Warping and Baking

On Sunday I measured out a warp for my Piccolo loom, 400 threads of 10/2 cotton, sett at 25 ends per inch. This is actually the closest sett I have used...I tend to avoid close setts because it takes so long to warp. But I think this will be worth it. A Piccolo comes with two shafts with 100 heddles on each. But wait! I also had an extra set of harnesses, called an "inside set" which allows you to be weaving on one project, then remove the shafts and reed and replace it with another. Thus, two people can easily share the same loom. It takes about ten minutes to swap out sets.

So I took all the heddles from one set and added them to the other one. Twice as many heddles! It took most of Sunday and Monday to measure out 400 threads on the warping board, sley the reed, and thread all the heddles.

Still to come is winding the warp onto the back beam, but that will have to wait until my back feels better. Threading heddles is tough on my back, and 400 is a lot of heddles. This cloth will be the first of a set of three panels of a color gamp.

I also did some baking today; eight loaves of pumpkin raisin bread to give to our co-workers and a pan of dinner rolls for tomorrow's potluck Christmas luncheon. 

About a week ago we discovered that Auggie had gotten up onto the cabinet next to my chair, and had eaten part of a loaf of bread he found on the counter. I had left the footrest of my chair up so it was an easy hop for him. The next day I found a ripped open bag of dog cookies I had on the cabinet that SOMEONE had eaten, despite the barriers we had left to keep him off the counter. We wondered which animal did it. I left another cookie on the counter and locked KC in the bedroom while we left for fifteen minutes. The cookie had vanished. So now Auggie is jumping three feet to get up there, whenever we leave. 

After some deep discussions of our options we decided to place our kitchen chairs upside down on the top of the cabinet when we go to work. Problem solved! A decoy cookie was still on the counter when we returned. 

I still put anything edible inside the microwave now, when we leave. Auggie has yet to figure out how to open it.