Indigo blue scarves

Sneaking these in before the year ends.

I realised my stock at The Cargo Shed was sadly lacking in variety of colour, particularly blues, so quickly tied a warp onto the 2:1 1:2 block warp and here we are ....

 Woven in blocks

 and stripes (below)

 The warp is merino 110/2 and the weft hand dyed silk.  Below the scarf on top is showing the silk dominant side and the darker one underneath shows the wool dominant side.

 The silk glows beautifully (below).

Devine to wear and non-gender specific.

Pohutukawa blankets

 We have had a very poor showing of pohutukawa flowers this year.  They bloom on last years growth and the trees are covered in new leaves so next year should be a cracker.  Doesn't stop me interpreting pohutukawa in a blanket.

 One has gone with a lovely family to Tokyo

and the second is in Inspirit Gallery waiting for a new home.

Kitchen towels

I've called these kitchen towels, as opposed to the usual tea towel label here in New Zealand, as some have a thicker boucle weft and would be very suitable for hand drying.  They are all cotton warp, some are cotton weft and some 50/50 cotton linen weft. 2/1 twill block threading.

 Teal grey range

 Olive grey range

Turquoise yellow range

After the first run I did rethread the outside stripe onto the same shafts as the turquoise stripe freeing up 4 shafts for a basket weave selvedge which gave a very pleasant edge.

New Blankets

My goodness, its a month since we last spoke.  

Have been so busy and the looms running red hot!

First up a new variation of Kereru blankets each with a different weft; teal, dark aubergine and a burgundy.

 And then for a change of pace, Hot Pacific.

 The tassels give a truer idea of colour.

All have been delivered to Pauanesia while visiting family in Auckland.

Clean up has begun

OK I'm untidy.  Always have been and can't see it changing any time soon.  But it had got to an untenable state so I had to make a start.

While decluttering the bookcase I found a quote by Mirka Mora I'd written out.
"I think clutter is the thread of my memory to have its own continuity through familiar objects."  Hmmm!

Before

 After

I needed to get the warping reel out to wind more warps and new I couldn't do that if the floor was covered in boxes so this afternoon I pulled all the banana boxes of "stuff" into the centre of the studio and, so far 8 have become 4 with a lot of throwing out.  Just as well as there are more in the passage way.

And we won't mention the guest bed (or the bath) yet!  Have a guest staying next week so better get on with it.

Tea towels

 Before the trip I threaded my loom with a cotton warp in 2:1 block twill for tea towels to be stock for the Cargo Shed Fibre Gallery.  I so enjoyed being back at the loom weaving these. 

Even tied another warp on and wove it off

then I put all 8 towels in the tub to soak and

Disaster!!

And they were so pretty.

I think I've rescued 2 olive ones.

I tried laundry detergent, Friend, Orvis soap.  

If I'd wanted to dye them the colour wouldn't have taken!

Anyone got any suggestions before I iron them and put them in my cupboard.

Not to be beaten I put another warp on. 

Do you recognise these colours Lynette?  

Its taken a while for them to speak to me!

Pitigliano, Bagnioreggio, San Quirico d'Orca, Chiusi, Ostia Lido and Home

Having picked the vehicle up in Chiusi we actually did pretty well with the hire car, we stuck to the back roads, avoided the A1 motorway and it was my job to navigate and keep to the correct side of the road.  Only one incident where we found the right road sign but it had the arrow going to the wrong direction, bit of a panic and all sorts of things going wrong but no one was hurt and the car not dented!

First stop Pitigliano yet another old hill town with very high walls.

We stayed in an apartment in Orsini Castle, albeit in the servants quarters, the museum is in the main part.

Below is the courtyard view from our kitchen windows.

Next two pics show the road approach to Pitigliano and the tight corners.  Some corners were so tight many vehicles had to have two goes to get around but everyone goes slow and is obliging.

We struck two wet days in this town so what to do?  Hot pool swim at Terme di Saturnia was in order.  These pools are on the side of a hill and formed by thermal water rich in calcium (I imagine much like the Pink and White Terraces of Rotorua used to be).

One night in Bagnioreggio, I thought because Pete wanted to take me to a particular restaurant for my birthday dinner; well yes but he also wanted to get on the restaurant roof to take night photos of Civeta, the hilltop town we visited at the start of the trip where the sides of the hill are falling away.  Turns out the ground had fallen away from under the restaurant and it was closed.  Our hosts suggested a super alternative in town and I pigged out on truffles, a delicacy of the area, so much so I couldn't cope with desert.  I nearly put this shuttle in my suitcase when we left next morning.

 Having our own wheels meant we could stop on the side of the road when and where we wanted.  Autumn was just peeping in with a little colour.

 Wild cyclamen. 

 And so we reached San Quirico d'Orca and our accommodation in the country.  You know you're in the right place when you're greeted by a skeiner at the office door.

Above and below are pics of the Abbieza Antimo.  While I waited and waited for the real photographer to get his shot I pledged to travel with a small project, maybe crochet or a spindle and sliver, in my shoulder bag next time for such occasions!

 I seem to have forgotten to use my camera from now on.  We did go to another hot spa while in this area and spent an afternoon in the pools.

After a week tripping around we returned the car to Chiusi.  It always surprised us that the towns ended at the city walls and then it was countryside - no merging of the two.

I felt I was starting the homeward journey from here.  From Chiusi we took a bus, 3 trains and another bus to Ostio Lido, our last stop in Italy but Pete couldn't resist so we spent the afternoon at Ostia Antica, ancient Rome's seaport founded around 620 BC.

I have to say it was a wonderful trip but so good to be back on New Zealand soil.