I'm SO Warped!

Warping for presents!
HeatherViaPhone

OHMAHGAW!
I have the BEST friends in the world! Two friends from the local Handweavers and Spinners guild (TH&SG) had a warping board they could live without. Me? I'd gotten to the point where using part of the great room and the dining room table with a Ginger Ale 2-litre bottle on it (to make my cross) was getting both OLD and dangerous with two small boys who like to crash into things.
This has saved Christmas.
Too late for Hanukkah.
LOL

But it's great. You see two colors of chenille warped up here to make SOMEthing for SOMEone who occasionally reads my blog. It's a short warp b/c it's a kit. Had I my druthers I'd have warped all 14 feet of this lovely lady.

More on this later.

Sharon Costello

Felted black capped chickadee
HeatherViaPhone

Margaret Stove's lace class

Lace weight two-ply
HeatherViaPhone

Katherine alexander is my hero!

Entrelac!
HeatherViaPhone

Mmm

Fractal spinning--Merino Silk blend
HeatherViaPhone

Followup:
Due to my rushed packing, I completely forgot to pack a ball-winder or Nøstepinne, so...the skein is in my box being shipped back to me. After it returns to my waiting hands I'll swatch it and upload it for all to see.

Workshop work

Hand spun hand woven bag- first of my weaving I've ever CUT!
HeatherViaPhone

The Down Side of SOAR

It's not what you're thinking.

I'm having a wonderful time. I've met the nicest (and most interesting) people, who I'm only rarely able to get on the microphone (folks are SHY!). I'm learning a ton from Joan--about both spinning and weaving...and how to turn a military career into a fiber shop.

Seriously.

No, the downside is October. Last year we missed Halloween at home, which stunk, but the Grandparents were there (all of them) so really, the kids didn't suffer with me gone (would they have anyway? They love their Daddy!).

No, the problem is that in October I have my husband's birthday and our anniversary (11 years of marriage this year, 12 of living together and 19 of me being in love with him--but who's counting?).

So, this year, Andrew gets a phone call. And that sucks. I don't like it at all. But there isn't much I can do about it this year. I can make it up to him on our anniversary...I hope...

So here it is, your birthday clipart:
And, hey? If you get a chance, can you swing by and leave a happy birthday comment to him?

THURSDAY UPDATE:
HA!
I was able to corral my Dad, Stepmom, Mom, and Sister into surprising Andrew for his birthday. He had NO idea. We had Thing 1 and the babysitter in on it. He sounded SO happy when I phoned the restaurant. At least it was something.

MORE!

Fireplace
HeatherViaPhone

SEE!

Tub!
HeatherViaPhone

SOAR: On the Upswing

SOAR!*
First, before I get all snipey, as always, the people from Interweave and the Spinners themselves, are spectacular people I've been able to spend a van ride and a breakfast with Jan and Meg from the UK (Basingstoke--home of the Magic Roundabout) and they once again confirmed my love of all fiber folk. We're just great.

Okay, enough of the happy happy.

We got here after a VERY HOT AND HUMID VAN RIDE--for which I wasn't prepared. It's suddenly 85 degrees here--it was 70-75 on the Google Weather up until the morning I packed. Did I have the computer on while packing?
No I did not.
Am I woefully under prepared?
O yes
And no umbrella.
Will it rain?
O yes
Was that on the radar?
O no.

So, fine. I'm at a resort, right? It's not like I'm going to be OUTside! I'm going to be INSIDE at the conference meetings.

Um...except for the whole, "oh, um...yeah...we're remodeling, so we had to move rooms around."

My room was not only craptastic, but it was hell-and-gone from the main building (steep hill down to the room or up to the conference). Now, in all honestly, I can use/don't mind the walk, but rain + spinning wheel isn't good.
There is a way, though, I'm sure.
There have to be shuttles and such things.

Well...there sort of are...sort of...

Okay, fine. So the room is decorated in Victoria Club, (Riverside, CA) circa 1979.
Fine.
Whatever.
It smells musty and vaguely unused.
Okay...at least I'm not sneezing.
There's a little refrigerator...so that's good right?...and would be great if I had a way to get some groceries...
But...okay...I'm surviving.

But.
There is no hairdryer--I know this doesn't sound catastrophic, but I don't have comb-and-go hair any more. So...drowned rat is my new morning look, followed by the you-did-a- lousy-job-ironing-your-flatass-hair lack-of-body look.

But why should I care? My husband is in AZ. He wouldn't care anyway.
That's how wonderful he is!

But.
BUT!

The Internet is down!

The Only Thing I Asked About When Making a Reservation...
The Only Thing I Wrote About Just To Make Sure and Confirm...

"Does the room have an internet hookup?"

I don't even care if it's wireless. I'm prepared. I just need access.

O there was a signal. But it was a faux signal. One that you couldn't actually USE, you could just SEE it...like Tantalus, I spent HOW much time last night trying to get it to work???

All reminiscent of Thing One and me in Denver...

So this morning I go to the desk to ask about a hairdryer and the internet and was told that (a) housekeeping could get me "a hairdryer...maybe....we'll see...", and (b) "yeah, um...the internet's been down in that building for weeks...we keep calling..."

Long story short... My room was in a condo. The condo association is responsible for the wireless. 'Nuff Said.

So I beg. I plead. I smile nicely and remind her that it's the ONLY thing I requested.

"We'll see what we can do. You can bring your laptop up here, we have desks back there..."

Didn't I see a business center on the map?

"It's closed for the renovation..."

Ah...

The "desks" were dinner tables.

In the space next to the indoor pool...that much humidity and me? And my laptop?
Eh...

I head to breakfast with no faith, but a "what the heck can I do about it" regard to the day.

I get back to my room (after a very nice meal with Jan and Meg) and start working...then the phone rings. It is, in fact, Jessica at the front desk telling me they have a "studio" I can have in the big house.

I assume this means I'm moving to a closet. I don't care. I'm ecstatic! Uncontainable enthusiasm returns! I will have a connection to the world and work! I'll be able to put the podcast up! I am fully realized again.

The van comes to get me (15 minutes late, but who's counting) and I get my new (working) key, open the door and here's what I see--in order:

1) A really bitchen Murphy Bed
2) OMG there's a whole kitchenette here!!!!
3) OMG there's a fireplace here!!!!!
4) OMG

there
is
a
whirlpool
tub
here!!!

I don't deserve this.

But, in my defense, I didn't yell or scream. I was very nice. I just asked to have internet--like they promised me when I booked my stay.

The only thing wrong now is that have a WHIRLPOOL TUB AND ANDREW'S NOT HERE!

There is a cruel irony there.

And now, it's time to get lunch, then back to work...

*Spin-Off Autumn Retreat

Huck Lace!

Second warp. three days of warp.
HeatherViaPhone

Goofball Singers

I'm typing today while our babysitter sits outside, watching the boys swim. They are goofy and they have both inherited a love for (and a talent with) music. They are also genetically programmed to be completely ridiculous. They are making up songs at the tops of their lungs, but unlike other kids I've heard who just do this to make noise, they are working out choruses and refrains. They are actually and truly making music. They even fade-out purposefully at the end.

I'm trying to do the same thing myself right now with weaving. I've found four contradictory books/articles/patterns on Huck Lace and I have been trying to work out the math to make the table runner look the way I want it to.

I have little confidence that this will work, and a part of me wants to sleigh just a small bit of it, then test that. It's going to be a huge struggle if I have to re-sleigh the whole thing. But then...I'm still in the 'learning experience' part of this. We'll see...

I think I need to take a lesson from my sons, though, and just dive in and start singing.
Loud.
And clear.

OTN: back to Pomotomus socks, and almost done with Syd's Horcrux Socks.

Warped

Where have I been?
Warping.

I'll have pics here later, but for now, know this: I'm an idiot.

No really. I found out from Syne Mitchell of Weavecast that I took on a ridiculously difficult first project. This surprised me not at all. I had some linen on cones just sitting around so I thought I should use it. I warped with that

Then I wove four placemats--plain tabby, then twill (1/3 and 2/2) and had a ball.













I had no one to tell me that I was insane to start with linen. Probably why it came out just fine. If I don't know it's impossible I won't know I can't do it. I started the same way with knitting. It Is My Way.

And I think the placemats came out pretty well, all things considered. I would NEVER have chosen that color on my own, but like I said...I had cones lying around, so...

Now (again, becasue I'm an idiot) I'm warping 22 epi crochet cotton into a double sleyed Huck Lace table runner.

Um.
We'll see.

But that's where I've been. I've actually had to organize my nights, and I try to weave only when Andrew's out of town because it's (a) not silent and (b) not something I can do on the couch and, you know, I kinda like being near him.

On the knitting side of my life I'm fixing the length of my "Springtime in Paris" socks from the Six Sox KAL. I love these socks. I love that they're Tofutsies yarn. I hate that they're too big. So the night I started Harry Potter x7, I did a little experiment and tried pulling the toe out to see if just stretching the sock would make it fit better.

It did.

So now I've inserted dpns, ripped out the toe of one of the socks down to the dpn, and am reknitting the toe. I'm already excited.

I've also started on my Pomotomous sock again. I think the beast will last forever.

I've also GOT to work more on MS#3. Sigh.

Oh, and then there's the day job. And soon there will be homeschooling too.

And the Philosopher Podcast that's taken me forever to edit. Because I laughed too much. A good reason to edit, but also a good time.

Soon.

Off to that day job.