Laughter

.I spoke too soon when I said everything was going well on the health side. Today I was supposed to be in London at a Complex Weavers day. But I was so unwell in the morning that I cancelled, then Dorothy identified that I had shingles. I ask you? How unfair is that! So everything has been cancelled for the next week. Today I have done nothing. Maybe tomorrow. If I do not get to go places, surely I can get some weaving or even bookbinding instead. Bah! It is very unfair.

More news

I returned to hospital on Tuesday and had three doctors poking about. The result was three miffed doctors and one very cheerful patient. Nothing wrong any more. I was told that the doctors should be responsible for me getting better and I am not supposed to do it myself. No effect on the cheerfulness.

So this week I have gone back to weaving - - and gardening. I have wound half the merino warp to tie onto the Megado warp. I also finished off a multicoloured scarf on the 12 shaft Meyer and put on a new warp. This pattern has been taken from Bertha Grey Hayes recent book of miniature overshot patterns. I like overshot and how could an aerospace engineer walk away from a pattern based on bombers. I am doing a scarf in 2 ply lambs wool and it will be given as a Christmas present to the MD of my favourite engineering subcontractor.

Part of the reason for doing this warp is that I am off to St David's for school half term and we are doing islands with the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). So expect photos of puffins and progress on the overshot.

One interesting bit of weaving is that I am going to  day course run by Complex Weavers tomorrow. I also intend to visit a shop South of the Thames to buy some Lino cutters.

Columbia Press

I have finished two more clutch bags from lengths of four colour double weave and have decided on what else to make from various lengths of sample fabric.

I have also been extravagant and bought myself some more auriculas - only these are rather posh. They are 'show auriculas'. Dorothy was a bit a shocked at what I paid for them. They are about five pounds each. I think it is money well spent and have gloated over them, also potted them up and cosseted them. The photo below as is they arrived before potting up.

I also took a photo of the Columbia Press (built in 1850) at my lino cut class. Isn't it fantastic? The eagle moves up and down as you print.

I am currently suffering from what my son-in-law calls 'existential angst'. In other words, I am creating lino cuts to illustrate 'The Lament of the Makars' by William Dunbar and I now think the project is a mistake. So I have decided to grit my teeth and complete the last lino cut before the next class, spend the next class printing the all six in many colours and call it a day on that project. I have much better ideas on single lino cuts.

Now I am off to wind a merino warp which will be tied onto the lampas warp on the Megado.

Textiles at last

On Monday, I went over to Aylesbury to visit an old friend who has moved there from Shropshire which she misses. Mind you she lived on the top of Clee Hill for 45 years and the Chilterns are very tame in comparison.

Today I decided to get rid of this throat problem and decided to stay inside. The morning was occupied  with Guild business, writing pieces for the Newsletter, doing the jobs I got landed with at the last Guild meeting and filing papers. Then I got to do some textiles and made a clutch bag from a length of four colour double weave. I altered the pattern and it looks fine. I am half way through making a second  one and I have another length waiting. All three lengths are four colour double weave. I do have a good length of true double weave which is too thick for this clutch pattern. It will end up as a tote bag.

Mayor making at Newbury

A few weeks ago, the Guild exhibition organiser got an invite to the Mayor Making at Newbury. As the invite was for two, I went along, after all, I am Chairman. The proceedings were today and I am still suffering from shock. First of all, it never occurred to me that Newbury had so much history. After the Norman Conquest, it became a borough -(new borough). And continued to grow until Elizabeth'stime. She visited twice and the second time, the town threw such a good party for her that she made them a free borough. And everything stems from that. They elect a mayor every year and he has to swear to look after Newbury. And that is what we were invited to see. We had the full bit, two Mace bearers, a town crier, a town marshal and lots of processions. So we went to the Corn Exchange to witness the swearing and then the mayor and council formed up outside the Town Hall and the audience tagged along too and we processed through the streets of Newbury to an ancient church. St Nicholas was a Saxon foundation but was totally rebuilt in the 15th century and is distinctly gorgeous. Early Perpendicular. The only problem was that they had two songs (note not psalms) with very modern settings and the congregation was a bit floored by this! As they say, I do not think we were all singing from the same hymn sheet. If you listened carefully, you could several different verses being sung at the same time. After the service,we processed, this time 20 yards to the church hall where we had lunch and very nice too. A very interesting day. I would not have missed it for the world.

The sky was very blue and there was a farmers market on it the market square which added to the excitement with the processions.

Still Confined to Barracks

My laryngitis is still with me  but I have managed to do all sorts of odd jobs. I set about the overlocker and completed the red velvet top - - - which I do not like.

This is not my style and there is no way I would repeat this with my beautiful black velvet. The red velvet was dyed by me and was always intended as a dry run  for a length of black velvet overprinted with an Art Deco pattern in gold. The red is completed unstructured. The black will be backed with iron-on lining everywhere and I have ordered a Burda pattern which looks vaguely kimono-like. No difficult armscye and no darts.

I turned out more fabric yesterday and the dining room is deep in piles of woven fabric. I have a lot of 30-40 inch lengths, 8-10 inches wide in various weaves. Four totally different ones in four colour double weave and others in silk donsu. So lots of bags will be made. I did make a cushion cover out of the remnants of red velvet. And found several wall hangings made for the Midlands Textile Forum. Two are worth keeping, the rest will be binned. But now I am worrying because one (rather nice) is missing.

This afternoon I gardened which I can do for an hour and a half now. I think I am getting better!!!!

Laryngitis

I had a student here yesterday to learn about drafts and, while everything went well, I woke up this morning speechless. This does happen to me although it has not happened for a year or two. Anyway it is pouring with rain, rather chilly and I do not feel 100%. So I am not going out to my music class. Anyway the Motorway has been closed because of an accident and Reading is gridlocked.

This morning, speechless as I was, I wrote an article to be submitted to Yarnmaker and tidied up weaving samples. Recently I shoved all big weaving samples in a cupboard and pushed hard to shut the doors. Yesterday I wanted to show some of these to the student and left the mess on the floor until she left. Then I had an inspection and was quite frankly shocked. So I sorted the samples out into things which could be sold (scarves, table mats, runners, bags), things I wanted to keep as samples and things I have to take action on. Probably the biggest shock was the discovery of two lengths of woollen fabric. One is quite thick but very colourful and has been hemmed and put on the dining table. The second is five yards of 40 inch wide fabric in blue and brown fine wool. This I have no memory of at all. Clearly woven on the Megado. It will make a nice jacket. Add to that unfinished scarves and several sets of place mats! Oh well. Lots of odd jobs to be done.

Set of overshot placemats from 1986!!

Five yards of brown/blue fine wool fabric

Lots of wool fabric. I cannot think why I wove this. There is about 4 yards of it and it is too thick to be made into clothing. I do not need any more cushions.