Do Pigs Sweat?

Well......do they?  The saying goes 'sweating like a pig'.  I'm no pig but I sure did more than my fair share of sweating today.  It was at least 90º F and steamy as all get out.  It was so warm at Panera's tonight for knit group that I had to leave.  I don't care much for this type of heat.  If it got up to 70-75º all Summer long I'd be happy.  Happy as a clam --- say, are clams really happy??

Sunday/Monday

I know today was Monday but it sure felt like a Sunday.  I started the day with Blogger issues.  Lost the site counter I'd been using for ages -- it just up and went away.  Good thing I knew what the count was for visitors.  I spent quite a bit of time trying to find and load a new counter.  Not that I establish my worthiness by the number of visitors I get but it's just a kick to see the numbers roll along.

Something else is on the fritz with Blogger.  I can't seem to sign out.  When I click on that link it looks like I've logged out but when I open the blog back up, I'm still signed in -- argh!  Even after I shut down and power back up it's still the same - double argh!

I wasted spent 2 hours putzing on the computer this morning and by the time I got a shower in and headed out the door to see my Mom it was noon.  I picked up some Boston Market goodies for us for lunch, knowing the leftovers would be good for at least a couple of meals for her this week.

It was stinkin' hot today - 90º F - so I wasn't about to spend much time outdoors.  I stopped at the cemetery to visit my Dad and the ground was so saturated some of the markers were covered with rain water.  The cemetery was full of visitors and flags flying everywhere -- so nice to see.

I started working on woven scarf #10 when I got home.  I decided to put twice the normal length of warp on the loom so that I can weave #11 when I get to the end of #10 without having to re-load the warp.  Not sure how that's going to work since the entire length of warp was only 188" long, about 12" shorter than I anticipated.  Must have involved some faulty math there.  Could be some short fringe coming up.  

I managed to get about 24" woven before I decided I'd had enough.  So my mini-vacation was pretty productive since I got 4+ scarves woven.  Now it's back to the grindstone tomorrow.....

Woven Scarves - So Far!

I've been loving making scarves with my rigid heddle loom.  I've got the warping process down to about 35 minutes which is far better than the 1 1/2 hours it took me when I did the first two scarves.  I finished number 9 today, using some Noro yarn my friend Judith gave me:

Here are the first 8 scarves I've woven so far:

I'm trying hard, really, to use up a lot of stash yarn.  Here are some of the yarns I'll be weaving with in the next few days:

Tomorrow is Memorial Day plus it's my daughter Holly's birthday.  So hard to believe she's turning 28!  I really don't know where the years went.  Time has really flown by.

Woven Scarf #8

Today I finished woven scarf #8:

I used 1 1/2 skeins of Jo Sharp DK Wool for the warp and a skein of Cascade 220 Handpaints for the weft. The picture above was taken before I washed and set the scarf.  I used a squirt of Method laundry soap in hot water and boy did the scarf bleed.  I rinsed it in cold water and repeated the entire process again.  It bled a bit more but I think it's done.  I've got it carefully laid out on a towel so I'll see if there's any dye transfer when I wake up in the morning!

This is my new favorite tool for weaving: 

I'm sure it looks crazy but it's really fantastic.  It's a Leclerc fringe twister that I got it from Paradise Fibers in California.  It comes in 2, 3, or 4 clip versions and I figured I could finish things faster with the 4 clip.

Right now they've got $2 shipping so you might want to head over to the Paradise Fibers website to see if there's anything you can't live without!

Reprieve

My go-to LYS received a reprieve yesterday.  The building owner approached the shop owner and she will stay open.  Yeah!  

I finished weaving my 7th scarf today and am working on the 8th -- yeehaw!  I'm gearing up to start challenging myself by attempting some pattern work.  I just need to take some time to devote to reading the books I've bought on weaving!

There's a rumor the rain will stop tomorrow morning and the sun just might come out.  If it does, I'll snap some photos of my scarves and finally get them posted.

I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing Memorial Day weekend.

Sadness

Last Saturday my friend Tanya and I ventured to the other side of the state for a wet felting workshop.  It was held in the small town of Plainwell, population approximately 4000.  I heard on the news today that a soldier was killed on Monday in Afghanistan.  He hailed from Plainwell and was an only child.  Every soldier's death is sad but especially when it's an only child.  His unit, the 25th Infantry, was based out of Schofield Barracks on the north shore of Oahu.  That's the very same base where my brother in law Tim served nearly 40 years ago.

Four years ago last week, a good friend's daughter, her only child, was killed by a drunk driver.  I always feel bad sharing stories about my kids with her, knowing she'll never experience her daughter's college graduation or  wedding, or become a grandmother.  As is often said, no parent should ever have to bury their child.  Ever.

Rain, Rain Go Away

It rained cats and dogs around here today.  I took a half vacation day since I had a dental appointment this afternoon, and it rained and rained all day.  I was lying on my back in the dental exam chair, getting my teeth checked, when the power went out!  Well, that was interesting.  There's something unsettling about a dental hygienist with power tools in her hands in MY mouth during a storm full of lightning!  The power came back on and I completed my exam. 

The roads are flooded all over, including my street in spots.  This is when I'm glad I don't have a basement!  Apparently I'm not meant to weed my flower beds, right?  I've taken a few vacation days so I'm off work until Tuesday -- yeehaw!  But from the looks of the weather report I'll be hunkering down, weaving, cleaning and getting caught up around the inside of the house.  I'm looking forward to getting a few things woven while I'm off and I'll try to post some progress pictures tomorrow.