Saturday, May 31, 2008

Farmer's Market or How I spend my Saturdays


This is what the little market looks like, it's a log built stable once used by the family of the Chinqua-Penn estate and so just down a bit from the Big House . The tables are set up all under roof but we're on grass and small gravel which makes standing 5 hours a little easier. Of course I don't stand as much since I bring my wheel and spin. Here are a couple views of my table: Actually these pictures are switched but you get the idea. The framed picture by the soaps are of Iris and Gardenia mugging it up. Now I have pictures of the sheep too.
My neighbor sells many things from her farm including these lovely mushrooms, these are shiitakes they grow on oak logs. She sells fresh and dehydrated, just in case anyone needs to know where a good source of these mushrooms are. She also represents the local winery by pouring out small samples of their wine and selling. Once in awhile she'll turn to me and ask "would you like a sample?" Isn't this a great neighbor to have?!
All in all, we have 10 vendors so it's not a big market but I do well enough. It's a balancing act because a larger and busier market would mean much more soap making, spinning and weaving. Since I feel as though my work is never done now, this seems to be a good fit.

Currently on the loom is a 5/2 pearl cotton baby blanket with a 15 epi sett - which is wide for a twill but a 10/2 blanket in the same sett (!) had a nice drape and hand so I decided to try out the same threading for the 5/2. Perhaps this preference is being influenced by our 80*F spring weather - this blanket weight seems just right. I'll have to try the next at a closer sett and compare. This blanket is being also woven in a 2/2 twill but I changed the treadling so that I'm stepping right to left but outside to inside and am finding this much easier to keep straight. Meanwhile I've gotten a copy of Peg Osterkamp's second book intraloaned thru my wee library. Even a quick read has given me lots of handy tips and pointers for warping the big loom. Which I'd like to happen this weekend because Sheila has sent me a note and I feel that a picture of her former loom with a warp on it is a must in my reply! An even bigger must is getting Lashes sheared, she's still in her winter coat which last week didn't seem to bad but now the temps have soared. Llew's coat doesn't grow near the length hers does but we'll have to see how matted he is from rolling around; we may have to tackle him too.

Well, it near milking time already, so off to clean the bucket and get the food ready. Have a great weekend everyone.

Postscript - here's a couple of pictures of the finished Preemie/stroller blanket:

The cloth is of course much fuller with the 5/2 than the 10/2, more "blanket" like at the 15epi. Don't think I'd want a much closer sett myself. The 10/2 at the 15 epi in the 2/2 twill is more shawl like. Temps now in the 90's! Not blanket of any type weather unless one has the A/C blasting!

5 comments:

Charleen said...

Hi Liese, Welcome to WeaveRing! Your batts are lovely and the baby blankets are beautiful. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts about sett for your 5/2 baby blankets. I've been playing around with 5/2 perle and WEBS Eight-Two which is very nice warp spun yarn but I still don't have that magic sett!

marchwind said...

ow mice that you have a place to meet and sell your things. Is you neighbor a real neighbor as in lives near you or just a neighbor at the market? She sounds wonderful, with those beautiful mushrooms and that wine :)

Your new blanket is beautiful! love your color choices. They are so un-babylike and that's what makes them so nice.

Liese said...

Hey Charleen thanks for stopping in! I've just taken the blankets off the loom but as soon as I wet finish I'll post some close ups so you can see the before (on loom) and after. I must confess I didn't sample ....

Liese said...

Thank you Susan for the compliments. I really like those variegated colours too. Brenda is my 'at the market neighbor' I haven't has a chance to sample all the wine varietals yet :)

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