A Shuttle Trap

One of things I liked most about my Schacht Baby Wolf loom was the Wolf Trap - the little tray at the front beam that can hold your tools as you weave. I liked it so much, I asked Mike to build one for my new loom. I sewed the sleeve out of some leftover tapestry fabric I had from another project. I need to add one more coat of tung oil to the end pieces, but then the trap should match the finish on the loom perfectly.

I'm still plugging away at settling in to New Sheville. It was decided this week that the extra door in the corner needed to go away. It's not like there is a shortage of entrances around here so loosing one would be a good thing really. Better to do it now before we paint. Good news is I'll eventually be able to add a comfy chair to that corner.

Removing the door actually makes the porch look better. Before there was a cheap, ill-fitting aluminum screen door where the new siding is. It looked out of place next to the original old door. Once it is painted in the spring, you'll never know there was ever a door there to begin with.

Looms for Sale

Every loom has its own unique characteristics making them easier to use than others for certain projects. That is why a lot of weavers have more than one. I love both of these looms, but I really don't have the room for them, so I need to let them go to a new home.

First up is my beloved Loomcraft Floor Loom. 45" weaving width, 4-shaft, 6-treadle comes with a 12 dent reed, raddle, lease sticks, extra metal heddles and updated Texsolve tie ups. She's solid and sturdy enough to make rugs.

Next is the Schact Baby Wolf, 25” weaving width, 4-shaft, 10-treadle, includes 10 and 12 dent reeds, wolf trap, lease sticks, and folds up for storage. 

I am also going to have to sell my Strauch drum carder. I recently tried using it and my shoulders emphatically stated, "Oh, Hell no." 

If any of these things seem like they might look good in a room at  your house, contact me. 

A Little Help Here

Having an assistant to help warp a loom is a wonderful thing. Unless that assistant happens to be a cat.

"Oh, please. You don't realize how much I'm helping," said Ethel.

"You missed the third thread in shaft five."

"Because you ripped it out with your bare paws," I said sarcastically. 

"I don't think we'll ever get this done if all you want to do is argue about technicalities."

(Some of you will notice I am working on a new-to-me 8-shaft cherry Norwood loom. That means my 4-shaft, 10-treadle Baby Wolf is for sale. Contact me if you are interested.)

My First Sweater

I've been doing a lot of knitting lately. It is good therapy for my shoulders. I've been knitting so much, I started getting really brave and decided to move on from small things to tackle a sweater. So I hopped on Ravelry, did a search of all 6,875 sweater patterns, and finally downloaded a beautiful cabled number. Fortunately, before I ran off to the yarn store with my credit card, I came to my senses. If I have learned nothing else in my life, I have learned that I tend to bite off more than I can chew. Tackling a beautiful cabled sweater as my very first sweater was bound to be more of a lesson in patience than a lesson in knitting. So I opted for a smaller project to make all my mistakes on, and boy am I ever glad I did. This little infant sweater is full of them, but I still think it is super cute. Too bad the only thing small enough around here to wear it is the cat. She's been hiding from me since I finished. I think she knows.

I Had to Have It

I mean really, would you have left it behind in the store? Especially given that I had the perfect spot for it in my studio bathroom? Now I laugh when I pee more often than pee when I laugh.

For those who may not recognize the object in question, here is what it would have looked like for it's intended use--a handy-dandy yarn winder.

Meeting Minerva

Minerva J. Freeman and her two brothers grew up on a 120-acre farm just north of Madison, Indiana. Her mother, Mary, passed away only two short months before Minerva married William T. Hinton. Minerva's father, Owen, passed away nine months later, leaving the farm under the care of her brother, Wm H. Freeman.

In 1860 after their son, Charles, was born, William and Minerva moved away from the farm and into a fine home at 408 W. Third Street in Madison, Indiana.

Built by the same architect as the Lanier Mansion, the young couple took great pride in their home--even going as far as installing their family name into the sidewalk just in front of the entrance.

The door itself being somewhat remarkable in that, instead of opening wide like most doors, it slid to the side into a pocket to preserve the precious space inside the small entry.

The front parlor, quite something with dual fireplaces and a curved front wall, was host to conversations about states rights, slavery, and the preserving the union.

The modest dining room served as a venue for the new mother to display and perfect her domestic skills in hopes of impressing her husband and his associates.

The space-saving double stairway led to the bed chambers.

The room William and Minerva shared was large and enjoyed a fireplace along with not one, but two closets. A rarity for the period, but a feature of the home Minerva greatly enjoyed as she was an accomplished seamstress and no doubt had many dresses and accoutrements.

A door leads directly into their young son's room, which was plenty large enough for him to share when the time comes.

Young Charles though would never share his room as the Civil War put a halt to their family plans. On August 19, 1862 William enlisted in Company C, Indiana 67th Infantry Regiment. He participated in the battle at Munfordville, KY, was taken prisoner, paroled, returned to Camp Morton at Indianapolis, then marched to Memphis, TN on December 10th where he succumbed to measles. His grave site has never been found. 

He was not the only soldier in Minerva's life, most every young man she knew was in the army. Shortly after receiving the news of her husband, her brother's name was found listed among the dead on the notice at the post office. She was left entirely alone, a widow at twenty-two, with a toddler to raise. 

This is When the Hair on the Back of my Neck Stood Up

So while I was stumbling around the internet looking for hints on my ancestors, I ran across the following photo on Find-A-Grave.com. It is a picture of William T. Hinton, brother to my 3rd Great Grandfather.

I recognized him immediately as looking an awful lot like my grandfather, David Hinton. Same stern expression with the eyebrows and nose creating a capital T. 

So I contacted the person who posted the photo to find out where he found it. Tom explained that his great-aunt had given the photo to him along with some others many years ago when he was a child. She had married one of the grand children of Charles Hinton, the only son William and Minerva had before he died during the war. She gave them to Tom because there were no other Hinton's to give them to.  

He also had the photo of William above and an old photo of their home in Madison, Indiana. This home now just happens to be on the historic madison tour.

I explained why I was searching for information about William and Theodore. He then told me that he was a history teacher. He applies a unique method of learning for his students by assigning them a project each year. One that I think you all will find both interesting and inspiring. This video was made by The Wall Street Journal.

What are the odds that I would stumble upon this person who shares my passion for uncovering the truth and using that information to teach?  This is when the hair on the back of my neck stood up.