Denim Rug Almost Finished!

Denim Rug Almost Finished

I have finished weaving the denim rug!  I actually had enough extra thread that I also made a smaller rug.  I just have to wash it and hem the binding, and I will be finished!  Somehow everything worked just right last night.  I had cut a bunch of strips, and didn't want to cut too many, so I took the remaining pant leg, uncut just in case. It turned out that I did need to cut the pant leg, but it means that I used up all of the jeans.  I also ran out of the thread I was adding with the denim strips, and the binding thread, so I didn't have anything extra of anything.  Then, when I paid the teacher for the thread I used ($10), it turned out that between my sister and I, we both had just enough dollars to pay in cash. 

Rabies Shot

It was time to renew the dog license, and the renewal of the dog license requires that the rabies vaccination is up to date.  I called my vet to make an appointment.  I asked the receptionist what other vaccines he needed, and she said it was just that one.  I knew that the city offers a clinic for cheap ($5) vaccines, so I cancelled the vet appointment, and went to the clinic instead.    The city offers the cheap vaccines a few times a year (4?) at different places around town.  The one in January was farther away than other clinics, but I couldn't wait for that one since that is in the fall.

I wasn't sure of the best time to go - whether it was better to come earlier than the appointed time to wait in line, etc. - but the instructions were simple and clear.  I drove there after our walk, and went around the building.  There was a line of people with their dogs, so I just waited behind them. The line went down one end of the building, but it was moving pretty quickly.  Someone came out to see the size of the line, and told us that there was only one vet in the morning, but there would be two vets in the afternoon, which seems strange, considering that the clinic was only for a total of four hours.  Some of the dogs were nervous, so Zeus was also nervous.  He was shaking, but otherwise was well mannered.  It was cold waiting outside, but I had dressed for the weather so I was fine.

We finally got into the building, and it seems that the line inside was as long as it was outside, but it was still moving pretty fast.  They checked the current tags, and gave him new ones.  Another table took the $5.  As we were walking by what looked like a window to the kitchen area, there was a worker who was holding her hand.  I wondered if she had been bit.

 I walked up to the table where the they gave the vaccine, and they told us to come behind the table, where they were.  I told Zeus to sit down, but then there were no further directions, so I got up to see what happened to the vet.  Zeus walked under the table.  He wasn't pulling on the leash. The vet said "get control of your dog!"  I thought that was strange because the dog wasn't doing anything bad, and neither of us had any direction on what he really needed to be doing.  I asked Zeus to come and sit again.  At that time, the vet got angry again that we were now in his way, because he wanted to take something to the kitchen.  He said "Fine, I'll go around,"  and went the other way. The other worker stayed and she told me what side effects to look for, and she was nice.   So we waited a few minutes for him to come back, and when he came back he said "Your dog is nervous."  I stayed calm and said "Yes he is."  Of course the dog is nervous.  The other worker told me to talk to the dog, but not touch him.  I knelt and talked to him.  The vet was kneeling down but then he stood up.  I said, "Are you done?"  He said yes.

I am hoping that the vet's attitude and irritation had to do with the fact that one of the workers had gotten bit, and not a regular part of his demeanor.  I am just glad that my vet doesn't treat me and my dog like that.

The booth for the city auditor was also there, so it was convenient to renew the dog license while we were there.

It only took an hour from start to finish at the clinic, to get the shot and the license.  I think it was worth it regardless of the treatment from the vet.

Block of the Month

I have finished sewing most of the blocks for my Thangles blocks of the month.  I had difficulty with the last blocks, which use quarter square triangles, because I didn't open the piece of paper.  It is so funny, they copy the instructions on a sheet of paper.  They fold it in half, and then again to fit into the packet with the fabric.  I apparently hadn't been unfolding the paper all the way, so didn't even notice the instructions on the right side. I probably did open it the first month, and the right side just said how to use Thangles, so I generally just used the instructions on the left side.  Anyway, by the last month, I had forgotten there was more on the right side.

I just need to redo the quarter square triangles - the centers.  I have also lost one of my blocks.  I am making stars around the blocks, and hopefully by the time I have made the stars,  I will have found the missing block.  If not, I will make them with fabric I have at home.

Still Weaving

I am so excited that  I am finally weaving with denim!  It is a great feeling to finally be working on the denim part of the denim rug.  In quilting, you think you are done when you have made a top, but there is a lot of work still left to do to finish up a quilt.  In weaving, there is a lot more front end work, so that when you actually get to weaving, there isn't much left to do except finish off the ends.

Those raw edges sticking out are  where the strip ended, and I turned it to make a continuous strip. I think it adds character.

Finally Weaving!

I have been going to a weaving class for many weeks now, and diligently measuring threads, and putting them on the loom.  Once you put the threads on the heddles, you have to put them through the thing that looks like a comb.  I made several mistakes at the end that required some rework, and some more rework.  Yesterday - do you hear the music? - I was able to finish the last of the corrections and actually start to weave!  It is such a relief to actually get to the part that I thought weaving was all about!

Of course, this means I had better get to cutting those denim strips so I don't run out and can actually weave when I go class.

Another big accomplishment for me this week is that I received the Hub of the Day accolade on HubPages for my How to Make a Quilt Label.  I don't think it was my best work, but I will take any accolade I am given.

And the biggest news is that I have finished the 100 Hubs in 30 Days Challenge I was doing over at HubPages.  I am not going to be doing anything like that anytime soon.  For now, I am going to go back and edit some hubs to incorporate the new things I have done, and see what I can do about making each hub the best it can be.

I also now have time to have a life, which means I can get back to reading blogs and hubs and commenting.  So sorry I haven't had the time to come visit you as often as I would like.  I have missed all of you.

Stripping with Denim

Denim strips

I am sorry it has been so long since I wrote in here.  I entered a challenge on HubPages to write 100 articles in 30 days, and that has been very challenging. It has taken me a lot longer than I thought it would have.  You can see my articles on Millionaire Tips,Hubpages.com you are interested.

I continue to go to the weaving class, we skipped another one because my sister was going to chaperone at a camp, and I didn't want to get too ahead of her.  I have been cutting my old jeans into denim strips to weave.  Unfortunately, I made several errors in the threading process, so this week I had to re-do a bunch of it. I still have to redo some more things when I go next week. Having a loom is supposed to make things easier, but I am not sure it wouldn't have been faster to weave manually.  I am sure once I stop making the mistakes, it will go faster.

I have to cut up a lot more jeans too.  We had Thanksgiving off, and I felt I would have a lot of time to cut strips in those two weeks, but somehow time got away from me and I didn't cut any!

Weaving Update

The first step in weaving, after choosing your colors, is to measure the yarn / cord/ thread. Instead of cutting 30 threads the same length, and tying them on, it is easier to use a mill. This keeps them all in the correct sequence and keeps them from getting tangled. I have finished this step. The photo is not my project. I used a stationary mill, this one twirls around, making it easier to handle longer threads.

The second step is to chain the threads together, and take them to the loom. This is my project, and I just finished this step.

The threads are then divided in the rattle. This preserves the spacing of the quilt, so it will be as wide as you want your project to be. I had some difficulty, and got my threads tangled up, but I think it has been worked out. The next step is to roll the threads onto the roller thingie. I haven't finished this part yet, but I will try to get the name of this for next time.

Then the threads will have to be threaded into these thingies. After that, we will finally be finished with setting up the loom. The actual weaving part goes much faster. It is setting up the loom that is very slow.

It is a lot of fun, and we are still enjoying the progress.

Writing

Columbus, Ohio

I promised myself that I would write more frequent posts on this blog, and I broke that promise almost as soon as I made it. Oh well, you will have to put up with sporadic posts as usual. At least, it will save you from boring posts!

I have been writing articles that will be written under someone else's pen name. I think most of them are filler articles that will be published online, to keep people on their website, with hyperlinks to those things that will bring them money. They tell us the topics, and the approximate size of the article. The people who completed the optional review have been happy with the articles I have written. I have always dreamed about being a published author, and now that dream is coming true, even if someone else is getting credit for it. It is a great start, and is giving me some confidence and practice in writing. I am learning what topics are popular, and since some articles require research, I am learning quite a bit. Hopefully, I can venture forth and eventually become published in my own (pen) name.

All that writing makes it hard to stay on the computer to write blog posts.

There were many people who were ready to start setting up their looms for weaving this week, so I watched as they set up, and helped my sister do some of her set up. Some of it is really difficult for one person to do by herself. We were talking about how wonderful it is to simply look at the room. All the beautiful threads lined up on the shelf, the wonderful finished projects displayed on the walls and from the ceilings, and the many works in process on the many looms provide a great deal of eye candy. It is crowded and cluttered but that just adds to the atmosphere.

I have decided to keep my denim rug simple, and use light and dark blue threads for the warp. The warp is the lengthwise threads that hold the tension. I have started measuring it and preparing it for the loom by using on the mill. This is apparently an important first step in the process. The weft, that will be going under and over the warp will be the denim strips, which I have been cutting at home. I promise to show you as I go along.

My brother-in-law and nephew joined us this week while we walked along the river. It is a pleasant walk, a great place to ride a bike, and we even walked by the Mayor. I think they need to have places to eat along the walk though. There is one restaurant, but it is expensive, and we were hoping for something quicker and more appropriate for our walking attire.

Weaving

At our weaving class, I continued to work on the abandoned piece. A previous student had abandoned it, so I could just play without guilt. I added some gold because I thought the gold would make the red and black look Christmasy, but it made it look African, so I went with the African theme and added random amounts of other colors.(The color is off in the picture - that is red, not orange).   I started making random patterns, but since this was supposed to be my training piece, I forced myself to get practice on following patterns.  Instead of winding bobbins, I tried to use up bobbins other students had left, although I did add other colors as it pleased me. I really like this piece, it was fun to play with it.  I might add some other colors and use it as a table runner or wall hanging.

But it is time to start my official piece.  When we went this time, she had a denim rug on display, and I have decided to use denim instead of my original chosen material.  I have lots of jeans which I acquired when I made a jeans quilt, and this will reduce some of the stash in my house as well.

After our class, we walked around some more in downtown Columbus.  Both my sister and I used to work downtown, and we both really miss the walking we did there.  And they have added more walking paths, with fountains, benches, planters, piped in jazz music, with the new Scioto Mile, so it is very pleasant to walk and hang out downtown. We saw many people jogging, many with their dogs.

Weaving

My sister invited me to learn weaving with her at the Cultural Arts Center. We could choose our own projects. I decided to practice on a piece someone else had abandoned before starting my own. I am having fun just putting random designs and random colors on it.

The teacher has to divide her attention amongst all the students (the five in our class, and the others continuing students who show up whenever they want), so we learn by watching her help others. Here the teacher on left, is helping a student front load the threads on the loom.  The room is full of looms - maybe 40+ all packed together.  I'll have to get a photo of all of them sometime.