Feeling "Loom"-y Today

      I decided to end 2012 learning something I've wanted to do for a while.  Well, the basics of it anyway.  I learned how to use a loom.  No, not one of those big it needs it's own room looms that you see in a museum, but a small one.  It's a wooden triangular frame with nails hammered into it, along with a big long crochet hook to help pull the yarn through.  Before you think I actually made it, I must confess I did not.  My friend, Cassie, let me borrow it to give it a go.  Her husband, Dana, made it.  He's a very crafty guy.  So, now that that's cleared up...I don't want you to think I have the patience to hammer in all those little nails evenly spaced like that.  It took enough patience to keep winding the yarn on them, as it was.
     Anyhow, this morning I got some of the Icelandic yarn I had first spun over a year ago for my project.  I figured it was time to put it to good use.  The stand for my loom consisted of a chair I take with me to the Farmer's Market when I spin.  Then I went totally high tech and tied a plastic grocery bag to the back of it to set my yarn ball in and keep it from rolling all over the place.  Afterwards I read some instructions Cassie gave me about using the loom and away I went.  I was thinking I'd do the whole thing in the brown color...What?  You don't see brown?  It's gray or grayish-black?  Well, it's supposed to be brown.  You'll have to use your imagination that it's brown.  So, as I was saying, I was going to do the whole thing in brown, and then when I got about 11 nails into it I started getting bored, so I added the white for a bit, then went back to the brown.  Overall, I think it has a nice effect.
     Every once in a while one of the kids would ask me what I was doing and I told them I was weaving.  Gosh, I feel so professional saying that.  During the project, Young'un asked me what I do to take it off.  Hmmmmm, that was what I was wondering, too.  I didn't have any instruction on that part.  I told him I was going to assume I just pulled it off the nails and it would stay together.  At least I had hoped that was the case.  I tell you, ever since he asked me that I couldn't keep my mind off the end result.  I told him at one point I was terrified to take it off after all the work.  What would happen if I took it off the nails and it unwound?  Well, I know what I would have done if that happened, which would include diving into a big box of chocolate to help calm down after my freak out, but overall I just hoped it would turn out.  
     Then it came, the last pulling of yarn through the loom.  It was time to take it off.  I had thought tying some fringe along the edges would look nice, but then I thought about allllll those nails, which would mean allllll that fringe.  I reminded myself I've never done fringe before, so there was no need to start today.  
     Voila!  There you have it, folks.  My first weaving project.  I don't know what I'll end up doing with it, but I'm happy that I did it.  One of the kids said something about it looking like a scarecrow's bandanna, and it may just end up being that, but no matter what I do with it, I'm not above saying I'm proud of what I accomplished.  A good way to end a fabulous year!  Smiling & Waving, Sharon 

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