More pretty birdies

I finished debugging the sample last night, and started weaving the scarf-length section.This section of warp has a scarlet ground warp and a pattern warp that shades gradually from scarlet to orange to yellow and then back again, which should (at least in theory) produce phoenixes that start out invisible and gradually become sharply visible, then fade back into invisibility again. So far I’ve woven the scarlet portion plus a few inches of orange – the last bit I wove looks like this:

It’s going to be gorgeous. I’m very pleased.

I had originally intended this section of warp as a scarf, but I’m thinking I may turn it into a wall hanging instead. This is partly because I have some major flaws in the first four inches, but also because I think it would make a better wall hanging than a scarf. It’s a foot wide, which is a bit too wide for a scarf, in my opinion. Also, because I wasn’t thinking too deeply about the design, the phoenixes are most visible in the center and essentially invisible on the ends – exactly the opposite of what you want in a scarf. Finally, I think it would make an absolutely gorgeous wall hanging, if I cut it in half so the phoenixes were flying upward, out of scarlet invisibility, up into the light. If it turns out, that is.

Off to finish cooking dinner! Tonight I’m making one of my favorite stews – a beef-ginger-tomato stew with onions, cabbage, and carrots. I’m pretty sure it’s not traditional Chinese cooking (tomatoes being a New World introduction and all) but I learned it at my mother’s knee, and I still really like it. Especially with lots and lots of ginger!