doors,windows, god and friends

debbuging the warp is testing me big time.fortunately yesterday i got a package in the mail as an encouragement.💪

my friend from italy sent me these lovelies that she had picked during her trips. they are cotton in various thicknesses indigo dyed. i wonder why people do drugs if yarns are much more effective  <(￣︶￣)>  already rolling gears thinking about next. have wonderful silk yarns dyed with walnut and kakishibu for a nice brown warp.

i just have to start weaving hoping to finish the infamous warp before i go to japan.

neki desu 

 

satisfying

it has come to my attention that i am not alone in finding pleasure in detangling. there's a group of ladies who share results, but alas the link is nowhere to be found.

it is even more gratifying when the yarn is cotton of a relative thick grist.

already february,where did january go?

neki desu

 

future possible

the green i had in the stash,the colored kid silk merino i saw in insta and could not resist its gorgeousness.

pricey so only three 50 gr skeins.need to plan carefully, but i am envisioning short rows creating 3 diagonals and then cut & sew cardi. we shall see as there's sewing to be done. not to mention a warp on the loom.

my excuse is that the left knee hasn't been cooperating lately.either i do the morning walk or i weave.(╯︵╰,)

neki desu
 

eventful weekend

it wasn't the polar vortex, but it snowed, was cold and lots of soup happened.

it was also the last opera of the season.carmen. didn't like the lead role's voice, but thought the chorus and micaela were superb,so was don jose.it was a very dark carmen the director concentrating too much on the spanish cliches and forsaking her caracter, which to me is the key to the whole opera.

it also meant yarn discoveries, said she who is destashing. beautiful soft merino sock yarn from argentina. very well priced and with an additional 30% discount. more gloves, or maybe another knitted collar for a dress.

flesh is weak.

neki desu
 

of similarities

according to  the webster similarity is the quality or state of being similar. and same is resembling in every relevant aspect.

so these yarns are similar and i will have to make that a virtue and weave with them.

the good news is that the warp is a color field warp.and the second good news is that the yarns are finally here.

the ever optimist me.

neki desu
 

color correction

i have also been doing some light menial work such as correcting some underwear pinks into something much more palatable.i hate pink!
the first skein is more coral. the last one was blah beige and so was the one on the infamous linen warp.yep, still on the loom. i had enough with the hand to add insult to injury.








neki desu

gorgeous yarn

 linen,impossible to resist.goes into my present indigo craze since i cannot dye.

have sampled for a top like this, but  shorter and plain,no eyelets.
the eyelets in the sample indicate tension :)




on my last 200 yarns to thread on the loom.slow cloth anyone?

neki desu
 

the third one was the charm

sigh.must be a grown up weaver because my tolerance for errors is gone. 

joyful days ahead.

on a less cheerful note my beloved jute yarn  cone is coming to an end. has been weaving my series for many,many years.there is something about its rustic charm that i find appealing for weaving artwork.

wondering about replacements.

neki desu

and now merino and cashmere

nice colors. disregard the plastic bags. these from colourmart because i needed wools for knitting and weaving. or so i fooled myself into believing.how can one resist the drop of the british pound?
now i need to wait for cooler times.





neki desu

said she who was destashing

my take is that i didn't have thin quality cotton for the k machine.this is 20/2- 32/2 in their catalog- mercerised cotton in glowing glorious colors from venne. the glittery small cone is just because 

｡^‿^｡

on another note my pc screen is awfully well calibrated. the yarn colors came as i  saw & ordered, no nasty surprises.

neki desu

all together now

downtown business.geezz had never seen so many hipsters in my life. they felt and looked weird amid the gothic buildings and churches. taking side streets to avoid the hipster crowds i passed this store.

finally found it after some years not coinciding with the opening hours.the store name is  all you knit is love so please appreciate the post title ^_^

nice, very nice quality yarns mostly for knitting, but there are some gorgeous linens that are absolutely weavable. and best of the best,local. 

the destasher made a small purchase,
45 grams of 16/4 fine linen in a smokey mauve.didn't have
the heart to leave this small cone alone in that store with all
those big skeins and balls.

neki desu

more yarns. it's war!

happy camper.
they are here and they make a handsome pair.the purple one is 1/20 cashmere the color a bit darker.
the green is 2/44 merino a muted lime green.

and now, let us proceed weaving with two looms, shifting gears from computerized dobby to table loom and back.might not be a good idea.


neki desu

more yarn and a project

these beauties are from avril too.the dark one is cotton dyed with kakishibu.

the skeins are paper yarns. have to start thinking about how to use them.

meanwhile back at the knitting machine a project is crystallizing.i am thinking about frames now.

but not your regular frame, mind you. will show bits and pieces because i want to enter in a juried show.

neki desu

i weave too

astonished at the quickness of my surface mail package from japan.

i was told around 3 months so i figured by the end of august with a lot of luck, but it got here on the 27th of this month .roughly 2 months.

my beautiful wool stainless steel yarns from avril. i was told they are discontinuing this line from that manufacturer and when it's gone it's gone,therefore i stacked up as much as my budget could handle. apparently they are looking into other manufacturers.

the yarn is thinner than frog hair. most of the 

cones are 200 grams so i have yarn until the end of times. 

i need to buy a fine knitting bar to be able to use the yarns for knitting too. but if i just bought a new laptop to run the machine i can handle that.

also fell for this remnant of merino

200 grams of a gorgeous aubergine maroon

check out the grist!

here is the proof of the pudding. i am a weaver who not only stashes yarn, but also uses it.

nº 4 of the series in all its imperfect glory.
the weekend was spent re threading to solve that.
 don't know if i'll be cranking during the week because it's already hot.
 my walking routine has already moved to 8:30 a.m.









neki desu

the postman is my friend

end of last week from deanna. much prettier in person. i have to think how to use them to their advantage.

the much awaited book finally arrived today.it's a pre-loved book and i love to see what the owner considered worth underlining. there are also some markings on the card images.this is going to be like a mini workshop!

neki desu
 

in between jobs

there's a lot of talk over here about mini jobs aka sub employment in plain language. but i'm going to spare ya'll the rant.

i am in between projects now and what i'm doing is no mini job, it's a  big task trying to straighten out that yarn mess. again. but as i previously said nothing beats that for mindlessness. and i actually enjoy the challenge and the sense of accomplishment i get from it. yes, i'm that weird. 

this skein though is a piece of cake; it's thicker than what i am usually confronted with and very slinky. i just hang it and watch it slink down as i wind. no fuzziness clinging hopelessly to one another .

maybe i should list this as a skill in my resume. opinions ? :)

neki desu

boo!

bet you the photo made you wince. daunting as it looks it is not really that bad. a single thread of tram silk from france wound into a skein, therefore nothing that a slight tug doesn't straighten. if the rotating skein winder brakes to a stop that means that one of the long wisps has gone behind the spokes, you pull it to the front and keep rotating.
the skein on the background on the other hand  looks tidier, but don't be deceived friends and fellow weavers, that one is not a skein, it's a character building device. (although i could easily live with less character)
notice no loose wisps but kinks.(makes me yearn for the days where the kinks were a rock band i used to listen to) the kinks weld together via pils  and no tug on earth can separate them. it is also not a single thread, but several unexpected  which coil and wind a piacere. silk from china, need i say more? 

an unruly skein  is a useful learning experience.you hone your observation skills. it also gives the opportunity to delve into your inner self and learn about yourself.

for example i put it on the winder with all the choke ties from dyeing still tied on. this guarantees that however messy it's still in order. avoid the temptation of taking the skein off the winder to whack it and try to straighten it. the result is a useless  bundle of worms and a bowl full of tears. ask me how i know .

when it loops on itself it always winds on others  to the left, at least in my skeins, so you put it through the loop in the opposite  direction and the thread is loose once again.
don't try to follow this at home because i have left- right issues. think i missed that class at school.

the obsessive in me wants to  wind the pirns i use to fill the small bobbins for my japanese shuttles and thus i have been at it not doing anything else for two days. albeit slow it is a doable chore leaving  my inner self to wander free even attempting astral travels.
since i could not make it to japan this may as i planned i am not saying no to any  kind of wandering.


neki desu

feeling slightly smug

 

managed to finish the nettle warp amid  heaps of domestic BS.  it is going to be used as pages for some books i have in mind. now let's see if i can scrape off time. and i'm not counting the holiday preps which look like sci-fi this year.

i had never worked with nettle before and it gave me pleasure to learn how a new to me yarn works. it sheds a bit, but it is quite strong and there's nothing that a good rub with beexwax can't solve.

it takes paints very well and the next  test will be that of dyeing.

 although it has been used in the himalayas forever it is apparently  the new it yarn for us.

thank you blandina♥♥♥

neki desu

habu in barcelona

tatako-san and darlene-san

in person with a trunk full of wonders.

habu's incredible yarns, especially the stainless steel mixed with wool or silk. some beautiful shifus  and linens also.

it was exhilarating to  find out tatako-san is a weaver, hence the fine grist  yarns she carries.

knitting kits with the most incredible knitting statement shibui  garments.

this one was love at first sight, a cobweb motif in indigo colored yarn, ethereal and understated.

the tunic on the right  was also a winner. i had to concentrate for the photos 

 because of the powerful visual stimuli  and the excitement,so apologies for the wonky compositions.

this one here is seriously considering getting a knitting  tutorship, encouraged by a very nice lady i met at the place where the activity was held. tell me who needs the quirky  fashion establishment when you can make these wonders.
however,in  the meantime i bought two one ounce cones of...

guess what? (^_^)

neki desu

on a one person mission

to save the world economy. Between last Friday and today i've done more than most secretaries of treasury to help the economy.Last Friday i ordered the yarns above. Gorgeous 2/48 merino from Colourmart. This is the second time i order from them and they always amaze me with their fast delivery. A dark blue, a tad darker than the photo, a black , a brown /charcoal melange and a dark charcoal cone will be woven into a very restrained Oelsner crepe cloth for a top.difficult to create a new crepe bcause Oelsner mapped them all out.

On Saturday i ordered 4 books from Amazon.Don't think they qualify for the mission as i used a gift cert i had.But still they fall within the shop till you drop scheme.
On Monday i ordered a new Elna sewing machine. i wanted the 5100 which is relatively simple in bells and whistles, but it has what i need-want.And price wise i do not have to rent out husband-san by the hour in order to buy it.
i also bought some embroidery threads while at the shop.When i go back to pick the machine up i'm contemplating getting some accessories such as embroidery feet and twin needles.
And this coming Friday i'm checking out a tailor dummy with Ruth.

All this shopping activity is very unusual to me because i'm not into shopping and shopping is not my idea of a fun pastime. So this definitely is a mission.
Can't wait to chill out and start weaving

neki desu


view CCLicense