Just all the finishing left!

Don't you just love it when you see that apron come up over the back beam and inch toward the heddles? I sure do, especially with this project. I got the second batch of 10 curtain panels woven and had some left over to play with. So that's what I did while the apron inched its way up toward the heddles!

 I'd threaded the loom with rose path so this time I wove about the last, extra 40 inches with red yarn. Very nice and Christmasy, I think. This fabric will become something to sell next fall. Not sure what, but it's going to be fun to experiment and see what can be done with it! I've got the same in blue from the other warp as well.

 The curtains are all wound up on the cloth beam, each one separated by 2 rows of the cheapest, thinnest toilet paper that I can find. Works perfectly for what I need!

Now all the serging, repairing, washing, then measuring, pinning and sewing the casings and hems to make these panels ready to be hung up in the cabins in spring!
So what's next? Not much weaving! I'm heading north again this week to see my family. I'm taking my new ipad air along and hope to write on it next week. However, I tried today and couldn't figure out how to get the pictures to go on there. I'm taking it along tomorrow to weaving and just hope that someone there will know how to do it!! I'm not exactly computer savvy.
Until next week, stay warm!! and weave on!
Carol

Handspun Warp and Weft

I hinted last Friday that I was going to get back to the looms this week, and indeed I have, though not quite what anyone who knows me would have guessed.  Lou Ann let me borrow one of her Rigid Heddle looms to do some sampling of the miles of  Jacobs 2 ply fingering  yarn I finished last week.

I initially thought that I would weave a scarf as a sample, but I was concerned that the Jacobs might not be soft enough for around the neck use.  I also wanted to use as little yarn as possible.  I settled on warping a short 40 inch warp.  This loom, an Ashford, has two rigid heddles, one is 5 dents per inch, and the other is 7.5 dents per inch.  I intended to weave half of the warp using  the  5 dent and the other half using the 7.5 inch. ( I went over the half way mark on the first sample, despite my use of the tape measure!)

 I didn't have the warping peg that is commonly used when warping these looms, but I had seen somewhere on the internet, someone using a raddle, and I had one of those!  I took the smallest skein that I had, 114 yds, and got started.  I put in a strand or 2 of the "tweed" yarn, so that I could see how it looks in the fabric.  Warping was very fast, and winding on wasn't difficult at all.  Of course, I have been warping full sized looms since 2001, so I suppose that was in my favor.

I kept a generous angle on each throw of the shuttle.

 At the "half way" point I cut off the fabric and switched to the finer reed and continued weaving. I like the portability of this loom, I could weave in the warmth of the wood stove, and not freeze up in the studio!

Before you know it,  I had finished, and with very little loom waste.  Of the 114 yds, I had used a mere 60 yds, I was very pleased.

I took the fabric off of the loom, and laid the pieces side by side.  I thought then, that after finishing, I would probably like the looser weave.  I put the pieces to soak for a few minutes in hot soapy water, then I agitated them by hand for a bit, then I plunged them in icy water.  I went back and forth between the two temps several times.  Then I slammed them down on the counter to loosen things up a bit.  When I thought I had the fulling that I desired, I rolled them in a towel to absorb the excess moisture, and let them dry.

I am surprised by the softness of this fabric.  Both of the pieces are lighter weight than what I could have dreamed, but I like the hand of the tighter weave better than the looser weave.  Unfortunately, I switched the fabrics in the lower picture, but I think you can get an idea of what I have to work with.  I was not impressed with the tweed yarn however, it barely shows up in the finished fabric at all.  You may see it in the non fulled yarn in the picture above, but it almost disappears in the finished fabric.

Now comes the "fun" part,  I lost a lot more to shrinkage in the looser weave, than the tighter weave, which when I think about it makes sense.   I need to work out the percentage of shrinkage, so that I will know how long and wide I need to make my project warp.  Math, not being my strong suit, I must take my time so that I don't waste a yard of that yarn.  The project I have in mind is a poncho made from 2 rectangles of fabric.  Simple and straight forward, I can do this, I just need a wider loom.  I should be getting a loom that is wide enough in the near future, but until then I will brush off the calculator, and cross my fingers, and hold my mouth just so, and check it three times to make sure I have the math just right!

Until next time, Happy Spinning and Weaving, Tina

On The Lookout

  I have to admit, missing a week of weaving at the Center caused me to draw a blank when I was getting ready earlier this week.  I finally just put this great tote (my daughter got this for me for Christmas) on the dining room table and started putting all the stuff I thought I would need.  I had charge of Pat's present for exchanging, plus my gift to take.  Then, there's all that other stuff I take each week.  All of this would not fit in my regular Tuesday tote, that's for sure!

 During the gift exchange, I lucked up and received this tote that was crafted by Cindy using felted sweaters!  I knew Cindy was a great weaver, but I didn't know about her other talent!   This is just perfect for a fiber person (like me!) to lug projects around in.  In fact, I think this will be my bag for my spinning.  Thank you, Cindy!!!

  I'm sorry you can't see the detail in the picture in the white areas....I'm working through the huck sampler from the The best of Weavers' Huck Lace.  (I also see a boo-boo on the d block--lacy huck squares.  I need to close the square!  I guess I will re-do that one!)
  I wove two repeats of each section in white, and then did the same thing in black.  I wanted the black to show me exactly what the weft was doing in each design.  So far, I am really enjoying this learning adventure.
  We will be doing more in our lace study group comparing the different lace weaves....how much fun is that???    I've got a couple of weeks to weave and study before we meet again.  I just need to be on the lookout for those spare minutes to weave on my sampler.
  In the meantime, I'm watching the sky for frosty flakes...I have places to go and people to see!
Happy Weaving!
Stay Warm!
LouAnn

Huck Lace Study Group

 I woke up expecting my back yard to look like this, but was, I have to say, disappointed! It's my day off, so let it snow!  But, no, the storm turned out to be a dud, with just some kind of cold rain, and a bleak outlook.  I still get to meet my friend for lunch, and still have an excuse to stay inside the rest of the day, puttering around the house.
  I have good reason, too, to thread my new project, an 8-shaft Huck lace scarf for our new study group on Huck lace.  LouAnn, Tina, Marie and now Cindy have teamed up with me to start a study group, something we've never done before, studying something none of us are quite sure about.
  What makes Huck lace different from Atwater-Bronson, or from Spot Bronson?  What makes it unique?  Why are we so drawn to it?  Sometimes, I think I've done it, when it turned out that I was doing something completely different.  I want to learn to draft my own patterns, but what are the parameters?
  We are hoping all these questions, and more, will be revealed to us as we come together to decode this riddle of a weave structure.

  My most recent attempts at Huck have come off the looms, answering a few questions, but bringing more to mind.  I thoroughly enjoyed weaving the gold and purple shawls, one with cream rayon and one with a hand-dyed weft.  I have only about 1 yard left of warp, and am not sure what to do with it yet.  It's sitting precariously untied on Jenny, waiting for my decision.  It's too small for another shawl, but maybe once off the loom, it can be sewn into a cowl.
 









The 3-thread Huck lace in black bamboo came off the loom a few days ago, with the taupe-colored rayon yielding a much more luscious hand than the grey merino, but both are cozy and nice.  The merino is about to go into a gift bag for my lunch date's late Christmas present, but the taupe is waiting for the right recipient to come along.
  I have a lot more of the taupe rayon, and am pondering some fabric, with a Huck lace border, to make a blouse with the lace edging the hem and sleeves and pockets.  Maybe a skirt?  That's next for Jenny, a four shaft Huck lace that will keep me interested, one I can daydream about as I do the yards of plain weave in between.  Or maybe a small spot of the lace here and there?  Ah, the possibilities!
  Anyone interested in joining our study group, please let us know!   We would even welcome those far away, if you can email us your progress and questions and knowledge.  You know where to find us!  We're also on Facebook, Tuesday Weavers, and you can contact us there, as well as keep up on our progress.
  Snow or rain, cold but not as frigid as last week, I hope you find time to weave in the comfort of your own studios this week!  Happy Weaving!
                                                        Maggie

It's Only Been Two Weeks!!!

But, you would have thought we hadn't seen each other for two months!!!!  Most of this morning was taken up with catching up on all the news!

Lanny just dropped by for a little bit, then he was out the door.

  Linda, Maggie and Cindy were deep in conversation!

****Notice that the door is open....it was a glorious sunny day!

Ms. Ila, Shirley and Betsy had a lot of chatting to do!

We even welcomed a new weaving student.  Sandra picked a great day to start!    There's nothing like a potluck lunch to set the right tone!

Pat brought a new friend with her today.  Marsha is new to our area, and she already knows how to weave, so she was interested in seeing our studio.

  We were all glad to see Liz again (come to find out, she dropped by last week!)  Carol helped her plan her new project so she could wind her warp.

ONE of us actually did some weaving today!!!!
  Carl went back to the barn loom and finished the last rug on his warp. 
  There were 9 beautiful blue jean rugs all rolled up on the cloth beam!

  After lunch, those rugs were spread out on the tables so we could tie the fringes.  It doesn't take too long when we all pitch in and help!

And, speaking of lunch....what a spread we had!

Not only are we great weavers....we have some FINE cooks in our group!

  The gifts were just an added bonus!  Yes, we celebrated Christmas after the holiday bustle!
  And, would you believe I didn't get any pictures of all the great gifts that we exchanged.  Needless to say, this is a talented group, too!

Another winter front is headed this way with some cold temps and frosty little flakes.....it looks like we'll be inside with our looms this week.

Stay warm!
Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

Half Done

About 20 years ago I was asked to weave some curtains for a lodge at the top of Mount LeConte. What a huge honor! I was replacing curtains that had been there for many years, woven by someone who obviously had been in the mountains a long time, a master weaver. They were pretty, nothing too intricate but still nice. However, the curtains were falling apart after being up there so long. I was told how long to make them and given a scrap of the old and an idea of how they wanted them to look. So, I wove curtains. Thinking of the rugged area and the way the cabins looked, I chose carpet warp for the fabric. Carpet warp is pretty indestructible and I knew they'd hold up quite well. So that's what I used.

Most of what I wove looked like this:

 

 However, there were bands of color near the bottom of the panels.

 A wide strip, then a narrower one.

 Hmm, which side should I use for the front? The picture above or the one that you see as it winds down onto the cloth beam? Jury's out on that one....

There's another band near the top of each panel that I forgot to take a picture of.
So I wove the curtains. Each year they would call and ask for a few more until the dining room and the office had curtains as well as the cabins. The last time I wove was in 2002. I thought I was done. However, in December I got a call. Some of those original curtains are 20 years old and the kerosene heaters and just the use have made them look a bit sad. Each year they take the curtains down and bring them back down the mountain (probably on the llamas that bring supplies up a couple of times a week) and wash them before they are air lifted in March for the next season.
So, I pulled out my records and figured out my warps. I have to weave for 10 windows. That's 20 panels. I can warp enough on my warping board to do 10 panels so that's what I did. I've got the first warp woven and the second one was wound onto the loom yesterday. Today I'll thread it and begin to weave. I hope to get it done in the next week or so.
I have til the end of February to get them done, but I'm heading north soon for a couple of weeks. I want to get the weaving done before that.
That's what my weaving week looked like....and this coming one as well!!
Not always an exciting pattern or color to look at but knowing that they'll spruce up the cabins up there and make the hikers feel cozy in their cabins each night, especially after the long, tiring hike up there, is inspiration for me to keep weaving them!
Until next week, keep weaving!!
Carol

Just Keep Spinning!

I was reminded of Dorie's important words several times these last few weeks.  I have a spinning project that has taken a long time to finish.  It was a gray Jacobs roving that I found in my stash just after the Ravelry competition Tour de Fleece.  (This spinning competition takes place during the Tour de France.)  The Tour kick started my spinning energy, so July 22nd I tore into this huge pile of roving that came billowing out of the much smaller box.  My default yarn is a 2ply fingering wt, when I spin a woolen longdraw, it is a quick and easy method for getting a fluffy, lofty yarn.

I worked on this roving  pretty steadily thru the latter part of July and then through August, all the way until mid September.  (Mid September through most of November, I was on special assignment, helping my daughter in Ghana.)  It took me a little while once I got home to get back to it, but by then I had come up with a project that I wanted to do with all this yarn.  So I was motivated to just keep spinning!  The Holidays took a huge chunk out of my spinning time, which I do not grudge at all!  We had a marvelous time with family in for a visit and friends over to the house as well.

The temps were falling, while I spun in the new year with my Ravelry friends.  (I am not usually quite so close to the fire, and I don't normally have the wood stove door open either!)








Finally, those special days were over, and life closer to normal, I picked up my roving again, and got spinning!


Don't look at that lovely blue Merino roving that you got for Christmas!   Just keep spinning!

 Don't be tempted by the flax you are just itching to get on the distaff!  (Don't  think about the Antique German Double flyer  Spinning wheel you have on the way!)  Just keep spinning!

 Not a glance at the 8 oz of white Cormo/Targhee fleece that came in the mail!

Just Keep Spinning!


I told Lou Ann that I was sick to death of this gray, but I just kept spinning.  I even spiced it up by using a cool tweeding effect I saw on Youtube, on one of the skeins.  I think you can see it in the picture to the left.

Finally, Wednesday evening, I plied the last little bit, and plunged the final 5 skeins of yarn into a warm bath in the sink, hung them up to drip dry a little bit, wrapped them in a towel to smoosh the last bit of water out and laid them out to dry.  Thursday once they were dry, I counted the yardage in each skein, and made sure to label each one so that I will not be relying on my memory!

In the end, I have almost 3000 yds of 2ply fingering wt, handspun yarn.  It is destined to become a poncho, once I double check the math.







It has been a really long haul, but I am so pleased to have persevered and for me, to have not started another spinning project was huge!  I have several wheels so I could have easily done that, yet I knew, that I would have had trouble getting back to the Jacobs, and I really wanted it done!

Next week, I will get back into the studio and to the projects on the looms, I think I am ready.  I had hoped to join Lou Ann and the others in their study of Lace, but it isn't going to happen for this week, too many other things happening this Sunday.

Until next week, Happy Spinning and Weaving, Tina