SpinnySpinny

I heard this was coming some time ago, and it finally arrived in my mailbox. For someone who is occasionally puzzled by the contents of Craft, I am amazed to see really good articles about looms and yarns. Some of the projects are done on very simple looms, like the cover pieces done on a backstrap rigid heddle type setup. There is an article about making and warping a frame loom, with a heddle bar and everything. Another than uses a standard rigid heddle loom. And then there is the confessions of a fabric addict by Susie Bright, not exactly somebody I expected to see. Here is the Table of Contents.

The Maker Fair people specifically asked for more traditional crafts at this year’s event, so I know there is interest out there. I hope there is a spinning issue in the works! I’d love to participate but oh boy am I lousy at coming up with exciting and accessible projects. I am the queen of the 5 year plan when it comes to textile projects.

The moths were lurking pretty much where I suspected they were, under the bed cavorting with the Dust Bunnies of Unusual Size. And dirty socks, junk mail of questionable vintage and various other odds and ends. Mainly in the “odd” category: conference badges, candy wrappers, books, tax forms, empty soda bottles, random parts of electronics projects. And vast quantities of people hair.

The bed sits on top of six small utility shelves, all full of stuff, and it is the space under the bottom shelves where dust collects. Vacuuming is possible with effort, but quite annoying as it involves crawling on the floor around the shelves. The only way to really get everything is to disassemble this arrangement and that is not happening this weekend. The mattress is this hard-frame thing that takes at least two people to move, more if one is expected to be of the Feorlen variety.

I am currently waiting for the vacuum to cool down, having developed that ominous overheating rubber smell after about an hour of near-constant use. I do need to finish as quickly as possible however, so I can escort the now-vacuumed beasties to the outside garbage posthaste. When I can get the necessary assistance to move the bed, I’m going to adjust the shelves so the roomba can get under them. I’ve been threatening to do this for some time, despite the loss of storage space, for more-or-less this exact reason.

There were no moths to be found hiding in the wool rug, nor in the several bags of fiber odds and ends in the general vicinity. Or the dust armadillos. I have not checked under the bed, however. (I will note that this is a non-trivial exercise.)

There is space aplenty for gale-force winds to come through the windows, so I suspect they may have arrived that way. It is the males that fly around, looking for companionship. The females do the damage by leaving behind offspring. I already need to replace the stick-on plastic seal stuff on the windows, which would solve that problem (and several others.)

But they came from somewhere. I will have to keep looking and clean up any suspicious debris. With two long-hair residents, we have a serious problem with Dust Bunnies of Unusual Size.

Well, I think I know what I’ll be doing this weekend. I spotted two moths this evening, and the one I caught looked a lot different from the larger brown ones I’ve been seeing off and on. And there was another in my baited glue trap. I’ve been suspecting a problem brewing with the corner of the wool rug in the bedroom, it’s been many months since I cleared out that part of the room and vacuumed. I knew this would be a problem, as our old windows are so drafty that pretty much anything can get in. Time to go inspect the fiber closet.