Electric Green Bamboo and Cotton Scarf

This "electric" green scarf is made from my favorite bamboo yarn from Southwest Trading Company and pearl cotton. Super soft and SO SO fun, I love it!

This is a commission for Jan. This scarf sells for $55 with lots and lots of color options.

A Quick Note

Just a quick note to let you know that I am sending most of the scarves in the "Handwovens for Sale" label to a store for commission on Monday. Please let me know now if you'd like one so I can pull it out of the box for you!

If you do, you can e-mail me at lesliestbutler@gmail.com and we will go from there!

Victorian Confetti

A bamboo scarf using beautiful sea and sunset inspired colors. The pattern is a gorgeous twill that looks beautiful and different on both sides. David saw this in the loom and said "it looks like victorian confetti" which I thought was apt.

The scarf measures 8.5x72 and sells for $60. It has twisted fringe.

Book Review: Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon

I loved the book, as I’ve loved everything she’s written so far. I enjoyed reuniting with the characters. It felt like a really homey reunion where you like everybody and they have fun stories to tell.

That said, the writing was a little odd for Gabaldon. Kind of edgy and hurried. I never understood why the William and Lord Grey sections were so out of synch (time wise) with the rest of the story lines. And I have to say that leaving such a cliff-hanger (well 4 to be exact) is difficult for a reader who knows she won’t see these characters again and reach resolution for at least 2-3 years.

Oh well. If you like the Outlander Series you’ll love this book. If you haven’t read any of the Outlander books, I recommend starting with #1 and reading until now…by the time you’ve finished book 7 it’ll almost be time for book 8 to come out and then you won’t have to agonize over the fates of all the characters in the meantime. Gabaldon is one of my favorite authors and I always love it when she has a new book out. Note of warning, they are LONG books, but so well written and fun that it’s worth the time and effort.

Barn Swallow Scarf

I absolutely love these rayon variegated yarns from Earth Guild's Dragon Tales yarns. They are super silky and drapy and have a wonderful sheen. They weave like a dream and feel wonderful too. I mixed the color, barn swallow, with a gold/cream alpaca boucle (that's the bumpy strips) and wove with a cream tencel. This particular scarf is a commission, but I can do one in the following color-ways if you're interested: pink, grey-black, autumn colors, purple (royal), browns, and the blue/gold of the barn swallow. Let me know if you're interested.

This scarf measures 11.5x66, has twisted fringe and sells for $55.

WW Update

I lost 2 pounds this week and David lost 1.5. He was trying on clothes yesterday and was getting into stuff that he hasn't worn ina while. Very satisfying. I haven't even tried on old clothes in a serious way, but I have put on clothes that were too tight a few month ago that fit very nicely now.

Now, to keep focused this week. I'm having difficulty with the focus thing. I just want to do as well as I can this week and hopefully things will calm down next.

Totals so far: Me, 13, David 16.

Jezebel, Yin and Yang Scarf

The yarns used to create this scarf are by Southwest Trading Company (a theme in my weaving apparently as I love their yarns). They are named Jezebel, Yin and Yang. What fun names for yarn!

The turquoise is merino wool and VERY very soft. The plain grey is bamboo, wool and silk and the lighter grey is bamboo, wool and silk with metallic sequins. It measures 7x64 and sells for$70. the fringe is twisted.

Los Gitanos by Eugenie Rocherolle

Los Gitanos (the gypsies) by Eugenie Rocherolle. A fairly new piece for me, and I like it. Hope you do too!

Red and Black Bamboo and Soy Silk Scarf

Another scarf from my favorite yarns--bamboo and soy silk from Southwest Trading Company. This one is in red variegated with black. It makes me think of Mexia blackcats and Texas Tech Red Raiders! Go teams!

This scarf is a commission for Erin.

Placemats

These placemats are a Christmas gift for Elizabeth, except for 2 (the turquose and maroon ones) that I am keeping for myself. They are ade using all cotton in a patten called advancing twill. I think they look very fancy and complicated. Almost embroidered, actually.

WW Update

Another difficult week on the weight watchers front. David and I both gained 2 pounds. That puts me at an 11 pound loss and him at a 14.5 pound loss. It's looking hard to meet that 20 pound by Thanksgiving goal.

What I learned this week? That I still do not know how to go out to eat and make good choices--maybe there aren't many good choices, which is why David and I have been cooking at home. Drinking wine, which I knew already, really hinders my ability to lose weight.

It makes me feel very confident about our decision to post-pone our Paris trip. We were going to go in December but have decided to wait until October next year so that we don't sabotage our weight loss...I realize after a weekend of entertaining/travel that we made a very good decision...

Doctor Graddus by Debussy

This song by Debussy is part of the Children's Corner suite. It is an imagining of his daughter practicing her excercises on the piano and then drifting off to dream-land. She repeatedly brings herself back to the themed exercises (the theme from the beginning), though. However, she ends in a mad-dash of arpeggios, showing dissonance, and bangs out the last few measures of the song. You can imagine her running off to play with her friends after the last "bong" at the end.

It is quite a difficult piece to learn, and I still don't have it "perfected" but this is as good as I've played it to date. I love the piece and will continue to work on it as I'm quite proud of having learned it...I do believe it's the most difficult piece I've ever played.

WW Update

Things disintegrated for me about Thursday this week, when I got hungry and couldn't seem to fill up no matter what I did. I ended up gaining what I lost last week, 1.5 pounds. David lost what he gained last week, 2.5 pounds. That puts us at 13 pounds and 16.5 respectively.

I am hoping to maintain this upcoming week. We are having company beginning Thursday, are going to New Orleans with them on Friday and having a dinner party on Saturday. I am going to try to make good choices, but I have to say that eating healthy and "partying" don't seem to go together for me...but we are trying by only going out to dinner the once.

Oh, I wish I could wear wool

...and I would keep this scarf! I love the colors and the subtle way that the variegations occurs in this scarf. It's wool and merino/nylon, measures 6.5x60 and sells for $50. The fringe is hemmed and loose.

It's been a long time coming!

I know it's been a while since I've posted a song...I've been working on several difficult pieces and have just not gotten them to where I like them well enough to post. There will be a few others in the coming days. Enjoy! This is Rondo alla Turca by Burgmueller. One of my favorites ever.

Burgundy and Gold Napkins

These are a commission for my friend Erin. There are 6 napkins in burgundy and gold woven in a plaited twill pattern. They are smaller than the napkins I generally make, but turned out just about perfect!

WW Update

10 weeks into the program and we are doing very well. I lost 1.5 pounds this week for a total of 14.5 and David lost 2.5 for a total of 14. We are rocking along! yea us!

My thoughts so far. It's been a very positive experience so far. I'm not exercising yet because I simply don't have the mental energy to figure that out along with eating right AND writing a dissertation, so exercise will wait. I'm still losing weight at a rate of over 1 pound per week, and that's very motivating. The points system allows for a great flexibility--I can eat what I want, for the most part, and just keep track of it. I usually have one indulgence per week. Tracking what I eat has also been very helpful. I usually plan my day's food out the night before and that way I know what I'm eating for snacks, lunch, breakfast AND dinner, and it's kept that "fear" of hunger at bay.

My goal was to lose 20 pounds by Thanksgiving--my first goal. I think I'm going to make it!

Oh, and what's even more motivating is that this week I've really been able to see and feel the weight loss. It's very exciting.

Lovely Autumn Colored Scarf

This lovely "ikat" scarf is made using a self-striping wool sock yarn and a rayon yarn that is very soft and sleek. I absolutely loved working on this project as it was exciting seeing what color was coming up next. I think the final product is pretty spectacular.

It measures 7x64 and sells for $45.

Pink and Brown Bamboo and Cotton Scarf

David said it reminded him of peppermint candy. This scarf is indeed sweet. It's pink variegated bamboo with brown pearl cotton. Shimmery and soft. And the weave structure allows it to be darker on one side ad lighter on the other.

It's a commission for Gaye. Hope you love it!