Whew!!

WOW! Where to even begin.

While recovering from the broken fingers episode, I did not accomplish the projects that I had wanted over the course of the late fall and winter.

What did get accomplished though, was a new fabulous fiber room. (Pictures coming soon!) Our last chick left the nest this past fall. We left her bedroom intact for her first semester away from home to lend a note of security. When she came home over the holidays and commented on the fact that it really did look like a little girl's room, we knew it was fine to let it go. Gone are the gradated sunset colored walls, the cloud sheets and comforter, and the bunkbed/desk combination.

The room is now a neutral palette of taupe and cream, with a huge table that when holding my table loom still has plenty of room for my laptop, notes, etc. (My floor loom stays put in the great room) There are two hutches to hold my books, fibers, and sewing machine, and a credenza to hold flat material, patterns, etc. A new filing cabinet (yes, there is that office supply store compulsion peeking out) to keep it all serene, organized and uncluttered. The room's windows look out to the east at a stand of pine trees. Could it get any better?

After the holidays, just as I was ready to settle down to some serious project planning and weaving, we made an unexpected trip to Germany. It was delightful, although as blizzardy as Colorado. I did pick up some gorgeous silk-merino blend in a yummy iceberg aqua while I was there. It will be incorporated into an eccentric weft tapestry design.

Have been very busy with a documentation project that a group of our guild members has been working on in conjunction with our local Pioneers Museum. We have been analyzing and documenting the museum's handwoven coverlet collection. Look for a short news piece about the project in the upcoming March/April edition of Handwoven Magazine.

This project has given me such an appreciation for the early coverlets, or coverlids as they were often called. The work is absolutely lovely and some of the stories behind them are very poignant. For example, during the civil war, it was not uncommon for a coverlet to be sewed into a soldier's coat for extra warmth. This 'lining' was often used to help identify a wounded or deceased soldier. That just tugs at my heart.

Various members of the guild will be weaving modern interpretations based upon the historic patterns in the coverlet collection.

Our local guild is also hosting a national, juried show entitled Living With Beauty. I designed the splash page for it, so that was another 'away from the loom' weaving project. Stop in, download a prospectus, and enter!! The show will take place in 2008, with entries due in December of this year.

Am excited about and looking forward to taking my first ever spinning workshop at the end of this month. Will be learning on a wheel and able to experience several different brands/types of wheels. YAY! As you all know, my experience with my drop spindle has been a humbling experience.

Will also be taking a week long workshop in April the topic of which is "The Perfect Towel." Will post more information about that as the dates approach.

On the loom: Actually on the warping board and ready to dress the loom, is newly designed scarf that will be threaded in a point threading, 24 EPI. Two shades of coppery colored tencel that are just luscious. If I like the design once it is worked up, then my thought is to enlarge it into a throw or a table cloth.

Santa left a copy of Pixeloom in my stocking this year. Woot! I really love the freedom it gives me in the design process. I wanted a program where I could work directly in the drawdown area and this really fits the bill nicely for me.

Thank you to all my fiber pals who dropped by during this long hiatus. My fingers are recovering nicely, and while I still can't make a fist, I can at least hold a shuttle and am no longer dropping everything in sight. Life is good!

Now, off to dress my loom and get down to some W E A V I N G!

Cheers,
Jane