<3

Don't feel bad. I had two knitting revelations on the same day last week. One, I was completely wrong about where the crown of the head is and apparently, swatching is easier if you garter stitch the first few rows. Life is about learning...at least this is what I keep telling myself :-)

Oh, and Happy New Year! May it be better then those before!

Sounds like a wonderful day. May your year be equally wonderful, healthy, and joyful.

At the risk of revealing my inability to figure out the obvious, could you explain "having a beautiful levee"? Do you live near a body of water with the potential for flooding, or is there another meaning I'm not aware of?

Your house looks entirely spotless. Just saying.

Don't fret. It has taken me many many years to realize the hooks on a bra are always in my right hand. Duh. No knitting revelations have yet come my way, but I'll file away your chair trick for someday when I might learn to weave.

Sorry if I am sounding like a dumb American, but what is a "levee?"

And I'm sitting here stunned at the realization (thanks to your picture) that a relatively small loom (it is, right?) can produce a long piece of fabric. Really? You mean...if I had a loom, and the brains to get all the parts working and all, I could weave a runner long enough for my 12 foot dining room table??? (And I realize THIS is about as bright as saying "You mean, if I could knit a scarf, I could knit a longer scarf? A really LONG scarf?")

I thought the warp length was determined by (please don't fall down in hilarious laughter) the loom's length, which is why you see pictures of people weaving rugs on looms as tall as a room. And you're saying it's not. That is SO COOL. Nobody makes runners for a table as long as mine...and I could (if I would give up knitting socks, writing books, cooking, photography... and to be perfectly honest here, the only weaving I've ever understood was on a little metal frame I had as kid that you put loops on and made potholders with.) Though I would like a table runner. (No. Do not start, self. You have more unfinished projects in more areas than any one woman your age will ever finish!!)

You have got such a great way of looking at things (and expressing them) that I sure hope you continue to figure out the obvious (and telling us about it) for many years to come. May 2013 be full of love, laughter and prosperity for you and your loved ones.

Brilliant. And it helps me when my loom comes out. First, the Christmas decorations need to be put away. Please share what you're creating with us, as it goes.

Can I just say that I am totally having a "duh" moment right now? I too was fixated on the warping peg. It came with the loom, I was taught to warp using it, I must always use it. (We will pull a merciful veil over the time I had the whole thing warped and then the peg came loose from its clamps, and fell on the floor in the worst tangling incident EVER.) Once again, Stephanie, you have illuminated the masses. Perhaps that will be your theme for the year. By the way, I spent today teaching a friend to knit at last, and she loved it! Woo-hoo, another convert!

I really really admire the way you look at life.

Well you certainly inspired me! I have a four harness floor loom and usually wind on really long warps so I can use it for a long time...now I will try the direct warp, which is a new concept to me (after 30 or so years of weaving)!
I just need to remember the 1 yard/meter of waste I need.
Thanks for sharing your new leanings, you are certainly not alone in that.

It isn't that it took you 2 years to figure that out, it's that you followed the rules for 2 years. Also, your home looks lovely and cozy (and clean!) Wonderful way to spend the first day of the new year. Last night after we got home from our friends' house my husband dropped a jar of minced garlic in oil on the kitchen floor. It was a little distressing to be starting the year that way.

Stephanie, you are warped!

I am grateful you blog about things like this. Sometimes we are so fixated on how we have always done something we miss the obvious. It would have taken me 2 years as well to use the chair if I was a weaver. It doesn't matter how long it takes, just that you worked it out yourself.

I once took a class with Lily Chin and I tell everyone it was the duh class. I spent the whole time slapping my forehead and saying "Duh!" to myself. What she taught was so obvious once she showed it to the class. I still can't believe that I was knitting for more than 30 years at the time and had not figured out her tips myself.

It took 4 seasons into a JAG marathon to realize why they are call "Marines". stop it.

Happy Happy to you and yours... I also love the beginning of a new year, not at all like the beginning of the week or month! I just got a 15" Cricket Loom and appreciate your tip. My mom and I are just beginning a felted scarf that naturally needed a really LONG warp set up. We used the warp peg inside the room while the loom was across the room into the hallway (small room is not a bonus). Still, it will be a fun project. Have fun with yours!

I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who spends time in my living room constructing all kinds of knitting solutions and pattern re-writes. Sometimes it's amazing to see how much time has passed. I think the creative knitting gene leads us into all kinds of new solutions in living.

If life is not about learning and sharing, then what is it about?
Because it too took me a while to figure this out.
Happy New Year - looks like it will be a year of learning things that you should have figured out years ago. ;)

Doing a little of everything I love doing - that's my New Year's tradition, too! Just me, not the whole family, and that's fine. I've ridden my horse, snuggled my sheep and dogs, and have yet to cast on a new Romi Hill design and spin a little. Ahhhhh....

Happy New Year, Stephanie. May it be full of joy.

Having been a weaver before I was a spinner, I've had to reverse engineer winding a few warps. (This is because I became a weaver when I was a student and thus was too broke for a proper warping board/reel.)

I discovered that if I flipped the piano bench upside down, I could get a crossing between two of the legs and then I could run my other end back to a clamped peg.

This worked perfectly until I forgot the pen the dogs up one day and two largish, enthusiastic canines went crashing through about 2000 yards of warp.

You'd think I would have learned from this, but I didn't. My next feat was to attempt to wind a warp off the upright posts on my back deck.

Forgot the goats were also in the back yard in my eagerness to set up the loom.

I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

Smarty pants. Now you have to not lose your chairs.

Happy New Year :)

smiling...Happy New Year

You can also let the yarn tell you how long it wants the warp to be. Here's how I did that rainbow woven pooling scarf that I gave you at sock summit.

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/wenat/sparkly-rainbow-pooling-scarf

So if there's a socks that rock colourway that you love, you can pool it in your warp and it's a ridiculously addictive weaving process.

Ooooh, I think I've just contracted a bad case of loom envy .... if this is going to be the year that you (and possibly The Blog) share those obvious tips that the rest of us are still searching for, may I inquire whether you (or anyone else) knows how to stop a backstrap loom from slowly revolving around and around and around ... so that you might actually be able to weave on it??? I've been trying to work it out for years (hence no finished objects from said loom) and the best I've come up with is a daughter positioned each side holding the back beam still ... which is too dependent on the presence and goodwill of both daughters to make it a practical solution. Help, please!

sounds like a perfect day....and now I'm off to cast on two different pairs of socks!

As a fairly new weaver, you've just saved me a couple years worth of warping issues! Learning new things and relearning other things when you need them is a gift you should accept every day. Happy New Year!

Usually takes me waaaaay longer than 2 years to figure something obvious out. While I am by no means a rocket scientist, I am also not a dope! Sometimes it needs percolate.
Happy New Year

If I ever take up weaving this might be helpful information!

Thanks for the info, I was lucky enough to receive an ashford knitters loom for Christmas, you have saved me months of turmoil working out how to get longer length work! Brilliant!

It is ALWAYS important to share a new technique! And the person(people)you share it with should have the grace to praise your ingenuity and creativity! The chair is an incredible idea and one that I will duplicate. I have never used a chair, but have used the doorknob at the end of the hallway for a very long warp with great success! Happy Weaving!

I have a work table that is exactly 2 yards long which isn't long enough for scarves so I end up clamping the peg tot the window sill. I am lucky enough to have wide sills. It works perfectly and I can position the loom around the house if need be. If I use the dining room I can do a 4 yard warp really easily this way.

Well I think you're a genius. I'm a non-weaver, so (maybe) one day this will be very good information.

Also, to view this in a more positive way rather than stuff that you blabon the internet about, you could view it as being more open, opening your mind to different opinions and posibilities.
Maybe 2013 is suppose to be a year of discovery.

I think that's an excellent way to start the new year. You've taught yourself a new way to do things, which means the year will be filled with happy discoveries.

I've thought of doing this before, but have assumed that the chair would inch closer under tension. What keeps the chair from moving? Wow, I really hope this isn't the most obvious answer ever...

Congratulations, I think. I have no earthly idea what you're referring to. Congratulations anyway.

And your house looks very sparkling clean.

Good use of furniture. At one time I was assistant in a camp weaving shop and our projects included purses and shawls done on 4 harness 20 inch table looms. I put a camper's 7-8 ft. shawl warp on the "purse" loom (Structo) and found out that the cloth beam and breast beam were too close together to handle the thickness of the woven shawl. (That was why the Structo was the purse loom and I was the assistant). So don't go too crazy with long warps unless you have taken this into consideration. Happy weaving.

As someone who got the money for a rigid heddle loom by participating as a healthy normal in scientific studies (during the broke-college-student times) but didn't earn enough to buy a warping peg...that is the only way I've ever warped.

That said, I spent like...a year carefully threading the end of a piece of yarn through the wire thingy that feeds onto the ball winder, before my friend pointed out that you could just slip it in one coil and then rotate it.

GENIUS! I love this idea! But you're totally ahead of me - I still can't warp my Cricket without someone coming over to help me, or constantly referring to the manual! I can't wait to try this chair-as-warping-peg thing though. Brilliant!

I've never had that idea before! Thank you for blogging about this. Now I know a way to get longer warps for my Cricket loom!

I'm with Libby. Would someone please explain a levee? (other than earthen embankment) Thanks.

What a great idea! Have used warping pegs, but that is downright clever...

TOO funny, but I think if I start incorporating the furniture into a yarn adventure it might push my husband right over the ledge he is darn close to….:)

I call these "Blonde Moments". It's good to know that other people have them too.

I also now have the They Might Be Giants song about how "Everybody wants a rock to wind a piece of string around" for some reason.

Also: Merriam-Webster has the following to say on the subject of "Levee"

1: a reception held by a person of distinction on rising from bed

2: an afternoon assembly at which the British sovereign or his or her representative receives only men

3: a reception usually in honor of a particular person

It then goes on to say many nice things about banks that are supposed to contain water which don't seem relevant in this case.

You've helped me! i don't have a warping peg, so I've always used a chair, but I was looping around on of the little decorative knobs on the back instead of around the whole back. Your way looks much better, and I won't worry about the whole thing popping off.

also, I had to check for myself-the bra hooks really are on the right hand side. who knew?

And Milly really won't attack all that lovely, stretched-out, tantalizing stuff? What a gem!

Also, are you going to drive your Chevy to this Levee? I'm betting the Levee won't be dry.
(Forgive me, I have a cold and it took me this long to come up with the pun. It had to be said.)

And that's why we love you, because really, you're just like us.

For those asking about the Levee: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev%C3%A9e_(event)

The levée is a New Year's Day social event hosted by the Governor General of Canada, the lieutenant governors, military establishments, municipalities and other institutions.

Over the years the levée has become almost solely a Canadian observance.
Today, levées are the receptions (usually, but not necessarily, on New Year's Day) held by the governor general, the lieutenant governors of the provinces, the military and others, to mark the start of another year and to provide an opportunity for the public to pay their respects.
Most levées may be attended by any citizen, including children.[3][4] Attending the lieutenant governor's levée is an annual ritual for some families.
Today the levée has evolved from the earlier, more boisterous party into a more sedate and informal one. It is an occasion to call upon representatives of the monarch, military and municipal governments and to exchange New Year's greetings and best wishes for the new year, to renew old acquaintances and to meet new friends. It is also an opportunity to reflect upon the events of the past year and to welcome the opportunities of the New Year.

Brilliant!!! I have the same loom and have extended the table out as far as I could several times, then wishing I had another table to add to it. No more - now I know what to do - thank you!!

Spend most of my first day of the new year on my Kromski harp learning how to double weave. That and learning how to make spot lace on a rigid heddle loom is my weaving goal for 2013. My knitting goal is to get at least on of the two sweaters I have begun finished and learn how to double knit.

I anticipate that tomorrow it will be Dec 31st and I will done only at midnight....

bjr

You mean I had my husband screw my warping peg into the window sill for nothing????? Happy New Year!

I've never had a place to attach my warping peg, but I also refused to believe that the clamp wouldn't it no matter where I attached it. So, after winding my warp and having the peg fall onto the floor several times, I figured out that the bungee cord will hold the chairs in place at the dining room table and now I can use the chair as a peg and warp for yards.

It's just great when a plan of mine comes together since that is so often not the case.

Violet and Lynn at 7:48 - thanks for saying it!! And you do know, now you will NEVER lose that peg!! Congrats on a wonderful new trick and have a wonderful, Happy New Year!

See what happens when you want something and are willing to let inspiration in the door? Or, as some other commentor hinted at earlier, when you're willing to break the rules? Knowing when is the key of course.

Happy new year!!! May it be filled with more creative rule-breaking ... and of course, you keep us all informed of the happy outcomes. :)

May 2013 be a year of revelation and inspiration for you, Steph!

Happy New Year! I thoroughly enjoy following you here and on Twitter. Thank you for all your insights into yarn and the human condition. I do wish I had read the blog earlier today though. I spent most of my day deep cleaning my daughter's room. Out with the old, in with the new, as they say. Still, I hope that is not all I will be doing this year. I will now go find some knitting, wine, chocolate, and a clever romantic comedy to set the year on a more even keel. Cheers!

You have to be careful of the piece of furniture creeping towards you as your warping, that could screw up length and/ or tension. You must also remember to clamp/ wrap your warp at the same level as your loom.
So far I have gotten up to 9 yards warped on the Cricket loom.
Double dog dare ya to go longer. Weave a blanket, you know you want to.

Whoa. *brain 'splodes*

I understood those first couple of sentences just fine, and then your blog went all wahn wahn wahn wahn, just like the sound Charlie Brown's teacher would make. Weird.

Happy New Year. It never occurred to me to just use the chair. How do you avoid having it inch forward?

Oh my gost, that's inspired. As the owner of a rigid heddle loom, I am so thankful!!! Happy New Year indeed!!

As a non-weaver, I understand the process just well enough to follow your story and to say "well done!" It isn't how long we take to learn something, or realize something, or understand something - what matters is that we do learn it, or realize it, or understand it.
I've been knitting for 46 years and I learn something new every day. Lately I've made a point of trying something new, some trick or technique that I've never bothered to learn, or dismissed as foolish or unnecessary. The key to remaining young and with an alert brain is to continue to learn, change and grow. You have been learning, changing and growing in other spheres in the last two years, and now, finally, in a quiet and thoughtful moment, you have had a Weaving Epiphany. So it was obvious (maybe, but not to me!), so what? Does it make it less of an accomplishment if other people have done it before? Why does that apply to weaving but not to knitting, where almost every bright idea has been thought of/done by someone else before in the centuries that people have been knitting?
I only just learned to sew an almost-invisible seam with mattress stitch, despite having known technically how to do it for years - my willingness to pay attention and take the time finally caught up with my academic knowledge of how it should be done. I'm not especially proud of this as it's pretty basic - but I DID learn. So keep on sharing these discovoeries, because no matter how old or experienced a person is, we are all going to have a "Eureka! Oh, crap - DUH!" moment now and again.

I’m not that much of a online reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it up! I'll go ahead and bookmark your website to come back in the future. Cheers.

One other thing you will continue to do (hopefully), at least judging from this post, is making other smile fondly (in a positive way!) about the things you write about.

I'm not a weaver, so I cannot judge the complexity of your findings. But from your tone I can say: I've been there, too! I cannot exactly remember what it was anymore, but when I first began knitting, I had one of those moments as well. I found a way to do something so much better/easier/faster than before and felt like the queen of the world about it. Only to realize that others had already published my finding in several books abour 20 years before.

Oh, and of course: A happy New Year to you, too! :)

Synthia at 2.13.... welcome.. FYI...this is a beverage free zone, don't wait to find out the hard way !

obviously this will be a year of revelations that make life easier!
Happy New Year!

I love/hate it when I do stuff like that. At first I'm thrilled with my new discovery and I'm ready to shout it to the world. After the initial thrill wears off I usually realize that Duh! I might not be so clever after all. Fortunately I'm really good at laughing at myself because those times when I have shared my new discovery with my friends never goes the way I thought it would. They usually look at me like I have 4 heads and then say in a soft incredulous voice "You didn't know that?" At which point I usually crack up and say something along the lines of "Nope, and apparently I'm the only one!" Which gets them cracking up too. Like you I tend to be a rule follower. Have a wonderful New Year! May it bring you even more of all the things you love!

Yeah, don't feel bad. I think I was knitting for over a year before I realized that "tink" was "knit" spelled backwards...

Your chair epiphany has solved MY loom warping issues. Woo hooo!!! Thanks!

I need to remember all this New Years business next year, how about a heads up next time. While at least all my bills are paid that clean house, handsome dude at the door and little bit of everything New Years day thing have left me with a bit of an inauspicious year. Mind you if I work, knit, read and have a nap over the following year that's not so bad.
Happy New Year Stephanie every day you post a blog makes mine happier.
The weaving discovery? life's full of those, not to worry (or think you're dim)

Actually, that's pretty ingenious. I wonder if I could try warping my big loom that way when using heavier yarns? Not 10/2 cotton at 26 epi, but worsted weight for scarves at 8 epi. Hmmm... You are on to something here!

Dude. My mind is blown. I learned how to weave last year, and the reason I don't weave more is that my table is short. You have just opened up new realms of weaving to me. Obvious or not, you ARE quite brilliant on that one. :D

I love your dim-ness. It's comforting to know there are others out there....

I clamp my Cricket to a folding tv table. That way I can set the table at whatever distance I want from the peg, and I can also sit on the couch and watch tv while I weave. Love this post, Stephanie - sharing our DUH moments can be fun and helpful!

If you turn a chair over you have 4 pegs, er legs, to work with, in case you want a cross in the warp. We would put a chair upside down on another chair, make another chair stack and have an instant warping board. Useful when you want a warping party and lack equipage for all.

Happy new year!

Don't worry about feeling like you've figured things out a little later than others. I am a self taught knitted (pre-YouTube) and for 10 years I knit backwards, wrapping the yarn clockwise around the needle. I compensated with my purl stitch, so it always looked okay. It wasn't until I took a class a year ago that the shop owner came over and said "can you show me how you knit?". I've had to re-learn and have a bunch of UFOs that I can't work on because I would have to revert to old ways. I think things are more interesting when you figure them out on your own and it's always great to have a story!

Denny might laugh, but it would be a good natured laugh. And your warping reminds me that I want to finish the weaving I have on the loom, so I can try to make a skirt out of it before Squam. Reminding myself now, so I am not doing this the first week of June and turning into a crazy person.

But we think you're pretty smart. You have a desire to teach, even if it's your mistakes. Think of all the weavers you have saved by teaching them your, um, lack of, um, wits, shall we say.

From all of us to you...Thank you. Keep up the good work!

I felt the same way yesterday after I steamed some very squiggly singles into straightness...it was like magic!

Yay!! I'm so glad you posted! My wonderful husband bought me a loom for Christmas and I was having the same issue with surfaces to attach the warping peg to. But now I can use the same trick!!

Just because you invented it now makes it no less glorious. Invention is a lovely moment. Enjoy it... even if someone else did it somewhere and somewhen else. It is still your moment.

Glad you sorted this to your satisfaction.

The only problem with having New Year's Day contain something of everything you want the year to contain is THAT IT IS WINTER (in Northern Hemisphere).

Because, first, I noticed that there was no bicycling. And I know you like splashing around in lakes occasionally. And I don't think I noticed washing fleece (well, you could probably wash it this time of year, but it would freeze while it was drying outside, right?)

Of course, the levee may have had a tropical theme, for all I know...

I don't know if this is the same as what Christina @ 9:26 means, but when i learned to knit continental style, i had trouble with my stitches coming out crossed, like x's instead of v's. i, too, was self-taught at first, and couldn't find anyone at my lys that knew continental style well enough to figure out what was going wrong. i finally met someone at a knitting party (we knit, ate a catered buffet dinner, then went to a yarn harlot appearance- perfect evening!)who said that, because of the direction i scooped up the yarn, my stitches were sitting on the needle "backwards" to most people. that was fine, as long as when i went back to knit or purl them, i always stuck my needle through the right leg of the stitch (the one on the right, whether it was in front of the needle or in back). i could still scoop the way it was most comfortable for me, and have the stitches come out right. i just have to be careful when instructions talk about back loop or front loop, and translate to what it means for my stitches. that woman will always be dear to my heart! vicki

I recently had a similar revelation around project bags. I had been wanting a small bag that I could keep in my purse and found a couple of inexpensive ones on Etsy. Once I had them in hand, I looked at them and thought "These look exactly like the tissue box covers that my grandmother made me. If I used those for project bags, I have over a dozen more of them available to me!". I do still use them as tissue box covers at work, but I've already pulled out a couple of duplicates to take back home and use. Moments like this really do make me feel like I'm seeing the world through a whole new set of eyes (and wonder what other obvious things I am missing).

Don't worry - here's a really "duh!" moment - I used to teach at the local university and would give ten point quizzes. For over a year, I would sit there with my calculator, dividing 7.5 or 9 into 10 to come up with the student's percentage on the quiz, when it suddenlty hit me that if a student scored an 8 out of 10 on the quiz, it was an 80%!
Luckily, I was teaching German, not math :)!

Think of it not so much as figuring out obvious things as shedding light of the fellow dim-minded folks out there who struggled to find the warping peg in December :)

Wow - thank you for sharing your brilliant discovery! I direct warp too and have had the same clamping issues you mentioned - I never once thought of using furniture as the peg - brilliant indeed! Thanks for sharing. :)

Any discovery made on one's own is new, and a discovery,even if it is not new to others. That is why Elizabeth Zimmerman called it unventing. But truly, if you figured it out on your own, it is a discovery. Have you ever watched a one year old discover gravity? I have. He knocked blocks off the coffee table all morning: different color blocks, different side up, etc. He didn't know what to call it, but by the end of the morning, he knew what it was.

Oh Stephanie, you make me laugh!

Happy New Year to you and yours! So glad you've been able to start it off with an epiphany of your own, regardless of how that might look to your weaving friends. Took me ages to grasp the two-sides-of-the-same-coin nature of knit and purl...

LOL! I'm so glad other people have epiphanies like I do; it makes me feel less of a dunce.

Happy New Year!

Wow, as a new weaver,this actually looks pretty brilliant to me! Thanks for the idea.

Happy New Year to All

It looks to me that you may also have built in the cross by the way you alternated which side of the chair you went to first. I haven't woven in about 30 years, so this might be my own little 'Duh!' moment. I love the variety of your interests.

If you had a "like" button I would have hit it at least 12 times. Thank you for the giggle.

You are not alone. It is usually the obvious that escapes me.
By the way, am currently weaving with Wolles Color Changing Yarn to try to get the effect you did a few years ago. It is a stunning array of reds and is working out nicely. Had to do some math,but I got through it with minimal cursing. Thanks for going first!

I was wondering about cat nirvana, but it was just a string theory. Brandie at 5:33 seems to have that covered.

Thanks to Barb @ 7:59 PM for explaining this bit of Canadiana! I knew that a levee was a party, but had not heard of the Canada-specific New Years occasion.

And I love the idea of starting the year with the activities you want to do more of. We had a party yesterday, so socializing with our dearest friends, board games, and knitting ensued. I'll be delighted if my coming year is filled with more of this activity!

Ok, that WAS BRILLIANT, I too have a Rigid Heddle loom, and it never once dawned on me to use a chair, which is WAY easier than moving the table, getting the stool to attach the peg too, and then hoping no one shows up that needs to get past my warping to the other side of the room.. the obvious ALWAYS escapes me. thanks for sharing!

Okay--what a brillant idea! I've had the same problem, knowing what to attach the peg to that is a distance away--thanks!

Having an inspiration and being clever enough to figure out something on your own, no matter how long it takes is an accomplishment. Nothing to feel bad about. Just remember you may NOT be the only one who hasn't figured it out till today. I use the turnstile on my staircase for a peg sometimes along with a tv table to attach my loom to it works great. May your year be filled with wonderful ephiphanies.

Happy New Year! I've only been weaving since August and I think this is Brilliant! Thank you for sharing!! I was just telling dh yesterday that I really needed a warping board. He was laughing as I positioned a toddler chair just the right distance from our table which had the loom clamped to it. I refuse to give up the toddler chair b/c it was the only chair I could clamp my warping peg too.

Actually Stephanie, you've blown me away with this idea. I've barely warped my loom since moving from Scotland, where I had an ENORMOUS dining room and could warp across it. Doing it this way means I can probably warp in my kitchen, if I can keep the cat out of it :-)

I don't care, I think it's genuis! Now there's nothing to hold me back from getting a loom, thank you! That warp can be length or width right? :D

Love this idea! I tend to put a lot of stake in who I'm with at midnight, rather than the first of the year. Your way seems better, because I WOULD, in fact, love to spend the entire year in pajamas and a ponytail watching Pitch Perfect on repeat. I'm on a roll so far.

This is the kind of thing that happens to me all the time. I learn how to do a thing a certain way, that way becomes tradition, and then a (mercifully) unspecified amount of time later, I realize that the way I've been doing things is stupid. Don't feel bad!

Well the line about in and out the door completely cracked up the 4 year-old nephew, 6 year-old daughter and 7 year-old niece hanging out here. You may have entered the family lexicon.

This is why I love your writing, and love reading your blog. The bit about going both in and out of your door is priceless. It's not just that you're an ordinary person doing amazing things . . . it's that you've got such a tremendously fantastic way of looking at them.

Thank you for the laugh today--I sorely needed it.

OMG you have just given me the answer to that same problem! Thanks for the New Year's gift!

I, for one, am very glad you posted this as I just got a Cricket loom for Christmas and have yet to try it but will surely use your idea one of these days! I have bookmarked this post already. :)

Happy New Year to you!

"This year"? Better than me. I've spent my entire life discovering the blunt obvious. Have a blessed, joyful, and productive year! =)

The stair newel post works well, too, for warping. I can get, oh, 20 feet away, if everyone else is gone from the house.

Interesting - I've never tried warping a loom before. But, thinking about how you were no longer limited to the length of your dining room table, but now are limited to the size of your house (in one direction). Then I realized you could probably set up a two-chair peg system where it turns into a triangle shape if you wanted to make something super long.

You just rocked this newbie weaver's world. I'll be using this technique next time I warp my loom!

I bet this is how they did it in the olden days before they invented, you know - pegs.

I spent years trying to teach my children that just because they don't know something yet doesn't make them stupid. Anyway, I hadn't thought of this yet, so I'm grateful to you! After all, I wasn't born knowing how to warp a rigid heddle loom!

After my brother was at Notre Dame for two years, I realized it meant Our Lady. And that it referred to Mary. I still remember how stupid I felt when I realized that (25 years ago).

Hope you had a great new years day and here is to a year ahead full of great discoveries :)

Don't feel badly, Steph, because I looked at that picture and felt as if a thunderbolt had struck me--I, too, have been looking for things to attach my damned warping peg to and coming up pretty much empty. You've just made me decide to warp for a scarf tonight.

And also, I am jealous of your end of the old year and beginning of the new year. I came down with a wicked cold on New Year's Eve and was barely able to stay up until midnight. By New Year's Day, it was pretty obvious it was more than a cold, and now I'm on antibiotics for a sinus infection. I would really prefer that the new year *not* continue on how I began it.

Steph, I'm with you on this, totally. My boyfriend zips right to the computer to find solutions to problems, but somehow I don't. As a librarian, you think I'd know better! Glad you found such a simple solution.

I am not a weaver (yet?), so this may be a dim-bulb question, but I can't quite decide: is the chair out of commission until you finish the weaving, or no? This can't be very different from having your dining room table taken up with weaving, and I wouldn't think it was at all unusual fiber-artist behavior to sacrifice a chair temporarily for a project.., I just can't decide. :)

I had to look at the picture and read the text about 20 times before I figured out what was going on, but once I did, WOW. I have to try this! Part of what's kept me from using my loom is the PITA of getting it warped!

I just had to comment. I have been crocheting for over 50 years and recently decided to teach myself to knit. LOVING IT. Knit or crochet, however, the yarn addiction is the same, so I felt I should share some yarn wisdom. First off, everyone needs knitting [or crocheting] bag. Everyone. Never mind getting some expensive yarn bag from the yarn store. Go to the nearest whatever mart and check out the diaper bags. They are inexpensive, and perfect for yarn bags. Word of warning-velcro bags will eat your yarn. Hint #2. Get a large, wide mouth glass jar and use it to store all those tiny 2" balls of yarn. Its pretty. You know where the tiny yarn is, and its not clutter-it's decor. Keep up the posts. You're great.