Christmas Weave With Help

Day 73: I had intended to wait until I had a few throws or even a full motif on my Christmas Weave, but I had so much Help while warping that I simply couldn't wait until I finished threading the loom. I use poster board (one of the thinner types) to pad the warp as I wind it on to prevent the threads from sinking into the previous layer, and as they peel off the warp roller during the weaving process, I stow them behind a sheet of plywood against the wall to flatten them out a bit for the next time. I'd pulled out several sheets and dropped one of them as I walked around to the other side of the loom to run the crank. Merry, good little Weaver's Cat that he is, wasn't in his box when I turned around again, and then I noticed that the curled-up piece of poster board I'd dropped was wiggling. I peered inside. Yep, he was at the far end of the tunnel, so I grabbed a camera, but this is what greeted me when I came back into the room. Needless to say, I left this piece 'til last. Max is partially threaded, and I'll be done in time to put on an inch or three before bed tonight...with Help, of course.

Next In Line - Friend Evelyn

Day 28: My time for weaving the tablecloth currently on Max has been somewhat limited by a Small Rowdy Cat, but now that he's settling down a bit and seems to be content to watch from a polite remove, I've been making progress. I'm over halfway done with the last of three panels, and that meant it was time to start lining up my next project. If all goes as planned, a coverlet woven on the "Friend Evelyn" draft (HPB, green book, p. 142) will be my entry in the Washington State Fair next September. The pattern lends itself nicely to being joined in three panels. The ground and tabby are 8/2 in lime, with an overshot of forest green 5/2. I thought it would be fun to go with a heavier overshot thread this time around, although my experience with "King's Flower" taught me that 3/2 is too heavy. 5/2 should be just perfect for a weightier throw. Today, I am measuring off a warp of 412 ends of 24 feet each. I've had a little more help than I really wanted, but most of the time, Merry is willing to sit under the chair to watch the tempting "string" uncoil from the cone. But I'm no fool. The warping board and thread goes in the closet in between stints of winding. The first item on a kitten's position description is "Get into mischief."