It's VERY COLD and A Short Discussion of Weaving and Gowns

Happy Friday! My phone is telling me that the current temperature is -21 F. Yeah, that's a minus sign in front of the number. It's COLD. DH spent yesterday photographing Navajo weavings. We'll probably be putting most/all of them out to auction with our Santa Fe auction people, but to do that we need photos, dimensions, etc. We're also freaking out a bit over the scheduling for our closing sale - it's VERY precise - 15 pages worth of specific instructions and dates. The sale itself starts in early April, so time is running out and we're nowhere close to being ready. But, we're putting noses to the grindstone and working hard at it. 

Whichever way you look at it, it's damned COLD 
this morning. I'm grateful for my cold weather 
gear, but I'll still be shivering and Minion 
won't be happy being parked in the cold either. 

Yesterday DH pulled down a lot of our Navajo weavings, replacing them with other ones - mostly lesser quality at a lower price point. The good ones we'll be bringing down to Santa Fe ourselves after the shop has closed. But it was an all-day affair photographing each rug on the photo board, culminating with packaging many of them in plastic for storage. Our weavings cabinet is far from empty, but it's nowhere as packed as it had been. 

In this picture, the weaver is weaving a sampler 
weaving - one style on the left, a second 
style in the center and a return to the left style 
on the right. The loom is a vertical loom and sheep's 
wool is usually spun for the yarn. It's a tradition 
that goes back centuries. 

I spent a fair amount of time on the phone contacting a variety of places I thought Mom's couture dresses might be accepted at for resale. I have two "very interested by not accepting anything until April" responses, and one recommendation for a specific Minneapolis shop that I had thought would be worth while to contact. When I contacted them, they expressed an interest in photographs, but also warned me that they usually will only accept items in a group of 10. Well, I don't have quite that many - I think it's either 7 or 8 items that I have - but she said to go ahead with the photos and send them anyway, even if I'm below their minimum quantity. Exceptions can sometimes be made. So I'll try to get that done early next week. Meanwhile, they're in the trunk of my car - not the best place for them, but then again, with the temps as they are, the car is probably safer than many other locations. I might move them back into the house, but I'll leave them for the time being. 

Large weavings, such as this one worked on by two 
weavers simultaneously, are rarely made any more. 
The looms are too large to fit within the hogan, 
and the dollars paid don't make up for the time 
when several smaller weavings will sell for the 
same or more and take less time to make. This photo 
probably dates from the early 1900's. You can see 
a second loom in the background with an additional 
two weavers working on it. They were probably 
working at one of the trading posts and would 
sell the finished products directly to them. 

So, despite the cold, I have to get a very early start today. I need to get the W3 typed up for the Federal Government, and I only have a single copy of the form. NO MISTAKES ALLOWED. I have no correction ability on my typewriter at the shop anymore, and the computer and computer printer can't be used on it either. So, I've got to eat breakfast, bundle up, and hope that my car will start tonight after sitting in the parking lot for hours and hours. Minion was a bit slow to start last night when it was -11, adding an additional -10 to that and an extra hour in the parking lot ... well ... it could be problematic. Have an excellent Friday and I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week. Slava Ukraini.