TT22 and Linda are sending their warmest holiday wishes from Iowa!
Shortly after TT22 arrived in the Driftless Area, the snow set in … time for Linda to take TT22 on a test run …
Linda is experimenting … for the cute Christmas basket she put 8 random hexagons of her pretty wool together (2 rows of 4 hexagons sewn together, then closed along the short sides to form a tube. Sew the tips on one end of the tube together to shape the bottom … it’s a 4-hexagons-in-the-round basket). Then, full the basket and let it dry over a small wooden square. Santa surely seems to be pleased!
Best wishes from all of us for a joyous, peaceful holiday weekend.
(Photo credits: All photos by Linda Canton. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)
Howdy! I would like to share the exciting news that our TURTLE looms are now available at Weft Blown, a weaving and spinning supplier in West Kilbride, Scotland, which is also known as Craft Town Scotland.
Some of you know store owner Ange Sewell and her team, who for years have welcomed pin-loom weavers in person at their store near the beautiful North Ayrshire Coast, as well as online. Ange plans to relocate in 2023 , but will still be in West Kilbride.
To celebrate Weft Blown as a new stockist, I designed a quick and easy cowl, inspired by the Firth of Clyde and the impressive island scenery, like the Isle of Arran, right off the shore near West Kilbride.
When Ange and I were chatting about yarns that have something to do with Scotland (but are also available in the United States), The Croft yarns from West Yorkshire Spinners came up. I had sampled those yarns a few years ago and fallen in love with them, and using them in a welcome project seemed a delightful choice.
And here are a few suggestions for how to wear your cowl
The cowl measures about 27″ in the round and about 11″ tall, without measuring the hexagons tips (with tips it measures about 13″).
Just slide it over your head and tug it into a comfy position, or …
… wear it over your head.
If you do that, it’s almost like a hoodie …
… or a kerchief.
You can also fold it in half, like a turtle neck (no pun intended).
That way you have a smooth edging at the top, and playful tips at the bottom.
Or you can use the cowl as garden decoration … well, we hope you don’t!
Thank you for celebrating with us! Maybe some of you will get a chance to visit Weft Blown. And to those who will make a Firth of Clyde cowl, make sure to share some pictures!
Congratulations! Linda Canton in Iowa will be our last TT22 host this year, for December.
Linda and her husband Dan live in the very unique Driftless Area of north-east Iowa. She writes about herself “We are an off-grid family, living in a fixed up timber-frame barn (well, still working on it). We are both recently retired (mostly … I substitute as a bus driver), and loving it.”
They share their home with “pandemic puppy” Tex (he just turned 2), a Texas Heeler who keeps them on their toes and outside, hiking their woods and trails. Linda’s comment on the photo: “He barely tolerated the photo session…can’t you hear him thinking – you gotta be kidding, Mom …”
Linda on the topic of hobbies: “How long do you have? Fixing up old places (a turn of the century Norwegian log cabin, our barn/home), cutting wood, stacking wood, hauling wood, burning wood (just kidding … we heat with wood), spinning fiber, knitting (see my favorite felted mittens from last year), making braided rugs, sewing … learner of much, master of none. But it sure is fun to try!
Some of Linda’s handspun yarn.
Linda’s favorite knitted, felted mittens.
Linda and her husband love fixing old places, including this Norwegian cabin.
About her pin-loom experience and plans Linda writes “Never used a hexagon loom, have tried to buy one, but they are (always) out of stock! Popular buggers. I do have an old 2 inch and 4 inch Weavette, along with a pile of squares. After reading a Little Looms magazine, I have set my sights a bit higher than acrylic squares … What would I like to make with the TURTLE? Don’t know yet … make some hexagons and see what shapes I can put together … a hat? Mittens? A sweater? I’m excited to see what I may make! I certainly have lots of yarn …”
TT22’s adventures of living off-the-grid with Linda, Dan, and Tex this December will be shared here on the blog … stay tuned!
(Photo credits: All photos except title are by Linda Canton. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)
