Summer and Winter mats

First the boring stuff - trying to make head or tail of Professional Weavers accounts.  In the end daughter got me on the right road.  I owe you!

 Production of plum sauce and muslei -  I actually make 6 times the Alison Holst recipe for muslei as couldn't cope with making it every week.  Rinda, I will plant the hibiscus cuttings soon, they are just starting to show roots.

 Pete makes a great Thai green curry but won't do it without lemon grass so I found a plant and planted it in the same pot as lemon balm.  Went out to water it two days later and it was gone, roots and all.  We've decided a sea gull wanted lemon with its fish!

I've been dyeing hanks for a run of blankets.  Of course I did it the day "downgraded cyclone June" arrived.  (which means it was a low with lots of rain and wind)  What would I do without the stairway rail to dry things on.

 There has been weaving in the form of summer and winter mats.

 The reverse side (taken as the evening light faded).

 

 Personally, I don't like dealing with lots of mats but enjoy this runner arrangement and its even better if one has a long one through the centre of the table.  Should I make another for the centre?

 Close up

Looking back at production in 2013

Recently Martha at Thistle Rose Weaving posted a list of the highlights of her weaving year as has Susan at Thrums.  It was a really interesting exercise to look back as I had forgotten a lot of what I made earlier in the year.  Here is a selection.

Carolyn's blanket

A whole series of Starburst Snowflake articles including place mats and Zoe's blankets

Wedding party wraps

Wild raspberry wrap

A large number of blankets

Many articles in 4 colour double weave

Shadow weave wrap

Paua

Pounamu

Selectors display at Creative Fibre Experience

and then I went on holiday for five weeks and I wondered why I was completely exhausted!

Pam's wrap

Taniko blankets for Pauanesia

and the latest play with Summer and Winter.

I think I wove 45 pieces altogether but we haven't mentioned the knitting, spinning and sewing.

Change of colour

The latest set of blankets for Pauanesia, Kowhia.  

 I didn't have time to participate this year but for quite a few years now Meg has instigated a play of "What's on the looms" on New Years Day.  As I was expecting visitors on Jan 2 I was too busy cleaning and putting things away out of the reach of a 3 year old and 7 month old who just learnt to crawl.  I new my home was in a state but even I didn't know how bad; and guess where it all ended up.  Three looms, 4 knitting machines (including colour changers, knit leaders, intarsia carriages etc), warping reel, dummy, spinning wheel, vacuum cleaner, heater, ironing board (and the ironing), product for sale in suitcases, display props, stash and library.  

My first job this year is to find homes for some things, take others (2 knitting machines in particular) to the scrap metal merchant.  Just get rid of it! 

The only loom warped was the 8 shaft Nitschke with a third version of table mats.  I am enjoying the simplicity of these summer and winter diamonds.  We had Christmas dinner on version one.

Red version 2 were welcomed by recipient and look great on her black table.

For version 3, lime, I've rethreaded the outside warps to eliminate the triangles and make them all diamonds.  Having started weaving and had time to study them I would like a bar on each outside selvedge but adding more warp threads would make them too wide.  If I make a 4th version I might fiddle with the selvedges.