Blog

It being band weaving.

I’d stalled out a while back on my most recent band project because I found that my warp had some tension issues. Been meaning to re-beam it on the floor loom, but hadn’t quite gotten around to it.

Then I went to the February Spindrifters meeting, where one longtime member was seeking to re-home a bunch of crafting tools and supplies to the group. And I came away with an Inkle Loom!

It came with a brochure that gave me a general idea of how to get it set up, but it was a for a different brand that had a slightly different configuration. I did some searching online for the brand

but didn’t get any hits, so I’m thinking that they must not still be in business. I did find some looms with a similar tension setup, and was able to transfer most of my warp from the floor loom onto this little guy.

And here are the first few inches of my band

I think this is going to be fun- and it’s nice that it’s portable! I’m just getting a feel for how it works, and hopefully will be able to work quicker and more smoothly with some practice.

Also making progress on Candelaria. Body is complete, and I did a quick wet block and try on to make sure I was still on track sizing-wise. Also got another bobbin of Esther singles spun and washed, so I’m ready to tackle the sleeves.

In sheepy news, Fiona and Daphne are out of lockdown, and their hooves are showing improvement, so I am relieved about that. Neither of them seems particularly interested in the Pat Coleby mineral mix, but I’m leaving it out as an option. Dottie is still in her separate accommodations, but they get together frequently to chat through the fence. It seems to me that she is using the injured leg a bit more these days, but the progress is very slow.

The snow is gone, and things are pretty saturated and will likely stay that way throughout the spring. I am finding that greenery from fallen fir branches works pretty well to keep high-traffic areas from getting too mucky, and are fairly easy to clear and refresh. No shortage of evergreen material around here!

Alrighty folks. Have a good week- Nolite te bastardes carborundorum!

We have snow. ick.

But we also have seeds! yay!

It will be a while yet before any of these guys get planted, but these little packets contain hopes of strong stems, lush leaves, and bountiful fruits. All things that lift the spirit on dark winter days.

And we have sweater progress!

I have finally made up the length that I ripped back, plus a little bit I think. Took it off the needles for a quick steam block and try-on, and it appears that I am back on track. So yay for that 🙂

At some point I’m going to have to spin some more Esther singles to finish it up. Guess I should get on that so it doesn’t stall out. Looks like that was a Sophie spin. Thank goodness I kept at least some notes in Ravelry!

News from the pasture is that no-one is currently out on the pasture. I’ve decided that for a while at least, Fiona and Daphne are gong to be hanging out in the shed. This is due to their hooves being in rough shape. Keeping them in the shed, where I can monitor and treat them regularly and keep them dry and free of mud and debris, seemed like it might be the way to go for now.

They are not thrilled, but are being pretty decent about it, and Fiona’s sore foot seems to be showing improvement, so I’m hopeful that this temporary lockdown is helping.

also, decided to give the Pat Coleby sheep mineral recipe another try. I had some pre-mixed from when I gave it a shot years ago. None of my original sheep seemed interested in it, but Daphne and Fiona weren’t here at the time, so it’s new to them.

So now they have two mineral choices. Will be curious to see if either of them find the Pat Coleby mix palatable. Will let you know how it goes-

That’s about all the excitement here.

Have a good week everyone-

Another Country Living Expo is in the books.

A good day, with lots of folks excited about making stuff with wool.

But I think that a full day of classes is a bit much for me anymore. (Remind me of that next year before I overcommit!)

I had a little bit of time after lunch to hit the trade show, and found some lovely handcrafted items that needed to come home with me. First, these cute Made by Michelle zippered bags- one knitting project sized, and one coin purse size

and a handwoven kitchen towel from Hand Crafted by Di

The pattern really caught my eye. And it has such a nice weight and feel. I didn’t ask about the kind of loom it was woven on, but I’m guessing probably more than 4 harness. But maybe I’ll be able to make something like this someday.

Will have to look through this cool book I got from my mom for my birthday and get some ideas for my next weaving project-

And I think that’s about it for now. I got word that my Uprising Seeds order is on it’s way, so perhaps I’ll have that to share by next week!

Take care folks-

It’s been a while, but I finally have a Candelaria update–

You might be thinking,,,, “it doesn’t look like she’s any further along with this than she was 2 months ago”

And you’d be right. Kind of.

The truth is, I had made about 4 inches of progress on the below the armholes, but I knew something was off. The pattern called for casting on 34 stitches under each arm after putting the sleeve stitches on holders, so I did that, thinking- well, it’s supposed to be a loose fitting garment. But then recently I took it of the needles and realized that the body circumference was just way too large. So I had to bite the bullet and rip back to the underarms.

But since that point, about a week ago, I have reknit about and inch and a half, and it is feeling much more reasonable (cast on only 14 stitches under each arm this time). But the going is a little slow since the stitches are small (size 3 needles)

Been pretty chilly here recently, but by cold weather veg are still hanging in there out in the hoophouse-

Peas are even flowering, but I don’t think there are many pollinators available right now. Oh well.

And it’s time to start thinking about seeds for garden ’25!

A new tomato that I’m excited to try is ‘Cou di Bue Albenga‘. Aren’t they gorgeous? (picture ganked from web) Should make for some fabulous cookin’!

This year I think I’m going to shop locally, from Uprising Seeds in Bellingham, and try out a couple other things that are new to me- escarole, and possibly radicchio.

Alrighty. I think that’s about it for now. Have a good week, folks-

–