I hadn’t planned on including photography in my Crafting 365 project, but on Wednesdays I work 8 hours and then do a hard commute to a 3 hour class in a very pretty place. So I have proclaimed Wednesdays as photography day, at least until the end of the semester! I’m sure that I will use this photo in some other medium, somehow. I love the lines and shapes.

Yes, I know it’s lame, but it’s something. I have a headache and need to go to bed. I ate dinner on the patio of Cafe Europa tonight and this is a doodle of one of the trees strung with Christmas lights.

Maybe it is fitting for the 13th day. I’m gonna have a few of those bad days.

So, I finished weaving this hatband last night, and twisted the fringe, and I just happened to toss it down on this sketchbook that I bought in San Gimignano last year, and thought, “Hmm. That looks good together. I could sew stuff all over this cover really easily.”

I found some boarding passes that I had stuck inside the book, with the idea that I’d make it into a scrapbook about our trip one day. And I wondered, why haven’t I done this?

I had picked up the book to show some classmates how easily we could construct a book for a class project. See, the linen strings just wrap around the spine.

Groups of pages are folded and inserted behind the strings. They are easily added and removed and changed around. What was I afraid of?

The butterbeans are in this picture just because I love butterbeans. Intensely.

I sat down right there and did a sketch of a photo of some cypresses at Spannocchia. I loved the way the shadows crossed the road. It parallels a lot with the inner work I am doing now with my shadow self.

I think that this is going to be my next tapestry. I haven’t woven a tapestry in years!

Oh, and have I mentioned that I am currently insanely obsessed with the idea of book-making? That I’ve bought a book about altered books and two issues of Cloth Paper Scissors? That I brought home a slew of sheet music and other books to recycle from the free section of Ed McKays? That I’ve bought basic quilting and sewing supplies?

Uh-huh.

(Crafting 365, Day 12)

The three towels from the blue striped warp are hemmed and in the washing machine as I type. Warp and weft was unmercerized cotton. The light blue was a mill end that I bought somewhere, and the other colors were Maysville carpet warp.

The last one is my favorite, I think. This was fun, but I was ready for something new!

Spending most of the day in a soul-searching class left me in knots, but…

I went into my studio afterwards and finished the last towel.

Now I’m relaxing with a Yuengling!

365 Project Day Nine
yep yep yep
It must be done regardless of the outcome.

I measured a warp for two scarves with mostly the brown multi-colored yarn with tiny vertical stripes of the red and blue.

Don’t know what the mystery yarn is. The solid colors are cotton flake.

I can see the knots on the other end, so I know that I’ll be finished with this warp before the weekend is over. I’m starting to think about the next project. I’d sort of like to do a couple of scarves. I began winding some yarn on my warping board that I am intrigued with because I can’t decide if it’s the ugliest yarn I’ve ever seen or if it is fabulous. It’s something that I was either given or bought dirt-cheap about ten years ago. I’ll sleep on it and look at it again tomorrow.

I spent most of my time weaving the towel tonight, but there’s only so many shots I can take of the same towel. So here’s an old wool ikat scarf I found when I was reorganizing. I always meant to re-dye it, but I’m not into dyeing these days. So I tossed it in the washer on hot to try to felt it, and I’m going to cut it up to use in small projects. Looks like it needs another go in the washing machine.

The corners are a little funky on this towel because I tied too many warp ends on the side knots to the front beam. I think it will be okay once I hem it but it’s something to remember for next time.

Tonight I tied this warp back onto the front beam and started the third and last towel. I might make it into napkins.