Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Norwood 40 inch 4 shaft loom / SOLD


 I have for sale a 4 shaft beauty:  dark  Cherry 40 inch Norwood loom, It was built in Baldwin MI by the McGarr's and is just a gorgeous piece of furniture even  if it isn't warped. It has a bench that goes with it for $700. Located in Midwest Michigan. I used this loom all last summer and it is terrific condition for the age of the loom. The finish is so beautiful on this loom! It has the standard 1 yard round sectional beam. The Bench has tons of room. It has the one reed a 12 dpi. Contact me if you are interested

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Yes, some news. Decided to take the plunge and sold my Baby wolf. Have purchased a used 8 shaft Norwood from a lady in Ann Arbor MI. It is brand new but 30 years old, LOL. Like the car the little old lady only drove to church on Sundays. She had it priced kind of high but when my husband saw the condition he started taking it apart before I even started talking with the Lady. He really knows me well. She threw in,  a box of books mostly tapestry weaving, A box of yarns, a box of Handwoven Magazines most that I haven't got so this was so kewl!  Also an inkle loom and warping board. It was a real pain for Dave and fellow to load into the van so he is taking it to Toledo then NC.

Monday, April 23, 2012

2nd and 3rd lace/ pole dyed scarves



Here are the other two scarves that I've finished using the lace pattern from Weaver's Magazine summer of 1996 (Oh how I miss weaver's)  Issue 32 Found Treasure. Once they were woven separated and zigzagged, I attached them to a pole (with tape) then wrapped carpet warp( it turned out to be kite string lol), Scrunched them down, then poured dye over them. The yellow and green and blue scarves I poured the sabracet dye and batched them over night.  The purple logwood (Natural extract) one was set with heat.  I tried using rubber bands but they didn't really work very well I think due to the bulk of the material. The yellow and green was dyed and pole wrapped twice because the first time it was all yellow. I love how the blue turned into green but left patches of blue on the scarf. With the left over yellow dye I dyed one of my husbands old shirts that had some spots on it. It was made with polyester and cotton, the figures dyed darker than it originally was and my husband really likes it!


These two were dyed using Logwood extract. I didn't leave these in as long as recommended because I like the color where it was!  I also dyed some wool some with the shorter dye bath and some overnight. The overnight turned very dark purple. I've used the same heavy duty blue gloves for four years the logwood became permanent where all the other dyes didn't.  Even when the wool was rinsed till clear it left purple halos on my drying  frames. Really different than I expected.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Lace Pole dyeing project


Oddball one on the loom it is now blue!



Finished weaving the lace project on to dyeing. The first one I dyed using the traditional method with string wrapped around the pole then slid down. Dyed the first one Blue with Fiber Reactive dyes no heat used at all. 2nd one is batching it is very yellow. I may end up over dyeing it with a darker color. Used Rubber bands for the resist for the second one, a lot easier on my hands!
It turned out just the way I had envisioned it! Nice when that happens.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

A Weaving Studio At Last!

This is the right side facing the door. Sewing machine, baby wolf loom, Drum Carder and microwave for dyeing.


Right side facing back of studio. Three windows across the back room for my Glimakra Ideal and the AVL. Yarn storage at the end.

Yarn is almost all put away, have some up north still that will move in later. The Shower curtains are the blue and white over top of the storage cubes. They were all hot pink like in the first picture. We plan on enclosing the door and back of the room after DH has run electricity to his workshop, next door to me.
   We went to a small town near us and found a pretty gift store going out of business. I found a rack for my mug rugs and went back a couple of days later and bought a bracelet rack. All made of wire, dh had a point: me and plastic don't mix to well. It was nice looking but would have broken in a minute with me...
    I've been working on the Baby Wolf loom lately weaving lace for scarves. Less energy and stress on the old bod, getting very close to being recovered from the back surgery.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The other kind of Sheds

In this case it is a storage shed, now my studio. Finished painting, putting lower white peg board, and trim. Looking good. Now to some way cover over the hot pink insulation. I don't want to paint it, to high and I want it only to have a thin cover over the insulation. Went to Lowe's a couple of times trying to figure out what I could do, Talked with one of their workers whose mother was a weaver!
We priced out carpet too expensive, then she had the suggestion plastic which I already had thought about but black or clear? no.  I had wanted foam but I can't find it anywhere that thin.  Then it dawned on me Cheap shower curtains in different colors! cut to size and stapled. The $ store only had white, off white and blue. So I got blue and white. I will post pictures when all moved in. Can't wait!  All my books are moved, soon cones and other misc. I have three looms, a sewing area and a dyeing area! Exciting.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Chain of Command

Has the concept of Chain of command died? I Trained in many hospitals and was always taught to go to my supervisor with anything unusual first, then it traveled up the Chain of Command. I've been thinking a lot about Penn State's problems. The person who witnessed went up the chain of command and so did the Coach. Are they responsible for what the higher ups did or didn't do? Isn't the guilty one the one who abused the children?
In institutions, military, education this concept was followed, Is it wrong?

 When I was an LPN witnessed someone shooting up a med in the women's locker room. Reported it to my supervisor who informed me that the person had a medical condition. Now if instead I had called the police, What would have happened to the person with the illness, me and my higher ups? This was an innocent example but could have turned much worse if I hadn't gone to the supervisor.

If I reported something or had something reported to me, Might I lose my job if the higher ups didn't take care of the problem? Just bouncing something around here. What do you think?

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Good news, bad news and weird news.

good news, bad news and weird news! Bad news:  ah well. Surgery was postponed on Friday, abnormal EKG and a lab result. It has to be cleared by a Cardiologist.  Darn I was all psyched up to get this done and over with! I can pretty much predict when the pain is going to come in my lower back and legs. 3:30 or 4 pm. I feel ok in the morning so tend to overdo or do what I can early in the day.

Now on to the good news: bought an AVL, 24 Shafts, 60 inches,computerized, with a fly shuttle and auto advance. I've been wanting one since school finished in 2008  and have been watching adds. Had about given up when one popped up on the boards. It was in PA 500 plus miles but we went Friday and picked it up early Saturday morning. Such nice people!!  It was way cheaper than I expected or dreamed. She had been trying to sell it for awhile, needed her attic back and even tried to get AVL to sell it.  AVL  must have too many in that size or something. My gain!  I'm thrilled if you can't tell!   
   Saturday morning we went two hours early and the winter storm came early too. Snow and freezing rain Awful driving weather. Rained almost all the way on Friday. My poor sweetie the things I drag him into. I wanted to do it before my back surgery( which was cancelled on Friday). The other date was Thanksgiving break but I thought that would be too wintery , boy was I wrong on that score! This storm broke a lot of records, so early in October.

    Now for the weird news:  Dave went to the dermatologist and has what they call a Halo around a pink spot. They took it off and it isn't even basal cell. Guess these come to warn us that there is something going on.  So he has to go back to the oncologist. Probably a PET scan again. I hope this is nothing again, like his last PET scan 2 yr ago.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Oct wool Project / back surgery

To the left is two white fleeces, one is a suffolk and the other??That are ready for the Drum Carder.
To the right is this lovely  chocolate brown fleece. The Pictures below show the locks after they were cleaned. I didn't realize how much wool I had on hand to card and spin


I don't know if I'll be able to finish the brown. That is the last one that still  needs to be washed, picked and got ready for the drum carder. I am unable to stand to do the washing and drum carding right now. My back got really bad back in August of 2011. Had MRI and Xrays done and I need surgery, Decompression L4-5. Now that is involving the nerve, my feet are numb, Time for surgery. It has been a problem  off and on  for Ten years. I've taken my sisters advice and have lots of books to read and if I get desperate there is knitting, Cotton spinning on a takli or something I can do while healing. Dave knows a fellow (80 yr old) who had the same surgeon and he was doing real well four days after the surgery!