Much More Comfortable

I have come to realize that I often put off working on a project on my 8 harness Harrisville loom because it just isn't comfortable to work at. The bench that I got with it is just too high and my back and legs get sore too quickly. On my other big loom, my 4 harness Oregon Trails, I have a rocking seat Harrisville bench. I love it. I can weave for hours at that loom with very little discomfort even at my age. So I finally bit the bullet and broke down and bought a rocking bench for the Harrisville. It makes all the difference. I've been working on the scarves below and there just isn't any of the old backache from that loom. Yay!! You can set the seat on these benches so that it tilts slightly and rocks back and forth as you move your body. So you aren't sitting in the same position for hours. And it doesn't cut off the circulation at the back of your legs because of the tilt. Having good tools is not a luxury but a real necessity.
So, now that I am comfortable this is what I'm working on for the Thanksgiving Crafts Fair in Friday Harbor. These cotton scarves are supposed to pleat when you wash them. The twill pattern in the colored sltripes and the black strips go in opposite directions. I gather that is why they pleat. We will see and I will report. I found the technique in an old Weavers magazine.

Next Step for the Dahlias

This year the leaves from our big maple tree have come down nice and slowly. There hasn't been a lot of wind to blow them all into the marsh behind the tree. So it seemed like a good idea to get them raked up before the wind start to blow (and it is blowing out there right now) and get the dahlias mulched for the winter.
I don't dig my dahlias because I don't have a really reliable place to store them without having the tubers freeze. Covering them with a heavy mulch has worked just fine for years. And it was fun to rake up all the leaves and then dump them on the dahlias.

Last Dahlias

I know this pictures is kind of blurry but there aren't any more dahlias in the patch so this is it for the year. I picked these just before the first really hard frost killed the plants. We've been enjoying them inside for several days now. I leave the tubers in the ground covered by a heavy mulch of hay, leaves, grass clippings, sawdust, whatever I can find and it works most years. If it doesn't I get to indulge myself in selecting new ones. There are so many gorgeous ones out there and I never get to grow them all.