Weaving A Gem Of A Life

Making decisions

I think I mentioned that I have never before done any fall garden cleanup. Usually by now I’m too busy, too tired, too over-it-all. I changed that decision this year because my house is on the market & I think my gardens have to look at least somewhat presentable regardless of what month someone might stop by to look at it.

Never having done this before I wasn’t really sure how to go about it. I’ve got the weeding & mulching down pat, but what perennials should I cut back & what should I leave? I consulted some websites and a friend who’s a Master Gardener. Then I started working, and came up with a rule of thumb that works for me.

If it’s a plant that I actually do trim back in the spring or one that I should trim back, then I’d cut it back now. In the first category are things like my peonies and red hot pokers, in the second things like my Siberian iris and daylilies.

I think this rule of thumb makes sense. The things I’m purposely leaving standing include all woody/shrubby plants and anything that I really want to promote, things that I hope will spread their seeds over the fall and winter and reproduce themselves. And of course, the biennials like foxglove and the things that provide winter interest (grasses) or bird food (echinacea).

My yard is definitely looking much more presentable.

Gardening decisions, weaving decisions. I have to make decisions all the time. I wrote about all the decisions I had to make with those turned taquete towels, how many changes I went through. In the end I really like them and will start winding a new warp today. Although I know that others like to sett 8/2 yarn closer, for me 24 ends per inch is great for a thirsty towel. Here are the five good towels I got out of that troubled warp, washed, dried, & hemmed, but not yet pressed.

See that not great treadling decision in the left quarter of towel 1?

Towel 2 has variegated blues/greens/purples weft.

Towel 3 had a solid light blue weft.

Towel 4 has a solid dark green weft with varied treadling patterns. I’m liking those little areas…

…so I do more of that with towel 5 (solid dark blue weft). Hmmm…I actually like towel 4’s design better.

Here are the colors I’ll use for my new warp – 8 instead of the 4 I used for the first time around. This involved about a zillion decisions — blues or oranges? Which blues? In what order?

If I’m willing to change warp colors regularly – and I will for at least some of them – here’s how beautifully gem-like they’ll be.

Wait! Maybe I should make scarves like this!

No. Stick with your decision and start with the towels, Peg. You can make scarves later, but you need towels in your stash now.

Feeling Good

I’ve been making good progress indoors and out without making myself crazy.

I finished the warp of three silk ‘huck checkerboard’ scarves, one of which was a special order. The one with the natural weft, which I was hoping would show off the checkerboard pattern of the design, was a bit disappointing to me. I don’t know that the design shows up any differently than the ones woven with all bleached yarn. Oh, well.

Then I finished the two Siberian iris beds. They look quite good mulched. I’ve left all the seed pods, since I want them to drop their seeds into the beds to make more iris. After that I’ll cut them off so Pfeiffer Nature Center can use them for their holiday wreath decorations.

I got my main peony bed finished – it’s shown half done here.

I cleaned up the pachysandra and rock area in front of the house and have been working on other areas, too.

I also got a towel warp on the counterbalance loom. I tried some turned taquete, inspired by iowaweaver. I was incredibly frustrated at first, having all sorts of tension issues. I wove one towel, cut it off, and retied. I still had lots of tension issues despite my attempts at loom adjustments, and had to walk away from the loom. When I returned the next day, I realized that all the things I’d done to try to improve the tension were exactly opposite what I should have done. When I corrected them, the tension was perfect!

I wove another towel and decided that the sett was far too loose at 20EPI. I cut off again and resleyed to 24EPI. That seemed perfect, so I’ve since woven another 3 towels. They’re all a bit different, and I’ll show them all when they’re off the loom.

Making Progress

I finally got the 3 silk gebrochene shawls fringed – almost 8 hours of solid fringe twisting! Then I washed, dried, & pressed.

I tried to show the 3 shawls, but their wefts were so close that the camera couldn’t really pick up the difference. One had a light silver-gray weft, one a bleached white weft, and one the very palest of blue-greens for a weft. Since there wasn’t a visible difference in the shawls in the photos, you’re just seeing one – “front” & “back.” Personally I prefer the darker side.

I’m always interested in learning new things – new patterns, new fibers, new methods for doing the same things that are more efficient, effective, or better for your body. I recently bought Kati Reeder Meek‘s book, “Warp With a Trapeze & Dance with Your Loom.” I already use a warping valet, thanks to Laura Fry, & a Trapeze is another version of a valet, so I didn’t buy the book for that. I wanted to read about and try her ‘live weight’ method of tensioning the loom. I had to buy some cord before I could try it successfully so I can’t report on it yet, but I’ve already used two other tips from this little book with great success.

For those gebrochene shawls I used a black warp – the hardest color to see & work with. Kati’s simple ‘white screen’ suggestion definitely sped up the threading. Then her quick method to tie on with consistent tension – what a brilliantly simple process! I don’t want to steal Kati’s thunder, so if you’re intrigued by those ideas, spend a few bucks and buy Kati’s book. It’s well worth it!

In addition to fringing and weaving those huck checkerboard scarves (almost done) I’ve been working in the garden. It did take me another hour and another wheelbarrow full (total of 4 of each) to finish that large section of white Siberian iris. Then I cut the stalks on half of my major peony bed – quick & easy compared to the iris. That row is relatively flat (nothing in my yard is really flat) and narrow enough that I can reach both sides easily and eliminate both uneven feet and over-reaching back.

I moved on to the purple Siberian iris. I could have cut the whole bed in a hour – and had 1 wheelbarrow full of leaves. The bed is much smaller, but the real reason is that the iris are much less dense, so lots fewer leaves to cut & move. That’s the good news and the bad news. The fact that the iris are less dense means that it’s easier for quack grass, the bane of some of my gardens, to move in. I got about 1/2 the grass dug out in that first attack & plan to finish the bed tomorrow. Today I spread 6 bags of mulch on the white iris bed & mowed part of the lawn. I’ve now got another 6 bags in my car. I’m sooooo glad our weather forecast is so beautiful for the next several days!

I also got a haircut, went grocery shopping, and very enjoyably, had a 3-hour lunch with a friend and a terrific massage. What a week!

Breaking the Rules

Sometimes I rebel against rules like a teenager, sometimes I find it hard to break them. I figure it’s my Gemini nature.

Earlier this month I set my goal (aka rule) to do two buckets a day of work in my garden. Although there were a few days when the rain prevented it, there were other days when I more than made up for it. Then I did something (too much gardening, perhaps?) and strained my back. I had no choice but to lay off for a few days. Then the weather was so nice and I thought, why would I cut back plants that are still nice and green and looking good? So I skipped a few more days.

I got back at it and pulled some weeds, then realized that I would not want to do all the cutting back after everything was frost-killed and slimy and it was cold out. I’d better get started right now! I decided to start in my bed of Siberian iris.

I actually have two beds of them, one white flowers, the other deep purple. I decided to start in the white bed. It’s roughly 8′ x 12′ and a steep hillside. I’ve now spent more than 3 hours in this bed and cut more than 3 wheelbarrows full of iris leaves.

I still have at least 1/4 of this bed to do, plus the purple bed, which is fortunately smaller – maybe 8′ x 4′. Then I’m going to do my peonies. I have lots of them, too.

In between I’ve spent 5 hours already twisting fringe on the gebrochene shawls. I still have one more to fringe before I can wet finish & get some good photos. Fringing is a good evening activity while I’m watching the tube – I rarely do it during the day.

So I’ve put on my next custom weaving order on the loom. This time I’m back on my sweet little counterbalance; I haven’t been able to weave on it for some time. The order is for a scarf in what I call huck checkerboards in a bleached silk. I know in this photo the yarn looks creamy, but it’s not; it’s a pure, clear white.

I put on enough warp for 3 scarves. I’m going to weave 2 in the bleached/pure white and try the third with a natural silk (not bleached) to see how it looks.

New Things

Let’s start with the loudest, and the cutest.

I was working at the Macomber late this afternoon, when all of a sudden there at my porch door was someone looking in at me and saying, “Hi! Let me in, please.” After a double-take, I realized I had a visitor.

I opened the door and she didn’t run – sort of trotted to the other end of the porch while Red did his, “Who the heck are you?” thing. I put Red back in the house and kitty came right to me for some pets. Sweet little thing. A medium-hair (not long, not short) Siamese with lovely blue eyes.

So I came inside and got a little bowl and put a small handful of Red’s food in it (small dog = small bites dog food). She gobbled it up. I gave her another small handful. Gone. A third small handful – gone again.

I’d made myself some chicken vegetable soup for dinner, so I gave Red about 1/3 cup of it in a bowl in the house and kitty about 1/3 cup of it in a bowl on the porch. She ate it all – green beans, zucchini, tomatoes, every bit.

I made a few phone calls to see if a neighbor knew where she lived. Nope.

I went back out on the porch, with Red this time, and they calmly said hello to each other. Not a hiss, an arched back, or a growl. I brought out a towel and put it in the wooden box that lives on my porch and showed it to kitty. Not interested. But I noticed when I picked her up that she weighs nothing. Looks healthy enough, but I’m guessing is young. She was happy to have me pet her, fine with me picking a burr-ish thing out of her tail. She was okay with me prodding her front feet to confirm my guess from watching her eat – she’s been declawed. I’m guessing she’s been spayed, too.

That tells me that it’s not likely that she was ‘dropped off.’ Has happened plenty of times in the past, usually with a very pregnant female. This little girl is not pregnant. I’m thinking something happened that she got lost.

I’m not going to let her in the house this evening, ‘cuz I’m betting she’s used to a litter box and I don’t have one. If she’s still here in the morning I know my friend M wants her. That’s fine with me. I’d probably keep her myself, but I’d much rather M have a pet than that I get a cat while I’m trying to sell my house.

After I got kitty fed and made her a bed I came back inside and put the sauce/salsa I’d had simmering for hours into jars for their hot water bath.

I used a recipe from my neighbor. She calls it chili sauce, but I think it’s more like a salsa. In addition to the usual culprits – tomatoes, onions, peppers, sugar, vinegar – this recipe has fresh peaches & pears in it. Yum!

Oh, yeah. Remember up top I told you I was working at my Macomber? I’m making great progress on the custom shawl – a silk gebrochene.

Can you spot the treadling error? It’s in the third medallion from the top. I didn’t see it till I was at the computer with the photo, at which point I’d already woven much more than you see here. I’m calling it a design element.

I tried to get a good shot of the underside but didn’t succeed. I think I like that side even better than the ‘top.’ You’ll have to wait till it’s off the loom to see it.

Weaving A Gem Of A Life

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