Robyn Spady

Robyn Spady absolutely rocks!  I joined with Weavers Guild of Peoria for a weekend workshop with Robyn. Not only did I get to learn more than I ever imagined and be provided with the excellent resource that is her workbook and presentation, I stayed in the same house being hosted by the hostess withe the mostest, Jennie of Hopewell Weaving.

What a delightful weekend. I don't often use that word but it's the one that fits. She's got some really interesting projects going and fingers in some fascinating pies. You can access some of her resources at www.spadystudios.com. Check out her 50 favorite weaving things blog (she's on about 46) and more. www.spadystudios.wordpress.com. 

The main hung I learned is that you can use a single warping to weave a number of different styles. Each person had their choice of 3 warpings - periwinkle overshot, huck lace or rose point twill (I think it was rose point…anyway it was a twill). They we wove the same treadling and got to compare the variations. 

It was so fascinating!  I used the overshot warping. Here are some of my samples. 

I'll get some better photos when I finish the warp. Right now I'm working some longer repeats of my more favorite samples and I've got probably another yard of warp. 

I'm so inspired that I may make a weaver yet!

Ahh Spring

Now that spring is finally here and the eternal yard work has begun, I give you…

And…

And…

I had an idea this weekend for how I could crochet a bird house. I used the Mexican thicker nylon crochet thread. I used to watch my friends in Mexico crocheting doilies with the thinner nylon thread but I'd never used it before. I used a size G hook and single crochet for the base and changed to double crochet for the body. Really easy make but I'm not sure the birdies will like it. I've hung it out on the front porch where most of the little birds hang out. They try to nest under my awning so we'll see. 

Heard a woodpecker tonight in the back. I think that's the first time I've heard one in IL. 

Just so I don't get bored

Or why did the chicken cross the road. I must have a pathological fear of boredom. I had weavers all around me but I was busy. I had the knitting and the crochet and the spinning and the etc. I was pretty successful at resisting the siren song of weaving for quite a long time. But then came the first loom. And then I got a rescue loom and then another (they needed a loving home and someone who would love and protect them.) And before you know it, you're in. You don't know how you got there but you realize there's no way out.

So I've been fairly busy lately with the knitting and the spinning and the bobbin lace. So why in blue blazes am I sitting on the couch at almost 11 at night resting from having warped a loom?  And why is that not the only weaving project on the loom?  

You may remember this little project that I started winding warp for back in November, I think. It was an ugly thread that I was just going to use as a throw away to sample with that then got paired with this beautiful cotton flake that make a purse out of a sow's ear, as it were. 

So now I'm almost finished warping a table loom for an upcoming workshop in the Peoria area. 

So I go back to my original question. I wasn't twiddling my thumbs by any stretch of the imagination. Why in the wide world would I feel the need to take on something new like this?  

Maybe it's just because it's there. 

Lucet fun

I've continued to play with the Lucet off and on the past couple of weeks and here are a few things I've come up with.

This last project was a long lucet cord with 2 gimps that I made last week. (See my March 7th post for info and links to the Stitch Diva tutorial.). For this one I used the silky embroidery floss for the cord and plain embroidery floss for the gimps. 

She had a video on her blog, too, from AnimatedKnots.com on how to make a Turks Head Knot bracelet that you can check out. I wasn't sure this was the final form I wanted for my lucet cord so I wrapped the extra end around to make a feature. Then if I decide to keep it, I can glue the end and be done but if I want to do something else with it, I can untie and experiment more. Right now I'm really liking it so it will probably stay. 

Fait Accompli

Persistence pays

As a follow up to the previous post I want to share something with you. 

I'm now almost done. I have 2 fans left and 2 legs of the trail. That means I've done 9 fans and 10 legs of the trail. 

Of course that NOT what it means. It actually means that I've done 17 fans and 22 legs of the trail. Because until the last fan and last trail leg, I've had to take out and redo every stinking one over at least once. Now that I think of it, I should be counting the unmaking just like the making but I can't count that high. So we move on. 

The last fan and the last trail were done right the first time. But I've now stopped because I was starting to feel a little cocky and we all know where that leads, right?  Down the unpleasant trail of profanity and nobody wants that. 

So I've stopped for the night and will go do other things that are good for the soul and I will resume tomorrow. And if, when I resume, there are errors, you will be told nothing. It will be finished and a second one started with no one the wiser. Especially not me. 

I have a plan

I have a plan to make a bobbin lace fan. 

It's been on my list for several years now but I haven't had the skills up to this point. Not that I'm sure I have them now but every once in a while I start it to see how far I can get. If I can get through the first section I should be able to do the whole thing. 

This time I thought I'd do a smaller project to practice the trails and fans. The transitions between the two elements are what gave me a problem the last time I tried it so it seemed like a good thing to practice with 14 pairs of bobbins instead of 28 pairs. 

Plus I get this fetching little piece at the end of it!

I've finished 4 fans and 5 legs of the trail. Of those, I've had to undo and redo 2 fans and 7 legs of the trail. Yes, that means that some of the had to be undone and redone more than once. Sigh...  Maybe I've got it now.