Time Warp

 

Anyone would probably agree.

It feels as though seven years have passed since early March.

The bright hope of a new year way back in late December was a lifetime ago.

However, as soon as November hits, nebulous time will morph again and amp into a hyperdrive. In an instant, Thanksgiving and Christmas will become a distant blur, and we will find ourselves staring at the calendar wondering where it all went, while we anxiously peer into 2021, hoping for some kind of normalcy.

I would like to think I have spent time fairly wisely.

A peek at old Instagram posts shows on December 28, 2019, I actually began weaving overshot towels for Christmas 2020.

In January, I started a pair of wool blankets that will be wrapped and placed under the tree.

Throughout the year, I have woven dozens and dozens of tea towels and carefully tucked a number of them away. I wanted them, not only for gifts, but to offer in exchange for donations to three of my favorite charities. (More on this later, but my goal is to offer them the week after Thanksgiving, in case anyone would like them for gifts.)

Right this second, I have over a hundred tea towels washed, hemmed, and ready to go!

However, I have miles of weaving to do before my goals for the year are achieved.

The Beast is sporting 10 yards of hand dyed 10/2 cotton for sarong fabric, which also features 10/2 weft for supple cloth with tons of drape. In addition to a wrap skirt or two for me, the others will be gifts, hopefully, for Christmas.

Evangeline, the new 40” loom, has 13.5 yards of 8/2 cotton in natural and red. She should yield a solid dozen of feed sack-like rustic towels. I am so pleased with how well she weaves. She is a wonderful size.

The 32” Lil Miss has 31 yards of 8/2 cotton for baby wraps. This should be enough for four wraps, as three very dear ladies are expecting a slew of boys just after the first of the year.

Meg at 24” has 25.5 yards of 8/2 cotton for Christmas towels. These definitely need to be done sooner, rather than later, obviously.

The lovely Lola, the 15.75” table loom, has 8 yards of hand dyed 10/2 cotton on her for a run of waffle weave wash cloths. I actually have no expectation this will be done any time soon. 

A tally of what is left on these looms after I subtract an estimate of what has already been woven is 72 yards…

Yikes.

That is a substantial amount of weaving left to do, not to mention finishing the fabric once it comes off the looms.

The not-so-good news is that I have one more warp that needs to be woven, as soon as the Beast or Lil Miss is available. I have a 10-yard warp for hand towels that I promised to my daughters to give as gifts for their friends. The warp is 8/2 cotton, but instead of using 8/2 for the weft, I like to use 5/2 to make them slightly heavier and thicker.

This means my attention should be directed to the Beast to get the sarong fabric off and this on…

To be honest, I am feeling the pressure.

Non-weaving related items also demand attention.

Need I mention anything about the day job?

Nah.

In the life passion category, I finally finished a manuscript this past August. The plan is to self-publish it on Amazon by the end of the year. It is in the last stages of editing.

This weekend, the husband is taking me for a drive around Bandera, Texas (where the story is set) for landscape photos, hopefully, to be used as cover art.

Please cross your fingers.

With family, friends, and hearth, I usually pride myself in concluding 98% of my Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving…

Other than handwoven items, I am lagging far behind.

The reason behind the gift acquisition deadline: During the two weeks following turkey day, I bake dozens and dozens of cakes to ship and deliver.

My motto: Food is love.

Weaving is also love, but my baking has been around decades longer than my interest in weaving. In some cases, it is the only time of year I am able to let someone know they are special to me. I need to work on that, too.

Before I completely forget, I also took delivery of 25 pounds of soap base, which will be turned into 100 bars of soap…

In an attempt to squeeze a bit of R & R into the schedule, I have asked the husband for a long weekend in New Orleans sometime before Thanksgiving…

So, as much as it pains me, I will apologize in advance, if anyone needs anything from me between now and the end of the year, the answer will probably be no.

Fair warning: The photo at the top of this post reflects the face I will make should anyone ask me for anything that requires my time.