Aaaaaand we're back! [Scarf 6]

I had a blast during week one but even though I had no trouble getting the scarves done and did manage to get a fair bit of other stuff done too, I felt like some important things were winding up on the back burner. As a result, I tried a different tack today: I did the important stuff first and left the scarf until later in the day. This worked a treat and I managed to get a lot of stuff crossed off my to do list this morning and afternoon, which meant I could scarfa guilt-free. Me = happy camper!

I seriously considered using Mom's idea of cutting off after Scarf #5, resleying to a closer set and then weaving with a finer weft. I also considered leaving the warp as is and weaving with a heavier weft and then resleying and weaving with a finer one. That would have given me the same basic scarf in three weights so I could have compared them and known for the future which weight I prefer.

Either of these things would have been great but in the end the chocolate brown called out so loudly that I couldn't ignore it -- even though it's just the same weight (4/8) that I used yesterday. That's me and chocolate all over: I love it in just about every form, which is why I got myself this for Christmas! I was afraid for a bit that I would pay for my indulgence, since I knew I had enough weft for a scarf on a heavy warp but had forgotten to account for how much more the 4/8 is beating in on this finer warp. To make matters worse, I hit a knot while winding my first bobbin and, as happens every so often, the yarn past the knot wasn't plied for a few yards. For a while I thought I was going to have a stubby scarf but in the end it was over 70" under tension, so all is well.

Which reminds me: I'm intentionally weaving most of these scarves Pretty Long. I like my own scarves to be quite long 'cause I fold them in the middle, loop the fold around my neck and then braid the loose ends through the twisted loop. Takes a long scarf to pull that off without winding up with a big wad of fringe under your chin. I took a survey of friends and students and husbands (okay, just the one husband) last Fall, however, and the survey said 55"-65" is a good length for scarves. Ergo, I wove most of the scarves I did for the market about that long and, you guessed it, most folks who were buying scarves wanted them longer. Ho hum. Now I'm weaving them longer again, so I expect most folks buying scarves in the Spring to be looking for short ones. ;)


Anyhoo, the chocolate scarf happened this evening, about like this:

5:30ish pm: Briefly consider cutting and resleying. Briefly consider a heavier weft. Succumb to the lure of CHOCOLATE. Wind bobbin.


6:20 pm: Short break for photo op (note yummy bobbin):



6:41 pm: All done!



And now a post script: I've been trying to keep the Progress Report up to date as I'm working on the scarfas, but this means either moving Lulu (my laptop) downstairs or dashing upstairs every once in a while to update. Neither of those options are ideal, so I caved and created myself a Twitter account. Now I can update my "What Am I Doing Right Now?" wossname over in the sidebar with a text message from my cellphone! I can't decide whether that's really cool or kinda spooky. It feels like reverse-voyeurism and I might give it up before long just for privacy's sake, but for the time being it's kinda fun. It's also quick and easy, so I can pause for just a sec and whip out a message like Winding Bobbins! or 60" done - the end's in sight! while I'm sitting at the loom. I just hope that there isn't some kind of fine print in that unlimited text messaging plan I've got...