This may not seem like a big deal, but I hemmed the second towel tonight. The big deal to me was that I was frustrated by winding a bobbin on my sewing machine for the first time in twenty plus years. I struggled and struggled because according to the directions, I was supposed to loosen a knob that wouldn’t loosen. Finally I said “screw it” and tried winding the bobbin anyway. It worked. All that effort wasted! But it did work.

I went to Jo-Ann’s this afternoon to buy supplies for the long-term project that is still shaping up in my head. It will probably involve sewing and piecework and collage and beadwork. I knew that in order to get back into this that I’d need a rotary cutter and some basic supplies. My body has changed a lot since I was 23, and my grip doesn’t care for using scissors for long periods of time. Today my elbow injury flared up again - I don’t know what triggered it, but even typing is bothering it, so I’ll have to really baby it this week.

Fortunately I have some really good inspiration to look at on the Internet. This web page gives you an idea of where I’m heading, courtesy of Sharon B., whose blog is just incredible: Fabric Postcards. I also bought a copy of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine.

That’s Squ!rt in the corner, helping me with my weaving.  I only did a few minutes worth of weaving tonight, because I had a big day and need some sleep!  This inkle band will go on the Lake Waccamaw hat.

Is this not the coolest thing ever? There is definitely one of these in the Back Forty’s future. Everyone was invited to weave on the Earth Loom at “Farm Fest Five” at Rising Meadow Farm to the sounds of live Celtic music in the background. The event included local food and drink from local farms, sheepdog demonstrations, hands-on crafts, sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, and lots of wool, yarn, crafts, and fiber supplies for sale.

Sandy had indicated that he was ready to go before I was. When I found him sitting under the music tent, he was so entranced by a spinner that he wasn’t ready to leave.

I bought two balls of Navaho-Churro roving and one ball of Cotswold roving, just in case I get the urge to do some needle-felting. Also, fresh (soft) apple cider and Granny Smith Apples from Windy Hill Orchard. We ate lamb kefta (burgers) (Rising Meadow Farms) in pita with tzatziki (Zaytoon) and local fresh chopped tomatoes for lunch. I topped it off with chocolate ice cream from Homeland Creamery. Sandy went for coconut cake from some local bakers.

The drought is just as tough on livestock producers, especially those depending on pasture. The grass is all dead and any hay has to be bought from out-of-state.

Alpacas are so cute. If I had any desire to raise anything that required a commitment past a clean litterbox, two meals a day, and fresh water, I could go for them. The wool is so soft!

I finished the second towel and cut it off the loom too. The uneven tension problems were getting worse and although it was okay on this one, it would have been frustrating on the next one. I’ll tie it back to the front tomorrow. I’m happy with this towel! This is a detail going round the front beam.

I need to buy some blue thread to hem it, but I did zig-zag the edges and it’s ready to go.

I found a great stash of stuff in the spare bedroom that I used to have as my studio. In a box of patchwork squares I put together around 1983, there was my sewing machine manual. I should move my studio every seven years just to see what turns up.

This is the second of a set of unmercerized cotton textured towels that I’ve been working on. I started running out of the light blue color early on, which means that I had to change plans. This was supposed to be just vertical stripes. This plaid of different colored horizontal stripes will help me make the decision for the next one. Right now I’m leaning toward the medium blue, using this pattern. Tonight I wove about six inches.

When I wind a long warp, I like to do each piece a different way.

Today I joined a Flickr group called Crafting 365. I hope that it will help me stay on track by encouraging me to do something in the studio (or a portable project) every day, even if it is for just 15 minutes. Every day, I’ll post a photo to this blog and to Crafting 365 of something that I’m working playing with. My hope is to always keep something going on the Baby Wolf loom, and also have a portable project, such as beading or inkle weaving, to take with me. The main project, of which the Crafting 365 is simply a part, is giving me a wealth of ideas. (In other words, Crafting 365 will be fertilizer for another garden that I’m planting.) Some of these ideas will require me to step out of my comfort zone, which I hope will be good for me. Some ideas I got from going to Susanne and John’s house, and some I got from surfing the Net.

But I’ll always keep an old-fashioned traditional rhythmic type project for when I just need to press pedals and throw shuttles.

I’ll write more about this later because I need to get away from the computer. I’m trying to rein in my time here at night.

I can’t tell you what good it did me to go visit Susanne this afternoon.  Really, words do not describe the feeling I have.  It’s something like the feeling I have about Spannocchia, which we both agreed is, well, undescribable!  Susanne said that she has not been able to talk about Spannocchia until today (a month later) because of that.  I understood it completely.  I think that is why I took so many photos when I was there.  The best I can come up with is the word that we both used:  magical.  A place where we felt completed.

Anyway, it is a done deal for sure - we are going next July even if nobody else signs up.  If you are interested in traveling to Italy for a magical two-week organic farm/art/beauty experience, leave me a comment and I’ll get in touch with you with the information.

The very best thing that came out of it was that she is going to teach me to make paper this winter and her husband invited me to play in his clay studio.  She has a huge old 16 harness loom in her living room and a triangular loom!  I will feel comfortable there, I’m sure.  I’m going to make them a web site.   Susanne gave me some paper that she just made with lavender that she brought back from Spannocchia.  And some muscadine and scuppernong grapes.  I think that I see a good friendship developing ahead.

Pat Bush put an idea in my head about getting together a group to just be together and create things.    It’s been too hot to think and late August is an awful time to start anything new.  But maybe after December…

I started wondering what it was about this pattern that made it “huck-a-back,” especially since I fooled around with it so much, and went back to Davidson’s book where my jumping off point was “Huck-a-Back Blocks” on page 82.  I’m a little unsure that there IS a definition of huck-a-back, and if there is, my version is one of the more unlikely ones.

Marguerite Davidson writes in the beginning of the chapter, “It may be a surprise to handweavers to find so large an assortment of threadings in this weave, since the commercial towels are practically the sole surviving use of the very old favorite.  It could have been included in the previous chapter on Texture Weaves, since it is also a small threading, with unique tie-up, and has its own treadle development.”

Although my threading almost matches her “Huck-a-Buck Blocks,” the tie-up is now twill and the treadling doesn’t match anything else in the chapter.  So if you’re reading this looking for a traditional huck-a-back pattern, you may want to look elsewhere!