OK, so the book project is, well, off the books…so now what?
Well, first there’s housekeeping to do. I spent a good solid two hours cleaning the studio today, reorganizing, culling, and putting things away. About twenty pounds of fine yarns are going to a new home, giving me some space to work with. (I am reminded of a friend’s comment, one year when I was living in particularly cramped quarters: “Tien, you can’t put things away. There’s no ‘away’ to put!”) Then I have to do some prosaic things like completing the Grand Chocolate Cleanup, which is mostly done but still needs another half-day or so of work. And then I need to fix my skeinwinder, troubleshoot a problematic shaft on my loom, and tend to some other minor mechanical stuff.
And after that?
For some reason, I have become obsessed with bathrobes. My current bathrobe is ominously worn, and I’ve developed a burning desire for a handwoven bathrobe. Don’t ask me why; it’s not like it’ll be seen by anyone, and I’m sure it won’t prevent the postman from running screaming from the sight of me shuffling towards the mailbox in bathrobe and bunny slippers on a Saturday afternoon. (Hmm…handwoven bunny slippers?? Hmm…)
Anyway, for reasons I don’t entirely understand, I’ve become obsessed enough with bathrobes to order several weights of cotton chenille yarn – hopefully one or more of them will prove the correct weight for the luxurious, drapey, lusciously handwoven bathrobe that I’m envisioning. I have 600 ypp, almost certainly too heavy, some 1450 ypp which is probably close to the right weight, and have some 2000 ypp on the way – the color is more suitable than the 1450 (which is an ugly shade of mud), but it may be too light for the fabric I’m envisioning.
The current plan is to weave it up in diversified plain weave, with some interesting pattern, and sew it up into an eminently casual bathrobe. (This will be a comfy, home-y bathrobe, not the bathrobe you would don to meet the Queen.) If I think the pattern needs more interest, I might overdye it as well. A black and white pattern, overdyed with flame colors, would give a mottled flame pattern on black, which would be enchantingly interesting. And I must confess, after the wedding dress hoopla, I am severely tempted to submit a bathrobe to the next Convergence Fashion Show!
The other possibility is to sit down and quickly weave off some Christmas card motifs. While I consider myself “off the hook” to anyone who got chocolates this year, there are still a lot of people (okay, about twenty) to whom I’d like to send a handwoven Christmas card. So I might quickly design and weave something for that. But given that it’s 17 days to Christmas, time is pretty short…so I will have to decide soon.
And finally, I need to work on my guild presentation…I’m the speaker for my guild’s January meeting (Jan 20), so I have just about six weeks to get the presentation done and polished. Sounds like a lot of time, but with the holidays coming on fast, I better get cracking!