Scouting Looms

The loom I have been using is one that returns to a school at the end of each May for summer classes, so if I want to continue weaving it's time to buy a loom or find another loaner. Because I ultimately want to make larger pieces (rugs and blankets) the type of loom I need is large and expensive. A new loom can run $3-$4k, an amount that unfortunately I am not ready to spend at this juncture. And so I begin my search for used looms. Apparently there are a decent number of used looms around, but the problem is finding one in good working order. Many old looms have rusty parts that rub against the yarn, splitting it as you weave.

My weaving teacher has found a woman with a standing Navajo loom that is no longer in use. This may be a possibility, though the Navajo loom is much more labor intensive to weave on. Standing Navajo looms like the one below do not have foot pedals to raise and lower various combinations of warp threads, a feature that allows for faster, more efficient weaving.

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The more efficient floor loom with pedals looks like this, and costs quite a bit more:

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My homework for the next month is to track down as many used loom leads as possible and work on building a warping board in the meantime. A warping board is used to measure lengths of yarn, and basically consist of a rectangular frame with evenly spaces pegs. A 14 yard warping board like the one I will need looks like this:

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At $119, these are not prohibitively expensive, so I may just buy one, but I've found a few plans for DIY warp boards that I want to check out first. The design is simple enough, but the trick is getting the correct spacing for the pegs to ensure proper measuring, and making sure those pegs are sturdy enough to withstand the tension of the yarn. The wood must also be extremely dry to reduce expansion and contraction with temperature and humidity.

At this point I've probably gone on long enough about looms and warp boards, but my point in sharing all of this is to explain why I may not have any pretty pictures of woven textiles to share for the next month. Until I find a loom, no weaving for me. Can you all do me a favor and keep your fingers crossed that I find a nice loom at a decent price sometime soon? Thank you and happy Friday everyone!

Planting a Garden

Having the space and time to grow food was one of our reasons for moving to the country. Josh has expressed on numerous occasions that if he could do anything in the world he'd be a farmer, so having land to cultivate is the ultimate dream for him. The raised beds by the barn were here when we bought the property, and because we are still working on the rock retaining wall for the originally planned garden space, we decided to use the raised beds to get a few things going in the meantime.

I enjoy watching the process, and seeing how passionate Josh gets about seeds that have popped or planning garden fencing, but truth be told I know nothing about gardening or farming. For the past 10 years I've lived in city apartments with no yards, and while I often wished I had a little yard for my dog and some space to work on projects, I actually never dreamed about living in the country, gardening, or working the land. Josh has been dreaming about this for years, though, and while it's all new to me, I am really starting to get on board with the idea of eating food that is free of pesticides, did not burn gallons of fuel traveling cross country to arrive on my plate, costs a fraction of the price we pay at the store, and tastes delicious. Growing food is hard work, but if you enjoy gardening and have the time, it seems like a win-win to me.

Most of the veggies we planted were grown from seeds in our basement over the winter. Josh devised a clever little self watering seed starter program, comprised of a grow light on a timer, a water pump to circulate water through grow trays, and some other specifics I won't bore you with now (you can read all about it here and here). The experiment worked pretty well, and before we moved the trays outside to plant, here's what it looked like down in the basement:

A few seedlings are still too small and delicate to bring outside, but we were able to plant black krim and cherry tomatoes, green kale, a variety of squashes, cucumber, and swiss chard. We supplemented our seedlings with a few plants from the local greenhouse, and in the end here's what we've planted:

12 swiss chard
6 hills pickling cucumbers
14 black krim tomatoes
4 cherry tomatoes
12 pole beans
12 green kale
4 purple kale
4 green lettuce
4 red lettuce
6 brussel sprouts
9 sweet corn
1 acorn squash
2 summer squash
2 butternut squash
8 marigolds to attract beneficial insects to the garden

The next order of business is building a fence around the beds. That naughty Fern lady has already started digging around the lettuce beds, so we need to get something up ASAP. We try to be stern with her, but of course we can't stay mad long when she gives us the puppy dog eyes. We are complete suckers for that little pup. Do any of you keep a vegetable garden? Any tips or tricks you'd be willing to pass on would be very much appreciated!

Weekly Etsy Wish List: Loft Space

This afternoon I am headed to weaving class (stay tuned for a loom warping post later), but before I go I wanted to post a quick collection of nine beautiful items I discovered on Etsy this week. I'm especially digging the chevron pattern on the wood headboard, credenza, and rug. I'd be all over these items if I had unlimited funds and lived in an open loft space with white walls and concrete floors.

Painted Wood Headboard $500	Tripod Chandelier $225	Concrete Power Strip $331.96
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Circles Art Print $20.04	Handmade Marquee Light $150	Chevron Media Console $2900
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Pully Pendant Lamp $118	Vintage Moroccan Rug $1250	Industrial Garment Rack $270

Quit Your Day Job

Each month Etsy features a seller who has left their day job to pursue their Etsy shop full time. In some crazy stroke of luck, Little Dog Vintage was selected for the Quit Your Day Job feature this month, and the article went up this morning. The article covers topics ranging from pricing vintage, to building photo displays and getting a shop started. Head over to the Etsy Blog to read the full post!

Update: The post has now been up all day, and I just wanted to say THANK YOU so much for all of the kind and encouraging comments on both the Etsy Blog and here. I want you all to know that this type of feedback means the world to me and really does keep me going. Some days are not easy, and I wonder what the heck I was thinking making such a huge change, but the positivity today is blowing me away. Thank you everyone!

Little Dog Dog Goes to Brimfield: May 2013 Edition

Oh, Brimfield, you never disappoint. I thrifted all day Thursday and Friday at the antique show, and now have an entire truck bed full of goodies. Some will be listed in the Etsy shop and the others I am collecting for a Fab.com vintage sale scheduled for this summer.

My haul included:

• 5 lamps
• 5 rugs
• 1 Hudson Bay blanket
• 2 antique brass drawer knobs to complete a box refinishing project
• 1 Saltillo blanket
• 1 patchwork quilt
• 7 wood boxes
• 1 industrial step stool
• 2 metal tool cabinets
• 1 industrial rolling cart
• 1 model boat
• 7 flags from various countries
• 1 vintage sign
• 2 lamp shades

Trends I noticed this year included:

• Lots of brass/copper light fixtures
• Even more industrial pieces than last year (especially lighting & work tables)
• Slightly less mid century and danish modern than I've seen in the past
• A significant reduction in the amount of ornate traditional and Victorial style furniture
• Gass station lights up the wazoo

Here are a few photos snapped with my iPhone during the show of items that caught my eye.

↓ Wall of suitcases

↓ Industrial floor lamps

↓ Awesome work table

↓ Tons of copper

↓ Mint green wall clocks & mirrored industrial lights

↓ Great file drawers & Eames chairs

↓ General awesomeness in a giant tent

↓ Lamps like these were everywhere

↓ Giant birdhouse

↓ An average booth setup at Brimfield

↓ A typical row looks like this. Multiply this by at least 1,000 and you will start to understand the expanse of the show. It is *amazing* but can be absolutely overwhelming.

Tomorrow I am off to an estate sale outside Boston then a bit of errand running before a family dinner. On Sunday we'll hit up Todd Farm before heading home to Vermont.

Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Weekly Etsy Wish List: Folds and Facets

Faceted Bottle Stopper, $22	8 Paper Ornaments, $25	Coffee Table, $3828.38
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Pendant Light, $109.27	Geometric Sculpture, $40	Desk Calendar, $20
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Phone Case, $16	Faceted Ring Box, $65	Handmade Quilt, $250

Our Bird Friend

A few days ago I was able to snap this shot of the little bird that is building a nest under our porch eaves. Does anyone know what kind of bird this is? I cruised around birding websites for about five minutes before becoming overwhelmed by the number of birds that look exactly like this one and gave up. If anyone has an expert birding eye and happens to know what species this is, please do share!

I also captured these shots of the nest while the bird was flying about collecting twigs and moss:

Pretty, right? Isn't it amazing that these little structures are built one twig at a time?

This evening the bird appears to be roosting. It generally flies off as soon as anyone enters the porch area, but today I was able to quickly snap this shot before moving away so as not to disturb it. I am assuming it is incubating eggs, though I really have no idea.

In other news, I am headed to Massachusetts tomorrow for two days of antiquing at Brimfield (HOORAY!!!!!), one day of bumming around in Boston, and a trip to Todd Farm on the way home on Sunday. I am perhaps more excited about the next five days than any others this year. BRIMFIELD HERE I COME!!