Friday, December 13, 2019

A whirly week

The first week is over, except for the parcels waiting on the shelf for payment. Thank you all, it was fun. And such a learning curve. I will be calling more than a few vendors this week to see why they did not provide the service they sold.

The new loom sits in the exact spot held by the Artistat at the beginning of the week.The trade was initiated when I patted the little Artistat and ventured to my daughter I really was beating it to death with production weaving. 

Beth called Jessica, and Jessica agreed at once, "Your mom should have her loom back." I sent the Artistat down to Jessica. Look, it still has the door knob stoppers I put on to cushion the beater.


Here is the Mira, in no more space, but with four feet on the floor, and four spanners, and solid maple and a good Canadian pedigree, ready for a thousand towels. At minimum, more towels than I can ever weave!

The harnesses look all cattywumpus because they are not yet tied up to the treadles. I leaned over to do that Thursday night, and discovered I could not pull the treadle pin.

Beth called to see if she could come down this weekend to help.  I said only if she could bring an agile youngster to lie on the floor and tie up the harnesses. She announced she still can do that. Of course she can! She's in the vicinity of the age when I started my second career, weaving.


Today, after two doctor appointments, I loaded the spool rack and threaded the tension box. Tomorrow, first a trip to the post office, and then I will begin winding on the new warp.

Tom Stephenson asked how far it would stretch if I tied all the new thread end to end. I wondered if he would think I was evasive, saying I'd get back to him. I knew all the parts, but was far too tired to hunt up a calculator, or look up some distances for reference.

I bought 74 half pound tubes. A half pound tube of this grist has 1,680 yards. 74 tubes x 1,680 yards are 124,320 yards x 3 feet per yard are 372,960 feet. At 5,280 feet per mile, that is 70.64 miles.

I read that no part of England is more than 75 miles from the sea, and the English Channel at its narrowest is 21 miles wide.

Fortunately, when I tie the thread end to end, it is only to keep on weaving.








31 comments:

  1. Congratulations!
    Very good news the loom us with you.

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  2. I admire you for your weaving, it sounds very satisfying.

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  3. Sounds complicated to me, but glad its working out for you!!

    betty

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  4. I am so very pleased the Mira has come home. My mind is boggling at the length of thread, and I have covered Jazz's eyes as I read.

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  5. Good news that your loom is back! You have wonderful ambition to accomplish things!
    We are in the midst of a couple of family emergencies and I don't think I can order towels until January, probably, alas.

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  6. The right tools make a job so much easier and enjoyable. I'm glad you have your old loom back safe and sound.

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  7. It looks huge after seeing the smaller loom for so long. Looks like fun days ahead for you, warping and wefting away from dawn to dusk.

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  8. I really admire your knowledge and talent. It all sounds like a foreign language to me. Were you self-taught or did you have a mentor when you first started out? -Jenn

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    1. My sister and I were essentially self taught. We used each other to figure it out. Many tears were shed.

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  9. 70 miles....that's over 100 kms.....about an hour's drive.

    Did you walk around Mira when she was finally set up.....talking to her and stroking her.....treating her like an old friend? Which she is of course!

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  10. Off topic. I am finally taking the time/making the time to read The Salt Path. And loving it. Thank you so much for the recommendation.

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    1. EC, I went through it twice, absorbing it. I now could read it occasionally, like meeting up with an old friend.

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  11. I'm always fascinated by your abilities.

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  12. I'm impressed. Joanne I think all that weaving over the years helped your brain to keep on thinking and functioning well. I'm sure that exercise helped you when you had your accident and had to relearn everything. You are still amazing.

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  13. That loom looks like an impressive piece of equipment and I bet you are itching to get back at it. In the meantime your mathematical skills are impressive!

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  14. Hari OM
    It's all so magical, Joanne!!! Many happy hours to you and Mira. Meanwhile, sorry I missed a post - all a bit waring and exhaustipating this end. Back to the Hutch on Monday, for ten days respite... YAM xx

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  15. well, you're set now, 70 miles of thread and a heavier loom. and what vendor and what services did they not provide?

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    1. My bank did not know how Zelle worked, and I frustrated myself for hours setting them straight. But, the winner of deceit is the credit card company, and I will be finding a new one shortly.

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    2. Have you thought about using PayPal?

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  16. You NEED that loom! It's beautiful.

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  17. Another fun fact - 70.64 miles is more or less the distance from Sheffield to Grimsby. That's a heck of a lot of thread....

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  18. Mira looks beautiful. A work of art by herself. And those spools, amazing, truly, what is produced so creatively by your talented self.

    XO
    WWW

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  19. That is more calculating than my little brain even wants to think about. I can feel it shrinking.

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  20. I'm so happy and excited for you!

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  21. Is the sound of the weaving itself as soothing as I always imagine it is? In which case, how do you keep awake?

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