Acquisitions/Collection Curation

When I had gone to buy the 2nd hand 32″ Ashford Rigid Heddle loom, the late owner’s husband had showed me a bag of wooden pegs and asked me if these went with it and I said no, thinking that they were maybe from a peg loom. 

This week I discovered that her loom was a later version than my own, it has holes drilled in the underside that you put those wooden pegs in and it becomes a warping board for doing indirect warping on! So I contacted him and asked if I could come and get them.  

(As her loom has this added feature I will be keeping it.)

When I went he also asked me if I knew what this was…its a yarn length measurer!  So I bought that off him too.  The temptation to then come home and measure all my handspun was strong but I resisted and haven’t played with it yet.

Felting

I have laid out fibres for 2 x 20cm shades and 2 x 25cm shades.  I didn’t get a chance to felt them yet. 

The gallery I usually sell through have changed their terms, because they are now having to charge VAT on items, so they will take a larger percentage.   Now I am working more hours I will also have to pay tax on that additional income I believe.  I would basically only get about 40% of the sale value and after costs that would leave me with a very small profit. 

I have quite a lot of kits and fibres for them in stock so will need to at least use those up but longer term I am not sure I would order more kits. 

I could try selling them on Etsy, Folksy or Ebay instead of the gallery, anyway they aren’t made yet so I will have to have a think.

Knitting

I have made a start on the October hat by Sloane Rosenthal.  I don’t own the correct needle and cable size combo for the brim so went up a size,  hopefully it will be okay! 

Sewing

I made the bunting for our sunroom and a piece for the kitchen.  Over the windows are wooden pieces that would be for holding a curtain rail but we don’t have curtains, so these make a decoration for spring and summer to cover those.  (See my older making bunting post for a quick way to make it.)

Spinning

I plied Day 2 of the World of Wool Advent.  It was called Hansel & Gretel and is 75% merino and 25% sari silk.  It wasn’t really a pleasurable spin, the sari silk clumps and unappealing shade of brown weren’t really helping.  Plied it is more appealing, but certainly not a favourite. I have turned over a new leaf and started to set (soak and snap) my yarns straight after winding them off my loom. This should avoid me questioning myself when I come to use it months or years later.

Weaving

Rigid heddle loom

Well having delayed weaving last week, because I was waiting for my new yarn to arrive, I haven’t used it! I decided that as this was the first time I was going to be warping it using my homemade tensioning device I should practice with some other yarn in my stash! 

Honestly I am not sure on the price difference but it seemed to be worth using up some of these small balls of 8/4 cotton from Hobbii I’ve had for years.

Things went wrong a few times during warping the loom: my warping peg came loose (bringing all my long warped threads to the floor in tangled heap); my first go at winding on my plastic sheeting was in wonky and half the warp threads weren’t on it so I had to undo it; having successfully wound on I then tied it all on having forgotten to actually thread anything in the holes (just the slots)!!

After much swearing to myself over a few days of trying to sort it, the loom is now warped and ready!

The tensioning device seemed to work really well. 

I used a single 8/2 thread for the hem section, but am doubling it for the rest of the weft (from Handweavers Studio). The pattern is from Little Looms magazine Summer 2022 called Earl Grey Towels.

I still need to write a post about the tensioning device, but will need to do that another time because I forgot to take more photos and the one I took barely shows you how it works. 😬

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Other News

We went to see How To Make A Killing at the cinema on Tuesday night (because I had forgotten about my monthly spinning group doh!).  We both really enjoyed it. 

I had gone for another blood test earlier that day and despite being well hydrated they couldn’t get any blood from me, so I am sure being stabbed with a needle multiple times is what threw me off. I go back tomorrow and have to hope they can get some!

On Thursday I had a very busy and enjoyable day, starting with walking around the block with a neighbour and then I went into Inverness. I bought the additional bias tape for my bunting, had lunch out, had a look around the shops and then had a scan at the hospital and then went to pick  up the pegs (and yarn measurer).  I stopped at Black Isle Berries farm shop and picked up some yummy things then headed home.

When I got home 3 guys were digging up the garden for the new broadband cable to run through.  I asked if they could possibly remove our old washing line as it was near where they were digging. Within 2 mins they had the washing line and its concrete base dug out from under the grass and with a pick axe they got the concrete off the metal so I can put it in the metal recycling.  (The arms had snapped off with rust.)  We must buy a new one now the weather has improved!

It was a lovely sunny day and there is still some snow on the distant mountains, it’s my favourite type of day. Technically still cold but feels warm because the sun is shining. 

I could have done some gardening but decided to sew the bunting and start warping my loom. I even found time to reorganise my weaving yarns! It’s amazing how much I can cram into one day when I don’t start it by trawling Facebook or YouTube.

Friday was when I was swearing at my loom, but in the evening we went into Inverness and had dinner and then went to see comedian Sue Perkins which was a lovely evening.

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This is a Year of Projects post. Officially the Group is in its 15th year, but this is my 8th year participating. If you would like to find more about the Year of Projects Group on Ravelry, as you’d be very welcome to join us.

Year 15 list.