Home is where my loom is

I've been home now for 6 weeks. Amazing! It seems longer, but that's the way time works.

So, I hit the ground running. The gardens, flower and vegetable, needed weeding, mulching, planting, and I got that done. I spread 4 yards of cedar mulch. That's a LOT of wheelbarrow loads. But it's all done and now I am on maintenance mode with weeding and waiting for veggies. The day lilies are starting to bloom, and I have a new bed to plan for fall planting.

Since I was so busy in the yard, I wanted something on the loom that I could just slam on, easy pattern, mindless weaving. I found a painted warp I had painted several years ago on light blue 10/2 perle cotton. I wanted to use it for yardage for a light, unlined jacket - more an overshirt for barely cool fall mornings and there wasn't enough of the painted warp. Evidently I had already decided that a couple years ago, because I found about 400 ends of dark blue unmercerized cotton already in bouts and washed. So I stuck that on the loom in a broken twill, using the solid for the 4 ends of the opposite leaning part of the broken twill.

It was a good warp for me - quick, pretty, and as I said, mindless. I took it off, wet finished it and took it to the dry cleaner for professional pressing. Then last Sunday, I made this:










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It's pretty much just what I wanted. I had to monkey with the sleeves because the pattern was for 3/4 sleeves and I wanted long. I took a friend's suggestion to face it, and I think it came out well.

Now I'm working on this:




Posey Patch from Bertha Gray Hayes. 10/2 cotton warp. Pattern weft - 24/2 wool, tabby 20/2 cotton. I intend to make another garment, this time a warmer sweater-ish thing I can wear in the house in the winter. I will shrink this fabric to make it lofty and soft, and see what I have.

Next, I'm winding a tencel 10/2 warp to be painted and made into a robe.

Now one may think that a 60 year old woman living in rural Missouri with zippo social life wouldn't need a painted warp jacket or robe. One would be right if the operative word is "need." However, I've decided I "want" to wear these things, even if I'm wearing the jacket for a walk in the woods or down the gravel road with my dog. I may as well "kick the slats out," as my dad used to say, and wear what I want, if it looks silly or not. It makes me happy to wear things I've made from the cloth out.

It's good to be home and back to weaving!