Here’s another Monmouth cap, knit from the top down with our Black Welsh Mountain bulky yarn. The first two photos show what it looks like before fulling it in the washing machine. The third one shows it after washing. Continue reading
I’m getting set up on Ravelry as a yarn vendor. Over there, my username is OogieM, and our yarn brand is Desert Weyr. Below are the yarns I currently have in stock. This is a blend of 50% Black Welsh and 50% Western Fine Wool from a local Delta County flock. It’s designed for lace… Continue reading
I was asked to give a short lecture to a very small, five-person class of Vision students about clothing from between 1625 and 1750. I dressed in my mantua and full Golden Age of Piracy outfit made from Reconstructing History patterns. I’m not very good at spinning on a hand spindle. My spinning wheel is… Continue reading
This is the Park Guest House, the B&B where I stayed in Abergavenny. I took the first day there to recover, then spent all day on the fourth walking around Abergavenny and doing touristy stuff. Our first stop was, of course, the castle. The ladies at the castle museum sent me on to the St.… Continue reading
With the loom assembled, the next step was to tie it up and get it ready for warping. Margaret, Monica, and Elena all helped me learn how to tie everything up and set it for weaving. We set it up for a balanced twill and tabby just to play with initially. Continue reading
The big Glimakra loom was assembled in the shop on August 4th. My friend Elena Dent came to visit and got roped into not just the assembly process, but to start skirting our 2008 fleeces as well. Normally we’re done by now, but with the construction, I didn’t get started until now. Continue reading
The new shop’s second story is a long way up. When we stored wool in the old Red Barn’s loft, you could toss the wool boxes up, and the person in the loft could catch them. However, the new shop is much too tall for that. While going up and down the stairs may be… Continue reading
I’ve finished my small sampler of singles yarn. It’s probably going to be a handle for some sort of tote or bag. I learned more about weaving with singles – mostly that I have to spin a much tighter twist than I thought to get it sturdy enough to beat with the reed. I also… Continue reading
Ok, I’ve been shamed into this by Kass here. I, too, got to spend part of a weekend – last weekend – being wrapped in duct tape. Red Green would be proud! Ken got the hanger attached to the fabric tube for a stand this afternoon. I’m planning on starting stuffing this afternoon or tomorrow.… Continue reading
I’ve been working on a replica of the Monmouth cap for a while. The only extant original is in the Nelson Museum.* My first attempt was based on several published patterns that are frequently referenced. You can view them here and here. Using our new, bulky, pure Black Welsh yarn, I did the provisional cast-on.… Continue reading