A Gentle Reminder From the Universe

Haven't thought too much about weaving projects.  In fact I have been cleaning out some of my looms, thinking about downsizing.  I have my keepers and my aim is to computerize my smaller Finnish loom.  Then just as I was filing weaving away for the next few months, I received an email from a owner of the store at which I teach a beginners weaving class asking if we can schedule January classes.

Yesterday I also spied some lovely holiday baskets which I thought would make great containers for holiday towels for the ladies in my family.  So maybe this weekend I can post about a new kitchen holiday towel warp and its progress.

Remember the Pickle?

Today my brother in law is visiting, he loving all things Irish, this will be an appropriate gift for his birthday.  The colors are well suited for an Irish theme.  Scarf is washed and drying ready for final burling.

I'll Post Some Weavey Stuff Soon - I Promise!

Sigh, I'ts only Wed.   Hope to have something pretty and interesting to look at that is totally fiber related next week!

When This Week Is Over

........ I will clean my house, laundry, reorganize my bedroom, finish the drawloom set up and take photos of all the equipment I am selling for potential buyers and make some holiday goodies .... the problem is, I still have to get through this week.

What do ya mean "it's almost Thanksgiving?"

YIKES, that went fast!  My family lives in England, so in my "pre-slave" days when I was a stay home mommy, the house would be getting prepped for the holidays and Christmas pictures for the Christmas cards would be ready - all to be mailed by Nov 20th at the latest!

But now alas, with 3 children across the board age wise (one thinking about college) and a near full time job teaching little ones, and weaving and going back to school for a different certification, things are, lets say, a little unorganized!  I have backed off my teaching of weaving and have not done a single show this year.

It is my favorite time of the year but it is also coming at me like a freight train.  Here is the sched for next week:

Organize a Thanksgiving Feast for an entire school (3 other teachers involved)
Make Thanksgiving decorations for the pre-schoolers
Take number one son to hopefully get braces off
Take both boys to CCD
Homework
French Tutor
Soccer Practice
Baseball training
clothes for # 1 sons Confirmation next week
book restaurant
get cake
Pick up High Schooler and drive her to Big Sister, Photo Club etc
(Ok, we are only up to Wed so far)
attend son # 2's teacher conference
get daughter something to wear for Confirmation
get something for me to wear for Confirmation
Attend a friends housewarming
study for a MAJOR test next weekend
clean for company coming in for Confirmation

get the image - yeah... that's the one....where smoke is coming out of my head, because I still didn't cover laundry, housework and dinner!

AND I still haven't thought about Christmas cards!  But the best part is..... after next weekend - no more studying!  and on Thanksgiving it is my BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!

So - being the optimist I will look forward to Thanksgiving week, a couple of days off and a celebration with my family.

Naked looms will have to stay that way and there may not be any "woven gifts" this year.  But I count my blessings.



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I'd take a picture but it went so well with what I wore today!

As I am in "no show" (as in fairs) mode, I am enjoying the fruits of my labor!  The deflected double weave scarf I made is really quite nice.  It is light and comfortable and goes really well with my charcoal shirt!  So folks, I did not snag a photo of it using Lovely Lola, maybe later in the week when it's time to do laundry and I am out of clothes that go with my scarf!

Spent several hours studying and making flash cards for a class I am taking.  It sure is harder when you get older to learn a lot of new terminology!

Dawn

It All Looks Rather Confusing?

The problem with this style of drawloom set up is - 2 warps initially and two sets of harnesses to be threaded!  I chose gold and brown carpet warp (strong and inexpensive) and the warp is in blocks of 10 threads per color alternating for 360 ends.  Now it has to be beamed and I need an apron for the overhead drawcord beam.

As I am studying for a fitness certification - it may be another week before I get to it.

Happy Halloween!

So, the scarf is 70% finished.  I am sure it will go to a good home!  Tried to do some weaving despite doorbell interruptions from trick or treaters.  The holidays are coming up and as usual I leave it till the last possible minute to put a couple of "gift warps" on the loom.  I also have an ambitious wedding project to start.  My Niece is getting married in April and I would love to create some linen table-ware for her and her hubby!

Happy Halloween

Tick Tick Tick

Clock's a tickin, Halloweave ends tomorrow (31st) and my usual Mon-Thur workweek with a Sunday all day class means - I'm not done! My scarf is 50 % finished.  I have to say, it got me out of my comfort zone and gave me some new things to think about.  I will probably go on and make a Ruana for myself in deflected double weave.

Sample Finished

Finished sample after wet finishing is now 9 x 7.  The fabric is light and lofty and will make a very warm Ruana.  Not too sure about the light green stripes which means 3 shuttles,  it doesn't add tremendously to the design.

Deflected Double Weave Sample

Using 10 shafts with 2 for selvedge, deflected double weave experiment using 20/2 worsted and Zephyr.  Both set at 16 epi so the finer worsted will close up hopefully causing distortion in the Zephyr.  This is the last project for the Halloweave contest at Weavolution http://weavolution.com

Draw Harness loom

Here are some photos of the almost complete Draw Harness conversion:

Big Lola - Li'l Lola

On my old Blog at Wordpress I wrote about my big girl "Lola."  Lola is rather voluptuous (unlike me) but she wears my goods well.

Here she is modeling my unfulled - soon to be fulled merino scarf.

Now meet Li'l Lola

Standing a stately 3" tall,  cute huh?

Too Tired to Talk

Ok, no pics, but the good news is, I am almost finished with converting the Glimåkra to a draw harness damask loom.  I had the front shaft frame for 75 shafts, I had the 10 shaft Opphamta attachment, lingos, long eye heddles etc. but the basement is tight quarters and not enough height for a 75 shaft system.  Plus I dislike setting up that system.

I will post pictures next week, I am covered in sawdust and my arm muscles hurt!  I can't wait to actually get this up and running!

More Deflected Double Weave

8 Shaft this time, quite a generic deflected double weave but I need to get this project going quickly!

Old Loom - New Topic

Recently on Weavolution there has been discussion of loom conversions for drawloom weaving.  Here are pictures from my old Wordpress Blog of a Varpa loom which underwent a successful conversion to a drawloom:

New Project - Deflected Double Weave

After felting, time for something else, deflected double weave.  It has been a while since I did double weave so this should be fun.  I plan to use 16 shafts and a worsted black wool and zephyr for a ruana.

Merino Scarf Sample

Merino wool scarf

The scarf warp in Shale Merino is on the loom.  It is an 8 shaft design using blocks of vertical/horizontal floats and plain weave.  As the wool is fulled the floats will bind a little and the pattern will become more secure.  Each block consists of 16 ends so the floats are quite long.

It is slow to weave as I have to beat very softly, the floats want to pack down and I need to use floating selvedges.  I plan to weave 80 inches - the finished, washed scarf will be approx 65 inches.

I'm Beaming!

Warp ready to be spread in raddle

Using paper to support the warp chain whilst selecting bouts to be placed in raddle

Spreading the warp - each space = 1/2 inch, 16 epi = 8 ends per space

Warp spread, the lease sticks were removed due to yarn furring together when winding on, I used the portee cross to spread the warp on the raddle, I will beam without sticks until I reach the porrey cross at the opposite end of the warp chain and replace the lease sticks

beaming using sticks and paper (note the snazzy new beam made by moi!)

Once I arrive at the porrey cross I re-insert the lease sticks

BEAMED! (less than 10 mins for a 7 yard warp)

After yesterdays (I'd like to pretend I didn't even do that) experiment, I decided some nice fulled merino scarves might allow me to redeem myself!  I prepared a warp for 2/18 Merino at 16 EPI on the new live weight tension beam.