Odds and Ends...

I stopped by The Strand bookstore (a city treasure) on my way home from the music store this evening to browse the crafts section. I almost wasn't going to as I wanted to eat and get home early enough to practice cello. A visit with their crafts section is unpredictable. I've made some great finds there and I've also left empty handed.

I'm glad I stopped by: Found a 1978 copy of Marguerite Porter Davison's A Handweaver's Pattern Book for $25. It's a book of 4-shaft drafts for several weaving patterns. I also found a booklet titled The Fallier Manual for Traditional American Hooking (1987) by Jeanne H. Fallier. It appears to be crammed full of really useful instructions and tips for everything, from dyeing wool to hooking backgrounds, shading, scrolls, and color.

This would be an apropo time to mention something that's been in the works for over a month now. I'm getting a 4-shaft, 6-treddle loom! Yippee!! (I think I did pretty good keeping my secret, no?) It's a 40-year old Harrisville loom (Yay! Harrisville Designs is in my home state of NH) that I've seen sitting at the elevator landing outside of Seaport Yarns here in the city (It's motto is "The Yarnaholic's candy store" -- a very befitting motto), for as long as I've been visiting the place. I inquired about it a month and a half ago and made an offer.

I may well replace the reeds as time goes on--they're a little rusty. I'll see how well they clean up. The heddles shouldn't be too much trouble to clean up. Otherwise it's a good solid loom. I'm very excited. Will post pics when I actually have it in the apartment... probably next weekend.

We've had some wet days lately, some thunderstorms late at night and very early in the morning. Some misty and drizzly days. Today was such a day, wet but not terribly uncomfortable, refreshing even.

The atmosphere and sky at sunset delivered this picture to my office window last evening. I snapped it with my cell phone which does not take wonderful pictures, but this one came out alright I think:

The garden got over an hour of my attention this afternoon and I came upstairs afterward and snapped these 2 pics, one of each end of the backyard. An overview of the patio:

It feels a bit more like spring now. I must say April was a bit cooler than most that I remember.