Saying goodbye

This past August my big beautiful Max died unexpectedly. He was only six years old. I went to the farm to do chores and there he was. My husband and son believe he died of twisted stomach. I knew that could happen to horses but dogs? My heart is broken. He was my all time best livestock guardian dog. He will be missed by me forever.

The goats miss him too. I had tried unsuccessfully to move them to other places to graze but they refused to go without Max leading the way. Even luring them with chips, their favorite treat, didn't work. So I made the decision to sell them. I have had animals most of my life. Now none at all. Several times a day I think to myself I need to check on the animals. Then I have to remind myself they are gone. Change is hard.

To keep me busy I weave. The shows keep my thoughts occupied too. From now until early January I have five. That should keep me from thinking animals right? I sure hope so!

Until next time,
Linda

My goals of late

I am finally in a place where I have nowhere to go and now I can get some things done. My goal is to have every loom with a warp on it. Great plan right?

I have some Leclerc sectional rakes that I wasn't using so I asked my husband to cut them down to fit the Glimakra Ideal. I am going to like this a lot. This will speed up the warping process for sure. I am now winding a placemat warp on it. I didn't remember to take a picture of it.

On the Leclerc Meco I have a shawl warp waiting to go on. This will be white on white. The warp has a nice sheen to it. I think this is going to look really nice. It looks much better in person.

On the Leclerc Minerva I am going to weave another shawl. This warp is a bit heavier but really nice. The wound warp is sitting on the bench.

I even warped up the Cricket loom so I can weave in the evenings at home. This scarf is 100% alpaca. This is very soft.

When I brought the loom home to warp it I realized I had forgotten the warping peg. Not wanting to go back to the studio I had to improvise. This is what I came up with. It worked very well!

On the warping rack behind the Gilmore loom is a warp waiting to be wound on for rugs. Now with all this free time I have I can loom hop and get the warps on. I can't wait to stand see every loom with a warp on it. That will be so satisfying! I will be sure to get pictures.

Until next time,
Linda

It happened again?

It sure did! Another loom found it's way to my house. This time for restoration. It had been in storage for at least 14 years and needs a good cleaning and oiling. There are some missing parts that need to be replicated too. I really enjoy bringing a loom back to life and weaving again. Hopefully this loom restoration will be a success.

I have never seen a loom quite like this one. No one I contacted has seen one like it either. Perhaps one of a kind? Perhaps a loving husband built it for his wife? The top of the castle suggested a Scandinavian loom with a hanging beater but looking more closely I saw that the beater is supposed to be pinned at the bottom. The rounded elements are something I have never seen before.

My first show is next week. It is The Lavender Festival in Oak Ridge, Tn. Many years ago someone I met at this festival gave me a loom. It is unusual in that it is a four harness floor loom but the weaving width is only 12 inches. I have never found any information about this loom other than it was a kit put together by a family member. Each year the family come to the festival to see the loom.  Yesterday I wound a scarf warp for this loom. The colors did not show well in the picture. The wool blend yarn is burgundy, green and cream. The lighter yarn is cream with a strand of gold. It is an acrylic blend.

The rest of this week and all of next week will be a busy time for me. I have a pile of placemats and dish towels to hem and scarf fringes to twist. I had better get going!

Until next time.
Linda

Another loom?

I don't know how in the world it happens. Every time I think I am done buying any more looms I get the opportunity to buy another one. I don't mean for it to happen but it does.

This is the one that came home with me last week. It is an early Mountain loom with 8 harnesses. It has a twelve inch weaving width. Here it is being warped for mug rugs. Isn't it cute?

Recently someone asked me to take pictures of the warping process. They had no idea of what was involved.

After planning my warp it has to be wound. This is a warp for overshot mug rugs to test out a new loom.

After it is wound I tie the warp to get it ready to take to the loom. The ties keep the warp from tangling.

When I remove the warp from the warping mill I chain it. I am not the best at warp chaining but it is good enough for me to get it to the loom without it tangling.

I put the lease sticks into the cross. This keeps the warp threads in order and easier for me to thread the loom.

Before winding the warp on the warp beam I need to spread out the warp to the width I would like to weave by using a raddle. This one is made for a 36" loom but will work well with this loom too.

On some looms I like to use bamboo placemats as I wind the warp. They work very well to keep the layers separate. If I did not use the placemats the warp would nestle down into other layers and create tension problems as I weave.

Now the heddles can be threaded for my pattern.

After the heddles are threaded it is time to bring the yarn through the reed. After this I can tie the warp onto the cloth beam. Now the fun part can begin. This warp is a twill so I am using two floating selvedges so that every throw of the shuttles with catch the last warp thread on either side. I am looking forward to giving this loom a trial run to see if I enjoy weaving on it.

Last weekend was another thing I enjoying doing. Living history. The historic site I volunteer at has been closed all winter. Now we are ready to educate the public on some of our country's history. This is where I live one weekend a month. It looks pretty primitive, doesn't it. It is but I really enjoy my time there. The evenings after the public leave is really fun. We all sit around a fire to tell stories, sing and listen to someone play a musical instrument. The whole weekend truly feels like I have stepped back in time. If you are ever in Ewing, Va. please feel free to stop by and see what Wilderness Road State Park has to offer. The park has a reconstructed fort, picnic areas, hiking trails and more. It is a beautiful park.

Until next time,
Linda

Greenhouse

I have wanted a greenhouse for a very long time but never seemed to get one. You know how it is. You think you would like something but then forget about it for a while. I had picked out one I would like to own but never took the final step of ownership. Then a year ago I saw the one I liked was on sale at a much better price. I took the plunge but then it sat in the box until recently. It took three of us to get it set up but here it is. Since this picture was taken I have removed the rain barrels and pallets. I had thought I would use the pallets as a floor but then changed my mind.

This one is 6 feet by 8 feet. Not huge by any means but it will be large enough for me. My goal is to get plants started early then later in the year move some tomato plants in there so we can have tomatoes farther into the fall.

Another thing that has been occupying my time is the dish towel warp. I have woven four and only have a few more to go. I use a novelty cotton yarn with a stripe of color at each end. I have been making them this way for years and this is what my customers like. I am weaving two of each colored stripe.

This is the Leclerc Meco that we restored. It was in really bad shape but with a good cleaning and lots of new parts it is performing well. It hardly looks like the same loom we brought home! I had originally thought I would restore it, put a short warp on it, test it out then sell it but now I am not so sure I want to. It doesn't take up much room and weaves well so I think I will hang onto it for a while.

Living history at Wilderness Road State Park in Ewing, Va. is gearing up for the year. Re enactors will be gathering there next weekend. It will be so nice to see everyone again. We haven't gathered since last December. Not really a long time but it feels like it has been. The weather should be pleasant so that is good. Time to get ready for weaving and spinning for the public and teaching them how clothing was made in the 18th century.

There are some questions that are asked frequently like, is that real food? Is that a real fire. You don't really live here do you. ( Yes I live in a log cabin for the weekend) Aren't you hot in those clothes? You get the idea. I guess it is hard in this day and age for some people to understand what it was like  back then and then try to understand why anyone would want to live like that today. For me educating the public is enjoyable. Talking about what life was like then. What people needed to do to survive. Talking about freedom from English rule and the western migration across America. Things Americans need to know because after all...if you don't understand where you have been you can't know where you are going.

Until next time,
Linda

What is happening

When I sold the large Finnish loom recently it created a large space in a room at the studio. The space didn't stay empty for long. I moved the Glimakra in that spot. That left me room on the other side of the room to bring in two Leclerc looms from another room. The Minerva and the Meco. The Meco is a loom that we rescued a few years back. It took a lot of work and replacement parts but now it is ready to weave on. This is a warp for dish towels,

Recently I was given a Leclerc Nilec two harness table loom. It, too, needed some restoration work. It didn't have any heddles, a crank, ratchet or a cloth beam and it was covered with lots of dust. Clearly it had been sitting somewhere for a very long time.

This loom has long been out of production but thankfully Dorothy parts will fit it. The ratchet was ordered from The Woolery. I already had heddles that would fit and thankfully I have a husband who can fix things.  For the cloth beam he took a piece of wooden closet pole, drilled holes for the lashing cord and drilled a hole at one end for a metal rod that will hold it in place on one side. On the other side he mounted the ratchet and crank he had made from a metal rod he already had. Now it is ready for a test run. I chose to put carpet warp on for mug rugs. This is a good way to use up small amounts of yarn left from other weaving projects. It weaves beautifully now. It is so satisfying to take a loom that doesn't work well or has missing parts and bring it back to something useful.

On the puppy front. Beau is growing by leaps and bounds. He is now the same size as the goats I bought him to protect. He is now getting along with Max, my other Great Pyrenees. Well mostly. I do have to separate them when they eat. Neither one likes to have the other close by when they eat. Three to four feet of separation is working so that is good. Other than this one thing they get along very well. I have seen them playing together and sleeping side by side. I sure had my doubts about the new puppy and the older dog, Max, getting along but so far so good. Here they are together waiting for me to come through the gate. This picture is a couple of weeks old so Beau is bigger now.

Until next time,
Linda

Introduction update

When I first brought Beau home I put him in a large dog kennel hoping the goats and Max would check him out and get to know him. Things did not go as planned. No one wanted anything to do with him. After giving this a lot of thought I bought a smaller kennel and thought I would put it where the other animals like to hang out. I let Beau hang out here for a few hours each day. This has been a better solution but not as good as I had hoped. Max is less than impressed with this furry bundle of liveliness. This is going to take longer than I thought.

I am weaving placemats this week. I didn't think to take a picture. It is always so good to sit and weave. It is so relaxing and it makes me happy!

Until next time,
Linda
www.pineridgehandwovens.com/

Snow and cold

It is bitterly cold here today. Right now it is 17 degrees but feels like 11. That is better than what it was this morning. 6 degrees but felt like five below! It snowed about 1 1/2" yesterday. The sun is shining and everything looks clean and beautiful. I love the snow!

So what does one do when the road is snow covered? Weave of course! I brought a loom home from the studio a couple of days ago because I knew we would be not going anywhere any time soon. This is a black silk warp with a variegated orange weft. I am weaving three shots of the orange then one shot of a bit of sparkle. I think it looks better in person.

One week ago today I brought Beau home. So far Max, my adult livestock guardian dog, doesn't think much of him. Hopefully soon that will change. Introducing a new animal to the farm isn't always easy. It has worked out in the past, I fully expect it to work out this time too. This is Beau in the crate on the way home. Isn't he adorable? The former owners put the ribbon on his for identification purposes. My husband thinks he looks like a bear! I think he looks like a big fluffy ball of cuteness.

Until next time,
Linda
www.pineridgehandwovens.com/

What is happening today

Looking at my inventory I decided I definitely need to weave more dish towels. Lots more. So I got busy winding a warp. My usual thing to do is to have a natural colored cotton warp and use a natural colored cotton weft. For a bit of color I weave a one inch stripe at either end. Not very exciting but here is the thing. My customers like it. I have tried to do things differently and people will come to me at shows looking for dish towels and see the new ones and say they like what I had before. Do what works, right?

Cold weather is moving in. 37 degrees for a high today with 16 degrees for tonight. Tomorrow we are supposed to have 28 degrees for a high with night time temperature of 13! Winter finally made it to the south. I don't mind the cold but some snow to go with it sure would be nice. I can always hope, right?

Until next time,

Linda
www.pineridgehandwovens.com/

Getting closer to Christmas

With Christmas being just a few days away, no weaving is being done at the studio. The presents are wrapped and under the tree and some baking has been done. The studio and house are clean so now we can relax. The weaving will start again after the first of the year. Now we wait for family to gather. Some snow would be nice, too, but not likely. Wouldn't it be nice to spend Christmas at a quaint little town where it always snows on Christmas just like in the movies?

Merry Christmas everyone and a prosperous new year!

Until next time,

Linda
www.pineridgehandwovens.com/

Time to clean

Weaving is messy. Really messy. Wether it be fuzzies from the weaving process or scraps of yarn from trimming fringes. Over time, when I am in production mode, it gets pretty messy at the studio. Today was cleaning day. The studio looks so much better! I should have taken before and after pictures. Hmmm, then again maybe not. I really wouldn't want anyone to see the mess. It sure feels good to have it all cleaned up. Now I am ready to start weaving again sometime after Christmas. I am looking forward to it.

My faithful farm dog is seven years old. I don't really want to think of a time when he won't be with me anymore. I love him. It's that simple. He is the best livestock guardian dog ever! Truth is, he will probably only live to be ten years old. Big dogs just don't live that long.

 I had been thinking, off and on, about getting a puppy for Max to train. Mostly off because I don't like thinking about not having him anymore. Then in October I met someone whose Great Pyrenees was going to have puppies. Puppies? Hmmm. Then a couple of weeks ago I got a message that the puppies had been born and did I want one. Now I HAD to think about what to do. I decided yes. Want to see what he looks like?

Meet Beau. Isn't he adorable and big? My Max was the runt of the litter and he weighs 130 pounds. I thought He was big! This pup could be even larger. With Max as his trainer he, too, will be a wonderful farm dog. I can't wait to meet him. It will probably be another six weeks before I can bring him home. I hope Max likes him!

Until next time,

Linda
www.pineridgehandwovens.com/

Candle light tours

One of the things I really like to do is participate in living history, This month I participated in the candle light tours at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, Tn. I demonstrated tape loom weaving for the public. Another woman was in the cabin I was in was demonstrating spinning. We did it for two nights. Many people were interested in what we were doing and what we had to say about it. Others not so much. They were more interested in having their pictures taken in front of the Christmas tree or fireplace. There was so much happening at the museum. A living nativity, petting zoo, sassafrass tea tasting, lots of music and blacksmithing. There were more things going on but I didn't get to see much of it since I was stationed in a cabin.

Another candle light tour I was involved in was at Wilderness Road State Park in Ewing, Va. There is a reconstructed fort there representing 1775. It was pretty cold and windy. We were all standing around a firepit singing songs that would have been sung in the 18th century when it started to snow! It was so beautiful. It was so nice to be with friends one last time this year. It will be spring before we will see each other again. Such a magical night!

Until next time,

Linda
www.pineridgehandwovens.com/

December

This is my third attempt at writing something for the blog. The other two simply vanished! So, let's try this again. Here goes!

December is such a busy month. Parties, concerts, baking. You get the idea and I am sure it is the same for you. So why did I choose this time to start a website? I have wanted to do it for a couple of years now but what I wanted to do just wasn't available to me until now. I wanted to be able to use the square reader to take payments. Until recently square wasn't available for websites. Now it is. They have made it so easy to take payments. Yay! So with my personal web genius, aka our son, we created something we like. 

The other thing I am working on this month is clearing things out of the studio. Really, do I need all this stuff? Some went to family, some was donated to the Appalachian Arts Craft Center and some to other weavers. I am even giving some of my things to a new re enactor and to a historic site's clothes closet. It sure feels good to get rid of the clutter and I love seeing more space at the studio. When I get done giving away and cleaning I will get back to production mode. I have several ideas of what projects I want to weave in the coming year. Besides that there is the new to me Berga/Savonia loom that is waiting for a warp. 

These are two examples of the rugs I have on the website. These are thick and plush. I with you could feel these under your feet! They are so soft.

Well, that is all I have for today. If you have the time please take a look at our website.

www.pineridgehandwovens.com/

Linda

I did it!

Okay. Maybe I should say we did it. With a lot of help from a book I bought and a wonderful son I now have a website! It is a work in progress while I figure out how this all works. Hopefully it will generate some sales during off show season. Let's hope so anyway. Here is link.  https://www.pineridgehandwovens.com/

Necessity is the mother of invention!

With one craft show behind me I need to concentrate on the next one in the fall. Now I am in production mode. Yesterday I warped the Lervad loom for with a scarf warp. One problem I have had since the first time I warped this loom was where to put the raddle. Because of the curving lines of the loom there is no good place to set it. I have three raddles but none of them will sit on the beater bar. I walked around the studio looking for some inspiration. Then I saw it! A walker! It worked just fine.

In this picture you can see the curving lines of the loom. I like to put the raddle in front of the loom but there just isn't a good spot for one.

It may be hard to see but the raddle is between the loom and the walker. It was easy to tie the raddle to the walker because of a horizontal bar to rest the raddle one. When the warp was in place I took the wooden top piece of the beater bar and placed it on top of the raddle to keep the warp from lifting out. This set up worked very well. I was undecided as to what to do with the walker now that I don't need it any more. Guess I will keep it handy for the next warp.

Until next time,
Linda

Scary!

When Fiona first came she was afraid of me. She was brave enough to come close to sniff me but if she saw my hand she would run away. I started giving her a couple of horse treats. She loves them and she lost all fear of me. I would actually say she became a big pest. She nibbles on my clothes and sniffs my pocket for treats. She wouldn't leave me alone! What a contrast in just a few days of her being here. She is now so fearless that she is not afraid of the leaf blower when it is on and will try to nibble on it.

The other day I gave her a treat and she made a funny noise. She immediately went down and rolled over. She was not breathing! I rolled her back on her tummy and I massaged her throat and whacked her on her back several times. I even briskly rubbed her sides.After a couple of minutes I stopped and watched her. She stayed in the position I had put her but she was still making a few weird sounds. I offered her water but she didn't want any. She then stood up and walked around. Whew! I was sure she was going to die right before my eyes! I kept going back to the farm to check on her and she seemed fine. She was even eating hay. Whew! Life on the farm is never dull!

Until next time,
Linda

Meet Fiona

Recently I had the opportunity to buy a Leichester Longwool sheep. I tried to talk myself out of it. I had a few reasons to say no. I did find a couple who were interested in buying one. On the way they asked why I was not getting one so I told them. Around here no one wants to shear one sheep. They want a minimum of 25 sheep. I will never own more than one! They had a solution for that problem. I can take the sheep to their farm when they get their sheep sheared. Hmmm. I still thought, no, but when I got to the place that was selling them I was asked, are you sure you don't want one? Okay I caved in and told the owners to catch me one too.

Meet Fiona. She is nine weeks old. Isn't she sweet? Introducing her to my livestock guarding dog sure wasn't fun but they became friends in short order.

Until next time,
Linda

What has been happening around here

We sure have been busy around here. While I was trying to recover from surgery we were renovating our kitchen.  Actually the cabinets and appliances were ordered in June but the demolition of the kitchen finally was under way in October. I won't bore you with the details but if you have ever renovated a kitchen you may already understand.  Back ordered cabinets, appliances that don't work or have been dented in transit, etc. Lots of things delayed the start of it all but I am so happy to say that it is done! Bye bye 1970's kitchen. Hello new beautiful kitchen.

Last month we took a vacation. We went to Chippokes State Park in Virginia. It is a beautiful park. There is a mansion there and a really nice museum. Lots of hiking trails too. It is very close to other historic places of interest. We have been there before and looked forward to getting back there. My husband found that they had a weaving loom that needed a bit of help. When I saw it I just had to fix it! They were very nice to let us have a go at it. It is a Union loom made in Booneville, N.Y. After a bit of a clean up and two trips to a hardware store it is now presentable for display.

Having had back surgery had made me rethink my studio and all I have in it. I decided that I own too much. Now really, did I need all these looms and spinning wheels? After carefully considering each wheel and loom I chose the ones that should go. I sold two looms and one spinning wheel.  I had half a room that was now empty. I was thinking........this is nice! Then it happened.  A friend told me about a Swedish countermarche loom for sale. It was made by the Berga Savonia company. I thought hmmm that might be nice to weave on. I had been wanting to try out that kind of loom but this one had a five foot weaving width! It is really big! The price was good so I decided to contact the seller. It was still available!  It was a bit of a puzzle to put it together but I love puzzles. I still have a few treadles to tie up but then it will be ready for a warp. If I like this loom I once again will rethink what I own. I may have a couple of other looms for sale.

I like tape looms.  They are portable, interesting to look at and perfect for living history. I recently saw one in person that is a copy of one at the Landis Valley Museum. What makes this one different is that it is a floor loom with two treadles. I had seen pictures of some but never saw one in person. I am hoping my husband will make me one to use at Wilderness Road State Park where I volunteer. I like to give the public something different to see when they visit. I don't want what I do to be the same from year to year.

Until next time,
Linda

Going home!

Tomorrow is my last day in the rehab center after back surgery. I have been here 28 days. Long enough, don't you think? Looking back I have come a long way. I have gone from having to have a person on either side of me to help me walk to being able to walk by myself using a hiking stick. I feel pretty good about that! I still have a long way to go but I believe I will get there.

Next I will be waiting to see what I won't be able to do ever again. I am pretty sure I won't be picking up bales of hay with one hand anymore and maybe no more picking up goats. I always considered myself strong. Guess we all have to face, sometime, that our bodies are getting older and someday we have to stop doing things that our bodies just can't do anymore. It is hard to think about giving up things. I just hope weaving isn't one of those things! So for now I will concentrate on getting better. As for the future? That remains to be seen.

So, to my weaving friends, keep posting pictures. I enjoy seeing the projects you are working on! Hoping that soon I will be able to see those projects in person!

Until next time,
Linda

I escaped!

Well only for a little while. My occupational therapist was teaching me how to get in and out of the car without twisting and only using one hand. Evidently I did well because she mentioned to my husband that we should go for a drive! After signing me out we went out for ice cream. I didn't want to go too far so we went to a place not far from here. Driving on bumpy roads after back surgery is awful! I found that out when I had a doctor's appointment a few days ago. It was pretty warm out today and I have to say it sure felt good to be out in the fresh air for a while. Something I haven't done in a few weeks now.

Having shoulder surgery then back surgery a few weeks later really has given me some insight to people who are handicapped. These days people can be distracted with their phones or whatever is on their minds that they don't take the time to notice their surroundings. I have been in stores and other places where handicapped people are treated like they are invisible.  I am not just talking about me. I have seen things in stores that made me want to go talk to people who will come up behind someone in a walker and zip around them startling the handicapped person.  I have seen many other things too that I won't go into here. My point is this. Please think about the handicapped and how your actions might affect them. Okay getting off my soap box now.

The temperatures here were in the mid 60's today! What happened to winter? 

Until next time,

Linda