Hip. Retro. Hot.

That's how people are describing this scarf!  We have been talking about describing words lately in my middle school classes.  I find myself paying way more attention to adjectives lately than ever before!

What are some other good adjectives (descriptive words) for this scarf?

Cheerful! Colorful!

The hounds tooth scarf is coming along really well!  It's colorful!  It's cheerful!  It's soft!  And it's warm!  I love how the colors are changing as we work our way up.  Way cool!!!  I love it so far!!!

I can't take all the credit for it though, it was really designed by my friend that sent me this yarn and I'm sending the scarf back to.  She did a great job!!

We went with black.

Here are the calculations:

2.5 yard warp

16 sett
Houndstooth pattern

And my biggest worry was not having enough yarn!  I used less than half when I warped it, so I think there will be plenty!  Maybe even some for my friend to knit a matching hat with in the end!  This is going to be so pretty.

Also, I found out the yarn was from DebbieB at this website!  This is turning into a huge combined effort of ravelers from ravelry.com!  The recipient in from ravelry, and so is the yarn maker and the weaver!  That's pretty cool!

Here is the pattern:

It's the same pattern I used in the perle cotton scarves for my sister and her friend in December and January, but these will be wool!

Ahhh...

These are ready to be sent!!!  

 Yikes.

This was the biggest project EVER! 

Scout witnessed the final bookmark being placed in the bag.

And then we celebrated!

And then we mailed them!

And then we celebrated again!



PS. In this same amount of time, our tree has become a tree again! 
Another celebration!

 

I think I might continue this little tree picture tradition I've started into the fall... Sept, Oct, Nov, and then Dec.   It makes a neat little photo segment!  I like seeing the changes the tree is going through.  It really shows its growth from month to month.  To me, it looks the same but when I compare pictures, it really does change a lot.

Let them eat cake birthday preview

The other day I really wanted a cake, but didn't have any boxed mixes on hand.  It occurred to me, back in the day, they didn't even use boxed mixes, so why don't I attempt making one from scratch?  It was another adventure!  This was the recipe I used, and it was very good!  And, it's a great practice for Brian's birthday cake next month!

Basic Yellow Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3/4 cup milk

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 9-inch cake pans.

In bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt with a wire whisk.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix until completely combines. Slowly add flour alternately with milk. At end of addition batter should be smooth. Divide between 2 pans.

Bake Yellow Cake Recipe for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in pan, then invert onto a rack and cool completely before frosting.

For a 9 x 13 pan - Baked at 350 degrees F. for 30 to 38 minutes. 

For the frosting, I mixed a little butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla together and frosted my cake with it.  It wasn't quite a glaze, but it also wasn't like the heavy chemical frostings, either.  It was pretty darn good, especially with some blue sprinkles on top!  

Sorry, there were no pictures!  I just plain forgot, can you believe it?!  How unusual!

But here's a picture to ponder: A Crackle Weave Companion

When I was ordering birthday presents for Brian, I came across another new weaving book.  This is a very new crackle weave book.  It was released this summer, on July 16th.  I find the other crackle book so confusing, the one called Weave Classic Crackle and More by Susan Wilson.  It's good, but leans on the and More side a bit much.  It's so advanced and hard to follow.  I always have more questions when I'm done looking at it than when I started, so I think this might be a better start and then work from the other book later when I understand crackle more.  I want to start with the basics.  I need to start with some basics!  I have no crackle basics!!  According to amazon.com, this book "[uses] the drafts published by Mary Atwater, Marguerite Davison, and Mary Snyder, Brusic weaves them in many new ways that illustrate the flexibility of the weave structure."  I'm excited to do some digging when it comes!  Is it me, or does everyone get themselves a little something also when it's their spouse's birthday?!

The final frontier

And they're off!!!

All 2000 bookmarks are now woven!!!  

Now they just need to be sewn and cut apart....

 

... and then sent to Texas!!!

HORAY!!!!!!

No more words for bookmarks and lots of words for a book review!

Just like the title, there are no more words to describe these bookmarks.  If you're bored with them, think of how I must feel!  I can't believe I actually have made it to the end, well, not quite but almost!  There's no reason to stop now, except that I cannot wait to do something else!!  Anything else!!  And soon!!

But about the book I received in the mail yesterday...

It's really good!   I have read through it a few times yesterday, because that's how much I like it!  I even love the intro... the author sums it all up really well: "Our goal is to show how the various techniques offer many options for a completely new weaving, sometimes in rather unexpected materials."  There are many new twists on old patterns, mostly 4-shaft patterns but a few 8-shaft patterns as well.  This book would be perfect for someone just getting into weaving because it's easy to follow and understand, but it's perfect for someone who's been in it awhile because it provides a lot of good ideas and some new techniques.  The main techniques in this book include: twill, canvas and spot weaves, monk's belt, rosepath, overshot and crackle, waffle weave, color effects, M's & O's and halvdrall, and block damask.  Even though these patterns are all very simple and familiar, they add twists to them so they are different.  And new! 

The things I like the most about this book are: the pictures are very big and inspiring, the patterns offer some new variations that I've never seen before, and it feels even though it's a pattern book, it allows many jumping points so you can change things around and your own designs.  And, there are some neat sewing patterns in here for pillows, rugs and dishtowels, and even a robe!  Yes, a waffle weave robe that looks just heavenly to lounge around in!

I'm excited to try my hand at some of these projects!

New weaving book, a CD, and Pumpkins!!!

Did you know there was a new weaving book out there?  I saw this book called Simple Weaves on amazon.com the other day and got super excited!  Supposedly it came out this month, on August 1st.  I'm excited to say I ordered it, and it came, and I haven't had a huge chance to sit and look though it in too much detail, but I really like what I've seen so far.  I love the pictures and the projects!  I'll tell you more later when I see more!

It was fun to buy myself something, since the last time I bought anything weaving related was way back in May!  I'm really sticking to my stash-busting and bill paying plan that I made back here on this post!  I just couldn't resist this new book, and also I was able to justify it because it's not part of my stash, it's part of my library!








This new book is written by the same author that wrote the book Favorite Scandinavian Projects to Weave, which is also very awesome:

I also treated myself to this cd... so I can get the free shipping!

I love this pair!  They have such great music!!

Now onto the pumpkins... the gardens haven't done real well this year, mainly because Brian was so busy with work and I was left solely in charge.  As you can see, I spent way more time weaving than gardening!

We do have a few pumpkins for pie, and also a few unknown squashes, I think they are butternut squash grown from seeds from our compost pile.

Really, the garden is a nightmare and kind of sad looking!  Things are dying off, and I'm not sure if it's the time of year or the lack of care it receives!  I truly don't know what I'm doing and have a brown thumb!

Next year, Brian is in charge of the gardens and yard again!  I'll gladly weave from the porch!

As for right now, I'm going to go look at my weaving book some more and enjoy a few moments to myself!

13 more rows to go...

I'm down to the tail end!  I have sewn all that I had ready to sew, now I just need to weave 13 more rows, sew & cut them apart, and these will be ready to ship!

4 o'clock Turned Twill

I'm starting to feel a bit stifled by these bookmarks, but it's only taken me 3 months to get there!  Soon, I will be done and moving along back to my own things.  One of the things I want to make is this 4 o'clock design.  I have been eying it for awhile, and I decided I like it best in turned twill.  I tried writing the draft out in summer and winter, and I just didn't think it had the same impact.  Plus, I have officially never even attempted this kind of twill before, so this will be an adventure!

And besides, 4 o'clock is my favorite time of day.  Why?  It signals to me, I have made it through another day.  The kids go home from school and my day is over!  :-P

19 Ranbow Brights options for the 19th of August

This is for a friend on ravelry.  She wants me to weave her a houndstooth scarf using this handspun yarn called "rainbow brights"!  It's so pretty, and it's going to make an amazing scarf!  It's crazy how one yarn can look so good with all kinds of other yarns!  Now we need to narrow down the options, weave the rest of the bookmarks off the loom, and we can start this wonderful scarf!

3 ziplock bags

500 + 500 + 500 + 100 = 1600!!!!

1600 are done, 140 are ready to sew, and that leaves 260 left to weave and sew!!!!  I am well over 75% done with this project!!!

I've been learning so many things along the way while making these bookmarks.  Some learning scenarios stand out more than others, like making sure to include threads between each bookmark and not leaving the reed sit empty.  More recently the salt bags were only an ok idea, they were a little too heavy so all the threads around them became loose.  The idea I liked more was to tie a small knot in the floater thread when it got just a little too loose, just enough of a knot to take up some slack.  And make sure to tie the weaving on with even tension, or else it will progressively turn out crooked!  As soon as I learn all these things and get my bookmarks down perfect, I will be all done!  Go figure!

And they just keep coming, and going, and coming... and going.

 2000 bookmarks is an awful lot of bookmarks.  And I realized this when I signed up for it way back in May!  But seriously... 2000 is HUGE!!!  The bookmarks just keep coming, and going...
 

My float threads were getting a bit loose on the edges, so I weighted them with salt bags.  Now threads around them are kind of loose, so I think when this last sheet of blue paper falls off of this warp, I'm going to cut off what I've woven, sew them, and then tie it all back on and continue through the last 6 yards.  It will be about a half way point on this round!  Then I'm not stuck sewing forever and not weaving, nor am I stuck weaving with no sewing.

As for tie-ups, I've done #9, 7, 1, and #2.  I guess these were my most favorite, or just the ones that stood out to me so far.  I'll have to review the other ones before attempting the 2nd half of this 3rd round!  I might also find a new one to try... I'll have to review my notes.

Boy, oh boy, 2000 is a lot!  I'm like a weaving machine!!!

1080 (or 1180?)

My weaving on this new set of bookmarks was coming out crooked, kind of like what happened when I was doing Aunt Katie's napkin project.  Sooooo... I cut off what I had done, about 120, and retied the warp, making sure that I adjusted it evenly on both sides.  I must be getting a little sloppy to have this happen twice within about a month of each other!

That's ok I had to cut off early though, because now I could finish my bag of 500.  In fact, I started a new bag and it already has 80 in it!  Plus, I already sent them the first 100, so that means I am down to  820 left to do!  Yay!!  It really is happening and it really is possible!!  AND, I am going to finish it before December!  That is really great, because I am not a procrastinator!  I like getting things done right away.

Round 2!! Or round 3??

Mors Bags

kreativa commented on my blog that the bookmarks would make a great bag!

It was such a good idea, that it got me thinking.

I love this Mors bag pattern so much!!  And it's cool how they are trying to save the planet by reducing the amount of plastic in the environment.

They suggest that you use just plain cotton material.  But what would it look like with some woven fabric??  And maybe some inkle strap handles?? 

Just wonderful!  This is actually woven fabric from my rigid heddle loom, so it's a nice strong plain weave!  The yarn is something from a thrift store, it's brown and green variegated yarn.  I think it's 8/2.


My next step after these bookmarks is to make some colorful twill gamp fabric to experiment with, and this is something I want to do with it!  I think it would make some chipper shopping bags, and help save the planet all at the same time!!!

Have fun making your own woven bags!