My first attempt at Houndstooth

This is my first try at creating a hound's tooth pattern on the loom. I warped up a small project because I was sure I would mess up, but it is surprisingly easy! I think it's coming out rather well - so far.

I'm sure that there is a more professional way to work the changing of the shuttle. My right edge is neat, but noticeably different from the left. If any weavers are reading this - is there a trick to that?

I'd like to buy the book Textures and Patterns for the Rigid Heddle Loom by Betty Davenport. I'm told that is THE book to learn different pattern techniques, but for now, I'm happy to be experimenting with things that seem to be working!

Better than Chocolate

This scarf is for my honey who is celebrating his birthday on Friday. I bought him a gift early, and couldn't make him wait for it, but I wanted him to have something, even small like a scarf, to open on his birthday.

This scarf is a beautiful chenille, made with yarn purchased at a wonderful local weaving mill, The Textillery. They sell mill ends to the public, and I was able to buy some really sumptuous chenille.

The warp is a variegated yarn in brown, peach, yellow and blue. The weft is a chocolaty brown and black. The resulting fabric has a subtle mix of rich colors. From a distance it looks solid brown, but close up you can see all the warm color tones. It's really quite lovely, and the photo does nothing to show how incredibly soft and warm it is! I'm really quite pleased that I was able to create this!!!

I hope Hubby likes it as much as I do!

Linked Stitch Receiving Blanket

After 3 1/2 months of sporadic crocheting, I finally finished my linked stitch receiving blanket!

I love this stitch. It feels more like creating fabric than traditional crochet. The "fabric" has less holes and drapes more smoothly.

All that is left on this is to block it and weave a ribbon around the border.

I made this one for my future great niece or nephew who has not yet been conceived, so when the baby is actually on its way and we know if it's a boy or girl I'll pick out an appropriate ribbon to finish it. I'm also working on a matching linked-stitch infant hat.

A treat for me!

I've been having so much fun lately weaving scarves for gifts - this one is a gift for me!

Hubby treated me to a few skeins of a Plymouth Yarn's Baby Alpaca D.K. in a gorgeous shade of soft pink. He insisted that I use it to make something for myself. I combined it with the beautiful pastel sugar cane yarn, and came up with this.

I just love it! I've very pleased with the workmanship. I don't know if it shows well in the photo, but there is a slight textured rib in the warp that add a little interest and richness.

Working on this I was so afraid that I was going to ruin some gorgeous yarns. The alpaca is strong, but delicate, and it stretched out on the warp. It probably was a very risky choice to use it on the warp, but I'm so glad I did. The yarn combination is lovely and I'm looking forward to wearing this! I'm a pink person, so I think I'll have lots of opportunities to show it off.



On a negative note - I have hookers block! I've made a few hats for the local homeless shelter, but I'm having a heck of a time completing any crochet projects. Today I really wanted to work on a motif afghan project. I tried making a hexagon square, but didn't like it. Then I tried a daisy square - ripped it out 3 times before I gave up. I love crochet and have no intention of stopping, but lately everything I touch with my hook turns to scrap.

Beary Cute Blanket

This little receiving blanket was finished with a simple shell crocheted edging.

I used Reynolds Kids Cottontail in cream

This blanket will be donated to Marine Corps Kids.

PUT2

My Boilermaker Muffler is a short scarf. I wanted to use the same yarns for a full length scarf - this is the result.

I like the simple stripe pattern.

Hyacinth

I'm so pleased with how this scarf came out. I think it's really beautiful.

This was made with Sugar Cane yarn and soft gray cotton.

Thank you, Sara!!!

My dear friend Sara is a graphic genius!!!

I want to tag my woven projects with care instructions and fiber content, and she turned my idea into the cutest logo ever!

This adorable Peachy Worm will be my new tag logo for my woven projects!

Is this not the cutest darned worm ever??????? I think so!

Bad News - Good News

Life is filled with ups and downs. Luckily for me, over the years I've changed from a pessimist to someone with a lot of hope. I think that things happen for a reason, and even the bad things usually lead to something good.

Last week there was another round of layoffs at my job, and my position was cut. This is clearly a bad thing. It wasn't planned, it wasn't my choice, and it's somewhat unsettling. I have to believe that things will work out for the best though. It's a tough economy and a tough job market, but it's also an opportunity to look at my options and decided what my next right move is. I wouldn't have chosen to be in this position, but since I am, I'm going to have to try and make the best of it.

Things might be tight for a little while. I had done some of my holiday shopping early. The rest will be handmade. Luckily, a few weeks ago I took advantage of some GREAT sales at my favorite local yarn store. I was able to buy some really sumptuous yarns at a fraction of their usual price. So..... I have a great yarn stash to weave and crochet holiday gifts with while I look for my next career opportunity!

I guess the bottom line is that I don't have much real good news to share, but I do have a lot to be hopeful about and a lot to be thankful for. My husband is my biggest fan and my rock. My family, friends and community have been incredibly supportive. How can I feel badly when I'm surrounded by so much love ...and so much yarn?

Boilermaker

This gold and black scarf is going to be a Christmas gift for a Purdue Grad.

It's made with Peruvian cotton.

I'm not sure if the gold is the "right" boilermaker gold, but it sure is a warm and pretty shade!

Coffee and Cream

The brown and tan of this scarf reminds me of coffee and cream.

This manly scarf was made with Cascade Yarns Luna in Ecru and Chocolate. The yarn is a Peruvian cotton, and has a great texture that weaves beautifully.

B's Beauty

This Eco friendly scarf is made using some beautiful yarns. The warp is Debbie Bliss Eco in Beige- a 100% organic cotton yarn. The warp is a gorgeous hand-dyed yarn from Chile called Ruca Multy. It is made from 100% sugar cane. The color and sheen of this yarn is just magnificent! The photos really do no justice to the beauty of the fiber.

I'm very pleased with how this scarf came out. It's a softly draped scarf that can be used year-round.

Emerald City

A week ago my parents reached their 50th wedding anniversary, and the whole family met in New York City to celebrate. We went to see Wicked on Broadway. The play was wonderful.

This new scarf is called Emerald City. The green and gold tones reminded me of the play. For the warp I used a thread with gold, green and apricot tones. It looks solid gold in the photo of the fringe, but there is a lot of subtle color in the yarn. The weft is an emerald green that plays off of the thread beautifully.

Meadow

This scarf reminds me of a spring meadow filled with flowers. The photo doesn't do justice to the colors, but it is a soft bouquet of lilac and peach.

I made this scarf with a deep purple thread for the warp, and a baby boucle for the the weft. The scarf is very textured, incredibly soft, and warm. I think it came out very well, and is quite pretty.