Green and Gold Donsu

I am probably mad but then my readers have known that for a long time. Yesterday, I removed the Megado box of tricks (relays actually) with the help of a friend. I was not expecting to see the cause of my problems but we could see that ten years of dust and fibres was present.We very carefully removed what we could using very soft paint brushes. Louise was in favour of using the Dyson on it but I was not keen on that idea. Eventually we used a hair drier set to cold and about 12 inches away. When we thought we had done all we could, we replaced the control box - - - and it worked!!!

Last night was spent checking the warp and the loom and this morning I wove the first few inches of Donsu.

 

So am I mad? I have done a trial pack and it weighs 12 kg. Usually when I go on holiday I take good clothes. This time it is all ancient clothes I can discard along the way! I still have paperwork to see to.

 

 

 

 

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Trying out Blogsy

Welcome to Blogsy!

Let's get started.

1. Set up your blog by going to the Settings Menu → Service Settings. Then choose your blog platform and fill in your information.
2. Tap on the Post Info. button to get to all post information.
3. Tap on the Plus button to start a new post or open a local draft.
4. Tap on the Online button to open an online post in Blogsy to edit.

If you would like to Edit HTML or need to paste embed codes then just swipe with three fingers across the screen to flip to the HTML side.

Here's a quick overview pointing out where to go to do all the things you want to do.

How-To Videos and How-To Guide

To get more information about how to use Blogsy go to "Settings" → "How-To Videos" or "How-To Guide".

 

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Still Trying Out Blogsy

So here I am trying a new iPad app called Blogsy. It is supposed to let you create a blog post off line and then you post it. The idea is that it saves on upload time and therefore money when in the wilds of Central Asia.

I have a sad occurrence to report. My Megado has broken down. It is the some of the relays which are at fault. So my deadline for submitting samples to the Fine Threads Study Group has just died. I have discussed the problem with Don Porritt and he is getting costs for me. If I sent the box of relays back to be mended, I would have to send it to Canada so shipping would be very expensive. So I have asked him to find out what the cost of a replacement box would be. In the meantime, tomorrow, I will remove the box from the Megado and see if a good clean up makes any difference. Unfair!!!

Now to try unloading photos into this trial blog. I walked on theCommon this afternoon in the spring sunshine. And then came home and took some photos of the garden.

The top photo is Camellia Cornish Snow which normally flowers from New Year to April. It started flowering a week ago!!! The lower one are some nice little daffodils. That will do for now.

 

 

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More and yet more practising

I ran into real trouble trying to get photos into my blog on the IPad. This is done through yet another app! I have no idea whether this has worked or not!!

Actually it has. No one is more astonished than me. These two photos are courtesy Marion Proctor who wove these four colour double weave samplers on her 16 shaft loom. Nice!! I do believe that the more shafts the better with this weave technique.

As I am hamfisted at this lark, I will take photos every day and include them in a blog. The app is a Blog app from Google.

From my ipad

This is a practice blog. I was given an iPad for christmas so that I could blog about the silk route trip. And three months later I have got round to checking that I can blog!! Iam still not very proficient but since I am limited to 15kg of luggage for seven weeks, it is the iPad or nothing. I still have to conquer getting photos into the blog but I still have nine days to practise!!

On the textile front, I have threaded the Megado up, sleyed it and tied on. And I wish this machine would mind its own business about spelling.

Now to try a few more tricks!!g

Four colour DW samples

Above is a photo of three samples woven on the 12 shaft looms of 4 colour double weave. Very nice and the colours are wildly different. I have no idea how you choose the colours except by sampling!!

I have nearly finished threading up the Megado and hope that I can start weaving today. Apart from the threading up, I have been busy getting ready for the Silk Route. I drove up to Manchester on Monday to pick up my passport plus China visa. I took in a member of the Midlands Textile Forum on the way home and delivered Castlemorton Common ready for hanging in the next MTF exhibition which is at Craven Arms. I originally intended to send in a second piece but that is not going to happen now. I have been making lists of what needs needs to be bought and did a massive shop on Sunday. I am going to a specialist shop in Leamington Spa to buy trekking stuff. 

 

Other news of interest - I was elected Chairman of Kennt Valley Guild last Saturday. Not at all sure about this and have started by thinking of taking a spinning course. I am borrowing a wheel as I have no intention of doing this alot. It is just that I don't know what the spinners are talking about!! And feel I ought to. We had a shared lunch at which the high point was Chris Fletcher's CakePops which were spheres of sponge cake on an icelolly stick and iced and decorated with spring flowers!! They looked fantastic and tasted like they looked!! They were very popular.

 

The yarn that I dyed last week was delivered over to Sue Davies, who will oversee the knitting and sewing up into a blanket. We laid it out on a table and were considering it when the locusts arrived . Everything was gone in minutes!! Later in the day I saw people winding  brilliantly coloured yarn into balls and starting to knit  six inch squares. For myself, Leslie Dunn has kindly volunteered to spin me some Hampshire but not till later in the year. Just as well!! I have 11 metres of 90/2 silk to weave.

More Dyeing

By the time I went to bed on Monday evening, I had dyed five of the seven colours. On Tuesday I drove to Manchester and back to hand in my documents for getting a visa to China. It was bitterly cold and there was nothing on at any of the Museums and Galleries that I wanted to see. Nevertheless I got the last two lots of dyeing done and the photo above was taken this morning when all the skeins were dry. Rosie Price suggested that the Guild should keep a record so I made one up and it took most of the day.

There is a sheet like this in a Lever Arch file for each colour. I also wrote up the project with all the photos (one for each colour) and emailed it to everyone who had spun a contribution. Along with the Spreadsheet with quantities on it. So that's that. Project completed. Tomorrow I start threading up the Megado.

 

 

I see that Alice Schlein (click here ) is considering going on to tying warps on in a big way. Her reason is that it is a long way to the back of the castle with 40 shafts.