So the latest CMB choice went like this...
I finished off the deep plum-purple, which we planted today (but more on that later in the post) and thought I'd choose another good warp yarn and use it up. Silly me decided that I'd use up this GIANT skein of Spring Green. I've been weaving a lot!
Here are the first seven. J. and I made guesses as to how many this extra large skein will make. Based on the fact that the plum-purple spool made 4 bags, I said 30 and he said 20...we both revised and I said 42 and he said 30. I've made 7 and it remains a very large skein of green yarn. Now there's a he said - she said story!
I started with blues, purples, white and other greens and then moved on to add other colors. The colors are so hard to capture, but the skein itself and the first 2 bags are the closest. It is a bright, happy green.
Would you like a look-see?
Scroll down!
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The lessons learned this time around are pretty simple.
1. Using "Christmas Colors" don't necessarily show up as such if the colors are muted or placed in certain order or are mixed-up in a particular way. Also, for this project, if the colors do scream "Christmas", that's okay, as many folks celebrate that holiday and they may love that the bag represents that. Everyone likes something different or in their own way.
(In bag number 5, that is a very dark green with the reds, white and green)
2. Even the tiniest bit is useful and adds something to the whole. So adding a teeny scrap that you randomly pick up, really does matter. I could go all philosophical on you all, but I'll leave that for now. Suffice to say, everything/everyone matters.
(Example: the small bit of red on the first side of bag 7)
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The photo below shows choices of colors/yarns to add in, a generous gift, thoughtfully put together by Liz (Thanks again Liz!). I used up Kathleen Smith's (of MA) red/green in this batch & the hand spindle spun Andean cotton by Sandy in Hawaii. Thanks go out to them both, along with happy thoughts that they, unknowing to them, are a part of this project. Great!
Dee sent a box of yarn too, so soon she'll be showing up here too! Yay! Thank you so much Dee, especially for some sturdy 'good warp' yarn!
Below that is a staged photo of my weaving tools, past & present and the original instructions (which I stopped using years ago) and loom sticker, which stayed stuck there all of this time! The day of the workshop, all of the years ago, I purchased the loom (a 10 dent), a long needle (used to run the weft threads through the warp, over-under, over-under), and the smaller needle (used to weave in tails, other bits, close the sides and attach the strap). I also bought the beautiful crochet hook and the gorgeous wooden fork (used to push the threads down as I weave). The crochet hook never worked out, because as pretty as it is to look at, it is a nightmare to use (so uncomfortable). Of course this fact does not matter as I forgot how to crochet that tail in anyway and have since devised a loop in and out thing. The fork too ended up not being a great tool as the prongs are so thick (but it feels so good in my hand!), which leads to the child's fork. Yep, that one belonged to my children when they were young, but I don't use that one now either, as it too easily snagged the fibers. I now use my fingertips and fingernails to beat down the yarns. Good enough. I still put the smaller needle in and out of it's little package many times as I work, as it helps me keep track of it. I smile when I see that package that came with two needles, as my friend and I split the purchase, because we really only needed one each. That ended up being just right for all of these years. It has been enough.
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Today we went out to plant the four deep plum-purple CMB. It was 90-93 degrees out there, so a bit hot, but not awful. We went to the old hiking spot, the left side of Same Rock Found Twice and location of an acorn search for Peggy of Denver, so many years ago. We've hiked here so much over time. In fact, this is the spot we planted the very first CMB. All four were left early on the trail in. Today we talked about how fun it would be to see someone stroll out wearing a CMB as we are getting back into the car. But, not today. Today we left with 4 deep plum-purple bags swinging in the breeze.
On the way home we stopped to take a photo of this brilliant bush. I've been seeing these around town recently and they catch my eye every time!
For those of you playing along, the current CMB count is:
Made: 42
Planted: 35
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May you find things that feel good and do them as much as you want/need to.
May you live a colorful life.
May you embrace familiar trails.
xo
Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2021