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May your table always be full of food, your wine cup never run dry
and your house full of good friends and loving family to share it with.
We hope your new year is filled with happiness, health and peace.

Wishing you the best, Bety and Mr. Deepend.

The End of the Rosepath (for now)

I have been weaving steadily about 2 hours a night, 3 t0 4 nights a week. I've had broken warp threads, stuck harnesses, mistakes, unweaving, reweaving, cutting off and re-tieing. I have finished the Rosepath runner, well pieces of a runner, and it was a good experience, I figured out my feet and at one point had some type of rhythm working. Much to my dismay, I can't weave and pay attention to much else, I get confused and can't get back to what I was doing, yes Mr. Deepend has been warned to leave me at my loom without so much as a whisper to distract me.

Thanks to Theresa @ Camp Runamuck, I have viewed and taken notes on a wonderful dvd that explains warping. Let see if that can happen this time with more ease, you guys have promised that it does get easier every time I do it so I'm holding you to your word. LOL..

On our outing Saturday night my SIL who is a damn great interior designer hobbyist (Financial Guru by day) clued me into the fact that last winter was really cold here by Florida standards(yes it really was 30's and 40' are not normal some of your are chuckling I know). She bought a scarf to cover her neck, because she asthmatic and therefore vulnerable to the cold. She purchased only one and then figured she needed a few more to compliment her outfits for work but when she went back to Macy's, Dillards and Nordstrom they were sold out (yes she has expensive taste compared to my Penny's is the best place for clothes mind), so she thinks there's a niche for scarves in Florida, trust me I tried not to laugh out loud since you know Etsy is full of beautiful scarves should she have asked me then, but I do love her and think she a great lady, she's just not clued into the handmade movement yet, she'll come around. I figured she was eluding to needing another one for this winter, hence her Christmas present will be just that. I can't believe I'm already think Christmas presents.... that is so not right.

This is the draft I think I want to make for her scarf. It's simple yet challenging as it has all 10 harnesses working although I wish it were 8 only but I'm game to try it, I mean really how bad can it be? I really like the design plus I can tie up a few different variation to weave an extra scarf (that still tickles me pink that I can thread it once and just tie up differently to get different results, I love that, it just genius). I have the charcoal grey and tan Orlon yarns, that she can wash and dry without much fuss and with her being asthmatic, I don't want to give her any animal fiber just in case.

I found this draft on Handweaving.net
Title: A German Weaver's Pattern Book, 1784 - 1810
Author: Christian Morath, Joseph Murllman, and others
Date: 1784-1810
Description: A complete set of exquisite "Hin und Wieder" drafts from the pattern book of Christian Morath, Joseph Murllman, and others. Reprinted in June, 1961 by Nellie L. Galvin.

I will measure out my warp this weekend and hopefully get it on the loom by Monday.

Christmas Traditions

Some bloggers have written about the Christmas tradition they share with their families and I though it would be great to share one of ours with you. At our house one tradition is the hanging of the Christmas Nail. The nail itself is 8" long, when I purchased the nail 10 years ago it came with a poem:

This is the Christmas Nail. It is to be hung on a sturdy branch, a branch near the trunk, a branch that will hold such a spike without being noticed by well-wishers dropping by to admire one's tinseled tree. The nail is know only to the home that hangs it. Understood only by the heart that knows its significance. It is hung with the thought: The Christmas tree but foreshadows the Christ tree which only He could decorate for us, with nails such as this.

Although the poem is poignant to our family it is the True Meaning of Christmas.

Christmas Presents

One of my goals on my vacation was to weave I wanted uninterrupted time with my loom, I got some of that not a lot but some and it was fantastic.

I started on one of the few Christmas presents I"m weaving this year. I warped my loom with 6 ft cotton chenille, 12.5 dpi Heddle and 220 warp threads later I came up with this design. I like the colors, of course they are earth tones, which is the realm I drift to. I have some jewel tones just to add spice, but really these are the colors of my SIL's house because it's going to be an afghan for her and her walls are Cafe of Lait the sectional is Espresso leather and the wood is all rich deep walnut, really how could I go wrong. I did the Brooks Bouquet lace pattern on the edges and the rest is straight tabby weave. I'm finding that this time the chenille is sticky and the warps are not lifting properly. I've added weight to the back of the loose warps and cranked it as tight as possible. Hopefully I will finish this week, and wrap it up for Christmas. I'm debating with myself about warping for a table runner for my other SIL, or maybe some place mats, but the troops at my house(actually Mr Deepend) is complaining that our place mats and dishtowels are looking ratty, so I may just skip my SIL's and do some as a gift to my kitchen.

As you can see in this close up the Brooks is done correctly this time, amazing what can be accomplished if you follow instructions, hehe..

This is the previous attempt see the difference, those little cross hairs? Yeah I know live and learn, but I like them both and who knows I may use the mock Brooks again.

Let the Season Begin!

I love Christmas, and nothing in my house herald's in the season unlike the smell of pine from the tree, the cinnamon scented pine cones and the installation of my Christmas Village. It takes me two days to complete and only one month to enjoy but it's always worth the work.