A Little Bit Of Loom Time

 Since knitting is still very tiring for my right hand. Not to mention that it is hard to knit more than a few rows a day. Also I should not be spinning tons of new yarn just to sit in bags on my shelves.  I decided to try a bit of weaving.  

Why weaving you might ask. Well for one thing I use 2.5 times more yarn in a weaving project than a similar knitting or crochet project.  That is a very good thing right now, since the new winter shawl that I started in January still has one skein more of yarn to go before it is finished.  Another reason is that it is now April 10th and I have not completed one project this year.  Yes, you have read that right, nada, not one completed project has been completed for 2023.  Yes, I am giving my hand time to heal after multiple  surgeries in January and February on my right hand.  Yes, I am making very slow progress. Also the older I get the longer it takes to heal.  

Well the news isn’t all that bad. Since I have brought the looms, yes plural looms out last week, I have almost completed one scarf.  It took 2 1/2 skeins of yarn.  I took it off the smaller loom last night.  I gave it its hot water bath this morning.  With the temperatures in Tucson in the low 90’s it should be dry by sometime tomorrow. Then I can do the finishing touches on it. 

On the larger loom I have a cotton open weave shawl going in a variegated yarn.  This is my first attempt at open weaving.  The first few inches look fantastic.  I can’t wait to see what design the yarn will make.  A 2nd scarf was started on the smaller loom tonight. I am using up a bunch of bulky yarn on a 5 dent heddle. In English that translates to 5 warp threads per inch.  Where the shawl is a much denser 12 warp threads per inch. A huge difference in the time it takes to warp the loom., not to mention the time it takes to weave each piece. It took 4 hours to warp the shawl and less than 30 minutes for the scarf.  

So without further ado here is an almost side by side of both looms.   With a picture of the open weaving too.  The bottom of the open weave will be straighter once it is taken off the loom   

Crazy Times

It has been so crazy around here the last couple of days with Eric being sick, that when a bird flew into to the house and got trapped in the living room on Saturday morning it was just one of those oh well moments. Thanks to Eric's aide Nicki we got the bird to walk out the front door. That is just about the least crazy thing happening around here. Eric has been making laundry like crazy, 3 full loads today which would have been 12 in the old washer, and I did not even get to my clothes.

I went to my local Tevana store to pick up some of their new Bellini flavored tea that has been available on line for about a week only to be told that I can't buy any locally until tomorrow. I asked if they had it and they said yes but we can't sell it until June 27th. A really bad marketing move on their part. They have sent an email every day this week touting this new tea, yet they won't sell it to me 1/2 mile from my house.

I bought a smaller loom with a narrower profile so that I could weave in Eric's room when he wants company. That means that I need to sell my Gilmarka 19 inch ridged heddle loom. This has lead to funny things like someone actually telling me that looms were used to design knitting patterns, so since it was a business item, I could not sell it on a particular page. I really can't make this stuff up. I then had to explain looms were for weaving fabric like for blue jeans and knitting needles were used for designing knitting patterns.  I think selling the loom might be a little harder than I thought. Do you know anyone that wants to buy a loom?

I actually ran out of Tylenol for Eric on Saturday, which lead to my Ganga for the week. With 1- 25% off coupon and 3- $5.00 coupons from the store for prior purchases. I was able to pick up 2 bottles of Tylenol for Eric for 32 cents. Ganga is Tucson speak for a really great deal.  I have not gotten a deal like that in a long time.

It has also been a little over a week that I have not been able to knit. My hands should have fixed themselves by now.I am really going crazy.

Redundant Post

You might have already guessed.  I am writing this post from Eric's room. He is sick again. We did not even make 7 days between yucks this time.  He has an awful cough and a tempature of slightly over 100.  I am waiting for him to settle in for the night so I can get some sleep.  

It seems really weird to sit here in Eric's room and not to be able to knit. I even passengered across town today without knitting.   I am following my doctors orders, no mater how hard it is.  So instead of knitting I am deep cleaning closets deciding what I don't really need to keep.  The craft de stash has begun.  I am slowly piling things to go on the dining room table.  Check with me if you have been coveting some of my craft supplies to see if the item has or will make it to the destash table.  The larger items I will try to sell local first.  Smaller items that can be shipped will go up for sale once I figure out the prices.  My talley for the week is one loom gone, one loom listed and one tapestry loom pending pricing. 

There is a silver lining to my very sore hands. I found a spare feeding pump bag for the kangaroo Joey, so I do not have to take time to repair the one that is falling apart.   More space.  Less repair work. Yeah!!!

Sunday

I might be over the cold, but the I am still extremely tired.  I really feel that I lost a week do to the cold.  I am so far out of sync that I think I will need a week or 2 to get back in sync. Eric is still making lot of laundry. Eric is doing pretty good this week.  I stopped after 6 loads today, and did not get through all the laundry.  

Thankfully I received a phone call today to remind  me about a meeting this week.  I thought it was next week. I really did lose a week.  So I took an hour to get ready for the meeting.   I even managed to get the Adgenda typed up on my iPad.  I have not figured out how to email it out from the program.   Although I did manage to get it to print.  I went 1 step further and loaded the car tonight to make the morning go more smoothly.  

In between naps I finished knitting the scarf that I started last night.  I also wove about 8 inches on the scarf on the loom.  I might even get the scarf off the loom this week.  Then the rag rugs will start on the 19 inch loom and a scarf on the 10 inch loom.   I will try to catch up,on knitting hats, I only have 18 out of the 60 hats completed. 

Well it is time to get Eric ready for bed.  Maybe we can skip the 3 am kicking off the covers tonight.