State of the Workshop 1

 

State of the Workshop 1.

Figure 1: Ezabi making sure I was warm and comfortable while nalbinding.

 

Yarn, yarn, all the yarn! And pie.

 

At times I have done posts with the wide variety of projects I'm currently working on. Be it hats, lucet cords, yarn I am spinning, an apron dress. Odds and ends that don't get an entire article dedicated to them. At a friend's suggestion I am going to start calling these posts "State of the Workshop." The old posts will get new tags, but will otherwise remain unchanged.

 

Other fun things not in pictures:

Helped a friend get his spinning wheel running again, took it for a test drive, and gave my friend his first spinning lesson.

Brought show and tell to a Norse treasure necklace class, shared my box of largess beads.

 

Hats: A State of the Workshop needs hats. Always seem to be making more nalbound hats for largess and commissions. And we can never forget my most dedicated helper Ezabi.

Figure 2: YouTube, a cat, and a hat in progress.

Figure 3: Almost done with this hat commission.

Figure 4: More hats in progress. One is part of a commission, the other is for largess.

 

Fabric: New linen means new garb! These three just came in. Medium weight for dresses. I have the perfect lucet cord planned for trimming the purple (photo seems to highlight the red tones).

 

Figure 5: Yards and yards of new linen fabric.

 

Whipcord: I had some new whipcord bobbins on order, and they arrived! So far working great, the shape works well with my hands. One of these days I will have to get someone to capture video of me making whipcord, there tends to be a lot of disbelief when I tell people that I make it solo. The shipping had great timing, I got an excellent review at a Baronial A&S night the week before. Also made a really nice hook system for my office doorframe, works great for hanging whipcord.

 

Figure 6: Bobbins at rest.

 

Loom refurbish: This one is a collaboration. Years ago, a very large inkle loom was passed on to me, with the intent that it be used for A&S. However, it needed some repairs. Replaced the missing pegs back then, but it still needs something. Inkle really isn’t my thing, so unfortunately the loom didn’t get used. Fast forward to now, and one of the friends in the Barony is REALLY into inkle. So together we have been brainstorming and have come up with a plan to get this great big inkle back up and weaving.

Figure 7: Giant inkle about to be loaded in the truck. I promise I found a dry spot for the picture by my truck tire.

 

Figure 8: Ezabi also helps with knitting. Very well-rounded skill set for a little kitty.

 

Knitting: Go to a yarn store with friends, and you will come out with at least two projects worth. This one is a tam style hat in progress. Honestly though, I need longer DPNs.

Figure 9: Fresh ink, had to test it out.

 

Useful tats: I got something I have been wanting for a long time, finger tattoos. True to form they will need touch ups, probably at least twice. But I was prepared for that. My longtime friend and artist (he’s done most of my work) is always good about letting his clients know any particular things they need to know. Oh darn, I have to go back. My thumb was the one which sparked the session, got a couple decorative ones done too, but the thumb was the driving force. I had seen others with marks for hand sewing, and following their example I would draw dots every time I needed to have consistent stitches. Well I finally got them done. Now to wait for them to finish healing, and get touch ups scheduled.

Figure 10: Pie fresh out of the oven. Needs to sit and cool, but sometimes you just can't wait.

 

Pie: Pie! Not just pie, but a pie experiment. A dear friend hosts a Halloween party every year, and guests help out by bringing food to share too. However, our dear hostess has a cinnamon allergy. Having my own list of food allergies, I can completely sympathize with her issue. Last year’s experiment was a pumpkin custard that she could partake in, it was a big hit! This year it’s apple pie, and oh goodness this will probably become a staple. Made it just like my normal apple pie, however instead of 2tsp of cinnamon, I did 1tsp allspice, 1/2tsp clove, and 1/2tsp nutmeg.

 

Figure 11: Finished draft for the newest weaving.

 

Tablet weaving: I’ve had a recent fascination with “Tablets that go brrrrrrr,” which is a term some of us in our little Principality use for patterns that have no thinking involved. All cards forward, all the time. There are some really great patterns out there which fit this theme, Narrow Oseberg, Ladoga, Grave II from Snartmo, Felixstowe, portions of Kaupang, portions of The Lady in Blue, as well as some modern ones such as a laurel leaf inspired by Narrow Oseberg. For quite a while I have been planning on warping a version of Ladoga. It is inspired by the colors of the Progress Pride Flag. Drafted it out, and decided I didn’t have enough colors. It was an adventure getting more yarn. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love this yarn, and plan on many more orders. The website though does need a revamp. Ended up having to email my order and PayPal for payment, but it all worked out.

Figure 12: One day I will invest in a warping reel. But for now a hallway is working. One length is about 12 ft, so a round makes 24, approximately.

Figure 13: Warp weights are all on. The arrangement was too pretty.

Figure 14: So tiny!

 

End note: Listen to your bodies. I am very guilty of pushing way too hard, especially in my mundane life. As a very few know, this last week I had major sinus surgery. I have been convalescing, but today I wanted to do something that wasn’t just sitting on the couch. Oh my goodness! A couple dozen laps down the hallway to measure out my threads for my warp had me needing to sit down for a while. Slow and steady, it eventually got done. Looking forward to when all the recovery is through.