Extra Large Cowl

I made an extra large cowl......it wasn't my plan.  I had started out with writing out the plan for what size I wanted, and how many ends I'd have, how wide and how long.  Got that all down on paper.
Then I started winding the yarn.  The yarn spoke to me and I ended up with something twice as wide as I'd planned on.
That's ok.  I go with my gut when I'm weaving.  I'm not a very structured person....in anything I do.  So this was fun.
I wound my warp.  I tried several different yarns in the weft.  I ended up using the same yarn as the warp and I'm really glad I did.  I LOVE this piece.

I probably should have worn a contrasting shirt in the photos so it's easier to see.  Oh well.....

The warp was 120" long.  I tied it on and left 29" at the front end before weaving.  This is so that I can weave the front end, into the back end when I get done weaving the actual body of the fabric. 
One slight problem with that.....the loom is not 29" from the front beam to the beater bar, which is the space I need to weave back in.  But I didn't THINK about that before I started.....
Everything works out for a reason.  The opening that is toward my waist, is larger than the opening near my neck.  That works - if the opening near my waist was NOT as wide as it is, it would not FIT me down there and I'd have a LOT of fabric up around my neck - and I don't have much of a neck....

So the fact that I could not weave in all 21" of warp into the body actually worked out for the best. The fringe is all braided (6 hours) and then done in a trellis braid.  I love the fringe..........

The color is off in this photo because I was in the sun, and squinting.  But I can put the fringe part in the front of my body, and wear this as a hood.  There is plenty of fabric and it covers well.

This is also large enough for me to wear over a thin coat.  Not that I have a thin coat that matches.....

I do love this tho, and it will remain MINE!

Today I have a lot to do.  I have laundry, and I need to bathe Gabbi, brush her out, blow dry her, clip her nails and do her anals (ew).  I need to brush Evan out as he's blowing coat everywhere!  His nails will get done also.  I am hoping that I receive a schedule for volunteering at the hospital with him for November....we need to get back to that.

I'm hoping to get another project warped on the Baby Wolf today, and I need to get photos taken of my Nilus Leclerc as I'm going to sell her.  I really like the Baby Wolf much better.  I'd like to get a Mighty Wolf (36" weaving width) as the Baby Wolf is only 26".  I'd also like a Wolf Pup eventually - for the narrower projects.  We'll see..........one thing at a time.  Get the Leclerc sold, and I can hopefully get a MW to replace her.

Off to get on with my day.  Gonna be a busy one to get everything done that I want to get done!

Life, in general

Life the last week has been a bit......rough.  I started not feeling well on Tuesday.  I awoke with a stuffy head, headache, ears ringing, and a tummy thing.  I have IBS which seems to rear it's ugliness now and then....sometimes for no apparent reason.  At least, not that I can figure.

I finally took some aspirin (thank you dear hubby) and felt better - somewhat.

Weds I was ok, still having trouble with tummy.

Thursday I thought my tummy troubles were over...I won't go into detail.

Friday I felt pretty good - good spirits, tummy wasn't upset......yeah, that was short lived.

Saturday I got up and felt horrible.  I had another headache and ears ringing really loudly - like I'd gotten drunk and gone to a concert and stood in front of the speakers.  That didn't happen...I don't lead that interesting a life!

I spent a lot of time in the bathroom on Saturday.  Ugh.  I slept a lot too.  I just felt drained and horrible and sleep let me not feel it.

Today (Sunday) didn't start out great, but it's not as bad as Saturday was.  Thank God.  I've been able to eat a bland diet of crackers, plain broth, a bit of mashed potatoes, and some plain toast.  I'm afraid of over-loading my poor worn out system.....but I'm hungry.

I'll have some more plain toast before bed.

Tonight we watch the season finale of "Against the Wall" - two hours that starts at 8 a.m.  Then I'll get to lay in my flannel sheets ( I LOVE flannel) and I'll sleep once again.

Praying that tomorrow I feel much better.  I need to try to figure out what set this off.  I did start eating salads at the beginning of the week, but who knows if that was it, or what happened.

I have my follow-up doctor appointment on Tuesday.  That could also be the issue - I don't feel nervous, but that's how my IBS works - if I don't feel nervous about something, it flairs up and reminds me I can't hide from myself.  I'll find out on Tuesday what the next five years of follow-up will consist of.  

I know this wasn't an exciting post.  I don't have any photos that are new.  The leaves are turning, Fall is here, not that it gets that colorful here in this part of VA....not like PA, or NY, or New England.  But it's pretty enough. 

I did start a new warp on the loom.  I can't wait to get working on it, but I just didn't have the energy the last 2 days.

Praying this week is all good.................and in November, I can finally get back to volunteering with my dog!

I've been busy!

I have been busy - I made 2 more baby quilts.  The first one I love the Moda squares, but I made it too big.  The second one I don't love (the Moda squares) but, I found some fabric in my stash and I thought it went pretty well, so I had fun quilting it.  And it's smaller, much better for baby right now.

Front of too large baby quilt

Back of too large baby quilt

Free motion quilting - gone wild!

Above is the first baby quilt that is too large.  But I LOVE the colors.  :-)  It'll come in handy one day....I hope!  Meanwhile, dear daughter wanted a smaller one for baby....

Front of smaller quilt

Back of smaller quilt (it's actually green)

More free motion gone wild quilting!

I like the above quilt because it's smaller.  This is my first attempt at stitch in the ditch with a darning foot - boy was it tricky!

 I also wove a scarf, Saori style, with wool - which I don't usually wear.  This is so wild and out there, and it's not that itchy. lol.  It's pretty wide - wide enough to throw over your head if you have to.

Saori Mobius scarf

Long enough to wrap around me twice and throw up over my head!

This was fun to make.  I have many ideas for the next one - it won't be wool, and it won't be as wide, and it won't be as long, but not much shorter than this either.  Then there will be another wide one I think....just to play with the way it hangs, etc.  Someone showed me a scarf that also had a hood attached.  I liked that idea also.

Today I've been busy also.  The horse vet came at 9 this morning for Fall shots (boosters).  Before he even arrived, I was able to chat on IM with my friend in Australia.  It was really great to chat with her.  Good ole Facebook chat.  Ha ha.

After the horse vet, I came in and got Gabbi and Evan outside to groom them.  Evan got a good brushing - some day his undercoat is going to get spun and woven into something - when I learn to spin!  Gabbi needed a hair cut and it doesn't look too awful.  She hates going to the groomer.  Last time, I picked her up and she was panting and shaking and was clinging to my arm all the way home.  I felt awful.  Neither of us likes me doing it, but at least she doesn't stress as much as at the groomer!  Besides, I save myself $50 every time I do it......so that's incentive enough for me.  
 

Gabbi on the left, Evan in front, and Leo in back.

Evan is never too happy about Leo taking over the dog beds during the day, but he did sit there and pose like the diva he is!  lol.  At night, Leo gets kicked outta the room because he attacks feet and sleeps on the bed. 

When I got Evan, he was allowed to sleep on the bed.  But he always pushed his legs against me at night - very uncomfortable.  When we got Gabbi a year later, we tried to let them both sleep on the bed.  Dear Hubby would wake up during the night, and Gabbi would be snuggled under the blankets, underneath HIM.  We were both afraid he'd squish her!  Eventually, they both were told they had to sleep on the floor. Sometimes ya just gotta be tough.  Yes, we have a king size bed.  No, it wasn't enough room - and really too dangerous for Gabbi. 
The other thing she would do is jump off the bed and she already has badly luxating patellas on her back legs.  If you don't know what this is, here is a link.  We had steps we bought to put at the foot of the bed, and she'd use them to get ON the bed, but she would jump off.  So, in order to save our sanity and her legs, they get to sleep in those 4 dogs beds, that reside under a shelf in a cutout in the wall.  Above them is the shelf that holds the tv.   It boils down to the fact that I need my sleep and when I don't have it.....I'm not a happy person!

I was supposed to go upstairs and unweave something I started about 6 weeks ago on the large loom, but I haven't had the motivation to go do it.  I also need to wind a warp for another scarf, and I have towels I want to get started (Christmas is coming!).  I know that's going to be a LONG warp and was planning on doing it on Lulu (the big loom) but there is a really LONG blue 5/2 warp on there (the one that needs to be unwoven and something new started with it).  I'm just having an issue with exactly what I want to do with the blue warp - I'm NOT taking it off and wasting it!  Cotton is too expensive!!!   I had a plan when I put it on....it's just that I don't like what it is, so gotta change it.  I have some ideas so when I decide, I can get moving on that. 

I've actually found something interesting.  I like using my large loom - but it's a lotta work to actually weave on it. I love HOW it weaves and I love that I can put a long warp (which for me has been up to 15 yards) and it's not hard, and I can get up close to thread the heddles.  I like the way my Baby Wolf weaves tho - it's so EASY.  I'm not crazy about some of how it's put together tho.....it's not as heavy duty, and I've had issues with the tension because my dowel on the front wasn't tied on evenly.  I think my ties are waaaaayyyyy too long, but I'm afraid of cutting them.  I think the wise idea will be to get some texsolve cord, and I can try that without damaging my current ties.  The BW is so easy to weave on tho.....not so easy to thread (it's the older model that the back beam doesn't come off).  I think I just need to keep working with the BW and get used to it.

OK, well, I've not been blogging for awhile and now, I've dumped everything in one blog.  Prolly not the wisest decision.  Oh well.  I was in the mood to do this today.  Believe it or not, I actually have more to talk about, but I think that's it for today. 
Have a wonderful day!

October

Hi.  I don't even know if anyone is left to read my blog.  I know, it's been awhile.  I have had some issues with my health, both physical, and because of that, some mental.  I haven't felt like my happy self in order to blog.  I decided today, I just need to get on with life and quit feeling sorry for myself.  Let's see if this works.....

I can't believe it's almost the middle of October already.  It's crazy how fast this month always seems to go for me.  Sigh...I love October.  I can't really tell you why - I guess because the weather cools off (I dislike hot weather), the leaves turn colors (but not as great as they do up North) and I just overall enjoy this season of change.  Of course, this season of change leads to the shorter daylight, longer darkness days, and naked trees, and colder weather.  When I'm in this house, I'm not usually warm in winter weather.  But I do enjoy winter weather - if I can be warm, and even if I'm out in it.  Yeah, I'm weird.  I once told DH that I'd go back to Upstate New York in a heartbeat, if we had the opportunity.....but our birthplace has not had great job opportunity for a long time, and taxes are higher in NY than they are here in VA.

At any rate.....I'm trying to pull myself back into the good place I like to be, even if DH sometimes thinks it's a bit of a place of denial for me.  So what, as long as I'm happy and I'm not hurting anyone else????!!!!!!  LOL

We went to the Apple Harvest Festival at Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria VA on Saturday.  I would have stayed the entire afternoon, listening to music, sitting in chairs (that we brought in the car, but DH refused to bring them out and sit them in the seating area near the music), just people watching and relaxing in the beautiful weather.  It did get a little warm for me tho - mid 70s - yeah, again, I know, I'm weird.  I love the 60s - music, weather, etc.  LOL.  Anyway, we walked around, then I wanted to sit so we did find a picnic table that had some empty space at it, and DH went to get us some food (after hitting the porta-potty).

THE ENTRANCE

THE BAND

THE FOOD

THE ENTRANCE

FOOT BRIDGE

THE WATER

The water is so clear and beautiful.  The creek is really shallow.  It was in the 70s (F) and people were standing in it.  It's just a lovely place.  Very nice and peaceful - even with a lot of people there!  Well, at least I think so.....again, I'm weird.

We didn't buy any apples - they weren't that great a deal, they weren't that great looking, and we don't use a lot of apples.  But, we did get a jar of their applesauce which is yummy!

I wonder if anyone can tell me why I spent a bunch of time trying to put a label on my photos in Photobucket, and when I download the photos, they show the label (writing ON the photograph) but when I add the photos, the writing disappears????  I really need a really GOOD photo program that doesn't cost $100 + !  Any advice?

So this is my try at getting back to a normal me.  I hope it worked.  Enjoy the photos.  It was a lovely day.  We have had some wonderful weather.  It's supposed to rain tomorrow and the next 2 days after that, but then another stretch of awesome Fall weather and I just LOVE it - well, except for my allergies.  I have NO idea why I'm suffering so much this year....a bit tired of it as it's difficult to enjoy the weather and being out when I'm sniffling, gagging and choking.  Well, there went THAT good mood, eh?  Sorry.


Martha