Interesting day, high and low tech

I was lugging a couple of bags of potting soil through the house this morning, to fill more pots and decided I'd better take a walk immediately to avoid back issues, and it seems to have worked.  I'm quite ahead of time with the pots ready for seed, as you see

Last night, one thing and another, online meetings interrupted by Gary with plant questions, I went to bed forgetting the patio door was wide open. I found out this morning when I noticed the furnace running..

Anyway my knitting friend who originally gave me the cotton bolls from which I extracted the seeds now wants to reserve one of my seedlings because hers aren't doing well. So that will happen when she says, because she's a master gardener and knows this stuff 😉

I heard the #$#$ in the White House had been manipulating the stock market again, as well as bombing, so I thought I'd check my retirement account such as it is. Hm. 

I decided if I needed anything now's a good time, since my stocks are up. No, I don't sell at the top of the market, but I can afford to use a bit of my divi for fun. Thereby pulling something good out of evil doings.

Sooo I thought instead of mulling about a narrow band loom, why not just get one and make bandweaving more portable than back strap method.

So this is on its way 

They market it as a beginner loom, no idea why since bandweaving isn't exactly beginning weaving, but I think it will work for me.

And I'd been having all kinds of problems with one of my tablets, dropping out of online meetings, showing no Wi-Fi even though connected when the other devices were online, etc, very puzzling despite all workarounds including the nuclear clear everything off the browser and start over. But it still balked, and it's losing battery faster. I think it's just worn out, aren't we all.

So while I was on a shopping roll, I decided on this 

Not expensive, marked down, probably because a newer shinier one is coming in, and in blue. For $20 more you can have it in grey. Make it make sense. 

I found it as "best value" on a couple of consumer report sites, so okay.  I won't agonize over it. It's replacing one that's done fine for several years, and was also low-cost. 

And I'm getting ready to ship out various art works to friends here and there, part of my deaccessioning. Posh art term for winnowing. I had to order package tape, but I can use the cardboard cases the potting soil came in, cut down, as protective stiff inserts for the packages. Waste not etc.

Oh, and the shoelaces are in action, with gold aglets.

Acrylic metallic gold paint. Works a treat.

Happy day everyone, I'm hoping for a quiet evening to read my current mystery. Living in hope. 

Sez Ted and Big Ursy and Pony and Ursula 

 

Caution: woman at work

I took a walk this morning to loosen up my back, which was stiff, after a lot of searching and arranging and losing and finding various tools. The walk worked, it usually does.

I walked over carpets of whatever these blue flowers are 

The tool frenzy is about the upcoming narrow bandweaving plans. I'm wondering about a narrow band loom, more portable than back strap, and just right for the bands.

I briefly considered making one then decided maybe I should for once do it the easy way. We'll see.

Meanwhile I thought I should organize the various tools I have around the house and then I thought you might like to see them. If not, scroll on!

Here's my range of rigid heddles, from the smallest on the right on top of another, which I carved from a piece of stiff plastic and wove lanyards with, to the latest, yet to be used for bandweaving,  to the medium one I wove something on, probably that scarf, to the biggest I used for that little mat now in the bathroom.

The one at the back is set on heddle blocks which fit the other wooden heddles. These hold the heddle up vertically so you can thread it.  Heddles come in sizes and dents, meaning warp ends per inch, epi, which is the equivalent to knitting stitches per inch. My new one on the left is a 10 dent.  

Heddles keep the warp threads organized and evenly spaced, and lifting and lowering the heddle enables you to make alternate sheds, the space your weft thread travels through back and forth to create fabric. It's a simple and brilliant invention, around for thousands of years.

Then there's other weaving tools, mostly either historic or diy.

There's a container of artisan-made weaving sticks I've made straps with, for bags I've woven on one of those cardboard thingies. They're all purpose-made cardboard looms I made for specific projects, from parts of clothing, to bags to potholders. 

In the bag on the floor are the sawblades for circular artworks I've shown you before, and on top a lovely artisan made and signed tapestry loom I've made small artworks on. 

Somewhere I have the green metal potholder loom from Harrisville, not sure where, on which I've made potholders and runners.  

And my little pinloom may be in a picture somewhere. I've made a ton of squares on it, also artworks incorporating wire. As you see, these looms defeat my capacity to organize them.

Then there's spinning 

These are carders, used in the processing of fleece into roving for spinning. I used them to process that cotton you saw a while back though strictly speaking they're for wool rather than cotton.

That round metal thing is my version of a diz. It's an ancient tool you feed roving through, that tiny center opening, to help the drafting -- drawing out evenly to spin better -- and I used an old button back. My own drafting is inexpert, so this helped with consistency. 

Then there are spindles used to spin yarn from roving. Left is a spurtzleur, a modern idea in beautiful wood by an English artisan, using only wood brought down naturally by wind and rain. 

Then three wooden Schacht spindles, the biggest the one I used for plying, that's spinning strands together for yarn.  The green one is 3D computer-printed to order, and has a wonderful balance. 

On the right are two spindles designed to be used with the end supported, to spin fine thread such as silk. I've just done a bit with them and need more practice.

And knitting, crochet and Tunisian crochet come with their own tools, just a few here 

Top left is a measuring device to measure sizes of crochet hooks and knitting needles and to measure gauge. 

Since UK and US sizing works differently you sometimes have to make sure. Also my bamboo needles are all mixed up in a drawer and I measure to be sure I get the right size for the current project. 

You see regular crochet hooks and long ones with knobs on (!) which are Tunisian crochet hooks, for a cross between knitting and crochet. And you'll recognize my lucet there.

Oh, and there's the pinloom, I knew it was somewhere. That little blue metal square makes little weavings which need no finishing after they come off the loom. That's a vintage one, with its original needle,  much better than modern adaptations.

And the Harrisville potholder loom, all American, showed up among a bunch of embroidery.

 

A lot of people recognize this one from making potholders for your mom at camp. It's a really beautiful tool, much better than the plastic imitations. The teeth are designed to hold the loops just right so they don't fly off.

So that's a lot of my fiberarts tool kit. I'm like that old guy with a collection of nails he insists on showing you, explaining lovingly all their functions and where he's used them. And you nod and smile and look for your Uber..

And here's a spinning weaving knitting adjacent item

The cotton plants blazing ahead.

Anyway, if you got this far, you know what gets me up in the morning! Thanks for sticking it out if you did 

Happy day everyone 

 

Early flowers and Misfits

 I was out early, no no walking and looking at flowers this morning, at a cool time,  in anticipation of 90°f temps this afternoon.

Here's the honesty that planted itself in the sage container, and other places, not where I'd planted it. The empty strawberry pot is where I planted seeds.

This one is the plant Mary and Steve told me to leave alone. It's a bit different from the others, though, the flower heads with fewer petals, but it's honesty. I'll take it.

And here's the almost last of the daffodils 

It looks like another flower maybe a bit like the columbine? It's a narcissus of some kind, but more sculptural than the other frillier daffodils.

I finished the shoelaces and learned quite a bit about the yarn which every now and then sort of seized and wouldn't slide through the knot. I think yarn fatigue. Anyway I had to learn some fixes, too, using a crochet hook and darning needle, all good. What happens when it sticks is a stray loop that can't be eased in. But when that happens after two feet of braiding, you don't want to start over. And I haven't found a way of unpicking that works. Workarounds rule.

I think part of the difficulty is that I was working off a center pull ball. This changes the twist on the yarn as it gets under way. I think next time whatever yarn I use I'll use outside pull. Anyway, next, on to the aglets.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I have a couple of other ideas to try, using materials I have. I don't have super glue, nail polish, a hair dryer nor heat gun. I'm committed to using what I have for this project, so, onward.

Then Jeff arrived with the Misfits box, shortly after Gary unloaded a huge container of rice on me (he's moving, winnowing his food supplies). I'll nudge him about the food pantry in this process. The rice is now divided into smaller containers and in the freezer.

Here's cans for the food pantry, choc treats for the Great Me, Envy apples, they're so good, crisp and juicy not tart, container of organic wildflower honey, two lots of shrimp, which will be good with some of that mass of rice, block of vital cheddar cheese, container of tiny sardines, for putting on toast for tea.

Salad greens, bananaz, beautiful smelling strawberries, to go with yogurt, some mozzarella shredded cheese, because the last lot made a wonderful pasta sauce. 

This is a small order, and I thought I'd ordered bread, but seem not to have.  I'll live. It's probably a sign to make baguettes. They'll be good for shrimp sandwiches with greens. I might even make mayo. But let's not get carried away now.

Happy day everyone, knit on. When the current sock and the aglets and the notebooks are done, I'm going to embark on the bandweaving adventure.

 

 

A day of many parts

Yesterday was the first day of great weather for walking in the evening, light enough, warm enough and insect free enough. A stroll to the pond happened.

There's  a scruffy old squirrel's nest up there.  The nest, I don't know if the squirrel is scruffy.

Today started before dawn, when I woke ready to start the day. I was out watering plants outside because the forecast was for this 

and it's been dry for days. Then I watered all the indoor plants, same reason, the house will be warm and they'll appreciate the help.

And a session with April and Aiko, for lower back issues. My sciatic ouch has diminished significantly since I got back into these particular exercises. Also since the cold finally went away, taking the jaw pain and leg pain with it. I suppose a virus attacks the weakest links. 

Then for some plain repairs, starting with Gary's hoodie, which is not a good design. 

A nice screen printed image on woven gauze, bonded onto a knitted hoodie. Recipe for failure, and it happened. He put it on, the hoodie stretched, the screen print tore away. I put in a few stitches, allowing for stretch and we'll see.

Then there are my favorite jeans which either have stretched or I've shrunk. So I did my favorite simple alteration.

Inserted elastic inside the back of the waistband to draw it in a bit. That should save endless hitching up.

At noon there was an AARP online Tai chi session with a very good instructor.

After half an hour of moves, Tai chi not my strength, I get my arms mixed up, he had us sit to do more, this being designed for older people. 

So I took his picture at that point and next thing I knew after breathing and relaxing, I was waking up to his thanks for a lovely session.

This was a nice afternoon for sitting in the shade listening to birds and dozing and generally enjoying the day.  There was the last of the daffodils, the distant trees starting to leaf out, the spicebush at peak and the honesty getting into bloom.

Braiding is continuing with the shoelaces moving along. I have ideas for aglets in fact I dreamed of one idea

The notebook I made the other day has been received happily by a knitting friend, and there will be a couple more 

This is another couple of images from the same art catalog.

Happy day everyone, online this evening with friends. Such a rich day.