back in the saddle and what I've been doing in the meantime

I have been out of the gym and resting since last Tuesday with an inflammed and wonky hip flexor, with compensatory cramps in the lower back, inner thigh muscle and calf. I have no idea what I did to myself or how I did it. I went to the gym and did an hour on the elliptical trainer. As I got out of the car I felt a slight twinge and didn't really pay much attention. I did my usual post workout routine of something to eat and a brief lie down. Needless to say, when I rolled out of bed and had my leg collapse under me, I was surprised. I tried to stand up and it became apparent that I was not going to stand erect through the hip let alone walk, without a lot of pain. Since then I have been staying off my feet. taking therpeutic doses of pain relievers and muscle relaxants, drinking gallons of water to flush the system and not doing much besides watching the Tour de France and reading.

By Friday I was healed and rested up enough to stand for 10 or 15 minutes at a stretch, so I added some weaving to my daily routine .

I belong to a weaving group called the West Side Weavers, which does a yearly study project. Our project this year is lace weaving. I am not a very experienced hand at weaving on a multi shaft hand loom. My stated preference and strength is working with two sheds on a tapestry or frame loom, so any time I have to go to a multi shaft loom it is a challenge. I spent the first part of the year studying several weaving books trying to figure out what was meant by lace weaving, and learning how to read the various weaving drafts or graphic patterns for different types of lace. It took me most of that time to realize that although I am an experienced and reasonably talented bobbin or Belgian lace maker, none of those skills would work on this project.

I finally bit the bullet, picked a project and started warping the loom. This, in and of itself, is a major effort as I don't do it often enough to remember all the steps. Fortunately Phil is experienced and patiently guides me through all the steps verbally while I fuss and curse and bitch that it doesn't, any of it, make sense. After two weekends the loom was warped with 10/2 cotton at 12 epi. I have masses of this cotton, in a variety of colors, left over from a WSW project from two years ago, when, unable to accurately calculate the amount of thread actually needed, I over ordered in the extreme and have been trying to use it up ever since.

So the loom was all set up before I injured myself and I had actually almost finished my first sample with only the last pattern band, finishing edge and hemstitching to do. Below are photos of the result. It is a bit looser than I had envisioned, and the pattern is not as exciting as I had hoped, but it is a start. Since it obvious that I love the warping process so much, I usually do a long enough warp to work multiple samples. I will do another huck pattern and then if I am still vaguely dissatisfied with the results as not looking lacey enough , I will have to consider a re -do on the warping of the reeds and a re-sleying of the reed. This is the worst part of the warping process as far as I am concerned so it will take a long hard think indeed.

Lace weaving sample 1 in huck weaving

lace weaving sample 1 medium close up

lace weaving sample 1 huck weaving close up