Useful Thingies: Small Desk Vice with Tilting Head

This was one of the most useful tools I picked up this year. I’ve been working from home during the pandemic and have worked on small projects from my desk. This could be spinning with the mini-lap charkha or smaller weaving projects. Small looms like the Hockett or Cactus Flower loom are easier to work on if they are clamped to the desk. Even better the vice has a tilting head.

Cactus Flower Mini tapestry loom in desk vice (coffee cup for size)
Hockett mini tapestry loom in desk vice (coffee cup for size)

Rain, Sun and back to Rain Again



Did I mention that the weather here is volatile and often just plain weird? Rain coming down in buckets. Windy. Tomorrow noon it may be sunny and near 70°, unlikely as that seems right now.

 Good weather to say in and weave. I’m currently working on a small piece woven with the “deconstructed” or recycled Abercrombie & Fitch sweater wool from my local Out-of-the-Closet thrift shop. Project began as a local guild challenge (earlier dye posts) and I’m still weaving through the accumulated stash.
The wool is a natural off-white. It’s been dyed with onion skins, Hibiscus flower (dried), Woad (powdered), Fennel, miscellaneous yard trash and copper or iron mordants.  I don’t really have a good, reliable local blue so generally I use Woad powder or Indigo. I was trying as much as possible to use what’s locally available and go easy on the chemical mordants.


The cats deal with the weather by alternately hibernating and demanding the door to Spring. Not a bad plan.

Powered by ScribeFire.