Wow....just got back from the cabin a few days ago...I went over to start a new saddle blanket or two. I must say it was soooo beautiful over there, that I had the worst time concentrating. I never did get into the 'groove' of weaving and fought with the pattern the whole time. I took a nice hike along the river and got a few pix of the cabin...but on the evening that I left from home, smoke from a fire over near Crater Lake was blowing across in front of the sun. The colors were gorgeous and I pulled off onto the side of the road to get these pictures at the top.

Winding the Warp!!! This is the beginning of weaving a new piece. You start out by winding the threads around pegs that are set up to be the length of whatever you are weaving. This particular warping board was made for me by my spinning teachers' husband! It was one of the best gifts I've ever gotten. It stands tall and leans against the wall, so I don't have to bend over to wind my thread off of the bobbins...my very first warping board was quite small, and it felt awkward to use, but this one is perfect....to think only a year ago, I almost sold my loom and all the tools that went with it...So the warping board is used to hold a measure of warp strings that you will take over and 'dress' the loom with....simple right?

okay....this was a hard part for me....bringing the 'chain' of warp threads over and separating them out through the raddle into the back beam....but after having several friends show me and watching a few videos, I think I've got it!!!! it's turned into one of the parts that I LOVE to do!!!

Winding the warp on to the back beam of the loom. Heavy cardboard is wound between each round of warp strings, to keep them from tangling and also keep the tension even.

Here is a close up of the metal 'heddle' that you thread your yarn through...also called 'sleying the heddles'.

The top picture shows the warp threads tied to the front of what is called

an apron rod...it's a heavy piece of metal....then you need to separate the warp threads out so they will all be an equal distance apart before you begin to weave. I use thick pieces of woolen fabric as my header. The white thing across the loom is called a stretcher...it keeps tension on the fabric from side to side and helps with making better edges...but I still need some practice in that area! :-)

Here are the first few inches of the weaving...the tool that looks like a claw is called a 'Tapestry Beater'. It is used to scrunch the weft (yarns going across) into the warp threads.

The Ski Shuttle...it's shaped like a ski and holds the 'weft' yarn...the shuttle is turned up at the front and back for sliding across the warp strings...it goes between the 'shed'...or the open area between the warp strings opened up by raising the different harnesses that hold the warp string (yarn)...the harnesses are controlled by pedals on the floor that are tied up to them. Different threading and harness tie up create the patterns.

View from the loom room....it's hard to weave sometimes, when I hear the geese and ducks down on the river. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to hear the chatter of a Kingfisher or the cry of a Hawk. The day before I came home, I took a walk up river...through empty lots and underbrush...I scared up a covey of quail and on the way back 3 deer that had come down into the backyard to graze.

Stripes...a dark brownish grey, oatmeal and a green with some metallic flecks!

I got about 1/2 of one saddle blanket done...it was slow going, and I couldn't feel the pattern...it really was sort of a struggle for me, I think the river was calling me.

~ Krokbragd ~ The Crooked Path

Spinning Wheel

Here is a picture of my spinning wheel out on the front porch. I was fixing to ply two bobbins of burgundy colored singles that will go into one of my next saddle blankets. I've been using one of the saddle blankets under saddle for the last week as I've been riding my big paint mare ZuZu. The blanket fits perfectly!!!!!

Today was baking day....my husband came in from the garden with lots of produce!!! Along with it were several containers of fresh strawberries, rhubarb and apples!!! They got turned into "pogey bait"....yum!!!!!

Origin of the Term "Pogey Bait"
There's an old story going around the [US Marine] Corps - has been for years - about the origin of the term "Pogey Bait". The Marines in China before WW II were issued candy (Baby Ruths, Tootsie Rolls, etc.) as part of their ration supplements. At the time, sugar and other assorted sweets were rare commodities in China and much in demand by the Chinese, so the troops found
the candy useful for barter in town...

I picked up this term from some friends of mine, and actually one of them is an ex marine...but for me the term Pogey bait, has just become a word to mean tasty and fattening....so uhm, I made some blackberry/strawberry ice cream also today....to go on this cobbler and crisp....so tonight I'm going to pig out!!!!!

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler....boy it's smells good!!!!
close up after....mmmmmmm :-P
Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler before it went into the oven...
~Apple Crisp~

Lesser American Goldfinch?

Okay....you've got me....I think this little bird in the poplar tree is a

Lesser American Goldfinch....any birders out there? What else could it be?

HOLLYHOCKS

Can there ever be too many pictures of Hollyhocks? I don't guess so!!! I have light pink ones, and yellow ones and ruby red colored ones...they just beg me to take pictures of them!!!!