Back at it

The thread arrived yesterday and I tucked right in, setting up the spool tree, getting thread on and through the tension box. This all took too much time, actually. It has been one year since I last did this. How I remember the great warping adventure with Caroline, on her birthday no less, which I totally forgot. I just sent her a Happy Birthday text!

Last year I also had a timid cat, who hid in my bedroom until all guests were gone. This year I have a cat who is In Charge. She knows Every Thing that happens in this house, Anticipates It and then Supervises It.

Dressing a loom is quite new to her. She doesn't know what is going on. Being in trouble, being yelled at means close to nothing in this circumstance. There were a substantial amount of close to depleted tubes of warping thread. I left them scattered on the other end of "her" sofa. This morning I found them scattered on the floor.

There has been no attempt at the trick I fear most, reaching up for one of the lines of thread. So, counting my blessings, fingers crossed, I soldier on. My hope is to get across the beam today, but that really is a small possibility.

I have removed the small tubes of thread to the chair, and barricaded them, after a fashion. They survived the night, and that is good.

However, another foible cropped up yesterday. Kitty is addicted to paper. It's not a good trait, for either of us. She gets sick, probably from printer ink, and I lose my information. This began some time ago, and I learned to avoid the problem. Until yesterday.

Weeks ago someone gave me a copy and it was left on this chair, When I came in after supper, the chair and the floor were covered with confetti. I dutifully cleaned it up, telling her for the half hour what a pain in the ass she provided. And life went on.

Then one day I printed the heel instructions I would need for Shelly's sock, and thoughtlessly tossed it on the chair, where I would watch Netflix and work on the sock. Back from supper and a total spread of confetti. It's smaller than "real" confetti; those little teeth make little shreds! Lesson painfully learned; I would never put a piece of paper on the chair.

Yesterday I consulted the clipboard with all my notes, to "remember" when to add the extra thread. Tossed the board aside and began winding on a bout of thread. Together with the swish of thread I could hear crunching. I suddenly realized--PAPER!

I turned and yelled at her. Kitty engaged her selective deafness. I approached, yelling. (My approach is an extremely slow shuffle!) She watched me, and continued shredding. At the last instant before a boom descended Kitty abandoned her project and sailed away. I stowed the clipboard on a high shelf and finished the bout I was winding.

    

That one bout turned out to be it for yesterday. I told myself it was a fairly successful day, setting up the thread, loading it, rescuing it. Today I simply would not invite Kitty to the party. As if.