Rude Awakening

I've been writing this blog and posting photos of Swedish weaving for a few years.  It has all been to inform others of the lovely patterns and projects available to us.  I always credit the designer of any pattern I use but a couple of years ago I made the mistake of crediting the wrong person...honest mistake!  I spoke to the lady today who was the actual designer of that particular pattern and was so horribly verbally abused when I apologized for my mistake that I had to hang up on her.  Needless to say, I won't ever buy or use her patterns again.

I won't mention the name of the person but it wasn't Christine Allan whose patterns I adore and use often and will continue to use.

Anyway, the lady I spoke to said that I wasn't allowed to post any photos of my table runners if they showed her patterns because that was an infringement of her copy rights.  I had no idea!  I always thought that my work was my work and I'd paid for the pattern so why shouldn't I be allowed to show photos of it?  

Just a note:  No-one has the right to abuse you verbally.  I'm an old lady and my time is too precious to argue with unreasonable people and I sure as heck won't take abuse of any kind.  I made a mistake, I apologized, and I removed the photo.

Home and Weaving

When I returned from Florida last week to my home in Canada, I had to self quarantine for 14 days.  It'll be a breeze, I thought!  Nope!  I never used to get bored but I have been bored a lot this past week, eating more and sitting a lot.  I am very grateful for my lovely craft of Swedish weaving, though...I can create beauty to keep my world sane.

I found a lovely and different yarn at Hobby Lobby in Kissimmee, Florida.  It's called "I Love This Yarn" and is a variegated but not the usual way.  The yarn consists of about 5 different colors twisted together and the effect on the project is fascinating.  It's also a very soft yarn and nice to work with.  I've finished one table runner except for the fringe and am working on another one.  I'll post photos when they're completed.

Someone posted a cute comment on Facebook saying that crafters who have been gathering and hoarding fabric and yarn are now justified.  Isn't that the truth??  We've always planned for future projects and darned if the future hasn't arrived when we least expected it!

Here is a photo of the yarn in the sleeve and also a close-up of the yarn itelf.  It looks rather thick in the photo but it isn't, it's a normal weight for Swedish weaving.  There are also other color choices available in this yarn.

Some of you might already know about this product but I was very pleased to find a yarn I hadn't seen or used before.  

A Keeper

I really do find Swedish weaving a very beautiful craft and it's often difficult for me to give up a project I've worked on.  Sometimes it's impossible and that's how I feel about the table runner above so I'm keeping it for myself.

I used white monk's cloth and one of Caron's Simply Soft yarns in a variegated blue/green (sorry, I misplaced the label so I can't tell you the name of the color).  I had to search far and wide to find the co-ordinating solid green but finally found it at Joann's Fabrics.  It's also Caron's Simply Soft yarn in limelight.  The pattern is "Playful Prisms" by Christine Allan.  The pattern was gifted to me by my friend, Donna, who passed away in July so it was a bit emotional for me handling it.

The pattern is so beautiful but quite easy to follow.  The more work I did, the more I loved it until I realized I had to keep it.  I will use this lovely pattern again soon!

I Haven't Been Idle

These table runners and doilies were projects I worked on back home but only just finished the fringe here in Florida.  It took me a while because I was very sick with pneumonia shortly after arriving in Florida but I'm improving every day and getting back to my much loved hobby of Swedish weaving.

The white table runner with design done in blue is my own pattern.  I could never be disciplined enough to just sit down and design a pattern on paper before using it so my method is to just start weaving and make up the pattern as I go.  I often start with an existing pattern and recreate it, too.

The doilies were just scraps of monk's cloth that I couldn't bring myself to just throw away.

I'm not teaching Swedish weaving this year at my Florida park because my stamina is pitiful.  A few new ladies have already approached me wanting to learn so I will accept a couple of students here in the trailer...just not too many so we're crowded.

I sold my own trailer last year and am now renting a gorgeous new one but this will be my last 3 month stint in Florida...I keep getting sick and don't want to be away from home too long.  A month or two, at the most, will be my choice and they'll be spent either at my daughter's house in Tampa or her beach house on the Atlantic side.  I'm very lucky to have alternate choices like this.

Anyway, I'm back to Swedish weaving! 

Table Runner For Greatgrandson

This is honestly the last table runner I'll make until I get to Florida in January.  We're having a baby shower for my granddaughter this month and we know she's having a little boy so I just had to do it!  I don't think she really likes my Swedish weaving but she can pass it on if she wants to...once a gift is given, it's their's to choose how to use it.  Anyway, I just wanted to make this for my new baby!

The monk's cloth is a medium blue and the yarn is Caron's Simply Soft "spring brook", a lovely variegated that I managed to find.  The center pattern is completely one I designed myself and the sailboat pattern is one I copied from someone's project.  There is a lot of overlapping in the rows but it turns out well and doesn't look lumpy at all.

I love this and hope my granddaughter can use it as a dresser scarf in the baby's room but it's up to her.  I just enjoyed making it!

Pink Swedish Weaving Table Runner

I love this one and wish I had a little girl to give it to.  It's Christine Allan's pattern, "Pine Ridge" but I did add another couple of rows inside the diamond.  It didn't need it but there was a slight flaw in the fabric that I wanted to cover.  The yarns used were Caron's Simply Soft in orchid and Red Heart Soft in plummy.  I just love this Red Heart yarn color and I'm so sad I could only find the one skein.

Just a note:  I like working with variegated yarns but only buy one that has short (approximately 4") color lengths.  The colors blend so more easier when the color lengths are short like this.  When using variegated yarn with long (sometimes 12"+) lengths of color, it seems to end up looking like blocks of the same color as you add rows to your project.

And More Runners

I never worry about producing too many pieces of Swedish weaving because I get so much enjoyment out of making them.  If they don't sell at the craft show this month, I can always donate them or give them away.  In any case, I'll just continue making them and enjoying the process and the finished project.

I've been doing a lot of black and grey lately so I decided to just grab up a few colors and make up a simple pattern for the top table runner.  I used scrap pieces so I don't know their origin but it's done on beige monk's cloth and looks kind of retro to me because of the colors.

The bottom one is Christine Allan's pattern, "Moon Shadow" but I reversed the pattern, using the original center for my border and the border design for my center.  I added a bit to the center, also.  This is a very easy pattern and I'll use it when teaching a new pupil.  The yarn is Caron's Simply Soft in bone.  Another thing I really like is tone on tone like this.

The booklet I used is Christine Allan's "Christmas Patterns" and it was gifted to me by my lifelong friend, Donna, who passed away in July.  This particular booklet is filled with really good patterns but, because it was Donna's, it will always hold a special place in my heart.