T Stands for Tuesday & My Last Week Catch Up

Happy T Everyone-our last Tuesday of January 2020-can you believe it??

  January for me usually feels so long and I can't wait to get to February but this year not so bad. We had lots of up and down weather-ice-snow-and spring like weather. We got to see the eagles at least every week and this past week every day. We had insulation blown into our attic-there was none up there at all, I started mixed media journaling with new ideas for me-it was a good month this year.

  You are most welcome to join us for T with our hostess Bleubeard and Elizabeth. Only requirement is to share a drink related photo.

  Late last week Tuesday my computer monitor died, so if I missed visiting anyone at T last week that is the reason I didn't get to you. We had bad weather on Friday so the new monitor didn't arrive til Saturday Actually I got Larry's monitor and he got the new one-a curved one and much larger as his vision is not real good-It looks like a miniature tv lol. He has been watching allot of science and informative videos so this will be perfect for him.

  Last week I actually accomplished allot. I had already decided to move my 30" loom into the room off the kitchen. It is where my computer and oak desk are, and lots of shelving and vintage cabinets on the one wall. I am leaving room at the back of this room open so a blow up mattress will fit. We do get a couple of out of state visitors during the year.
   So I decided to move my spinning wheels, and a few other weaving and spinning items and set up around my loom. This gave me much needed room in my over stuffed craft room. (please excuse the dust-I am getting to that this week)

  My warping board-that one to the right of the loom with all the pegs will be hung up on the back wall. This is how I set up the warp-that yarn that goes on to the loom and gets threaded etc.
   This project has been half threaded on this loom for years-I have a mind block against this project for some reason. If this was not expensive organic cotton I would have taken this all out and be done with it-I will get this threaded by end of February-my goal for this coming month. The weaving part is fun.

When I was shopping at a huge flea market with a neighbor friend years ago-I fell in love with this cross stitch kit. I don't cross stitch but my friend does everything needlework-so she said she would stitch this for me. I love it so much and found a wooden frame for it.  I picked up the handmade pottery sheep at a garage sale too Now I can view it while weaving.

I brought over my stuffed animals so I can enjoy them more. The baby bison was a gift I picked up at Yellowstone Park for supporting their non profit Yellowstone Forever. Peggy had told me about it, and the gift can only be picked up at the park. The cow was a Valentine gift years and years ago from Hubs-it had a balloon for a long time. and my sheeps, and a few other little stuffed animals

I brought over this mini loom too-so I could free my desk space.

These Harley pigs and vintage chair always sat in a corner in the bathroom at the woods house-I couldn't leave them behind-found a spot here
  and in the back corner is my large frame for hand quilting

Over the weekend, now that I could straighten up my room again after the insulation was finished (I had to clear all the deep steps so they could get into the attic) I was able to get to my soap making supplies. 
  So I made soap over the weekend for me and a friend-I have one more batch to make today (Monday)

I now have space behind my desk and sewing area-that was full of spinning items. and I removed a small vintage trunk that sat on top of the green button cabinet-so this room feels so much better now

Those are old flannel sheets on top of the leather filled trunk that we used for moving things. I am going to make strips out of those and make one of those toothbrush rugs-or perhaps seat mats.

My desk now all set up for journaling I have ordered the things I need to make modeling paste-so I am excited to try that next.

Last week when I went through my bags of spinning fibers and organized them better when I put them back in the closet on those deep steps-I dug out some roving to finish spinning. The blue I had bought on ebay from a seller in Alaska-it is very soft, but it is a strange fiber to me-very elastic as it springs back to thicker yarn after spinning it. What I had spun before I did on my ashford spinning wheel and is very thick like a rug yarn. I am working it up on the drop spindle now.
   the other yarn is very soft and I am finally spinning it finer too I don't think I am improving my spinning until I see the bags of my very first attempts-those I may weave into mats and then felt them down a bit.

    Being without my computer for almost 5 days I can see I spend too much time on it. way too much time on facebook-I read allot of author and art groups there. so I am going to limit myself on facebook especially.  Too much politics over there right now too.

  During the week I brought out a small teapot I haven't used for some time. It has a little strainer that fits inside nicely-easy to clean. So I enjoyed allot of cups of teas last week. I am also working on using up the different loose teas I have had on hand for a very long time.

   and another little handmade pottery cup

This is a nice tea-only dried fruits

Just a few more photos-some of my soaps-lavender bars and calendula and ground oats in shea butter glycerin soap base

After these bars I also made matcha green tea soaps, rose soaps, and next up soaps in fishing motif molds.

Eagles were very active last week-we saw them every day including their youngster from last year

This move has been even more special to have a lake house with eagle neighbors.

Happy T Day everyone!