Turning backward, going forward

December 30, 2012. Wow. Winter solstice has passed, and the daylight is starting to lengthen, slowly but surely. Right before and after the Solstice, the daylight stays the same for several days. I like to see this as a gathering-of- perspective time. Look back, look forward. Hold perfectly still and observe. Remember. Plan. Enjoy.

I had a very nice time in California with all my children and grandchildren. We don't all converge on one spot on the globe that often. The weather was warmer than Missouri! I'm having a hard time adjusting back to cold and damp. I slept in my own bed last night. My feet were warm during and immediately after my hot, hot bath last night, and that's about it. I'm feeling pretty worn down today, a bit of a headache. I'm cooking a pot of ham and beans, I made some boiled ginger tea, taking Chinese medicine, and will try to get more sleep tonight. I'm headed to town in a bit to buy an electric blanket. I'm going to let go of the pennies for it this time. I just don't sleep well with cold feet.

Grandkids at Christmas! Need I say more? Here's a couple pics of them:









The rocker board is pretty cool. It holds up to 220 pounds, so all the grownups had fun, too.

On the weaving scene, I had full intentions of coming back, beaming and threading the blue cotton painted warp and whupping out another blanket. However, plans have changed. My son and his family are using some of my oldest pieces of handwoven cloth as napkins, and there are only a couple of them. And they are rags by now! Rags, I tell you. They're probably 18 years old, and although it's a testament to the sturdiness of handwoven cloth that they are still in use, I can't let this need go unmet.

So, I'm winding warp today. Hopefully I will get it beamed and ready to go tomorrow. These colors are chosen for their ability to hide stains. The yellow stripe will be crossed with one of the other colors, so shouldn't be a problem.





These will be plain weave. The yarns are a mixture of 20/2 used double, 10/2 and 8/2. All will be sett at 24 epi, so there should be a slight bit of texture difference. There are 4 colors in this warp. I have planned 13 stripes, starting from the middle and working out to the sides, which means each side will be brown. I am also winding two threads of each of the other colors at the beginning and end of the warp. These will be brought forward from the back to use as edges when I am crossing with a color other than the brown. This keeps the edges looking neat.

The blue painted warp is wound into bouts. I think I'll get to it sometime in 2013. Happy New Year!