Who ever thought joining a social networking website would bring out a profound change in your life? Back near the beginning of June, I joined the social networking website Plurk. It seems that a lot of knitters that I know are over there also. In using the service and talking with all the lovely knitters there, Miss Violet posted about a thing she was starting called the “Plurkette Farmgirl Hencircle.” I was intrigued and went to the site to look. After reading what she’d posted on the site and following the links to Mary Janes Farm I joined up. (I also went out and ordered the books and went to the store and got some plants to plant a container garden - see one photo above).

So…Our first project is to post a bit about ourselves. I am a late 30’s mother of three. I grew up in a large-ish city in Texas, but my grandparents lived in a smaller town nearby and I spent a lot of time there. My grandmother taught me to crochet and to hand sew and other things from a pretty young age. I used to watch her cook all the wonderful home cooked country meals. (See previous hotwater cornbread recipe). My grandfather had a pecan orchard and I remember helping him harvest pecans and getting rid of infestations of web worms (ewww). I once chased a chicken around their yard that had escaped from a neighbor’s house. I realized when I read the things on MJF that I was missing those things. The things that I remember from my grandmother’s house and from my childhood. I have found my inner farmgirl. I have been to the farmers market. I’ve made a homemade pinkeep

and from scratch zucchini bread. I wear an APRON for deity’s sake!! (and have fabric and pattern to make another one) As I type this, I have a piece of freehand embroidery on a dishtowel on my lap.

THIS IS WHAT I’VE BEEN MISSING!!

I’ve been helping MissV get the website in order and will be writing a few columns over there hopefully. (I have a cookbook review planned.) I can’t wait to see what all we come up with and do. I will still be knitting and weaving and all that other stuff, but expect to see more from me of a different crafty nature.

(btw…Fiona apologizes that she didn’t post this Friday. She and I both were not feeling well)

When I left off last week, I had just finished sleying the reed on the loom. This week we’ll pick up at the next step, threading the heddles.

I now move around to the back part of the loom. My loom has bars that allow me to take out a couple of screws and I can drop the back beam to the floor. I can then sit basically “in” the loom and very close to the heddles so that its not uncomfortable.

This is my view from my seat at the back of the loom. For this project, since it’s plain weave, you thread one thread through each heddle starting with the first shaft, then the second, third and fourth. Then you start back over at one. (I hope that makes sense)

The heddle hook is used to help pull the yarn through each heddle eye. 

Once I thread 12 heddles I knot that bunch behind the heddles to keep them from pulling out and move on to the next bunch. I always start threading from the center and do one on each side until its all done.

When the threading is done, it’s time to start beaming the warp. Starting in the middle of the warp, I take a knotted bundle and tie it on to the apron rod.

When all the ends are tied on, its time to start cranking. I untie all the warp chains at the front and spread out the warp as best I can, and pull the beater bar forward. I then turn the crank on the back beam until the beater bar falls back.

This is where you need help the most. Since the yarns will stick together if there’s nothing between them, someone needs to insert paper, or sticks or something in the warp as it’s wound on the back beam. I have sheets of brown wrapping paper.(I’m sorry I didn’t get any photos of this as it took the both of us to do it.)

I keep cranking and adjusting the warp until its all wound onto the back and the knots from the front end of the warp are at the beater bar. Then I tie onto the front apron rod.

When its all tied on in the front…the Loom is WARPED!

Next time we’ll talk a bit about weaving and show how important it is to check the threading of your heddles for mistakes (I’m calling it a design element thankyouverymuch!)

We were discussing grits on Plurk and that went around to cornbread and I mentioned hot water cornbread. Someone suggested that I post the recipe.  My grandmother made this all the time and this is her recipe.

Sorry this is a bit late folks, but mom was busy and we only got on the computer just now. I hope you enjoy the blog that I’m going to take you to today.

This week we’ll take a trip too Abby’s Yarns! Abby is an excellent fiber artist and a wonderful blogger. Mom and I enjoy reading her blog every time she updates.  This post she made about a book and her life in Peru and the women fiber artists there just makes mom tear up every time she reads it.  Right now Abby is having her Summer Q&A where you can write in and ask her questions.

Here’s how it works (this week, at least). On Monday, I’m going to name a topic or pose a question or something of that ilk. That’s where you come in. You leave a comment, asking a question relating to the topic of the week, or heck, any question at all, really. Throughout the week, in fits and starts, with bursts here and there, I’ll answer these questions. Sometimes it may be multiple answer posts throughout the week; other times, a big cohesive one on Friday. We’ll see how this goes and how it evolves, and perhaps it’ll be the answer to the fractured summer schedule.

I’m sorry this is so short, but I want you to go read her blog now!

Love and Kisses

Fiona