Inkle Weaving

Summer is here. I know this because Elaine tells me at least every hour, “I’m HOT.” Which is a refreshing change from all winter long, Boy Twin demanding, “Turn the heat on.” In the winter, Girl Twin will ask, “Can’t we direct the heat down towards our feet?” As she sits barefoot in the car.

Yes, its hot out there and I love it.

Yesterday, the outside temperature was in the nineties. Inside, the store started to heat up. Elaine announced, “I’m HOT”! (See. I told you she says that.) Elaine adjusted the thermostat to lower the temperature in the store.

It wasn’t long and Ivy announced, “Mom, I didn’t bring a sweater, can’t we raise the temperature on the air conditioning?” Elaine said, “I’m HOT!” (I told you.) It’s going to be a long summer!

So far, it has been a productive summer. As some of you know, I left my job in construction. Luckily, I still have occasion to use “construction language”, just not as often.

I’ve been working in the store building an inkle loom. Ivy became interested in inkle weaving a couple years ago. Of course, I had no idea what inkle weaving was. Ivy explained to me that inkle weaving is the weaving of long skinny things like belts, guitar straps, dog collars, and stuff like that. Ivy wanted to weave a dog collar for her dog.

Ivy showed me an inkle loom on the computer. I built a couple looms, not spending much time, to see how strong her interest really was. Ivy wove a couple dog collars and tabled her interest.

Recently, Ivy, Elaine and I were planning our summer class schedule. Elaine and Ivy were doing most of the planning. I was doing things like getting them coffee, you know, stuff like that. Elaine and Ivy decided to add inkle weaving to the summer schedule. Elaine asked me, “Do you think you could put more sweetener in this coffee and then we could talk about you building another loom?”

With me not working in construction, it was decided (for me) I would build an inkle loom. Of course, I could not let the loom interfere with a construction job search. I was told not to expect that I would be hanging around the store for the rest of my life.

I was offered a construction job immediately. It was interesting and I might regret not taking it. I just didn’t feel good about the guy I would be working for. He was a very short guy with a really BIG pickup truck. Would that bother you? Anyway, I turned the job down, even though I was going to get a pickup truck of my own. Hmmm, I wonder how big my truck would have been. Sorry, I was talking about building a loom.

So, I built another inkle loom for Ivy. By the time I purchased the wood and other materials to build the loom the two hundred dollar loom cost about four hundred dollars. OK, I had to buy some new tools to build the loom. That’s what life is;

buy expensive new tools when you don’t have a job.

The loom is finished and classes will start shortly. Sign up. Ivy will teach you to make a dog collar with your dog’s name in it. Me? I’ll be learning new “construction language” at a new job.

My family thinks this photograph is horrible. Please tell them I am a wood worker and wordsmith, not a photographer. (Notice shadows and glare.)

Our crazy lives!

Monner

PS Thanks to all of you that stopped by to see my 5K trophy. I would ask that you not be shy. Ask Ivy to take it out of the case and take your picture with it.