A Little Wool, Hemp and Sunflowers

My husband has been weaving wool rugs from Pendelton selvedges. They are very colorful. I have taken the wool/silk off the loom and have started to warp some hemp. I think I am not going to have enough hemp to finish the towels, so I ordered some from a company in New Jersey. I haven't ordered from them before so I will see if what they send looks good for weaving. The hemp that I bought in Missoula cost me $60.00 a pound, but when Robin Spady put her hemp towels in Handwoven, she commented on how cheap the yarn was-well I found the company in New Jersey is selling it for what Robin said she had paid for it, $20.00 a pound. Big difference.

One special guy and the mini-sunflowers that he planted-I hope
to get some seeds to plant next year.

Look at those colors!

Keep weaving, Amy

Gardening....I love it and it is harvest time for much...am posting a photo of my blue/purple potatoes...at our last MG class, someone brought some seed potatoes that they didn't want....I brought home 3 of them, cut and planted and got eleven plants.....promised some to the kids to take to the beach tomorrow..so dug 2 of the hills...aren't they beautiful....and beets...kids are coming for dinner and I am calling it a garden dinner so we will be having beans with new potatoes and onions and some bacon of course...but beets too in an orange sauce...new recipe....and had to post this photo of my little garden shed with all the beautiful golden hops creating shade on the little patio.....Summer! I love it.....

last day of Kid Kamp....we made it....and we will do it again......might have to hire more help because we have other kids wanting to come next year......we were not so active today but did make a cute owl card with paper plates, made pom poms into a catepiller, wrote in their journals and shared 'pretty' rocks and necklaces.......

We are tired.....and hot....but still holding up with our kid kamp....bless my sisters and our friend who have come faithfully during the hot days of July to provide so much fun for kids.   Today we made newspaper hats, churned butter, had a treasure hunt, made homemade ice cream and cooled off with a slip and slide.  Tomorrow is the last day and one of the kids ask if we could please, please, just do it through August....what??????

Kid Kamp   lots going on here today from a visit from 2 bunnies, to finishing our windsocks to creating beach wreaths...to celebrating a birthday with cupcakes.......whew...but what fun it is......

Kid Kamp

Yesterday was our first day of camp for our grandkids and what a great bunch of kids.   We have kept them busy and wore OURSELVES out....yes nine kids and us old girlies....but we are having fun and what great projects.   Amy brought wool, read a story about where wool comes from, brought bags, kool-aid and water and the kids dyed yarn! and it turned out beautiful...then today they wove bracelets with the yarn and they were so nice.   What fun and what learning went on.

On the Loom

I am busy making some scarves on the Gilmore loom. I started with a warp of light red yarn that is 70% wool and 30% silk. The first scarf was just made a solid color but the second scarf is made with sock yarn weft. I made the scarves with spaces in between an inch of tabby weaving. I really like the sock yarn. It is 100% wool. To keep the yarn in place I used leno to hold the inch of weaving.
Amy

Textile Show

Laying out wool to be felted. It was felted by people
dancing on top of it.

Textile exhibit from around the world

Just a little eye candy

Tieton www.mightytieton.com is a small town just 15 miles away from where we live. It started out as an farming area but is now becoming well known for the arts. A couple of weeks ago my husband and I went to see a textile exhibit. We were a little early and only listen to one of the speakers. But we took some pictures of a textile exhibit from around the world. We were also interested in a felting activity. They were putting wool out on the floor and were planning to felt it with a dance.

Sweet Peas!   Our Mom loved them and I do too and finally I could pick enough for a tiny bouquet this morning....I also think sweet pea is a nice name for a grandchild too, don't you?   I have been outside for about an hour and loved it...so cool and nice and so quiet....well quiet except for the dog under the tool shed barking at the skunks that live under there....she simply will not let them alone till they spray her and then she comes out shaking her head.   There was also the sound of a woodpecker but I could never spot it..suspect it was a Northern Flicker as they are seen here often.   I pulled so many weeds this morning along with spent California poppies.   Also dug one hill of red potatoes...they are so beautiful...and cut lettuce, picked sugar pod peas and a handful of radishes.   We will be eating gourmet today.

It's time for Summer Camp!....the 1st one for us...want to call it 1st annual...but if we are exhausted by the end of the week it might be LAST annual.....Check out these wonderful handmade cards by Gail......they are going out tomorrow to grandkids and we are hoping they all want to come and have fun with us.   We all have 'stuff'...so much of it that we do not plan on spending any/much money on this but do plan on weaving, creating hats, windsocks, homemade ice cream and some water fun on hot days.  

Yikes it is hot....

at least for me..I have been outside early but am ready to come in...there is always plenty to do inside whether work, some craft, or finding a good book.....but know I should not complain because most of the country is burning up...crops lost, folks just trying to get by in record heat......My garden is so beautiful this year and of course I know everything has it's season and by late July/mid August things get a bit raggety out there...so for now I will enjoy it......I have this shrub that the birds planted for me...and I do not know what it is...beautiful though and would be nice to have a piece of it in a bouquet...