Doug is now officially retired and willing to man my booth, he may wind up doing that while I'm scrambling to get the article done.  :^)

I'm also undecided if I ought to place a fill in order of bambu 7 from a local supplier in order to try to make the new scarf design.  Even if I get them woven, can I possibly get them finished in time?  But the longer I wait the less likely I'll be able to weave them at all unless I have enough to do a few short warps, just to have a taste of the new design in my booth.

There is also the sample warp for the designer - I'd really hoped to have cloth ready before the show in Vancouver so that we could actually have something to handle and discuss - she is going to try to come to the show to meet me in person.

Plus the weaving drafts for two of the workshops in February need to be reviewed, although that can probably wait until after the last show of the season - but that pot is very quickly coming to a boil.

The running back and forth to the van dealer this morning didn't help - first to be told there was nothing wrong, only to have it not stop playing on my second stop - so back to the dealer I went.  The good news is that they are ordering in a new audio system.  The bad news?  It won't be here until next week, and me with a 1.5 hour trip (there and the same back) to make on Friday.  I may stick the fuse back in and chance having 3 hours of the same cd for the trip.  Probably won't be Leonard though!

Currently reading Clear and Convincing Proof by Kate Wilhelm

Staying in the Now.....and Then

Although I try to live in the now, the work I do means that I must keep an eye on the future.  And so this week I have been reviewing my schedule for early 2013.

Some classes take more preparation than others.  Some classes need to have materials sent ahead of time and with the Christmas mail 'rush' and holidays coming up, those materials have to be sent early enough that people can prepare their looms, but hopefully not so soon that they get delayed in the mail.

My first trip in 2013 begins in January.

Jan. 20-25  Weaving Boot Camp  John C. Campbell Folk School

Jan 26-27  Magic in the Water  ditto

Jan. 29-30  Warping Fast and Weaving Smart  SEFAA in Atlanta, GA

Feb. 1  Guild program  Nashville TN

Feb. 2-3  Focus on Lace  Nashville TN

Feb. 9-10  Focus on Block Weaves Memphis, TN

These classes/workshops are now all accepting registrations.  I don't have links for Nashville or Memphis, but email me and I can give you email contacts for them.

My teaching schedule is pretty much full for 2013 so I'm looking for dates in 2014.  I try to find 2 or 3 groups to book me, especially if I'm travelling to the other coast as the getting there is so very expensive and it helps if several share the costs.

AVL and Elbows

I remembered to mount the cheese grater beam for this sample of Diversified Plain weave using rayon chenille and bamboo.  After weaving enough that the apron cleared the beam I wrapped the cheese grater on either side of the web with cloth to prevent the weft from catching on the metal and creating loops at the selvedge.

Many people complain about the cheese grater beam but it is necessary when weaving rayon chenille because the sandpaper just doesn't grip the nap of the cloth.  You need the deeper projections of the metal to reach past the nap and grip the woven structure.

Weaving at the AVL it is really important to sit high enough.  If your elbows are lower than the sandpaper/cheese grater beam you run the risk of abrading your elbows if you don't hunch your shoulders sufficiently to allow them to clear the beam.  With the metal you can literally wind up bleeding for your craft.  :^)

But perhaps more important is that if you are sitting too low the amount of foot pounds needed to open a shed, especially with multiple shafts rising, is such that you can very quickly start to have lower back problems.

We need to preserve our bodies from harm.  We only get one on our lifetime.  :)