Perils of Weaving

I have been sweeping up piles of dust (with a good amount of Asian Beetles, both dead and alive) in the workshop with every project on which I work. Most of the dust appears to be directly sloughed off from the wool blankets that I use for rugs and is made up of very fine particles that tend to clump together when I 'sweep' it into piles.

A pile of dust swept up at the end of one work session.

I tend to 'clean up' at the end of most days working in the workshop, so for each project there are lots of dust piles. I began to wonder how much of this very fine stuff is making its way into my lungs??

I have mentioned before how very much I love this rag cutter. It saves me considerable time in cutting strips for rugs as well as provides a precision that I cannot seem to get with a rotary cutter. BUT I have found that this device generates vast amounts of fine wool dust with every strip cut. (In addition, while weaving on the loom, much dust is generated that collects underneath it.) As I stand almost directly over it (and the loom) while cutting or weaving, I am sure that I inhale some of those particles. This is distressing in itself, but for someone with chronic sinus problems doubly so. A while back I tried using the standard dust mask used for painting, etc. It was extremely uncomfortable, fogged up my glasses, and was simply miserable to wear while working. So I decided to make a mask out of some pretty colored gauze fabric that I have.

This 'mask' is nothing fancy, but it is comfortable and it does not fog up my glasses while I am wearing it.

I hesitated including this photo thinking that I might lose some of the few readers that I have. When I tried it on for Iris however, she just said, "Ohhhh, Nonnie...." If I didn't lose her I ventured that I might not lose any of you either.

This is the latest rug off the Herald loom, and the one I worked on while utilizing the dust mask. I wonder what other weavers of wool do in order not to breathe in the wool dust??

When I am lucky enough to find old wool blankets at thrift stores, I always come home and launder them, however I never thought to launder the new blanket ends I got from Faribault or Pendleton. I didn't launder them with ridding them of dust particles in mind, but maybe it does, I don't know. Perhaps I need to launder all the wool blankets and ends prior to cutting and weaving?

Any hints out there???

It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This

It seems that the meal I most wait for each week is homemade pizza. To say it is my very favorite meal is a gross understatement. The taste that lingers on the tongue at the end of the meal is almost as good as the meal itself. I'd love to make pizza for the world, honestly.

Last night's pepperoni pizza just out of the oven. Homemade 7 grain bread flour crust!

Ready to put on the table. Spring greens/romaine heart salad with the trusty oil/wine vinegar dressing of my youth. This taste too, on the tongue, gives the meal pleasure long after the last leaf is consumed.

Oh yes, and the wine. I have just discovered a Chilean wine, Carmenere, which I simply love. Deep, dark, intense, a superb complement to pizza and Italian salad.

In the Woods and In the Cabin

Most winter afternoons, Freddie comes home after lunch and heads to the woods. It doesn't matter if it is below zero or if the snow is 18" deep, he's off. Our M.F.L. (Managed Forest Land) plans call for release of certain trees by cutting out the trash trees. Freddie is spending these beautiful afternoons releasing Red Oaks.

Here is just some of the work he has done. He has actually completed, over the past eight years, probably close to 75 acres. He thinks he'll complete this designated section some time next week.

Wouldn't you know just when I decide to take a break from the workshop and hike out to see what he's doing, I find him like this. I wonder where the beer is???

Ah, a man and his dog. Meanwhile, I head back to the cabin to complete my latest Rose Path Rug.

I am really enjoying weaving this pattern. The colors aren't exactly 'true' here, there is a very dark brown, a medium shade and a light shade of brown, and a burgundy. I think this rug is destined for my floor.

EXPERIMENTS

In 1978 I was living in Vermillion, SD, where my first husband was a professor at the University. My neighbor's granddaughter-in-law was teaching weaving at the University at that time. I am not sure what prompted me then, but I took a year long weaving class. We wove on floor looms, tapestry looms, we spun with spindles and wheels, we took part in sheep shearing...we did just about everything connected with weaving. My instructor was from Norway, grew up with looms and even then, was a well known weaver. I wove a wool herringbone floor pillow cover; rosepath place mats; a rosepath sleeveless top; many other floor loom items as well as several tapestries. The rosepath design was always my very favorite.


Somewhere near the end of that year, an old Union #36 loom came up for sale for $200. I purchased it, and it has been my trusty rug weaving loom ever since. It is a simple loom, with two harnesses and two treadles. Design is done mostly by manipulating color, though I have learned a few other techniques over the years, but rosepath was always beyond my Union Loom.

About 15 or so years ago I bought, again second-hand, a Herald Loom, (which hasn't been made for many years). This loom has four harnesses and six treadles. A few months ago I contacted the company and they graciously dug up all the 'paperwork' for it and emailed me copies. It was a loom made for use by Handicapped Workshops. It said that it was designed to make rugs as well as other things. This loom has sat mostly untouched, well, unwoven upon, for all those years. Recently I warped that loom, and finally put on the rosepath pattern. I was so excited to have accomplishes this, as I find warping, even in plain weave, a tedious and stressful job.

The Herald Loom

I have made many rugs on my Union Loom over the years. I generally use old blankets I've collected or blanket ends from Faribault Woolen Mills that I cut into strips. Without intending to, I have generally cut more strips then any of my rugs actually needed. Needless to say, I have accumulated baskets, bags, wooden boxes overflowing with wool rug strips. So when I completed the warping of the Herald and was about to embark upon a rug, I vowed to use, at least mostly, the already prepared strips that I had.

In addition, several years ago I heard of a Carpet Factory down south that was going out of business. I contacted them, and was able to purchase huge lots of wool carpet yarn. This along with the vast amounts of wool yarn I had from Faribault (I had easy access as my first husband's family started and ran the mill until only recently) beckoned me constantly, though they mostly sat on shelves. These cones and hanks of yarn were part of my vow, as well.

This entire approach felt like an experiment. My hopes were: that the design was accurately warped; that I could use the cut strips; that I could also incorporate the wool carpet yarn; and that the loom was in fact capable of weaving rugs; and that this all would work!


This is the first completed rug. I decided to make it for myself, something I rarely, if ever do. It is to be a bathroom rug, and its dimensions are 25" x 36". I must say that I am terribly excited and think this is a beautiful rug. I am anxious to launder it in order to find out how the wool yarns and the wool blanket strips react. I will probably launder it very gently because I want very much for the the yarns and strips to behave similarly.

After completing the rug, I then made a bath mat and I also love this.

The two together.

...and in the bathroom.

From My Heart With Love

I have a tiny pillow on my couch imprinted with a zinnia pattern, made for me by a student when I was recovering from a shattered kneecap. All the children seem to love that little pillow, and rest their little heads on it when here. So, I thought for Valentine's Day I'd make each of them a little pillow of their own.

From the heart to the head. I know these will also be a comfy resting place for the numerous dolls that are found at my house.

Searching around for more Valentine ideas, I thought the girls might like bracelets.

Strips of wool, needle-felted with hearts and names, snaps added for easy wearing.
Now what other accessory would these little girls like??

Maybe ...pins?

And so, I made pins as well. I used a wet-felted base out of which I cut hearts, an example of which the pins are sitting on, then needle-felted on that. I added pin backs for wearing.
Once I started on this project, it was hard to stop, I felt inspired to make more and more pins.

I got a bit more elaborate with these, adding rhinestones as well. I must say this was lots of fun, and now I am making fabric flower pins...


...back to weaving next week.