"Schmap" Goes I-Phone and I-Pod

Sometime in 2007, I gave permission to Schmap to publish this picture in their Dallas map. Schmap is an online map that will show not only the map but also photos of interesting places along the way.

It seems that they have been quite successful. I received an email this morning stating that Schmap is now going I-Pod and I-Phone. This is what it will look like...

I guess I need to get me a new phone...Mine doesn't even take photos...sigh ;O)

Crayola Cows...

My DH handed me an article that he copied from our online newspaper the other day. It seems that the Red River Museum has monthly Craft Days and of course I had to go.

This one was about using Crayolas to color and then heat set pictures on a fabric ... It is not a new thing to me since I have known about it since grade school, but most of the women in the class with me had never heard of it. I think it is a wonderful way to come up with personalized and unique quilts and pillows.... even designs on clothing. Once heat set, the colors do not fade and do not come out.

The class was warm and fun. The ladies were welcoming and gracious and I will be doing this again. ;o) As for the museum, it is well worth spending some time browsing their displays.

Happy Anniversary...

It's been 6 years.. in a way it seems as though we have been together forever... in another way I can hardly believe so much time has passed.

It's been a fairy land of wonders.. with ups and downs and always someone to lean on...

I love you, hon... Happy Anniversary!

Texas Mascot...Armadillo

This little guy came to visit yesterday. This is the first baby armadillo I have ever seen and was he (or is it a she???) a cutie pie. I slipped out the back door and took a pic through the porch screen and he didn't seem to mind, so I slipped on closer to the door... I finally opened the back screen and he didn't even flinch. I hope he stays around and fills up on the grubs down there under that grass...grin He's picked up a hitch hiker...that black spot is a large black beetle that evidently got tired of his long walk around the yard...

Energy Efficieny Testing for Home (and FREE repair)

It's been a good week... with a couple of exceptions...but we won't go there...lol

Did you know that you can call for a free...yes, FREE... test of your home to check for any leaks around the windows, ducts or anywhere and they will be fixed for FREE by the electric company? Wow... at least this is what is happening Texas.

We had ours checked last week and surprisingly it was very good. The inside duct work had to have some work done, but for the most part everything was perfect... imagine that! That is a first for this house...believe me! They close up the outside of the house, open all the inside doors and put a vacuum on the house going outside. While in a vacuum, they check all windows, doors etc... We did not have to leave the house. They checked the attic and around all the heating and air conditioning, even for plumbing holes under the sinks. It's great....

The story is that sometime in the '80s the electric company asked for a big rate increase to be set aside because "things will be very bad in the future and will be used to help when that day comes." It seems that the legislature has now said.."That day is here...get busy!" So, as we were told...we have all paid for this service up front. The money is there and that means the service is free to the consumer. So ... if you haven't had this done, go for it.

Pocket Looms Finished

It took a while yesterday, but I put many coats of polyurethane on to really try to protect the painting. It took a while to cure, but now that they are finished I am in love.

This is the fourth and smallest of the 4 looms. I decided to try it out using cotton #10 crochet thread for the warp and my hand spun wool for the weft. The loom is working beautifully. I did find that when the holes are drilled, there needs to be an uneven number. This one has an even number of holes and when I get back to my starting side I find that I have 2 warp threads that must be woven the same.

During the pocket weaving that I did using the cardboard weavers, I found that I had the same problem with both sides. So in the process of trying to figure out how to remedy that, I warped the weaver across and then did a final warp all around the edges, knotting it off at the original starting point. This adds the one warp thread on each side that is needed to keep from having the large gaps on each side. However.... this does not help if the holes are an even number... there is still one side that will have double warps wefted the same. Anyway....

This is how far I have gotten with the weaving. I love the way that after weaving a bit, you can push the weaving down and it covers the bottom.

I wish there was someone around who knows more about these things than me...lol But I will continue on and see what comes up...

Pocket Looms

I found the perfect waste board in the shop the other day. It's not the best, but not the worst either. I drew off the sizes I could get from that one piece of board, cut it into the pieces, put dots every 1/4 inch and then drilled the holes with the drill press... voila! Pocket Looms!

These are supposed to be the real thing... I have done a pocket loom thing before, but using only cardboard..see this post...
With pocket weaving there are no seams. The weaving is done in the round (all around the loom front to back) so there is a finished pouch as soon as you are finished weaving.
Now I don't know if these will work or not...may have to use really small warp since I drilled the holes so small...

I haven't tried them out yet as I am still in the process of applying polyuretane over them to protect the paintings, but as soon as I get everything really dried and cured... you can bet that these babies will be warped up and working! ;0)

Ply on the Fly and Weaving.. Baby Steps

It's been windy for the last couple of days. It's a vivid reminder that I reeaallly do need to return to the barber shop and get my hair cut... hopefully today.

I think I may have finally gotten the Ply on the Fly technique right. I haven't yet decided whether it will turn into a favorite technique or not. Plying on the Fly produces a triple ply yarn that is smaller than I can presently do on my Kromski wheel, but I really feel the difference in time that the plying takes up. The jury is still out on this one.

The orange and green weaving that the spindle is lying on is my latest attempt at weaving. I love the different colored warps giving the stripes. I used the Corriedale handspun that I dyed with Kool Aid for the warps and the dark grey/brown Icelandic handspun for the weft. It surprised me that the weft does not show at all on either side except in a couple of spots where the Icelandic has a small bump.

The use of both weft and warp in wool caused some "sticking" together of the threads as the shed was changed. The only way I could open the shed was to use my fingers to open the threads as they would bind together and would not budge when the shed stick was used. As I realized that my fingers did a much better and quicker job of opening the shed things moved along quite nicely. All in all, I am pleased with this tiny step forward...grin