leslee roberts :: shouting into the wind

stress buster

it's been very challenging at work and i've been offsetting the stress by making sure i build in relaxing activities in the beginning and at the end of my day. this morning i sat at my spinning wheel for 10 minutes and worked on some yarn which i plan on using for a tweedy aran cardigan. tonight i baked strawberry jam filled cookies. just looking at them makes me smile.

the first peg loom rug

debbie's first peg loom rug!

needle and thread

no amount of washing, boiling, agitating and drying would help this oversized hat. i did finally figure out that i was using size 7 needles instead of the requisite size 4. in desperation, i took needle and thread in hand and made a series of darts just so the darn thing would stay on one's head without falling off. what can i say?!?!?! argh?!#$^@&$%

knitting like a mad woman

i've been knitting like crazy on this hat for debbie so she'd have it by the end of the week:

it's beautiful! the colors are a lovely blend of two noro kureyon colorways. the only problem is this:

i've felted it forever and even dumped it into the dryer for hours. i guess i'll try boiling it next. argh!!!

finishing the machine

yes, that's what i call it... the machine. i've heard myself refer to the mach 1 as "the machine" several times now. i know a lot of people name their spinning wheels -- just can't imagine that... it's more like a machine to me, so that's what i call it.

i needed to finish the machine because i again had to take it out in the rain to get to class and i didn't want to keep getting it wet before finishing it. so the week before class, i spent the evenings after work disassembling, finishing and re-assembling the wheel. this took several days.

i cleared the dining room table, laid newspaper and a towel over it and gathered my materials: sandpaper, pads, tack cloth, rags, screwdriver, hammer, bee's oil, wood glue, etc.

i disassembled the parts and laid them out on the table. i used 3 different grits of sandpaper prior to applying the bee's oil. i applied 2 coats of bee's oil to each part and then i put the whole thing back together.

i still need to finish all my bobbins. probably some evening this week -- i also need to put another coat on the machine.

:: :: ::

i had an all day class at urban fauna studio last saturday. lexi boeger, author of intertwined taught an all day class on handspun art yarns. i had a great time -- made some interesting yarns and left with a headful of ideas and a serious lust for a drum carder.

peg looms

debbie's been intensely researching the use of peg looms for rug making. it seems that it's much more popular in the uk than it is here so that's where she ended up buying one (from manor house studio).

here is her loom:

and here is her first rug -- experimenting with the whole process end-to-end:

i'm already in line for a bathroom rug. ;-)

we still don't know too much about using fiber for these rugs. she will likely order some of the giant rolags offered by manor house studio. at least that way we can see what they look like. i don't know if it's something that i'll eventually be able to produce when i get my drum carder.

Welcome Remy!

look who just joined the family! abbey and lofty have a new little playmate (click the pic to see more adorable pics of the new addition to dave and vickie's family)