I Did It!

Here is my finished Plaid-ish scarf!

I dropped it off, along with my two other scarves, at the yarn store for the window display!

Cuteness!

This is what happens when I leave my work in the floor.  I know I should make him move, but he's just so comfy :)

Plaid-ish Woven Scarf

last week, I warped my loom for the first time by myself!  The only thing I needed help with was keeping the yarns even as I wound it, but I was told that's normal.    I have been going back to the yarn store weekly, not only for the lessons, but for the company as well. There is a small core group of fiber artists who sit and visit as they work on their craft of choice, weaving being the most popular. It was during one of these visits that I got the idea for my latest weaving project (well, I guess I didn't really think of it, but I was told I could use it). One of the ladies had completed a scarf, using two solid colors for the warp (vertical strands), and a variegated yarn for the weft (horizontal woven yarn).  The finished item reminded me of plaid.  I know it isn't a true plaid, but the effect is definitely there.  I just had to try this for myself.

First of all, I'm excited to report that this entire scarf is being made with stash yarn!  I found a variegated Lion Brand wool yarn, and two solid wools to match it.  Like Donna, I warped my loom alternating four slots with each color, ending with color #1.  As I began to weave with my variegated, I was amazed to see the pattern emerge!   

My plaid-ish scarf emerging on my first self-warped loom.

Adding a close-up of the woven section.  I'm so happy with the results so far!

As I was leaving the yarn store, Carol told me they are featuring the woven work of their students in their next display window.  Anything I can finish and bring to her by the first of September will be included.  How exciting!!  Think I can finish my plaid-ish?  I'm sure going to try :)

TaDa!!

 My spell check doesn't like the title of this post, but I'm leaving it! I just completed my first project woven on my new loom, so I deserve the right to say TaDa! :)

A Birthday Surprise!

This has been a wonderful birthday! Dave took me out to lunch, then dropped me off at the yarn shop downtown while he did some errands. I made my selections, and as I was paying out, Carol (one of the owners) went into the back, and brought out a brand new Cricket loom.  My wonderful but sneaky husband had purchased the loom earlier, and asked her to present it to me at the check out counter.  I could not have been more surprised!  Now I can add weaving to the list of reasons to hoard...um...buy and stash yarn.  The only regret I have is that Dave was not there for the presentation.  I normally shop and visit for a long time before paying, but today I saw what I wanted almost immediately.  I did notice that Carol was spending an usual amount of time with me, pointing out the new yarns and items they'd gotten in since my last visit.  In hindsight, I realize she must have been trying to delay until Dave's return, but there was only so much she could do without giving the surprise away.  Hopefully, all the praise and gushing he received from the women in the shop upon his return made up for this.  The ladies gave him a description of my reaction that was so detailed it had to be the next best thing to seeing it for himself. 

Carol warped my new loom for me, explaining the whole time how it is done, then she got me started on the weaving.  Dave had some business at the station to take care of so he left me in good hands while I reacquainted myself with the weaving process.  This is different from any fiber craft I've attempted so far. For the first time in a yarn shop, I don't even know the language, but I'm a pretty quick learner.  Especially when I'm excited about something.

My very own Cricket Loom!

This what I have accomplished so far.  I already love it!

My woven scarf in progress shot from a different angle, just because I can.  :)

Just when I thought today couldn't be more perfect, I got home and logged onto Facebook to find a page full of love and well wishes from my friends and family. It made me feel so special! Turning 45 was not traumatic at all :)

Rooting Pothos Cuttings

Welcome to my second ivy tutorial.  I guess you could call this a part two, or a continuation of yesterday's post.  You have cut your ivy back, now you are ready to root your cuttings.

Here is the cutting from yesterday. I removed the bottom most leaves, and placed it in a glass of water until I had more time to work with it.  As I stated yesterday, you could leave it as a long strand and it will still root nicely.  Since I like a full plant, I'll have to make some more cuts.

I've divided the cutting into three pieces.  How long to make each cut is a matter of personal preference.  Keep in mind that you will be removing the bottom leaves, and you want to leave enough stem for the cuttings to stay down in the water.

This is plenty of stem to hold the cuttings in place, but you could remove more if desired.  Remember, as long as you have at least one leaf, you will be fine.

place each cutting into a glass of water.  The amount of water is completely up to you.  I find that filling the glass to a little over half to two thirds is a good level, as it enables me to stuff the cuttings down into the glass.  I've found that ivies floating above the top of the rim easily fall out (or get pulled out by nosy cats).  Again this is just a personal preference of mine.  as long as your stems are submerged under the water, your cuttings will sprout roots.  If you are a beginner, I recommend you use a clear glass.  This makes it so much easier to keep an eye on the water level, and it also allows you to watch the roots sprout.  It is so much fun to watch the roots sprout.  

Here is a cutting I started earlier (I wish I could remember exactly when, but I can't)  As you can see it has rooted nicely.  I could pot it now, or I could put it back into the water until I'm ready and have more time.  It will not die as long as the stem stays under water.

When you are ready to pot your rooted cuttings, any small container will do.  Here, I used small, coffee-sized styrofoam cups, with drain holes cut in the bottom.  I've also been known to save pudding and yogurt cups for this purpose.  You could also save your pots from your spring annuals and use them.  No drill required :)  These small plants are the perfect size for sharing.

You could also choose to plant several cuttings together in a larger pot to make a full plant.  I used this method, during the Spring of this year, to create this Golden Pothos plant.  

The possibilities are endless with pothos ivy.  As long as you don't deny it water, it will survive and flourish for years to come.  I probably shouldn't tell this, but I've been known to throw ivy cuttings away, simply because I don't need any more ivy plants.  Please, don't hurt me...

How To Cut Back Pothos Ivy

I love pothos ivy.  Normally I allow my ivy to grow long tendrils during the summer, but I was recently asked how to cut an ivy plant back.  It is something I can't explain in words, so with the help of my oh so patient husband, I've decided to create a photo tutorial on how I cut back a pothos ivy. 

For the purpose of this tutorial, I will be cutting this tendril from my pothos Marble Queen ivy.  

Before I proceed, I have a confession to make.  It wasn't until last year that I learned the proper way to do this, but fortunately, God created a very forgiving, resilient plant when he created pothos ivies. My walking buddy, and former co-worker, Kim, taught me the correct way cut back my plants.

I used to cut the ivy tendrils off at the bottom of the pot.  Since ivy branches at the cut site, this caused excess weight, which drags the tendrils down, and stresses the root.  Kim showed me that if I made my cuts at the first knuckle (as shown in the photo) the branching will result in a fuller plant with a stronger root system.    

This photo is simply a close-up of the previous shot.  With my scissors, I am pointing out where I'll make the cut.  This cut is just above the first knuckle closest to the soil.

I'm happy to see that there's a leaf below the cut.  Kim assures me that all an ivy needs is one leaf to allow enough photosynthesis for the next growth spurt, but I prefer to leave as many ground-level leaves as I can, if only for my peace of mind.

This is the cutting. Simply remove the bottom leaves, and put this whole cutting in water.  This will keep it alive until you are ready to work with it.  You may choose to leave it long, or as I normally like to do, cut it into shorter cuttings.

I hope this tutorial has been helpful.  Tomorrow, I'll show how to root this cutting, and include pictures of plants I recently created from cuttings.