My Corner Of The World - August 2011

It's August in Zurich, Oslo, Mumbai, Madrid, Amman, London, Perth, Athens, and Baghdad.

Time for a new edition of "My Corner Of The World!"

Have a joyful day!
Franco Rios
Sacramento, Calif, USA
(still July here but will be August soon)

And, now it is August here. Thank you for keeping this thread updated every month. We all really enjoy it and learn so much about each other and our lives outside weaving.
This is a special month for me. I am celebrating a big birthday soon and have just ordered my first new loom. Except for a rigid heddle loom, I have always purchased used looms.
Last week, I ordered a bright red Glimakra Julia which may arrive this coming Friday.
Pictures will follow as she is assembled.
Claudia

The sun finally made an appearance today - maybe we'll get some summer weather after all?

Here is a picture of some of the cloth I've been weaving now that it's wet finished:

Laura, that is lovely!
And so RED!
Have a good day!

Could one of you explain wet finished? I know I not dumb,just new at this weaving thing.

Thanks

It is cloudy and cool in Oregon today,just like I like it! I get to go to the big city of Eugene and to a real weaving store today! Can't wait! They have everything, even used stuff,sale stuff and a gallery.Fun

Have a great Day everyone.

Marlene

I am going to let Laura answer that since she wrote the book on the subject.

Wet finishing refers to the very first time the web meets the water (and soap/detergent) after weaving.  Wet finishing often looks a whole lot like simply washing the cloth but there are times when you will do things much more aggressively during wet finishing than you would ever consider as on-going cleaning.  For example, when I'm wet finishing cotton I use the hottest water available to maximize shrinkage and to test the dyes to see if they are fugitive but the care instructions that go onto the cloth for cleaning state 'wash in warm water'.

I never assume that there are no fugitive dyes unless I'm working with yarns from a regular supplier and I have confidence that there will be no loose dye molecules to rinse away.  :)

For woolen cloth, fulling means warmer (sometimes hot) water and agitation until the cloth is fulled to its finished state.

Other treatments, such as brushing or compression can also be done as part of the wet finishing treatment.

For more information try to find a small booklet called The Final Step by Beverly Gordon or Magic in the Water by moi.  

cheers,

Laura

who still has 15 abridged copies of Magic and is working on turning Magic into digital format, most likely available on cd later in the year

Here in Georgia it is hot and dry. I am working on sampling for a summer and winter project (even though winter seems far away). I am doing this sampling in Peaches and Creme so I can work them off quickly and see what is going on (and I had plenty of it in the stash).    : )

I don't know what to do with the warp ends to keep them from raveling, though. I have fringed one piece and tied knots on the warp ends. I may braid groups of ends on the next piece. Does anyone have any thoughts? All suggestions welcome.

Vicki Allen

I wove a lot of cotton towels for the kitchen with yarn like that. I knotted most and the ends unravel and fray. Then I cut the frayed part off so it wouldn't catch fire around the stove or oven.

A prettier way I found is to braid three or four strands for about an inch or two, then knot it and trim. More work. Less frayed strands to catch fire.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios
Sacramento Calif

 Yesterday was so much fun! Usually I am not fond of going to the city but yesterday I got to go to Eugene with my son and webt to the Eugene Textile Center. They have things I have only sen on line and more looms than I have time to check out! I bought some plastic bobbinsto maybe use in my antique shuttles and 3 of the four shuttles now can have bobbins. The old paper ones were falling apart and my hands won't roll paper. Besides these have ends on them. No more thread off the end. There was also a small bag of wool selvages of many colors that I got to mix with the grey wool I have so much of. My son took the whole tour of the store and we both had a great time. Then we went to the meeting we drove so far to get to but the stop at the ETC ws the best part of the day along with the time with my son. He enjoyedthe shop and maybe will be a little more interested in what I am doing at the loom.

 Thanks Laura for explaining about fulling. I have done a whole lot of dying for many years and understand that part real well. But now I have an idea about the wool.

Have a great day everyone

Marlene

-Use a sewing machine to stitch the ends, if you need to wash the samples individually as they come off the loom.

-Mix a little glue and water, and "paint" your cutting lines between the samples after washing the yardage. Let dry, then cut on these lines. This is the recommended method of Cross Country Weavers for the annual sample exchange. It gives a nice, flat, clean edge without taking away from the sample.

 I also found this glue+water method works if you are going to make a rolled hem for a dishtowel. The glue line keeps the cut edge nice and flat while pressing the rolled hem into place before stitching by hand or machine.

For any textile coming into proximity with food, it's not my preference to have any kind of fringe. If certain foods come into contact with the fringe, it's hard to clean, and it can look icky pretty quickly. My husband is a big gravy fan, so that is how I learned my lesson on this one! (If he ate more bread, the crumbs would be a lot easier to deal with! ;-)

Sally

DEFIANCE!

Sacramento, Calif.

Marlene, sounds like you had a great trip.  Where do you live that Eugene is the big city?  I left there years ago, before the Textile Center and before the BSG.

Alison

Franco,

Love the picture.  We have a bit too much defiance going on in our lawn this year.

This year I made a nice little bed to grow woad in.  I planted lots of seeds that I had saved from last year.  Last week I made a vat, but for some reason it didn`t work.  I have a white scarf ready to dye, so I`m going to try again with more leaves and less water.

It seems I`ll have plenty of seeds for next year!

Happy summer everyone.

Bonnie.

 Well first off let me say I live in the perfect spot for me. When people hear where I live they think I should be unhappy about it but I love it out here.

 If you drew a straighline from Coos Bay Oregon to Roseburg Oregon on a map I live 1/2 way between. You will note that there is no major road there, the main road is 18 miles south of us . We live in an old school in what was a logging camp and before that a hunting camp for the local Indians. It is called Sitkum which means 1/2. We are 35 miles from both Roseburg and Coos Bay if we go over gravel roads. The nearest town is Myrtle Point or Coquille and that is 25 miles away. So you plan trips out here and do lots of things when you do go to town. Eugene is about 2 hours in the good weather and 3 1/2 in the winter when the pass to Roseburg (gravel) is closed . There is snow on that pass as late as the end of May.On our way out this weekend I took a few pictures and I'll try and get them posted so you all can see how beautiful it is out here.

Thanks for asking, I love my home and the location.

Marlene

Here is a picture of the trees on the road on the way to the event this weekend

And this is our booth. My rugs are right above the red chair on the right.

I need to work on getting the pictures the right size!

Marlene

I've started smoking foods this summer in Massachusetts.   So far the neighbors haven't said anything. . .

I tried hot smoking some catfish and it was really wonderful.  Over the weekend I cold smoked some green peppers, tomatoes, almonds and some sea salt.    I used the peppers and tomatoes to make gazpacho, which I'm eating right now.   Yum!     Too bad there is no way to let you all taste it.

Sally

On the subject of yummy homemade foods...I made fourteen fruitcakes yesterday, including 18 pounds of "additions"!  Six kinds of home-candied citrus peels (Meyer lemon, yuzu, Rangpur lime, citron, bergamot, and Seville orange), home-candied sweet cherries, home-candied sour cherries, and, well, LOTS and lots of other stuff!

Here is a pic of the citrus peels, partway through the chopping process:

And here is a photo of the big pile of "extras" before I mixed in the cake batter:

The shiny silver thing at the back is a stick of butter, to give a sense of scale.  The heap is eight inches high in the center!

I'm going to start sprinkling them with liquor tonight.

And, if I may be permitted a small brag...my Kodachrome jacket is the cover for the latest Handwoven!!  I'm thrilled and excited.

Hi Tien. I ran across an image of the latest issue of Handwoven online yesterday...is that your gorgeous Kodachrome jacket on the FRONT COVER?!

Yes, it is!!  I was so thrilled when Madelyn told me.  Now I'm walking on air!!  I can't wait to receive my issue in the mail.

Congratulations Tien!! It looks fabulous there.

for the great pictures.  I always wondered what woad looked like and you provided the best pictures!

Alaa

Hi Bonnie, I got some great blues from my second year woad, on my blog page here, in the lower left hand corner I give links to some recipes I used.  Those web sites, one in England, one in Canada give very good woad information for a novice.  Good luck, they work well and you get a great blue!

regards  Deb Mc

Yes! I got the whole width of the Macomber 40 inch warped. Took most of the day with help from my son and DH but we put 12 yards on for rugs. I did it sectional and it is so much more even and better than the regular way. There is room on there for at least twice that much but I'll be bored with the colors by the time I get through these 12 yards.

Ok now to thread it and tie it all up. I also want to add more weight to the reed. I have been reading Collingwoods books(2) and he seams to think it is important and I have the metal to do so . We will see how that goes. I amenjoying the books but most of it is still way over my head.

I also checked out Worst's book from the library and am really enjoying the pictures and the book. I am going to make a pair of shoes soon and the pictures included some great shots of the shoes from I am guessing the turn of the century.

 Ok coffee break over back to work

Have a great day Everyone!

Marlene

I saw this car on a tow truck going to the demolition derby. We got a V8 engine, real chromed bumpers, and paint by Melissa. Victory or death in the dirt. One more run for this noble beast. Either way, the crowd of spectators will be the winner!

Have a good day!
Franco Rios, Sacramento, Calif.

A really productive summer. Three warps on studying seersucker for a study group, will post pix after figuring out camera! Just cut of a 12x12 tapestry yesterday,which is a sample for a 30x36. I will have the large tap. Done this winter. August is such a great month for making sure I have all the supplies I need for my fall projects which means to me, picking out yarns! Yeah! Life is very good!

Doug got the AVL fixed and I was able to weave this afternoon.  I'd hoped to finish the current cloth today but I've been working on the text files for Magic in order to turn that into digital format and I'm so close to being done I think I'm going to burn through the last 5 pages yet today.  Then all that's left for me to do is get photographs of the cloth samples.  

It will feel very good to turn all the files over to my webmaster and let him work his brand of magic on them.  Hoping to have digital Magic ready on cd sometime in September.  :)  

cheers,

Laura

Public Holidays Aug 20 2011

8/20/2011 Estonia Re-Independence Day
8/20/2011 Morocco Revolution du Roi et du Peuple
8/20/2011 Hungary St. Stephen`s Day

Any holidays in your corner of the world?
Have a good day!

This is cork oak bark. The tree is in Capitol Park, Sacramento, Calif. These trees can be found around town. Seems that people like the roughness of the bark, even if they never harvest the bark for cork.
Have a good day!

Franco, I see on the left back side of the derby car, it says "Ukiah Dismantlers". I went to Ukiah High School 70'-74'. I'm sure you know where that's at. I was born in Texas but went to high school in Northern Calif. Brings back lots of memories. Thanks for the memories......Steve.

The first of the Fox Fibre weft cloths are in the washing machine soaking in *hot* water and washing soda.  The colour has already changed dramatically.  Will post pics to My Projects when they come out of the washing machine.  :)

cheers,

Laura

Hey Steve,

Small world ain't it?

Have a good day!

I'm off to to the Allegan MI Fiber Fest today to see Friend Barb Gallagher a vendor there and only weaving shop owner near Cincinnati Ohio that I know of. It should be a lot of fun! Then it's off to Cincinnati to set up my tapestry loom for some serious weaving!

Just finished pressing the cloth woven with Fox Fibre yarns - photo in My Projects showing the cloth after wet finishing.  :)

cheers,

Laura

I'm at a month-long artist residency at the Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts in Rabun Gap, GA. I'm posting about my time here at my blog: http://tapestry13.blogspot.com

Exciting times!
Tommye

Public Holidays

8/24/2011 - Ukraine - Independence Day
8/25/2011 - Uruguay - Independence Day

Any holidays in your corner of the world?
Have a good day!

I've never posted here, but I thought you folks on the left hand coast might want to know that everybody here is laughing just as hard as you are at our little earthquake... except the contractors who built Louisa High School, the Midlothian Post office, and similar low bid structures which are now condemned due to quake damage. 

Now if we could just get the hurricane over with, we can go back to breaking news reports about starlets in rehab!

No one in Washington DC is laughing with the Washington Monument and the National Cathedral closed indefinitely.
It may have only lasted a few seconds but totally rocked our world and many familiar structures in it. Plus, the aftershocks of 4.2 and 4.6 are a bit disconcerting.
Claudia, who lives and is now shaken outside Washington DC.

Shaken and stirred (both!).  I heard from a friend in Virginia just a few minutes after the quake happened and have been watching the reports on Wikipedia.  They do a fine job of posting information, updating frequently as new data comes in, and they keep monitoring the situation until there's nothing new to add. 

Here's their coverage of the Virginia earthquake -- including an amazing account of animals in a local zoo who moved to positions of safety just before the earthquake began.

For the next big concern, here's their page tracking the route of Hurricane Irene.  I am learning the most amazing things about storms....

Ruth

I grew up in No.Va.  I was not surprised to see the monuments and such suffered damage.  Most of the damage in central VA was due to mortar failures.  Old mortar is very sandy and crumbles easily.  I was shocked to hear the Cathedral had no insurance coverage for their damage.  We used to use the Cathedral to study triangulation from the front lawn of my high school (Tyson's Corner area.)  I am surprised that this type of damage wasn't considered in the 60's when everything was evaluated for bomb shelters and the like. 

I'd send pix from central VA, but there's nothing to show that wasn't on the news.  My niece was house sitting a few miles from the epicenter, and a stone veneer interior wall collapsed.  Not too interesting after she cleaned it up...

To those of you on East Coast who experienced the earthquake, be assured that if we are laughing in California it is only "gallows humor" shared by people who have also experienced this grave situation. As a life long Californian, I've ridden a few temblors.

Most recent for me was in San Francisco Bay area for the 6.9 Loma Prieta quake (San Leandro) in 1989 (last century). After the rolling stopped we gathered outside and laughed together, having survived what was obviously a big quake. And there was the fire afterward in San Francisco.

Just four miles up the road there was a collaped freeway structure where over 40 people died. People worked for days to find and rescue survivors.

At least for me and my family, we know your concern and we are sad for your losses, but glad for your survival.

From California, where we have wildfires, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, and little bitty tornadoes,

Have a joyful day!
Franco Rios

We have finally achieved a little sun today!  On the weaving front, I've got about 1.5 yards left on the current warp and I'm just about to go to the loom and polish that off.  :)  I think the next warp will be for silk scarves....

cheers,

Laura

Oh come on! Smile a little bit!

Have a good day!

Franco, That is very funny.

I have my boat shuttle tethered to the loom. Anything else?

-----------------

All humor aside, if this one heads out to the ocean, it would make all of us breathe a bit easier. I think I prefer an earthquake or tornado (with no warning) rather than this 48 hours of craziness. I was evacuated from the North Carolina coast in 1996 for hurricane Fran and rode it out in Raleigh Durham, so I have an idea of what this storm could be like, even inland. Up here in NJ/NYC, I am not sure we have ever experienced a weather event quite like this, and the population density is creating ripple-effect problems now, before the storm is even approaching our area.

I don't think we will be at risk for flooding where I am, but I am expecting downed trees, power outages, and possible road closings due to high water in low spots.

And I know we have a couple of Weavolution members living right in NYC, so I am certainly thinking about them at this time, too. I understand Mayor Bloomberg is shutting down NYC public transportation tomorrow starting at noon, and will be closing some of the bridges due to high winds. Lower levels of all 5 boroughs now have a mandatory evacuation order. I believe this is the first time in the history of NYC this has ever happened. It looks to be a surreal weekend.

Sally

Had a great experience setting up some warp weighted looms.  An intersting loom, but not very egonomic for weaving.  I don't think I will set up one for me to do any weaving.

One of the fun things about the internet is finding links to wacky things that will tickle one to the core! Have a good day!

Space Rabbits Of Brocklevoons on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz_X4LW5dyY

Space Rabbits of Brocklevoons', by Kate Rowe and accompanied by Ryan
Morrison. This was filmed during their Australian tour, at Albêdo in
North Lake, Perth, on the 9th May 2009. Kate Rowe is an Australian
songwriter from the Blue Mountains in NSW. Ryan Morrison is from W.A.
and also performs solo and with the Spooky Men's Chorale

In my corner of the world it is definitely autumn. Darknes is creeping in on us, at 9 PM it is dark, which is rather sad and, at the same time comforting. I love the summer nights when it never gets dark, but they are also stressing. It is difficult to get to bed and find rest when the sun is shining, and then there are so many things one must do in the summer. You have got to get out and just enjoy the summer. Weather is rather unstable in this place, so you'd better get up and do something about it, when the sun is shining. Then there is the house that needs paint, the garden needs a loving hand etc. 

So really autumn comes with calmness and rest and a lot of beautiful colours.

We have got new nabours at the summerhouse, I like to watch them as they move around the field.

We felt the vibrations, and as we live so close to DC, we thought explosion first.  We had just walked into a grocery store & while the huge vibrations came up through our feet - things started falling off shelves & breaking all over the store - made a big mess.  One crazy blonde was running around yelling "Earthquake".  very funny.  Once it stopped, all stood for a minute & as it was over, got back to the business at hand - buying groceries.   You just had to step over stuff in some of the aisles. I called home & my sons had saved the flat screen from falling & reported the china cabinet was intact.  We were lucky.

Last night I entered a picture of the beautiful evenings sun, but it seems to have disappeared, so I put it back in.

Here it comes back in the original position! I do not understand anything, but that does not matter so much, the picture is there!

Lovely, Eva - the days are much shorter here, too.  Full dark by 9 pm.  It wouldn't be so bad except that our summer has been dreadfully grey, dreary and wet.  It's sunny today so I'm hoping we'll have some nice weather before winter settles in again.  :}

On the weaving front, I have started some silk scarves, trying to use up some of my silk stash.  

Got the first scarf started last night and hope to finish it today.  Picture in my Projects and more info on my blog http://laurasloom.blogspot.com

cheers,

Laura

Eve you live in a beautiful place. I see the snow on the mountains. I am guessing it has been there all summer and may never go away? May I ask why you live so far north? Were you born there and has it always been your home? I sure enjoy your weaving, you do such a variety. I am just starting out and so far mostly rugs but I have a blanket planned soon. Thanks again for the pictures.

Marlene.( i can see snow all year too here in southern Oregon)