Funny Farm

Farming and Weaving, a very brief overview!

2009-07-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

Luckily, this is not a "scratch and sniff" photo. The girls are growing well for this winter's eating, but they sure do stink! All CornishX do. Chicken *hit doesn't smell good, but eating breed chickens really have an awful odor. Other details "of the why" I will keep to myself!

Bee Balm and Cone Flowers I keep meaning to plant

Mindless wood carvings of the summer.

Rayon scarf

and another rayon scarf! Clever.

I'll be away for a bit. Family issues and I'm flying out to Arizona this Monday. Not the best time of year to visit the State, but if you're in the Phoenix/Peoria area, send me COLD air. I'm going to swelter.

We sent 7 critters off to auction this week. Mr Buck has been retired (sent to auction) and Joey will be the new goat stud. I must get a picture of the studly dude. Whadda guy. Several lambs and kids and one dairy goat (crazy girl) headed out as well. I'm afraid some of the spent hens are due to go soon as well. I've found raising chickens much easier overall. However, the hens did a job on the asparagus and raspberries this summer and Mr Princess is not a Happy Farmer. I keep yelling, "FENCING, YOU MORON"! No, don't like the word either, but how many times must this be reiterated, I ask you? Late Blight has hit the North East and I'm afraid all my the tomato plants must be ripped out. No idea if the potatoes will make it. Note: I had to plant a second crop because the first rotted due to all the rain we've had and continue to have. This is the same blight of the infamous Irish Potato Famine. That's what brought my family over here. I do wonder what it would have been like to have been brought up in Ireland. Brief thought though only, since I probably wouldn't have existed! A fond fondue until I'm back in the Land of Much Rain.

Painted rug warp

2009-07-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

painted rug warp and dyed cotton sheeting for weft

sett 12

strips cut at 2"

hem strips cut at 1"

what colors does Marie like?

More scarf warps

No orange

orange scarf #1

Need to trim the fringe

orange scarf #2

all dyed

2009-06-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

All 8,000 yards are dyed and dried and ready to be wound off onto the spools. Eventually. I'm warping the big loom for a rug as a reward for completing the above task.

I failed to tell of the (almost) dye disaster. I had just enough dye to dye 4,000 yards of each color. I haven't dyed vast quantities on the stove in a long time so it took some sleuth work to find my trusty big pot. Mr. Princess often (always) takes my stuff because I'm fairly organized and it's easier to pilfer from me than for him to go looking for his own stuff. Lord only knows what he used my pot for. Probably seating near the wood stove in the basement. But I found it, washed it up and put it on the stove in the kitchen. I tossed in several cups of salt, some boiling water and 3.7lt of dye stock. Stir, stir, stir. Turned on the heat and began filling up the bucket with water. I added one bucket full and filled up the next. While adding the next bucket I saw dye on the (glass) stove. I grabbed some paper towels and began wiping up. The more I wiped the more dye appeared and suddenly, whosh, a LOT of dye. A hole in the pot! I started bailing dye from the pot BECAUSE I HAVE JUST ENOUGH DYE FOR THE PROJECT! There was no way to calculate how much dye was lost and how diluted it was. After resuming breathing I found a smaller pot, added less water and started again. Luckily all 4,000 yards appear the same purple color. No more disasters and the dyeing is done. Though photos would have been amusing, clean up and dye saving was more important. Lesson: always hold the pot up to the sun and look for holes. Amen and amen.

8,000 yards of chenille

2009-06-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

I pulled this alpaca/silk scarf off the loom several weeks ago. I need to twist the fringe (ugly story) and wet finish it.
As I was cutting the warp off the loom I got distracted and cut about 1/3 shorter than I should have. This should be fun stuff to twist and to knot. Not!

Sorry, but Penelope should have been the final photo. Here she is with one of her 2 kids and a few chicks on her back. She is a conveyance at that moment.

Damn! Blogger won't let me rearrange the photos today.

I've wound off 8,ooo yards of chenille and have dyed 4,000 yards thus far. To the left is a photo from Handwoven, issue 132, of a shadow weave shawl. I'm using this pattern to make a chenille throw, approximately 60x80. It's really more of a blanket.

Here is an overall view, albeit a crappy picture.

These are the colors I am dyeing.

When the dyeing is complete, I'll wind the yardage onto spools. . .

40 freakin' spools, and hope I wind sufficient yardage onto each. My main problem is that my clock reel is not adjustable and I know that the hanks will have shrunk. I'm still unsure of how I will transfer the 200 yard hanks to the spools. Once that is complete, I will check myself into a mental hospital for about five years. Please write.

Spring overdrive

2009-05-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

The table cloth has been off the loom for two weeks. I finally got it washed, hemmed and pressed. Overall I'm pleased. The center fold I'm not pleased with. Unlike wool, cotton is less forgiving. I had trouble finding a rhythm and when I did, I began to fret about the center fold. I can see I should have just woven. Where I thought the weft was too tight would have been just fine after wet finishing. Lessons learned.

At least the inconsistent tension appears to be a design element. Sort'a.

And now we know why it is recommended that there be a color change at the fold....lesson 2 learned!

The first six chicks of the season.

75 more will arrive in early June.

The seedlings are growing in the greenhouse. The garden has been enlarged to 100 x 40 and I'm waiting for the fence to go up so I can get the potatoes, peas, beans and lettuce in. However, Mr Fence Man is in the woods today cutting logs for the 2,000 mushroom plugs he just got. I ask you...priorities? The plugs can wait but my peas can't! They're vining in the greenhouse. My onions will be useless!

PROXIMIDADE

2009-04-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

I received this award from Sharon. Thanks, Sharon! I love getting awards..........passing them on however, can be a bit difficult because my choices have been already honored!

This award is to acknowledge the following qualities: "this blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!"

I can't cut and paste! Got a new mouse and cannot get it to do it's job. Using the control C isn't working either. What a dilemma. I'll have to do this the old fashioned way or just let you find my blogger selections!

My picks are Charleen and Sara!

I'll write more this week if I have the chance. I've found a wee trick in advancing a doubleweave. I've woven perhaps four blankets, in wool, in doubleweave and never had a real problem with the fold. I'm finding it more difficult in cotton. I'm about 2/3 of the way through the warp and now decided to weight the fold. It has helped quite a bit. I didn't use the fishing line. I tried that only once, and though it works, it is too fiddly for me.

I had a difficult time finding the rhythm for this project. I finally did. If I stick with the piece, day after day, which I usually do, I can maintain the rhythm. However, it is planting season and the season of selling lambs and kids. So, I start weaving, the phone rings, make a deal, plant a seed and get back to weaving. Not a good plan.

I know there are some skipped threads, I just hope they are minor. I need to get heavier, longer shuttles. I've added weight by putting heavy nuts on either side of the bobbin, but I think longer would also help in NOT skipping warp threads. One of the three shuttles I'm using has a curved (curved UP!) point in the front and back and often snags the weft. Interestingly, my one heavy and long EFS (which I love) didn't want to cooperate with me for this project.

My blog-less friend Bev drove up from SC and dropped her dogs off while she visits Boston. On the way she stopped at Webs and picked up an order for me and of course, enhanced her stash! She'll drop by Pro-chem on the way back here tomorrow. Webs is having a great sale and I'll soon post a photo of what I ordered!

McGregor, My Dawg

2009-03-26T07:08:00.000-07:00

My dawg, my trusty companion died peacefully yesterday afternoon. He rallied two weeks ago but decided his time had come. I will miss him desperately.

Greg followed me everywhere and was often underfoot. But he loved me and I him. He was my bud.

double weave table cloth

2009-03-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

I finally ordered the weft. That's the good news. The bad news is that Web's only had 2#s of the daffodil in stock in two different dye lots. Okay, plan B. Use all three colors. Bad news: out of the burnt sienna which I have been calling copper. Who knew? So, I order the two different dye lots, and boy-oh-boy are they different, and the green which they call Lizard. So, I'm casting my fate and plowing ahead.

Modified clasped weft rug

unhemmed rug............just using up odds and ends. Bad photo, mediocre rug. Threading error to the left. Hummphhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I see the counting threads are still attached to the right side.

Winter logging and view of Bart's bottom.

Featured?

2009-02-24T20:19:00.000-08:00

Click on postcard to enlarge, or as Marcy would say, "click for big".

Modified Clasp Weft?

2009-02-05T10:36:00.001-08:00

To answer Charleen's question:

I'm calling this a modified clasp weft. When looking through my references, the clasp weft technique involves running the weft back through the same shed. I'm changing sheds. This is adapted (by me) from the Swedish Rag Rugs-35 New Designs (see page 30). I liked the overall look of the 'Rolakan' Rug, but with modification. The weaver of this rug exits both wefts at the same point but does not "clasp" the weft. The weft is not interlocked, but turned back and entered into the same shed. The edges just meet. I tried playing with this on another rug but feared that the weft wouldn't hold up as well. What I have done is clasped the warp, changed the shed and taken the weft back to their original sides. The drawback, if any, is that with the clasping, there are significant bumps, but not uncomfortable to bare feet. Here I've set my warp at 12 epi. The sheeting is cut 2 inches wide. This is not a fast weave.

Weft coming from left and right and exiting at the same point. The green warp thread is down.

The weft from the right (paisley) is brought to the right, crossing the left (merlot) weft.

The shed is changed and the left warp is brought through to the left selvage.

The merlot weft is entered into the same shed and travels right.

You can see the two wefts interlocking.

The wefts are beaten into place.

Look who is coming to dinner!

2009-02-01T09:46:00.000-08:00

One day old, Hooligan

I hope we can keep her alive. Chances are slim. However, she is a feisty gal!

Our newest Funny Farm Resident

January's rug

Which weft, Wanda?

2009-01-25T09:56:00.001-08:00

No, that is not Wanda. This is Joanna. Cowboy Dave found her wet and chilled in the pasture and brought her over for Auntie Re to care for. After three days she is doing well and will return home tonight.

I thought I'd like the bronze as weft but was surprised to find the gold is the better choice.

I can't wait to get the weft and begin weaving.

If the economy would just smile upon me I could get the weft sooner than later.

January on The Farm

2009-01-21T10:19:00.000-08:00

5/2 Mercerized Valley Cotton
Bronze, Gold, Moss Green

Doubleweave
37" in reed (74" off the loom)
32 epi (16 epi per layer)

Marie's tablecloth

I haven't decided on weft color yet. I'm leaning towards the bronze. The warp will sit until Ms. Indecisive can make up her mind.

Pigs in the cellar

Winter - View of the front pond and stream

Backyard

Where is the back pond?

I just started a rug on the Union while I debate the weft for the table cloth. I'm playing with color ideas with the rug, attempting to stretch one prepared weft.

While avoiding knitting the final sleeve on my sweater I've knit about 18 pairs of socks. The handspun stash is finally thinning! Why haven't I finished the sweater? I think it will be a bit too small. I may be able to block it out or I may just have to lose weight. Blocking is easier!

what does this say about us?

2009-01-18T10:52:00.000-08:00

some food for 2009...........prior to the onslaught of snow and sub-zero temps, thankfully!

Misspelled gift

another gift

Bent Dent

2009-01-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

...or a dented dent? Not good either way. This is the only 60" reed I have. Luckily it's off to the far side, but when weaving a wide piece, as this tablecloth was, it is a problem.

See?

However, I found I could scoot the warp threads in place.

Finished piece. After a vigorous wash, dry and a heavy ironing, there is no evidence of "scooted" warp threads.

frantic weaving and knitting

2008-12-15T13:31:00.001-08:00

I was commissioned in October to weave a tablecloth that would fit a table 33X83. I made NO promises to have this completed by Christmas, however I received "the" guilt phone call two weeks ago imploring me to have this done in time for Christmas. I respond to guilt.

The loom is threaded 54" wide and will weave to 124". I'm around 90" at this point. The set is 20 and I'm using both 8/2 and Eight-Two. Do these colors look familiar? He saw my table cloth and wanted the same colors. The stripe pattern is different, thankfully.

I'm fortunate that the treadles lock so I can run to one end or the other to catch the shuttle. It's part of the exercise regime, you know.

Here is a photo of nine of the 11 pair I've knit so far. One pair Bob got early because I forgot our anniversary. He forgot too.

The other pair is still on the needles. So I suppose they're not really a pair yet.

Shades of neutral

It is a pity when the cat is larger than the dog.

For Sharon

2008-12-04T06:59:00.000-08:00

Here is what Sharon told me to do:

The directions are:
*Go to your sixth picture folder and pick your sixth picture.

*Pray you remember the details.

*Tag five others.

(please don't hate me)

Dalas, Charlene, Sara, Carol, and someone else please

Double Binding Rag Rugs&Butternut

2008-11-25T11:23:00.000-08:00

That is not an error running through the middle blocks. Interesting how that shows up.

This is a fascinating technique. I used very narrow strips, 1/2" or a bit less. Depending on the treadle pushed one color or the other is dominant on one side or the other. As with my past few rugs, they are thinner, mat-like more than rug-like. I've been reading several English reading Swedish rug books and all call for narrower strips than what I am accustomed to using. However, when reading the poundage of weft called for in their patterns, my rugs don't weigh close to what they call for. One of these days I'm going to follow one of their patterns to the letter and see what is going on. Or not. As the case may be.

This is Butternut....she is named after the creek that runs through the farm. She followed the flock across the creek the other day, and as they do at least once a day. She must have slipped and got carried by the current down stream, then snagged by a branch. Bob found her half frozen, unable to walk. He dragged her to shore and brought her back to the house in the bucket of the skid steer (spell check insists this is two words. I'm not so sure.). I dried her off the best I could and took a very old, very valuable Hudson Bay blanket and covered her up and rubbed her down until my arms ached. A few hours later she stood up. Many lambs and kids live inside this time of year, but never a yearling.

Tear Out My Hair Rugs

2008-11-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

Color chips -vs- dye

Clasped rug

colors: blues to lavenders to pink

single weft rags

36" x 72"

set at 8 epi doubled (16 ends/inch)

Detailed view

Same colors but adding a new color as one ran out.

Doubled weft

36" x 70"

Detail

Yellows and greens with Laura Ashley print

36" x 60"

BarnE Cat and his rooster

More on rag rug weft

2008-10-26T06:20:00.000-07:00

other joins:

continuous strip-- cut or tear the fabric warp-wise to about 1/4" from the end of the piece and begin another cut from that side and cut down the fabric in the opposite direction. Round the corners at the ends. The down side is that you get bumps or "ears" where the strip changes direction. This is a similar problem to the slot join

glued strips--join pieces using a glue stick. Overlap the ends 1.5-2". The glue sticks are water based so the joins are not hard or brittle and the glue washes out after the first laundering. I've used this method a number of times. If weaving a day or two after gluing the pieces may come apart when tugging the weft. If allowed to sit over a period of time I've found the joins to be quite strong.

Most join techniques are labor intensive for one reason or another. The only technique that is not as time consuming (other than just placing each unjoined
strip into the shed) is over-laying the strips and zigzagging the end. The only cutting is the thread from one join to the next. Mittering is the most attractive but the seam must be cut. Obviously, if you have a serger this is not an issue. I have no serger.

Reason for ironing strips when folding: only the right side shows. Some prints are much lighter on the wrong side. The wrong side showing on the woven piece can be a nice design element and other times just looks odd. I have read that one can place two pieces right side together in the shed but I haven't tried that yet. Fabric that is not "printed" has the color on both sides such as vat dyed fabric.

I have cut strips then wound them into a roll, right side facing out. Then reach into the center of the roll and pull out the end. The strip will coil, right side facing out, making a tube of sorts, while winding onto the shuttle. This works nicely if the strips were cut and not torn. I have used this technique only when using purchased fabric selveges and not pieced strips.

I have a commission for two large rugs with specific color requests. These are colors I've never played with so I'm testing DOS and blending. I started the "experiments" yesterday afternoon and they're batching. I can see that the ice blue needs to be stronger and the pink needs to be lighter. The lavender seems vibrant enough without being too strong. Each color is being tested for four different percentages of dye. Today I begin another color run for other colors.

Rag Rug Prep

2008-10-25T07:07:00.001-07:00

It takes longer to prepare fabric for weaving than to weave a rug in most cases. I don't have an electric or crank cutter so I either rip the fabric into strips or use a rotary cutter. Some fabric cuts easily using the rotary cutter and other fabrics seem to have a protective barrier, like the old Colgate shield!

Lately I've been weaving with 1/2" strips. No folding involved. But it takes me a day to rip two full sheets into these narrow strips.

One inch strips get folded in half and pressed. Some weavers fold in half and wind the fabric onto a rag shuttle. I've tried this, but find that the strips open up in the shed. I suppose if the strips sat folded for a year they'd stay in place.

Two inch strips go through the bias tape gadget and pressed. Time consuming? You betcha! But the results are stunning. No frayed edges or long pieces of thread peeking out between the warp ends.

I'm weaving the second double binding rug and found I hadn't calculated the weft correctly. The blocks are a patterned white and a navy/dk green plaid. I had no more plaid of significant yardage so I grabbed a blue and white calico print and threw it into the dye pot. The sheet weighed a bit over a pound. A 4% solution of navy was mixed. I found it to be a bit too much on the purple side so added black. Though the dye looked great, next to my plaid strip of dk green and navy it just looked bland. I poured 200 ml of 2% gold into the pot. That did the trick. I left it overnight to batch. I really need to rescue that sheet from the pot, rinse/rinse/rinse, then dry it. Today while watching college ball I'll tear 1/2" strips. God be with me.

Joining strips. Strips 1" and wider get sewn on the sewing machine. I usually miter the join but sometimes I just overlap and zig zag. For the narrow strips I cut a slot at both ends and loop them together. I've learned through trial and error to leave "ear" at each end because the ends lie nicely under the warp. When cut short, or the slot is cut too close to the end (which is what I've been doing, silly me), the end bits stick out. Yeah, the edges could be rounded when cut, but I'm spending enough time with prep work.

Rhinebeck 2009

2008-10-19T20:56:00.001-07:00

Charleen and I spent Saturday with Sara at Rhinebeck for the NY Sheep and Wool Festival. I've never seen it so crowded and it was impossible to shop. I did score 2#s of 5/2 bamboo, but that was it. We ran into Carolyn (now blogless), JR and "T" and ate lunch with them in the bleachers. Boy, do we know how to dine. We saw Pete and Carol and later ran into Deanna (you look mah-vel-ous). Marcy called in sick.
The short one on the right needs to cut her hair. And my, has her hair turned gray. I think I'll tell her to get some color on those tresses.
Of course we stayed at Chez Countrywool and were treated to hamburger soup and peach cobbler. If I tell you what we had for breakfast you'll want to stay there too, so I won't tell you. What I will tell you is that it was wonderful and I ate too much. Thank you Claudia and Jim for being such great people. I wanna go back!

More rugs done

2008-10-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

I've finally woven off all the rugs from the two looms

Nine Rag Rugs

2008-09-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

denim rug

It looks so much nicer in person. Here it looks bumpy with bad selveges. Not so.

love the fabric hem over one created from rug warp

multi-colored warp and black fabric

flannel rug

and a matching flannel rug

denim rug with white denim stripes

taupe sheeting with multi-color warp

rosepath design showing front and back. That's the hem in the center

Black and white warp and black patterned sheeting

another rosepath rug but showing the back. Problem. I was careful to run each fabric strip, face up, in each pick. I was very pleased with the lighter shade on the reverse side of the rug. However, half way through the color changed. I can't figure out why. One one side (up while weaving) the color is consistent. The color shifted on the other side. The fabric is all from the same source and was washed. No idea what happened.

We Didn't Start The Fire

2008-09-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

http://yeli.us/Flash/Fire.html