2nd Monday gathering at Barb’s

With 2 significant snowstorms in April totaling more than we had received any other month this winter, our weaving group was thrilled to pile into Barb and Harry’s warm and welcoming home. By the time Judith and I arrived the dining room table was well covered with handwoven goodies for show and tell.

My contribution this month was a hucklace wool scarf with a black wool in the center of a red super wash wool on the edges.  Using bamboo for the weft the plan was for the center black wool yarn to full and shrink enough to make the edges ruffle.  Imagine my dismay after a run through the washer and dryer I couldn’t see much ruffling at all. I wove this dang scarf to a length of 123 inches and I was bloody well going to get it to shrink.  So I did the hot water agitation and into cold water a few times just to show it who was boss and then into the dryer where I promptly forgot about it instead of checking on it every 5 minutes like I should have.  Although it did shrink about 30 inches I still have a very long scarf with not the dramatic ruffling I was expecting (especially after ironing).  So the long and short (haha) of it is that I will not be weaving the second scarf still on the loom anywhere near 125 inches.  Hopefully someone tall buys this one.

After a rather wonderful meal with Barb’s frittata and too many great deserts not to try a couple we stayed gathered around the table and had some great discussion about health care and politics and generally tried to hash out our country’s problems.  Thankful despite the snow that we live in such a beautiful  part of the world that we have can find peace and respite in the beauty around us when too much of the news is so painful to hear. But then there is always weaving, where you can beat the snot out of a rug or felt something to within an inch of its life, for some instant stress relief.

Thanks Barb M. for hosting this month before your trip to Croatia, etc.  Looking forward to hearing some good tales at our thursday morning coffee klatch.  I am off to Scotland and Ireland in a couple of weeks and I hope to channel my inner Judith and get some sketches and watercolors into a journal I am bringing along. Can’t wait to meet up with my youngest daughter who has been doing a study abroad in London since January. So Spring get your ass in gear and arrive already, the robins are getting pretty desperate!