It's the end of Q2 '19 (5)

I spent way too much time making this cute little mug bag.

Realistically I'm not going to finish anything else by the end of June four days from now so I might as well sum them up now.

• I finished the little cell phone bag to carry my phone about when I don't have pockets.
• I tried to weave a doublewidth blanket from stash yarn and ignored all the things I know about yarn and it failed. I'm still counting it as a project that is complete. And the scraps went into my mug bag
• Scraps from the above failed project above became mug bag, with the addition of a cardwoven band that I wove 2 or more years ago, a piece of marbled fabric I made YEARS ago, and a kumihimo braid I just made to coordinate with the band. It's just big enough to hold a coffee mug. I freely admit to having sewn the button on in July but will count it as Q2.
• I knitted a pair of socks that are warm and wonderful.
• I finished the rep placemats for the new kitchen but might relocate them to the lodge.



Awesome placemats, crappy photo.

• I'm not counting the 6 class samples from The Weavers School.

Q3? I'm still thinking about it, but I suspect it will include some mosaic work, Mystic River, and a card woven lanyard for the guild meetings. The rest is to be determined!

The Weavers School

I spent last week at the Weavers School in Coupeville, WA. What a beautiful place, and I learned so much!!! I learned some basics of weaving, like the proper way to wind a bobbin. More importantly I learned to look at blocks in weaving, and from a block design how to substitute in different weave structures, and how to figure out all the pieces (threading, treadling and tieups) needed to weave it. I wove samples in 6 different weave structures, learning how to tell if I had the right beat. I met a bunch of wonderful weavers and had a very good time. Photos are here, most with notes in the info field. I expect to clear my looms soon and start working on something I learned in class!

Placemats on the Gilmore loom

I feel in love with a new loom in class... I may or may not sell my larger loom and buy a new one. I came home and wove a bit to see how I felt, and the thing that annoyed me the most is advancing the warp. M had told me it was kitted out with the anti-spin kit but somehow it was still spinning. I had S take a look at the documents and there's a missing piece of wood! Gilmore is shipping a new one to me for the cost of postage, which is very kind of them, and S will put it on for me as soon as the placemats I mentioned in the last post are done. I'm about 10 inches of weaving from the end.

The failed alpaca blanket in the last post? I sewed together two parts of the scrap that I'd woven into a mug bag for guild meetings. I lined it with some marbled cotton I made years ago, and plan on using a card woven band as a strap. I think I'll need a tie to close it, so will try kumihimo. I should have it ready for the July meeting.

Mystic River continues, I'm about half way down the back. Apparently the pattern is Feather and Fan, not to be confused with Old Shale; this article explains the difference for any who are interested.

The real time sink the last two months has been the house.  We're doing a kitchen remodel as well as all kinds of yard things like tree and brush removal; it's felt like a slog but I'm hoping that things level out in the next few weeks so I can get back to enjoying my craft instead of just sneaking it in. And hope to be back to cooking...