Today the towels I finished weaving yesterday and then serged and hemmed were washed and ironed dry. The stack they make, all finished, is quite lovely, I think. Tomorrow I will photograph them.
The rest of the day was taken up in my exercise session followed immediately (I arrived sweaty as usual) by the web design class. Tonight only five of the thirteen of us showed up. Perhaps the others didn't do their homework? Too bad for them. Tonight's class was the halfway point in the course which sort of surpsises me a bit because it has gone so fast.
As usual, I left home at 2:30 and didn't get back until 7:30 ravenous and tired. The good news is that I don't feel so out of my depth in the class and feel the homework this time is something I can do with what I know right now. Is the learning curve levelling out a bit? That would be a Very Good Thing.
Tomorrow I will start the new homework and clear my desk.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday and balmy
It is Tuesday and we are still having high temperatures at 90 or above. It is very dry and the nights are cool to almost chilly (50s) so the weather is holding. Vegetables are still growing and each day I go out to the raised beds to see what is there for dinner. Tonight it was Swiss chard. It is lucky I like it so much because it is growing madly.
I work at the web site-to-be as well. I will find out on Thursday evening what my instructor thinks and probably be blown away by what the other students have done, so we will see whether I like what I have so far as much on Friday morning as I do now.
Meanwhile I am weaving towels. I still have two or three more to do having taken time for my check up and cleaning at the dentist, exercise time (two hours), and weeding the gardens. I may cut the lawns, front and back, tomorrow before it is too hot and then shower and get back to the loom. There is never a lack of things to do!
I think they look cheerful!
I work at the web site-to-be as well. I will find out on Thursday evening what my instructor thinks and probably be blown away by what the other students have done, so we will see whether I like what I have so far as much on Friday morning as I do now.
Meanwhile I am weaving towels. I still have two or three more to do having taken time for my check up and cleaning at the dentist, exercise time (two hours), and weeding the gardens. I may cut the lawns, front and back, tomorrow before it is too hot and then shower and get back to the loom. There is never a lack of things to do!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Hurrah!
At last I have figured out why I seemed to be accessing--and sometimes posting--to two blogs. There actually were two blogs. Now there is only one, but I wanted to save one of the posts from the 'phantom' so it is out of chronological order and appears under today's date even though it was written on the 16th.
Now that I have recognized what I did it seems obvious, as these things that puzzle us always do. Sorry for the confusion although it was mainly confusion on my part.
Now that is cleared up I can finally get to the loom!
Now that I have recognized what I did it seems obvious, as these things that puzzle us always do. Sorry for the confusion although it was mainly confusion on my part.
Now that is cleared up I can finally get to the loom!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
I am determined to update and refresh the look of my website (http://www.sharonalderman.com/) and to do that signed up for two classes through the Salt Lake Community school: Phtoshop CS3 (which may not last because of low enrollment) and Web Site Design, which met tonight for the first time. We were assigned the creation of blogs and having had a dormant one for quite a long time, I have decided to re-activate it.
The object of this blog is to record my weaving which will help me date work as I make it and share the joys and tribulations with you, Gentle Reader.
Today I finished washing and ironing a dozen cotton towels woven in autumnal--appropriate!--colors. I had finished weaving the last one yesterday, cut the warp from the loom, serged them apart and hemmed them before putting them to soak over night. Today they were washed vigorously by machine in hot water and then ironed dry.
The warp before this one was a creamy white, linen singles (20/1) that I wove in a two block pattern so that warp emphasis and weft emphasis alternated catching the light nicely. There are four of them, the fifth had a law that couldn't be corrected by needle-weaving so it is going into my own collection; its usefulness to me won't be at all affected by the flaw in it but such things never leave home!
Prior to that warp I was trying to figure out a way to use some silk/stainless steel. I hve just 300+ yards of it so there isn't enough to make a very big sample. My best guess is that this yarn, unlike pure silk, won't shrink very much if at all, so I need to capitalize on that quality. It is very fine (from Habu, NYC) but 300 yards is just that: 300 yards. It isn't stiff, so I think I will put it into a finely woven scarf. The more I thought about it and the more I hunted through my yarn stash to find the proper silk to put with it the less it came together but a very fine silk shawl did come out of it, not using the silk/steel at all. I used a very pale 40/2 tussah for the majority of the shawl and a darker tussah (20/2) as outline threads to make squares with three-end huck squares within each at one time or another along its length. It's lovely.
I am determined to update and refresh the look of my website (http://www.sharonalderman.com/) and to do that signed up for two classes through the Salt Lake Community school: Phtoshop CS3 (which may not last because of low enrollment) and Web Site Design, which met tonight for the first time. We were assigned the creation of blogs and having had a dormant one for quite a long time, I have decided to re-activate it.
The object of this blog is to record my weaving which will help me date work as I make it and share the joys and tribulations with you, Gentle Reader.
Today I finished washing and ironing a dozen cotton towels woven in autumnal--appropriate!--colors. I had finished weaving the last one yesterday, cut the warp from the loom, serged them apart and hemmed them before putting them to soak over night. Today they were washed vigorously by machine in hot water and then ironed dry.
The warp before this one was a creamy white, linen singles (20/1) that I wove in a two block pattern so that warp emphasis and weft emphasis alternated catching the light nicely. There are four of them, the fifth had a law that couldn't be corrected by needle-weaving so it is going into my own collection; its usefulness to me won't be at all affected by the flaw in it but such things never leave home!
Prior to that warp I was trying to figure out a way to use some silk/stainless steel. I hve just 300+ yards of it so there isn't enough to make a very big sample. My best guess is that this yarn, unlike pure silk, won't shrink very much if at all, so I need to capitalize on that quality. It is very fine (from Habu, NYC) but 300 yards is just that: 300 yards. It isn't stiff, so I think I will put it into a finely woven scarf. The more I thought about it and the more I hunted through my yarn stash to find the proper silk to put with it the less it came together but a very fine silk shawl did come out of it, not using the silk/steel at all. I used a very pale 40/2 tussah for the majority of the shawl and a darker tussah (20/2) as outline threads to make squares with three-end huck squares within each at one time or another along its length. It's lovely.
Utah Symphony
I had a ticket to the performance of the Utah Symphony tonight. I went early to hear the pre-concert lecture by our new conductor, Thierry Fischer. I had heard him talk before and as then found him articulate and very engaging.
The concert itself was brilliant. The first piece was a very early Stravinsky called "Fireworks" followed by Hilary Hahn playing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. If she isn't the best violinist living, she'll do. What a wonderful performance!
After the intermission the orchestra played the entire Firebird ballet music. At the intermission I wouldn't have thought that anything could be better than what we had just heard but this performance was at least as good if not better. It was a great concert and suggests that we are going to have a wonderful season under Fischer's baton. Of course, there will be quite a few guest conductors because his appointment wasn't made until this season was settled.
I have spent most of the day involved with laundry and ironing and here, working on my web design homework. The assignment was a good one because now I have a pretty good idea of what I want my web site to become. And, of course, I keep fiddling with the layout of this blog....
Now to bed so I can be ready for Sunday.
The concert itself was brilliant. The first piece was a very early Stravinsky called "Fireworks" followed by Hilary Hahn playing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. If she isn't the best violinist living, she'll do. What a wonderful performance!
After the intermission the orchestra played the entire Firebird ballet music. At the intermission I wouldn't have thought that anything could be better than what we had just heard but this performance was at least as good if not better. It was a great concert and suggests that we are going to have a wonderful season under Fischer's baton. Of course, there will be quite a few guest conductors because his appointment wasn't made until this season was settled.
I have spent most of the day involved with laundry and ironing and here, working on my web design homework. The assignment was a good one because now I have a pretty good idea of what I want my web site to become. And, of course, I keep fiddling with the layout of this blog....
Now to bed so I can be ready for Sunday.
Friday, September 24, 2010
The morning after...
Last night was the second session of my web design class. Wow! We looked at the blogs posted by all the class members and there were some wondeerful things. It was humbling to say the least. What's a simple weaver to do?
I've decided that this class is a 'time sink'; that is, it will absorb all available time and I must weave, do laundry, cook for myself, eat, bathe and sleep as well. As always it is a balancing act.
The weather is perfect these days: sunny, warm--but not hot--days and cool nights. It is likely that if this is all we got I wouldn't like it as much but I'd be willing to give it a try! Ragweed, sagebrush and chenopod (tunbleweed) pollen levels are very high making those of us who sneeze keenly aware of the serpent in Eden.
This morning I have added some photos to the margin of this blog. I am trying to figure out how to alter the background (currently blue) without noticeable success. That is why I am taking a class, after all.
Onward!
I've decided that this class is a 'time sink'; that is, it will absorb all available time and I must weave, do laundry, cook for myself, eat, bathe and sleep as well. As always it is a balancing act.
The weather is perfect these days: sunny, warm--but not hot--days and cool nights. It is likely that if this is all we got I wouldn't like it as much but I'd be willing to give it a try! Ragweed, sagebrush and chenopod (tunbleweed) pollen levels are very high making those of us who sneeze keenly aware of the serpent in Eden.
This morning I have added some photos to the margin of this blog. I am trying to figure out how to alter the background (currently blue) without noticeable success. That is why I am taking a class, after all.
Onward!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
I signed up for two classes run by the Salt Lake Community School: Photoshop CS3 and Web Design. I am determined to update my web site (http://www.sharonalderman.com/) and change it in a number of ways. This class, which met for the first time late today, should do the trick. Hallelujah!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Back to the loom
A new cotton towel warp is on the loom and underway. This one contrasts--as is usually the case--with the one for the just-finished towels. It is light with a ground of natural, creamy white and borders of medium orange edged with blue violet. Within this frame there are narrow stripes of light colors within single warp ends of a gray/white marl. I am enjoying weaving these.
Meanwhile, our anomolous weather continues. In the last week we have had several days with high temperatures in the mid 90s (Farenheit), one day in the high 70s. It is very dry and sometimes windy which fosters wild fires. There are two burning in the state right now although some years they begin as early as July which makes this year luckier than most...but tell that to the families whose homes burned to the ground on Sunday!
I am still working on posting photos. I seem to get closer by tiny increments.
Meanwhile, our anomolous weather continues. In the last week we have had several days with high temperatures in the mid 90s (Farenheit), one day in the high 70s. It is very dry and sometimes windy which fosters wild fires. There are two burning in the state right now although some years they begin as early as July which makes this year luckier than most...but tell that to the families whose homes burned to the ground on Sunday!
I am still working on posting photos. I seem to get closer by tiny increments.
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