Lissa

I’m still working on the rainbow puddle fabric, an hour or so at a time. Here’s a snippet of weaving rhythm. It is moving meditation for me.

#weaving

The warp is all measured. Now to get this on to the loom! This will be cotton napkins.

I love playing with color. 🙂
#weaving

Today I measured out half of the warp for the next set of napkins. Tomorrow I work on the red half. Should be pretty. 🙂

#weaving

Beautiful colors.

Salt trucks in Chicago

Chicago literally using salt trucks to deal with ice. Can't get more Chicagoesque than that.

End of the line for this set of weaving. Next up: fixing any possible weaving flaws, wet finishing, ironing, cutting, and sewing hems. Then I’ll have two sets of cloth napkins available. A few more days of work.

#weaving

Thank you! When we moved in, this space was a cinderblock and cement car garage. It has come a long way since then. :)

A peek at my art studio, with both looms warped up. They require slightly different motions in weaving, so switching back and forth helps prevent repetitive motion issues.

#weaving

I’m winding the yarn for the napkins onto the back beam this afternoon. I call it science fiction day. I’m beaming the warp!

#weaving

I’ve finished threading the heddles for the ombré cotton napkins, which gives me a good look at how the color blending worked. I like it. There are 15 colors of yarn in this one. 🙂 (Doesn’t it look pretty in the afternoon sun?)

#weaving

We picked up about an inch of rain. I'll take it!!!

This was 5 minutes or so before we got hit first by wind and a wall of dust, and then torrential rains. Summer storms in Phoenix are…interesting. Haboob!

I’ve started to thread the heddles for the ombré napkins. I love working with the afternoon sun streaming in. 😊

#weaving

I’ve got the reed sleyed on the smaller loom, and that gives me a first glimpse of the color blending. I like! I’ve got 15 colors in there.

#weaving

I’ve got two looms, so I’m getting projects up and running on both of them. That way I can switch back and forth, and not get bored with the long rainbow warp. This will be cotton napkins, and is an experiment in color blending.

#weaving

I timed it today, and it takes me right about an hour to weave a yard of this fabric. I’m adding up how long it takes for the whole process, yarn to finished garment, so I have an idea on how much to charge. (Labor + materials + any fees I have to pay = wholesale price.)

Now that the loom is set up, I’ve started weaving. And I love this pattern!!

Today’s weaving task: sleying the reed. Or in other words, hooking the threads in order through the slots at the front of the loom. That evenly spaces them, to the width I have in mind for the fabric.

I should be actually ‘weaving’ in a bit. By that point, half the work is already done.
#weaving

Harvesting Li jujubes today. The tree does well in our summer, but I’ve decided I don’t love the fruit. It is like eating slightly sweet styrofoam. I’m putting them in my drying rack to see how they do after a bit of hanging time.

I’ve got all the heddles threaded for my next weaving project. Hopefully next week I can finish getting it on the loom, and see if the reality will match what is in my head.

I’m winding spools for using the spool rack for sectional warping today. 8 colors, 6 spools per color, 510 yards per spool. This will take me a bit.

This is for the Oil Slick cotton fabric I’m making on the big loom. I can picture it in my head. I hope it looks as cool in person!

When we have squash, I tend to bury the seeds and inner gunk under the fruit trees. Today I harvested delicata and butternut squash. Using food waste for the win!

The daily fig harvest is more than I can eat in one setting, now. (I have a sensitivity to latex, and figs are related. I need to keep myself to a couple at a time.) So I’m running an experiment, and taking advantage of all the Arizona out there to naturally dry today’s batch.

Bringing a fruit basket of yard goodies with me to go visit Brian’s folks this evening. 🙂

Fig season begins! These are the black mission variety. I love eating super super local. Like, my back yard.

I harvested all three types of grapes out of the yard today, and I can’t decide on a favorite. Who is surprised by this fact? My favorite word is ‘AND!’ 😄

(Red flame, green Thompson, and black monukka.)

Thank you. Please keep working on this one.

The rest of my apple harvest is in. 😊 Some of this will be applesauce, some quartered and frozen for morning smoothies, some dehydrated into apple chips, and the tiny and bruised ones will be cider. Ready? Go!

Grape season! The red flame grapes are ripening here in my Phoenix back yard. Imagine if everyone grew a bit of food…

We’re home from the protest downtown in Phoenix. Soooo many people. Great energy, totally peaceful.

#nokings