Category Archives: weaving

Back to Weaving

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It’s been too long since I fired up a loom!  During the visit of a good friend of many years (Larry), my H.L. Hammett was finally set up properly so that I could warp and weave.

The fine tuning really needed two people so that one could hold harnesses and such steady while the other adjusted.  It took the better part of two hours (and Janet Meany’s copy of the Hammett loom manual helped tremendously!).

loom-set-up

Now I have found that my warping board (made by friend Larry back in 1972 or 1973? – yes, we go back a ways) can be set upon the loom so that I can measure warp at a comfortable height.

warp-bd-on-loom

My first project will be a black warp (yes, it’s going to be really fun to keep all those black ends straight and thread them through the heddles!).  Black will offset the colors of the sheets I’m going to use as weft.  I’m threading a chicken tracks pattern and wanted it to stand out.

Back to Weaving….

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It felt so good today to actually begin weaving again. I fired up the old Reed Cambridge rug loom, taking a while to get the warp on and thread it all up. But now I’ve started a denim rug and it feels so good – weaving is so tactile. And it’s zen…just the next throw of the shuttle, working to keep selvedges even, making sure no threading errors creep in. It’s total focus. Now I need to prepare more denim strips for the next round. Here’s a picture of what I did this morning.

Goat Milk Soap is Ready

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It’s always exciting when I declare a batch of soap ready. I have to take a bar and try it myself – and this latest is luscious. My skin just relaxes when I use the goat milk soap. I plan to get another batch going this weekend, so I won’t run out again! It’s the most popular so far among those who buy my soaps.

On another note, I decided that “Domestic Arts Emporium” just doesn’t adequately describe my soaps. So….after brainstorming with a couple of friends, we decided a better portrayal would be “Texas Naturals” and then subhead, “Pure Soap”. I think that says it all. So I got the web addy “texasnaturals.net” and filed an assumed name with the State of Texas. That will lock things in. Now to do another website. 🙂 Oh, my, technology challenges raise their heads again. As soon as I get the website functioning, I’ll add a link here.

But the thinking behind the name and “Pure Soap” is that folks buy my soaps because they are gentle on the skin. There are no scents, no added essential oils (some of which I’ve found to be quite irritating to my skin), just pure soap. When I did a little market research in the soap aisle at Whole Foods recently, about 90-95% of the handmade soaps were scented or had some added something, like cinnamon, or citrus, or whatever. I can’t use those, and figure others can’t either.

I’m going to stick with pure soap. It’s not fancy, but it sure feels good on the skin. Guess I’m just too pragmatic! 🙂

I actually got to weave some last weekend. It felt so good to sit at the loom, and concentrate on the next throw of the shuttle. Truly relaxing and meditative. I have so many ideas, though, of things I’d like to try weaving….my old problem comes up – too many ideas and too little time!

Speaking of time….it’s getting away from me now, and so I really, really need to get going.