Thursday, March 15, 2018

Linen Update

  In between reading Mary Black and working on my taxes, I have been collecting articles about weaving with linen.  It's way too easy to get distracted when you're researching a topic.  Linen has been woven for thousands of years, and there are so many fascinating articles about this wonder fiber.
  This linen is 16 wraps to the inch, and I'm winding a three yard warp for ten inches.  I'll set it for 8 e.p.i for plain weave.  One of my sources suggested that the thread should not spiral off the cone when winding; it needs to roll off the cone.  I put a dowel through the cone and placed it in a small crate to wind the warp.  Another tip was to mist the warp before it is taken off of the warping board.  I'll let it dry overnight.
  These tips make sense if you think about the fiber:  if you wind it onto a cone, it reels off like curling ribbon.  The misting will relax the "curl" from the cone, and it will take on the straight shape on the warping board.  Hopefully I'll have an update for you by next week.  (We'll see if all these tips are as good as they sound!)
  If all goes well, I'll try the finer linen for the next warp.


  
 What a difference a week makes.  The picture on the left was made last Thursday.  My tree was beautiful!!!  When I got up Friday morning, it had turned brown.  The freezing weather finally GOT the blooms!  But, I sure enjoyed it while it was in its glory!

  Biscuit likes to nap on the bench.....I snapped this just a little bit ago.  Yes....see all that fur she's shedding!!!  And, I just vacuumed the bench this morning!
  I love the way she puts her paw over her eyes!

We have great weather for another day...and then more chilly, wet weather.  That will be good for the linen!

Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

2 comments:

Tina J said...

It will be awhile yet before I get the the linen project, shoot, I don't even know what I want to make, though I know which loom I will use, the only one I have that is counter balance, which they say linen likes.

Theresa said...

My, that is an eager shedder isn't it! I don't have the bunnies I once had now that all the dogs are smooth coated. I kind of miss those bunnies and their makers, more than I can say. I'll have to try that trick with the next cones I handle of linen or hemp. My hemp warp languishes....