Rosepaths on a Winter's Day

Brrrr... The temperature has dropped dramatically here in the last few days. The outside air feels like it is biting, and the house is feeling a bit drafty. So of course, I turn to wanting to weave with some wool...

And what better thing to weave with wool on a cold winter's day, then a bit of Rosepath?

Rosepath is an old Swedish pattern, and one of my favorites.

In truth, it's not just a pattern, but almost an infinite array of patterns, as with simple threading and tie-up, one can create a multitude of different motifs just by changing the treadling. 

Quick refresher: Threading has to do with the order that the yarn is threaded through the different heddles, (heddles hang from the different harnesses, a 4-harness loom has four harnesses, each filled with lots of heddles, which the yarn passes through). Tie-up refers to which foot peddles are tied to which harnesses. Treadling is the sequence in which order you step on which foot peddle, also known as a treadle.

It invites creativity, as even though there are many old and established Rosepath patterns that you can follow, you can also simply play around with pressing on the treadles and be surprised by what patterns appear.

  I was delighted to see these x's and o's forming before my eyes... perfect for Valentine's Day!

You can find these Rosepath in Wool Pincushions for sale in my shop here.

Have a great day, and stay warm! xo

Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Blog Tour

 Did you know that January 24th is Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day? Well it is! And to kick off the event a Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Blog Tour has been put together, by the good folks over at  The Fabric Shop Network, who are spearheading this worldwide event. You can even win prizes, such as a new Brother sewing machine, and a $500 quilt shop gift certificate!

When I was contacted a few weeks ago by them, asking if I would participate in the blog tour, I said I would be happy to do so, as it gives me a chance to show you one of my favorite local quilt shops, Burkholder's Fabrics.

Located in Northern Lancaster County, PA, and situated on a working farm, it is just a mere 5 minutes away from my house... lucky me! Burkholder's attracts quilters from far and near, and it's not unusual to see tour buses pull into the parking lot, filled with eager quilters all ready to shop, as the selection is great and so are the prices. As with all good quilt shops, the inside is a visual treat of color and pattern... none of which I am going to show you, (that would be too expected)! Instead, I want to show you the outside surroundings... 

The first thing I do when I arrive at Burkholder's is to soak in the surrounding scenery, as it is just so pretty. Above are some old barns nestled along a creek.

And, here's a swan that I found just sitting in the field.

But this is my favorite part... look closely between the fence and the pond. Do you see them?

Deer! Yes, Burkholder's has deer, and the deer, safe from the hunters, have lots of room to wander, fields to graze and a creek to drink from, which makes the deer very happy... 

so happy that they will wander over to you!

And they will ask you for a kiss!

And then a scratch behind the ears!

Well, that concludes my little outside tour of one of my favorite local quilt shops. To check out what they have inside please visit there web site: Burkholder Fabrics, where you can also shop online. (Sign up for there email, as they offer regular discounts.) And, if you are ever in Lancaster County, PA, don't forget to stop, shop, and say "Hi" to the deer!

And, if you ever are in this neck of the woods, another great local quilt shop is Sauder Fabrics, also chock full of wonderful fabrics and super prices!

Please remember  to visit and support your local quilt shop this January 24th! And don't forget to visit QuiltShopDay.com for a complete list of other participating blogs in this weekend's

Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Blog Tour. (Posts will be going up today, Saturday and Sunday).

Have a great weekend everyone!

Pretty Little Things

Still playing with some simple weavings...

Humble cotton yarns to make some more mug-rugs...

and torn strips of fabric to make some more rag-weavings...

Like this Cottage Chic Table Runner...

And more of these...

festive colored pin cushions!

 My next project is going be weaving with torn strips of shot cottons... looking forward to seeing how the various colors of the frayed edges appear. Will be sure to share the results once done.

Hope you all had a lovely holiday, and that your New Year is already turning out to be a wonderful one! xo