Misfits and a weaving Discovery

 I started on the second woven lanyard and found a surprising pattern. The first lanyard worked like tapestry, weft faced, mainly I now realize because the warp and weft were the same yarn. And it was quite broad.

When I started working with a much thicker yarn for the weft, this happened 

I love this narrower band, and the birdseye pattern that developed. So cool. Exactly the same warp, same heddle, same plain weave, but the difference was amazing. I can see getting into more of this exploration. 

The width, I think, is a function of how far the heddle is from the working thread. I'm learning a lot. But as you work, you get closer to the heddle and this can affect your width. 

And as you're reaching further to work, you need to roll up the developing band and rethink the heddle position. There's quite a bit of decision making in this apparently simple process.

I heard back from the Knitting ministry, yes they'd like them. So we're on.

Then Misfits arrived, afternoon shift 

Start to finish, which includes sweeping the kitchen floor and flattening and tying the box.

Canned goods for the food pantry, and two bags of apples, I ordered one, but I'm not complaining, chicken thighs, bone-in, good for eventual soup,  spinach and scallions for a salad, peanut butter because the granola bars are becoming a staple, bananas to slice into yogurt. I had to go for fat-free yogurt, my whole milk yogurt was sold out, everyone's catching on.  

I'm doing a lot of roasted veggies these days, with seasalt and olive oil. Just diced and roasted. Lunch today tiny potatoes, diced onion, spinach, broccoli and carrots. I'm definitely adding onion in from now on, a nice flavor lift. Yogurt beaten with lime juice and sugar with blueberries for dessert. 

It's all good. Happy day everyone, it's a good day when you make a discovery.

Lanyards and Misfits

I'm about two thirds through the bandwoven lanyard to go with the anti-ICE whistle.  

You see here how I've improvised a way to advance the warp and keep it from unrolling as I work my way up. I've rolled and tied it on a handy shuttle, the ends of which I slide through loops on my backstrap (in fact bathrobe) belt, to keep it taut. 

You have to do this to be able to  reach the heddle as the work lengthens, while still keeping tension on the warp threads. 

And Misfits, it's Thursday as of this writing.

Rameer, with a seasonal hat and a cheery grin and wave as always 

And here's the haul. Canned goods for the food pantry, rainbow carrots to steam, a surprise since I expected the regular, Tony's Chocolonely, to share with the soup-bringing neighbor, broccoli because it's been a while, feta cheese to sprinkle over steamed broccoli.

Bananas because I can, beautiful brown free range eggs which I now have a lot of, not realizing I'd ordered them again, plenty of coffee because I got to the last grain yesterday and that wasn't a good thing, pure cane sugar, fair trade, to beat into yogurt with banana slices and for other purposes, as they say in Congress.  Aren't those apples beautiful? One-a-day morning break. 

As usual it's hard to know why these foods are discounted, because they look fine to me.

I'm getting used to seeing a space outside the door, no longer thinking my car's been swiped. The refund for the auto insurance arrived, very welcome. 

Gary came to collect his begonia and it's looking good. I suggested a bigger pot, because it's really outgrowing the one it's in, and he may or may not do it. Then a few minutes later came dashing back in search of car keys he dropped somewhere, but not here 

Happy day everyone, sometimes it's good when there's nothing there, car, begonia, whatev,  you know. This doesn't apply to car keys.

More weaving, banana prep

Still in recovery from recent feasting, Saturday was about soup from leftovers, including scraps of game hen, then fruit, yogurt and granola bars. Dialing back the fat and sugar a bit. And making broth from the remains of the game hen for future soup. 

Quite a bit more weaving Saturday, and I  think this warp length might make two lanyards. I added in a lot of extra length when I measured the warps, just in case. 

I also added in an extra photo Saturday, scroll back if you missed it,  to show how the other warp ends are secured to give tension. I'm really happy at how well my diy rigid heddle is working.

And if you want to see much better bandweaving footage, go here

Durham Weaver is lovely and so's her voice. She's on YouTube. And has written the standard books on this subject, so she knows what's what.

It was time to mash bananas, since they'd arrived at just the right speckly ripeness. Three lots for the freezer for future banana bread. One cup, 3 bananas,  mashed for each loaf.

Apparently for Misfits the banana project is a big deal. Test marketing only -- I'm not far from HQ, so I'm in the testing region.

Major  producers such as Dole, for now, rather than indies, to reduce the complications, detailed questions to me about my order. 

Evidently you can't pack bananas with other produce because it outgasses and can push other fruit to ripen en route in the box.  This could mean berries or other soft fruit would be past it when they arrived. 

So there's a special breathable banana bag outside the box. Maybe these issues are the reason they haven't included them before. 

Father Richard's audiobooks are a good accompaniment to my current weaving. After I finished weaving Friday night, needing to rest my back from steadily maintaining tension, I did a bit of crochet, thinking there are various ways to make whistle lanyards, while Death in the Parish played.

It's really about wanting to bandweave rather than make lanyards, but one thing leads to another, as astute readers here will have observed.

Happy day everyone, helpless prawns of fate.

Still my flag, thick and thin