![\"IMG_4263\"](\"https:\/\/argoknot.s005.wptstaging.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG_4263-e1505850227750.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nShe likes the colors and running her hand across the warp. \u00a0I think she’s got potential! Meanwhile, Bob is not so enthusiastic. \u00a0He burst out laughing when he saw the box.<\/p>\n
The first words out of his mouth were, “Potholder PRO??? Is it possible to be a ‘pro’ at potholder making? Does it come with a wheelchair?” \u00a0Funny guy. \u00a0I have no idea why I’m attracted to this thing, but if it will give me some pleasure onboard or while visiting family, that’s no joke! \u00a0I’ve been wondering how I’d ever bring a loom to either of our son’s houses. \u00a0Well, this is a start! \u00a0I’m making one a bit like the one shown on the box, since it came with the purple, aqua, and lime green loopers. \u00a0I also bought a gigantic bag of loopers in ‘designer’ colors. \u00a0There’s a lot of potholder possibilities in those looper bags!<\/p>\n Anyway, before I went down this path, I had 10 days in San Francisco and points north with our younger son. \u00a0In San Francisco I visited two terrific shops– ImagiKnit<\/a> and Britex Fabrics<\/a>. \u00a0I can’t think of a more creative name for a knitting shop than ImagiKnit! \u00a0Their summer window display lived up to their name. \u00a0There were knitted ice cream bars on sticks, knitted cupcakes with elaborate frosting decorations, and a box of knitted donuts! \u00a0There was too much afternoon glare on the windows for me to get good photos, but you get the idea.<\/p>\n It’s a big store, with two long rooms divided by fiber. \u00a0One room holds yarns made from animal fiber and the other yarns made from plants fibers. \u00a0They’ve been around for about 15 years, and it looks like a successful venture!<\/p>\n Then there’s Britex in Union Square, another shop that is not to be missed on any trip to San Francisco!<\/p>\n Can you say ribbons and notions? \u00a0Oh my!<\/p>\n To say nothing of floors of fabric! \u00a0They have downsized a little (I think) since the last time I visited, more than 10 years ago. \u00a0They are downsizing more in November, when they will move to a smaller building, although they will still be in the Union Square area, and you can add on a visit to the Apple store<\/a> while there.<\/p>\n I got lovely white linen for Tori’s christening gown that will be accented with the two bobbin laces I’ve made. \u00a0I also got a fine white cotton batiste for the inner slip and some tiny buttons for the back of her gown. \u00a0Sewing will commence soon….<\/p>\n During the week in between visiting the West Coast and now visiting Maryland, the first meeting of the year took place for the Connecticut guild. \u00a0The featured \u00a0speaker was Anastasia Azure. \u00a0I was lucky to get one of the last spots in her morning mini-workshop on weaving with paper. \u00a0She is known for her woven jewelry and larger woven pieces that are sculptural. \u00a0It turns out she knows how to have a lot of fun with paper too. \u00a0Check out the difference between her two renditions of the photograph below.<\/p>\n We had a great time making our own small paper weavings that can be mounted on a greeting card. \u00a0Anastasia’s afternoon presentation was about her jewelry and sculptural work. \u00a0You can learn a bit about her here<\/a>. \u00a0I remembered her name from someplace, and by the end of our morning workshop, I realized she had been the juror for HGA’s gallery exhibition when Convergence was in Providence, where Anastasia now lives. \u00a0She was the juror who accepted my tapestry of “Sunset on Wilson Cove”<\/a> into that show.<\/p>\n On the home front…. organization continues\u00a0to be one my biggest struggles. \u00a0I am just not good at it. \u00a0I always have to rely on others to spark ideas for how I can organize my own space. \u00a0Recently I got just that when I visited a friend from both the weaving guild and lace guild. \u00a0Clare’s\u00a0looms sit out in one of her living spaces, enhancing the room. \u00a0That could never happen in my house. \u00a0I asked her where all the ‘stuff’ was that you’d expect to be right near the loom. \u00a0She said she has converted one of her bedrooms into a stash room. \u00a0She then gave me a tour of the cabinets and shelving she uses to organize her stash. \u00a0Bingo! \u00a0I went right home and told Bob. \u00a0My stash is not yet under control but it’s a LOT closer!<\/p>\n First, I got rid of the bins in my stash room and bought a wall shelf unit from Ikea<\/a>. \u00a0These two walls had floor to ceiling mismatched, plastic bins that were quite an eyesore. \u00a0And even worse, whatever I wanted to access always seemed to be in the bottom bin, so I had to UNstack everything to get what I needed.<\/p>\n Here are just a few of those bins piled up in the studio, waiting for the wall unit to be built! \u00a0You know the saying that to make things neater, you have to endure a much bigger mess.<\/p>\n Ikea packages everything so concisely. \u00a0It’s to imagine that there is wall of shelving in those two boxes. \u00a0Actually, it was four boxes.<\/p>\n Bob finished building this wall unit\u00a0in less than an hour. \u00a0By the end of the day I had all the blue canvas baskets full of my stash. \u00a0I now have 25 canvas containers <\/a>holding all the stash of wool, silk, cotton and novelty yarns that used to be in mismatched bins stacked to the ceiling. \u00a0My next purchase is going to be a flat file for all my shuttles and bobbins. \u00a0Thank you Clare for getting me motivated!<\/p>\n Well, I want to get back to that potholder! \u00a0Tori has had a nap and an afternoon outing, so it’s time for both of us to get back to it!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We’ve had some whirlwind times since we returned from New Bedford — ten days on the West Coast, a week at home, and now a few days in Baltimore with our granddaughter. Tori is quite interested in the Harrisville Potholder … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n