How I spent my summer vacation - just one more addiction.

Monday morning I drove across the lake, a little past Farmersville to Fancy Fibers Farm for a weaving lesson.

As you know, we acquired a good sized huge to me floor loom last fall.  Well I haven't been able to use it because I had no earthly clue as how to set it up.  I don't even know if it has all the working parts.  I needed to learn more about this loom and in order to do that, I needed to learn to weave on a smaller loom, such as a Cricket fixed heddle loom. 

I had asked Cindy over at Jacob's Reward Farm if she knew of anyone who may have Cricket looms for sale and she suggested that I contact Mary at Fancy Fibers.  She had looms for sale and also gave lessons!

So Monday I drove out to the country and had my first lesson on not only how to weave but also how to put a Cricket Loom together.

There were only two of us in the class that morning and it was great getting one on one instruction.  Mary had a nice selection of skeins of yarn for us to pick from and we started our projects.  She normally teaches everyone with the first project being a 6 inch scarf.  But I'm not much of a scarf person when you walk 10 feet out of your house to get in your car and drive 2 blocks to work and then walk 25 feet into the building, there's not much need for a scarf.   I wanted to make a table runner!  So I set my loom up with more warp threads than what were needed for a scarf.

Just about the time we were getting comfortable with our looms, it was time for lunch which we brought with us out under the carport.   Mary said that she has 100 animals, these huge angora rabbits were in the weaving room with us they have to be kept in with the A/C running or the Texas heat will kill them.  She has alpacas, sheep, goats, cats and dogs to guard everything.   She hopes to have a shop in the old downtown area of Farmersville soon where she will have a store selling the yarn made from the fibers from her farm and also hold various 'craft' lessons.

After lunch we continued working on our projects until it was time to leave and we loaded up our looms and took them home.  Even though the Cricket (15 inch) is advertised as being portable, and is really light weight, it wouldn't fit in the trunk of my car!  I just set it in the seat beside me.  I guess Miata MX-5's are for knitters.

This is my table runner... pretty huh?  I haven't blocked it yet so the edges are still a little curly.  I think my next project may be a bag for my yoga mat.