Convergence in Tampa, FL June 27, 2008

Convergence – a fiber extravaganza put on by the Handweaver’s Guild of America – was not to be missed. We met at J’s apartment in Clermont at 7:00 for a fun trip to Tampa. I left my house at 6:00. I can’t find my way out of a paper bag so I was certainly surprised to find myself at J’s apartment at 6:30!! Two of the girls, K and L, were spending Friday night in Tampa so they could make a two day adventure out of it. I drove the rest of us, D, D, and J, in my car. Since I am a bit of a lead footed driver, I took the point and the caravan moved out! With J’s excellent map skills, we were at the Tampa Convention Center right at 9:00 when the doors opened! Convergence was awesome! Lots of super vendors like WEBS, Yarn Barn, Habu Textiles, Glimarka Looms and Susan’s Fiber. I was like a kid in a candy store! BUT I had a “List” and I was going to be good! No fiber, no yarn, this trip was all about weaving! I fell in love with a red Glimarka loom – it would look perfect in the dining room next to the red kitchen… And the Ashford table loom called to me. You can put it on a stand and presto change-o it becomes a floor loom! We met up at noon for lunch. I was the only one among us who had made it through all the vendors. Remember I was being restrained and sticking to “The List”… We went to Champions Grill at the Marriott Hotel across the street from the Convention Center for lunch. We had show and tell before we ate. One over-zealous show-er almost showered us with ice tea but we quickly protected all fiber purchases and went on. Everyone was grinning ear to ear and having a fabulous time! We were back at it by 1:30. I made one more purchase – a 6-1/2 yard warping board which my teacher, J, chastised me for purchasing saying it was too short. Maybe I can cut it and expand it. Soon we visited the exhibits. Just seeing them was worth the drive over and the $10 admission fee. This was true fiber art at its finest. There were all types of media – fibers, feathers, reed, cloth, metal and even plastic electrical ties. There were wonderful portraits in hooked rugs, super clothes, hats and purses. One fabric was so sheer it was like gossamer lace. Another was sheer with colored triangles floating through it. The exhibits were absolutely awe inspiring. By now, our footsies were giving out and we were ready to head home. The girls who were staying in Tampa were going to have room service dinner in the hotel room. The rest of us elected to eat at a Mongolian BBQ in Lakeland. Delicious and our waiter was memorable too :) Here is a picture of my haul from Convergence, four cones of yarn for my dishtowel exchange, a two pronged fringe twister, a small boat shuttle and a 6-1/2 yard warping board (the only thing I didn’t get was a 22” raddle):

Woven Scarf

I finished my woven scarf! It has been magically transformed into a table runner for the dining room table:

I was baffled and confused about what to do with the fringe. My teacher, J, suggested using a two pronged twirly thing that twists the fringe. Since I don't own one of those - yet - I tried HAND TWISTING the fringe on my sample piece. Not a fun process :) As you can see the fringe has been left loose:

It is 3-1/2" long. I was afraid the hemstitching wasn't tight enough but it seems to hold together just fine.

I will be driving to Convergence - a weaver's convention that is taking place in Tampa this year - on Friday, June 27, 2008. I have a long shopping list: 22" raddle, another boat shuttle, warping board, and yarn. I am really looking forward to attending this weaver's shopping paradise!

In other news, I finished another block of the GAAA:

This is the Dagmara Berztiss block. Once my good friend, J, taught me how to knit cables without a cable needle this block was a lot of fun! I learned how to ptbl - purl through the back loop! The wonderful thing is that both squares are very similar in size.

Great American Aran Afghan

I fell at work yesterday and must have seriously injured myself because I have decided to make the Great American Aran Afghan. This afghan is way above my skill level but it just looks like so much fun that I had to try it. Here is my first square, the Ginette Belanger:

It was a rough start but I think it came out fairly well. And I learned a lot about cables which I hadn't knit many (any) of prior to making the square :) And I knit enough Trinity stitch - k1, p1, k1 into one stitch, p3tog - to last a lifetime! The next square I am going to do is the Dagmara Berztiss. This square will teach me twisted stitches and intricate increases. I think this is a wonderful way to increase my knitting skills and end up with a lovely afghan when I'm finished. I also purchased the "Great American Afghan" and I was thinking of combining squares from both. I will need 20 squares total. The "Great American Aran Afghan" has a lovely border to complete the afghan too.

My first weaving project, a scarf, is almost off the loom! I will post pictures as soon as I have finished weaving the sample. My next weaving project is a dish towel exchange! This is just among the new weaving group so hopefully I will be able to finish and not embarass myself! There is an overshot class in August that I am looking forward to taking as well. I hope I can remember how to dress that loom!

My First Woven Scarf

I'm a little over half finished with my first woven scarf! I think it's looking very good for a first effort! The quilting pin at the left selvedge is to keep track of how long the scarf is. That pin marks 30 inches!

Here is a close up of the weaving itself:

The pattern is 11 rows and you really do start to remember them after awhile. As far as I can tell I haven't made any serious errors regarding the pattern. There are a couple of places where the selvedges have been compromised but I am probably the only person who will notice and that's only because I know they're there :) I am taking my time - it's taken over a month to get this much on the loom - but I want the end product to be as perfect as I can make it.

I can certainly recommend a floor loom as opposed to a table loom! It would be much faster to lift the shafts with your feet than reaching over the loom and doing it by hand. It makes for slower weaving but I think I should really learn this loom before investing in a floor loom. And it is an investment - the one I want, the Baby Wolf by Schacht, is over $1,000. That's a lot of accounting hours ;)

I am going to weaving class today and am looking forward to hearing more about my next project - hand towels for a towel exchange among the new weavers. We have to choose a weave pattern and the colors for the towels. We have been warned against using red and white - dye bleeding is a problem. I will probably stick with a neutral blend that will go with anything. And since I will want some of the towels to keep, I'll have to weave 8 towels! That's a lot of weaving!

Tomorrow is Mother's day! I've already received my gift from my son and his family. So far I've managed not to open it so I can enjoy it tomorrow... I hope all of you mothers and mothers-to-be have a wonderful day!

My New Loom

It's finally here!! My new - to me - Structo Artcraft 4-shaft table loom is here!!

Isn't it beautiful! I went to De Leon Springs, FL yesterday to pick it up and to learn how to warp it. First I learned how to use a warping board where you count out the threads you will be using on your loom. This seems like a monumental task but it really isn't and only takes about an hour. Then I learned how to wind the warp onto the back of the loom - always covering the threads with brown paper bags to protect them. After the warp is wound onto the loom, you have to sley the heddles. This involves putting each thread through a flat, steel heddle that looks like a long needle with an eye in the middle. There are four shafts on my loom and you have a pattern that you have to follow and put the thread into the correct heddle on the correct shaft! This sounds tedious but it really goes fairly rapidly! After sleying the heddle you have to pull the threads through the reed. I have a 15 dent reed. This means that there are 15 slots to the inch on my reed. There are tables that tell you how many threads to pull through a reed that is not the same as the one in your pattern. Then you have to tie the threads to the front of the loom and you're ready to weave! I can't wait to become more proficient at this new craft! I am working on a scarf for my first project and will take pictures as soon as it's completed!

Gallbladder Surgery

I finally - after babying it for 20 years - had my gallbladder removed March 18, 2008. Since I work for an international hospital corporation, I had the surgery at one of our surgery centers. I was so scared that I was afraid I might wet myself so the kind people at the surgery center loaded me up on a myriad of drugs :) This was a good thing before the surgery but not so good after. I went into surgery at 10:45 and came to around 3:30! As soon as you can go number one they send you out into the world. This is usually before you get deathly sick so they don't have to deal with it!! My son, Dean, came down to take care of me. I don't think I could have gotten through this without him. He was certainly a Godsend! Once I could finally toddle into the shower, this is what I found. The surgery center personnel had put a tattoo on my arm while I was an unconscious person!! What a bunch of goofs!!

I get my stitches - very itchy - out today and am certainly looking forward to that! I still can't lift anything heavier than a pair of shoes but at least I'll be me again!! And I am looking forward to eating fried chicken!!

Sea World's Aquatica 3-12-08

I live next door to Sea World in Orlando, FL and they sent me two free tickets to their new attraction, Aquatica. I took advantage of their generosity today and went to the park with my neighbor, J. It was FABULOUS!!!

The picture on the right is me at the entrance of the park. The plantings were gorgeous and very tropical.

The picture on the left is the Lazy River - a man-made river that you ride down in innertubes. The children's play area is very extensive with two large buckets that fill with water and overturn, periodically dumping water on happy little children and unsuspecting parents! There is also a Wave Pool where waves, growing in size and intensity, allow surfers to body surf to the shore. All around the Wave Pool (and the swimming pool next to it) is a man-made beach with beach chairs and chaise lounges all set for relaxing in the sun. The last picture is of me doing just that!! I highly recommend a visit to Aquatica the next time you are in Orlando!