Ski Sunday

Work has started on a new bench/stool for the loom from oak offcuts.

With snow still falling and avalanche risk at 4 above 1900m, we decided to head out on a low level tour up Cap de Bouirex. Plenty of fluffy stuff and quite tiring trail breaking. Alas as we reached the aerial the gentle snow turned to a blizzard!  We made our descent, in great snow but poor visibility, all the way back to the car.

 A brief opening in the weather as we exited the pines

snow!

Snow overnight and all day has dumped about 25cm of fine powder everywhere. Alas not enough to ski up Joubac but maybe somewhere a bit higher tomorrow. Above 1900m avalanche risk is 4, with about 60-70cm of fresh snow.

My latest weaving samples are off the loom and washed. Some pleasing designs, will probably use them to make a cushion for an oak stool I'm making for the new loom - the old one has a bench built in.

 

Trois Siegneurs par Goutets

A walk from La Foulie up the long piste to Goutets. From there under a large avalanche field up to the Col de la Pourtanelle, where the wild daffodils and dog tooth violets were just starting to come out into flower.

Some huge room size blocks in the avalanche

Great views from the col

From the col a laborious climb up the ridge to reach Cap de Gragnots 2110m where the continuous snow started. the ridge has large cornices and the crack line was clearly visible some 10m from the tip.

The horizontal part of the ridge before Pic de Trois Seigneurs

The last part of the climb was steeper on harder snow and as only I had an ice axe, Sheri and Susie stopped just below whilst I quickly visited the summit.

The last part of climb

Summit shot

Choughs

On the return the wind and cloud cover increased and an unidentified bird speeding by in the strong tail wind, turned out to be an Egyptian Vulture!

 

 A 7 hour walk with 1200m of ascent over 16km.

 Garden mulched

Spring!

Spring is sprung! The wild flowers are starting to emerge, the grass is growing and birds are singing.

Sheri is back from Antartica, so it was a good excuse for a long overdue walk - to the Table des Quatre Seigneurs, alas no raptors to photograph this time.

A close encounter with a wild boar below the house, but I couldn't get a good focus on him through the branches. If you look carefully you can see his tail, a piggy eye looking straight at me and his snout trying to smell what might be making the rustling sound. Pigs have good hearing and smell but poor eyesight, I was downwind and because I didn't move he couldn't see me...at least for a while.

Morels are starting to sprout, but I don't foresee the bumper crop of last year...just a few so far.

The firewood for 2024 has been cut, split and stacked, we have run out this year with the gîte full and a cold if dry winter, so we're eating into next winter's supply now. The gardens are mostly dug over and some peas, onions, garlic and potatoes are already in the ground.

I've ordered a new loom (not the one in the previous video which was alas too expensive) but a much better one than my homemade one, which is for sale. Surplus guitars may follow!

With more lambs due in late June we have also sold some sheep. Apache and her four offspring are going to another wool producer with alpacas and angora goats, whilst three of the Ouessants are heading for coastal pastures near Perpignan. Sad to see them go, but we need to make space for new lambs and hopefully better wool.

Possible keeper

Same weave across this image, but in the upper half the alternating dark blue weft has been replaced with an aqua blue weft which is slightly thicker, completely changing one's perception of the pattern.

Another fabric on the same warp with an advancing treadling. An interesting pattern but the structure of the weave is not practical. A textile but not a fabric!

 

Sampling

 Trying some different tie-ups, treadling and wefts on the latest warp. 

Looms

Tie up started for latest weave. Half way through the heddles. Video below is of the Louet megado 16 shaft mechanical Dobby loom....loom envy!

480 threads!

More pictures of Kez

 

Next weave ideas

After spending a long time creating a random snowflake weave on the PC (above), a last minute change of mind and I've instead created a "moiré weave" on 8 shafts (below). This type of weave is effectively two twills which create interference patterns, its usually done on 16 or more shafts but I think my version will work and create wave like ripples of colour across the fabric. A fine 16/2 warp and a much thicker wool weft which will give the fabric some texture and hopefully fluff out the ripples into more distinct blocks of colour....we will see!
 

Kestrels

Seen a male and a female in the last few days checking out the field in front of the house....hopefully they'll pair up.