"A Rug For Maniphone....."

Our former neighbor, Maniphone, who now lives in North Dakota, asked me to weave her a new rug for her kitchen. I was more than happy to do so, and asked for her color preferences and measurements.

Here are the loopers that I dyed in the washing machine using Rit dye....Green Apple. I used Rit dye because loopers are cotton or a cotton blend, while the dyes that I use for sock yarn are meant for animal fiber only.

The process was pretty easy, although I did have a couple of setbacks that made the process take a "bit" longer. It was a first for me....."experience is the teacher". I dyed 2 loads of loopers....in the 1st load, the loopers were put into mesh laundry bags that I'd bought at the Dollar Store (I'd suggest buying a better quality than that), which worked OK, but a couple of the bags tore during the cycle, allowing loopers to escape and become tangled. Load #2 was done using no mesh bags, but just dumping in the loopers, which of course, tangled, too, but no worse than when I used the inadequate mesh bags. After drying both loads in the dryer, I had about the same amount of de-tangling to do from each load, but in all truthfulness, it wasn't too bad of a time de-tangling them. Patience is the key.....as with life, eh? ;)

The warp is set at 12 epi (ends per inch). Maniphone asked for a 3' x 5' rug, which means 432 warp threads, plus 8 extra so that I could double the threading in the last 4 heddles of each side, making it a stronger edge.

This photo shows the warp wound onto the back beam and ready for threading the heddles......

Half of the warp threaded.....only 220 more threads to go.......

I love my new loom! The front beam is removable so I can sit somewhat inside the loom for threading the heddles.......

This photo shows how the heddles of each shaft have been colored to make the threading easier. The texsolv heddles, are easily marked using a permanent marker.

After threading the heddles, each warp end has to be threaded through the reed, which will be placed in the hanging beater. The reed is what "beats the warp" into a nice and firm fabric.

The loom completely set up and ready for me to begin weaving.......

The loopers are chained together and wound onto a shuttle. For this rug, I used another method to chain these loopers together, suggested by "Karen In The Wood", a woman I met when taking my first Jason Collingwood weaving workshop. I follow her blog...... http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

This photo shows the end of one chain and the loopers ready to add to it......

Here is the finished looper rug prior to hemming the ends. I also ended the rug differently this time, too. Instead of just turning the hem, sewing it, and leaving it to show, I turned it, hemmed it, then totally laid it underneath the last row of loopers and attached it by sewing through the loopers, leaving a completely hidden edge (well....as complete as I could get it, that is). I think it made for a nicer looking rug.

I do need to add this little antidote though......Maniphone gave me the measurement of what she wanted "without" measuring the rug she wanted to replace. The "real" rug size she needed was 2' x 3', instead of 3' x 5'! LOL....Simon and Henry now have a cushy rug at their Lego play table, which makes me happy, too. Eventually Maniphone will get what she needs.......I promise......really, I do! ;)

"Simon and Henry's First day of School........"

Courtesy of Maniphone......photos of the boys first day of school. Simon, of course, has been in school a couple of years, but this was Henry's first day EVER!

Here is Simon on his way out of the house......."ready to ride".......

And Henry fitted out to ride as well.....he looks determined, doesn't he? He even wore a tie for his first day! ;)

Dad Jonathan was able to experience their first day, too! That's Simon "in the lead".....he knows the route very well. Maniphone brought up the rear so that she could take photos along the way to document this huge event. ;)

Here we have both boys at Simon's school. Simon will get settled in and then off to Henry's school. I'm not sure how far away it is, but easily gotten to via riding bikes.

Best of luck to both boys in their new year at school!

"Labor Day Bike Ride....."

After pretty much hanging out at home Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the Labor Day weekend, Don suggested we go on a bike ride Monday. It was a cool, gorgeous day and a VERY pleasant ride.

We stopped at the annual Labor Day Picnic, held at the Labor Temple, to listen to "Westside Andy's" group for a short time, then took the Wingra Bike Path (which follows Wingra Creek) towards Lake Monona.

Don sort of "blends in" with the tents and several others wearing the same colors......

This was the line to get refreshment (food and beverage) tickets.......

After riding through Olin Park, we took the Capitol City Bike Path along Lake Monona. Don, who was in the lead, saw this coming, so we stopped so he could take a photo of it. We've seen them on State Street before, but never away from the downtown area.

A stop on one of the Lake Monona floating fishing piers. Notice the pontoon in the background?

We waited for them to get closer so we could get some photos of this unusual pontoon. Talk about a "party barge".

By the way, this pontoon is rentable........wouldn't it be fun to hold a Friday night Happy Hour on it? There certainly would be plenty of room for everyone....and then some!

After leaving Lake Monona, we continued along the Capitol City Bike Path until we came to Williamson Street (Willy Street), which has been under construction for quite awhile. It is still off limits to cars, but we were able to bike on the new asphalt for a few blocks, until coming to the unfinished section. Taking a side street, we rode until we could connect to the Yahara River Bike Path, then took that over to the Tenney Park Locks, which are on Lake Mendota. After watching a pontoon boat go through the locks, we then retraced our route back to the Capitol City Bike Path, riding back to Monona Terrace, where we took the bike elevator up to Martin Luther King Drive, then took our "normal" route back home, which takes us down State Street, through the Memorial Union Terrace, following The Howard Temin Lakeshore Path along the shore of Lake Mendota, then cutting through the University of Wisconsin's campus to Camp Randall, where we rode home on the Southwest Commuter Bike Path, which borders our backyard.

It was a beautiful day for the ride. We actually rode 18.8 miles.......not a bad ride, eh? ;)

"Absolutely, Positively, Totally Completed......"

What started out as a quickly set up and executed weaving, took a much longer time to complete than expected, due to being "put on hold" 2 weeks with the vertigo incident. But.....after I was back "in the pink", they were completed quickly.

Here is the entire woven piece of towel fabric. I used 100% cotton, 10/2 Lunatic Fringe Yarn for both warp and weft, at 24 epi.

This was towel number 1......

Towel number 2........as you can see in this photo, each towel is separated by a small band of brown yarn. In this case, I used some rayon chenille that I had from my stash.

I do have a question for those of you who weave. Notice the edges in several places have "gathered" strangely? Was this caused by uneven tension of the warp? I did notice it happening on the loom (but didn't notice any tension problems), but hoped it would "adjust itself" during the wet finishing. It didn't and still shows as it does in this photo. Anyone have a suggestion so that I can avoid this happening again? One thing that I intend to do to a greater extent with my next weaving, is to lay warp sticks onto to cloth beam as the fabric is being wound onto it. I did do this with the towels, but perhaps too late, or too few?

Towel number 3. "Somehow", this towel was woven shorter than what I "thought" I had planned, but I had also planned for only 3 towels, too. That didn't turn out to be the case either. I had enough warp left after towel number 3 to weave yet 1 more towel........

Which, by chance, turned out also to be the correct length to match the first 2 towels!

Here are all of the towels, hemmed, wet finished, and ready for their new homes. I say "homes", because I will be keeping the shortest one for us, but the other 3 are being sent as a gift.

This coming weekend is the annual Sheep and Wool Festival at the Jefferson County fair grounds. Sara, from Woolgatherer's in Fond du Lac, WI, usually is a vendor at the event, and I hope this year is no exception. I want to purchase more colors of the Lunatic Fringe yarn.......

See you there?

"Happy Labor Day!"

Don and I have no special plans for today, other than hanging out here at the house, doing things we do.....Don on his computer, studying for his computer class, and me doing "fibery" things. ;)

Happy Labor Day!

"Yes, I Wanna........."

Yes, I want to be there! ;) This is one of the photos that Maniphone sent me of their recent trip out to Colorado. I have always loved "The Rockies" and certainly have not been out there enough. Hopefully, there will be some visits in my future....... ;)

"Rob's Birthday!"

Rob's birthday was last Sunday and we actually celebrated it on "the day". Good timing wouldn't you say? ;) He came over after he got home from a day canoeing on the Wisconsin River with our former neighbor, Andy.

Here I am, trying to protect the lit candles from the light breeze......

Rob barely had time to make his wish........but he blew the candles out before the breeze did it for him.........or so we hope. :)

Rob had me do the honor of cutting the cake.......

Lonny, Charlie, and Griffin came over to help celebrate, too.

As did Daria, Ben , and their daughter Tala, who just celebrated her 1st birthday a few weeks ago, too.

Charlie, Ben, and birthday boy, Rob......

Parents will be parents, eh? Gotta keep an eye on the kids....with Coppers help, of course. ;)

Griffin and Tala had a good time playing with our "extensive toy collection", as Don and I, along with everyone else, watch them play together and share.

A great photo, don't you agree? They are such great kids! Always smiling, always happy......as we all hope our kids are, when out in public, correct? ;)