Oh what tangled messes we weave

I hope I didn't make Sir Walter Scott roll over in his grave.

I've been lusting after a loom for a while, convinced that it was a good next step in our journey toward self-sufficiency. *insert hubby's eye-rolling here*

When Nan, a friend of my friend Robin, made a comment on Robin's blog that she was selling her loom, I got in touch with her and, after convincing hubby of the merits of this new hare-brained idea of mine, bought the loom.

This nice looking Glimakra 4-harness loom sits in our living:

I admit to freaking out a little bit - ok, a lot - after I got it home when I realized that I had no idea what to do with it. I usually get buyer's remorse a lot after making large purchases anyway.

However, after a lesson with Robin at Yarns Unlimited, buying a couple of books,

and playing with the darned thing in bright day light, I'm feeling much better and more confident that I can tackle it.

As for the "tangled mess"? It's what I wove at my lesson. Gnarly, but that's what a practice, first-time piece looks like when you're not a weaving prodigy.

I foresee this will lead to wanting to learn how to spin my own yarn, and then getting my own sheep to shear, and then getting a degree in genetic engineering so I can clone my own flock...oh the possibilities are endless! :P

Have you ever learned something new that entailed far more than you anticipated for? Do share!

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams