The Games and the Shawl

Ah, the 2011 San Antonio Highland Games have come and gone.  We had a wonderful time this year, but How Busy!!  I'm told that there were more people on Saturday alone than in all of last year, which was their previous attendance record, I think. If we get many more visitors, we may have to think about recruiting a fourth member of the team!  We like it so much that we've decided to try to do more Games and fairs.

The MacLean tartan probably wasn't the best idea I could have had.  It is undeniably eyecatching, though, and is so very pretty.  It made a statement.  I think red tartans are the best choice.  The sash came out reasonably well.  I know where two mistakes are, and I'm going to need to come up with a better way to deal with the color changes and working the ends back in.  But again, it's pretty and that's what counts!  This time, when I wet-finished it, I used the steam iron aggressively.  That's apparently what bamboo needs.  It has a sheen like silk and a similar hand.  Gorgeous stuff!

The MacLean Sash

 George and I are developing a really crazy idea - even for us.  We're thinking of building a loom that looks old but can be taken apart in sections.  The beater/reed and harness sections could be stored together so I could sley the reed and thread the heddles prior to an event.  Then we pack up the loom, most of which would fit on the top of the SUV, and take it to an event.  We reassemble the loom, beam the warp, tie off, weave the header and get going!  The very first visitors might see the end of the warping process, but they wouldn't have to sit through the tedious part of sleying and threading.  It might work.

So where to from here?  We'll be at the General Sam Houston Folk Festival in Huntsville at the end of the month.  This'll be fun!  I don't have to wear a tight bodice!  I'm going for the prarie look and an old-fashioned, probably overshot weave!  We have our fingers crossed that we'll get a couple of other fairs during the year.



Consulting on the Weave - My Favorite Photo from the Games


The Peacock Shawl

But there's no time to rest on the ol' laurels!  As soon as the MacLean tartan was off the 8-harness loom, I warped on a shawl I've been wanting to make for years.  It's royal blue in the warp and green in the weft to give an iridescent sort of peacock color.  There are blocks of the most intricate twill.  Truly gorgeous!  I need to analyze why the blocks happen.  It does use all 8 harnesses, six for the design and two for the tabby weave sections that separate the blocks.  I have Interweave's e-book on designing blocks.  I need to spend some quality time with it.  Meanwhile, I'm weaving on with the shawl. It's at a rather wide sett for the thread I'm using, so it's not only iridescent, it's sheer.  At least it is on the loom.  It may contract when I take it off and finish it.  However it turns out, it's beautiful!

The Peacock Shawl

They're Back!

Climbing American Beauty Roses

Remember the Great Rose Massacre from last year?  Well, the American Beauty roses survived.  One isn't doing quite as well - it was cut back more severely.  But the other is thriving and they're both doing their show again this year, God bless them!  Several of the roses didn't make it.  The winter was severe this year and they just couldn't deal.  However, some of the ones I thought were goners are coming back.  Now that's tough!  What do I have to complain of??