In yet another attempt to get everything caught up, so I can start fresh in the New Year; I finally worked on finishing my last Network Twill Scarf. This scarf used my handspun silk as the warp and 2/8 Tencel as the weft. 
The scarf is beautiful, but as I looked at it and started to figure out the cost, I became weak in the knees and felt somewhat faint…..if I pay myself just $10.00 per hour, this scarf, lovely though it is, came in at around $300.00 to make! Frankly I don't think that the silk shows up at all well, what a mistaka to maka!
I thought I’d share my cost breakdown with you…so you can share my pain!I hand spun the silk warp way back in the spring. The cost of the silk to spin was $25.00
The cost of my time to spin $50.00
I plied the silk using 2/120 silk thread $135.00 per lb $ 9.00
The plying time was another $50.00
Niddy Noddying it off the bobbin added another $10.00
Washing, drying and skeining $10.00
Pulling the warp $10.00
I tied on the warp, so saved money there $20.00
Actual weaving time, with hem stitiching $40.00
Twisting the fringe the first time $15.00
Cableing the fringe $15.00
Beading costs and time $20.00
Washing, drying and pressing $10.00
This is the fringe twisted once on the right - way too much variation and it tended to bridge and clump. On the left it is cabled and now it looks much better, but what a waste of time!Amazing isn’t it? I’m pretty sure it really cost more than that, but I just lie to myself and stick my fingers in my ears….la..la..la..la
Now onto something that makes me happy…..my Singer Steam Press. It’s wonderful! I’m finally getting that lovely hard pressed finish I wanted and McSteamy (his new name) is so easy to use!
I must admit to getting all carried away and pressing my guest room pillowcases, and then standing back and feeling very Martha Stewart!I’ve taken on the job as Guild Librarian for my local guild and the first task I set myself was to catalogue the books and enter them on librarything. I’ve spent a number of hours photographing the covers that were missing and now I want to have short reviews to add to make it perfect. To that end I’ll be reviewing my library on this blog.
The Key To Weaving A Textbook of Hand Weaving for the Beginning Weaver by Mary E. Black. This is the weaving Bible! Here’s a book which provides concise, clear information on virtually every weave structure out there. In most cases Mrs. Black provides you with a draft or step by step instructions so that you too can weave it perfectly. This is the book that I use most to get the basic weave structure information and background. This is also the text book that the Guild of Canadian Weavers uses for the Master Weaver Program. If Mary Black says it, you can take it to the bank! I highly recommend this book.
Here is a photo of the draft.
I tried about 10 different colours and the final choices were down to rust, rose and purple. I found that the best look was with colours of equal value, very strange the things that seemed to work. I decided to play it safe and go with the purple, 'cause who doesn’t find teal and purple appealing! The purple is shown in the centre.
The pattern is a little hard to see because it is very fine and busy, really, really busy. But I really like it. Up close the patterns are of circles and crosses.
Yet from a distance there are shapes like buildings, like a city skyline.
I can’t wait to see the pattern when it is off the loom and washed. I think that is going to be amazing! This is my first crack at crackle!
I was able to use the same warp of 2/8 unmercerized cotton that I had on the Jane loom from my last sample foray. I kept the sett at 24 epi but rethreaded and changed the weft to 2/8 orlec. Orlec is a well known yarn in Canada and is essentially Orlon that has all the properties of 2/8 mercerized cotton without the shrinkage and has a wonderful price point. This combination produced a dull warp with a shiny weft which showed the Paper Spot weave on eight shafts off perfectly.
This group of weaves actually has no spots of which to speak; it is actually a dropped weave with an appearance much like Huck Lace, but without any holes in the fabric.
The weave structure is a series of floats which are weft faced on the front of the piece, so in my case shiny; and warp faced on the back which is dull. It is a perfect weave structure to use with linen for tableware as the unwoven or dropped threads are held firmly in place structurally by plain weave.
I wove one pattern repeat in a darker colour to show the lovely pattern. I think that this weave structure has plenty of potential and is rarely used as far as I can tell.
My husband Michael found the first food ornament when he was on a work related trip in Peachland BC. This aubergine started it all and is still a favourite!
The pickle and the garlic were gifts from my daughter Ngaire and never fail to make me smile. There is a tradition related to the pickle, it is said that who ever spots the pickle on Christmas morning gets to play Father Christmas and pass out the presents. 
I found the Swill cheese at the Hudson’s Bay Company of all places, you've gotta love it!
We picked up some of the wine bottles in the Okanagan Valley which is one of Canada’s premier wine producing areas and where we are lucky enough to live. 
Love the tomato!
But the Champagne bottle brings back special memories of a family summer in the south of France.
I found the ice cream cones while on a trip to the Rockies with friends from New Zealand----go figure!
The pineapple and the chili were purchased along with far too many to mention at a wonderful Christmas shop in Spokane Washington.
So my Christmas Tree serves many purposes it's a reminder of many family holidays and lovely meals planned and enjoyed together. It's also a wonderful visual reminder of how very fortunate we are....Merry Christmas to all.
I decided to make it easy on myself and do a 4 shaft Shadow Weave. I chose to do the piece in navy and turquoise 2/8 unmercerized cotton. My colour choice had two criteria, the first being that I wanted a strong contrast and the second is that it had to be out of my stash. I've only put on two yards and plan to get it right the first time (or two).The rules state that I must weave it a minimum of 12" x 18" finished and may not use floating selvedges (drat!).
This piece need not be an original pattern so this draft came from Marion Powell’s book titled 
Here are a few facts about Shadow Weave. Shadow weave is usually set on a twill sequence threading, it is not a true twill, but rather a plain weave with two thread skips, which because of the use of two colors, one dark, one light, alternating in both warp and weft, make shadows between the changes of the hatching. Shadow weave threads run at a 45 degree angle with distinct dark row alternating with a distinct light row with the edge threads interwoven with each other in a definite feather stitch pattern. If you use an ascending progression a dark thread precedes a light thread; descending is the reverse. Shadow weave is a firm durable weave which is completely reversible. 
This is my guilty purchase for the year, OK maybe not my only guilty purchase, but the latest one anyway! It arrived just like this, nothing but the clear plastic wrap and my name on the side, and it was just abandoned in my carport - they must have been sure it was ment for me...
I have been eyeing a steam press for a couple of years and was hoping to buy one second hand, but one never appeared on any of the sites I searched. I found this one on the internet but always talked myself out of this rather large purchase, until Ngaire found it discounted $60.00 at Costco! It was meant to be I guess! I’ve always felt that my pressing is my weak spot, I just can’t seem to press hard enough, so hopefully this will fix that problem. By the way the table cloth the steam press is siting on was made by my mother in the 1950's and it a real treasure!
This press has settings for different types of fibres, from synthetic to linen, so it should fit all my needs.
And it has lots of steam jets! Apparently it only needs 4 seconds in contact with the fabric to press it perfectly. I’m looking forward to giving it a try and seeing if it really performs as I hope it does. Now where, oh where do I put it!
The M’s and O’s placemats are finished! I thought that I’d put on enough warp to do only eight placemats but I got lucky and was able to do an extra two placemats. As you can see there are a lot of placemats!
One of the bonuses for doing these placemats was the possibility to use up some of Mum’s stash. Below is a photo of all the weft’s I was using and the next photo has all the empty cones! 
I used two cones of soft twist linen, three tubes of natural cotton for my warp, and a tube each of gold chenille and a brown ramie. I also used most of the white boucle there is only a little tiny ball left.
Here they are packaged in pairs before being packed up to go to a sale. The placemats are very generous at 18x12 with a two inch fringe with each end hem stitched to secure the fringe. These are thick and a very nice size as they are easily able to hold a plate, cutlery and a water glass.
I enjoyed doing these placemats so much that I’ve put more on. I just tied onto the warp - which is a task that I hated; I think that it took me longer to tie on then if I had just pulled on a new warp. I hated tying all the overhand knots and it looked very messy to boot. I didn’t even take a picture because I loathed it so much!
One thing that I am doing that I am really pleased with, is that I sit down and weave an entire placemat and do the hemstitching and before I leave the loom I set up the next placemat by doing the hemstitching and getting the shuttle ready. The next time I go to weave everything is done and ready for me; it is like having elves do the grunt work! 
I was taking some photos for this blog entry and Mum jokingly said that I should take a picture of the oven so people would know why she isn’t blogging! After running the self cleaning function she then spent over an hour detailing - it looks like new! 
Here it is ready to go – then I hear a quiet hesitant voice say 
So, feeling very dim witted, I untie the warp and flip down the reed and think that I’ll start again the next day when I'm fresher and have all my wits about me.
Later that evening I hear that same sweet voice 
So here’s the sample that I needed for my workshop “A Method in the Madness”. The title is a quote from Shakespears’ Hamlet and now I really appreciate how appropriate my choice was!
Thought I’d share this photo just because it’s pretty. A bouquet of chartreuse Chrysanthemums caught in a ray of winter sunshine…..so lovely.