It's Always Something

  Hey!  Remember when Bonnie was weaving that scarf, and she suddenly realized that she was using the "threading" for the treadling????

  Yes, one of these scarves is the one.....but, she doesn't remember which one now!!!!

  These four bamboo scarves were from the same warp....the same threading....but different treadling!
  Now they are finished....she even put little sparkly beads in the fringe!!!!
  (BTW...this photo does NOT do them justice!)

 








  Today she was working on her "snake skin" scarf.  Another winner!!!!
  Ms. Ila was still threading on the shawl warp.  Maybe she'll be weaving by next week.

  Carol told us that she found a snake in her house last week....she's not as thrilled with the snake skin warps!!!  (Her hubby took the snake out to the woods and released it.)

  Carol was pulled in many directions today.  Helen wanted some help on a project that she's planning  And, Sharon is trying to decide what pattern she wants to use for her next scarf warp.  There are so many lovely warps just waiting for their turn on the loom!

  What?????
  It was decided that we needed to move the big ole barn loom up to the front of the studio.  Whenever we have visitors, they are drawn like a magnet back to that lovely loom and the wonderful man weaving on her.
  So.....after lunch, we took off the roll of rugs that were woven on the cloth beam, and moved the warp beam to the far side of the studio.
  Then, it was time to push and pull and move that lovely loom!!!
(BTW, this is payback for all the rear-end photos I've taken over the years!!!!)

 


As we moved the barn loom out of the way, Bonnie moved in with the vacuum cleaner and removed all the lint on the floor.  Betsy's loom was then moved in place.  Jocelyn and Liz will be beside her on the right.

  With those looms in place, the barn loom continued over to its new spot at the front of the studio.

 
The Wolf Pups just lined up at the end of the day behind the barn loom.  The fit is perfect!

  You can see Linda talking to some visitors to the studio as we were finishing up this afternoon.  They seemed to enjoy seeing what was on all the looms, as well as our moving adventure!

  The Baby Wolves, Mighty Wolves and table looms on stands all found just the perfect spots to park, too.  And, we were all behind the poles!!!

  Carl......you've got work to do next Tuesday.  Your roll of rugs are ready to have their fringes tied!!!

Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

Is There or Isn't There?

I have been working on the napkin warp I blogged about awhile ago, and I am almost done, I think, the order was for a dozen napkins.  The first napkin I wove, was too short so I had to make some adjustments.  I wove 3 more, but I was having some problems with the edges, and with some lines in the cloth when I advanced, so I cut those 3 napkins off and went from a really old "ratchet and pawl" system, to a "live weight" system, I also added some weighted tarp clips to use as a temple and those two changes made a big improvement.

(A live weight system consists of a slippery rope wrapped 3 times around the warp beam, a small weight on one end and a heavy weight on the other.  This system keeps an even tension on the warp the whole time, all you have to do is advance the fell line as needed.)

I had been weaving along and making a check mark each time I finished a napkin,  (I think, was that the 4th or 5th?) when I started to have doubts as to whether I had put on enough warp, since I had some trouble in the beginning, and there was more waste than I had anticipated.

I had cut 3 off of the loom, are there 9 napkins on that cloth beam?





(No, there were only 7)

Can I get one more napkin?




( No, I could not,  about half way through the napkin, the shed became too small.  So, I cut off the napkins and I will tie onto this warp and pull the new warp through the reed and heddles.

When it was all said and done, I had 10 out of 12 napkins  for this order.  Time to order some more natural 16/2! (I  ordered enough natural to make another dozen, but I am going to concentrate on getting these last 2 napkins wound and woven right now, the rest will be for another time!)

While I am waiting on the new yarn to get here, I wound the stripe section and I have gotten it tied on, ready to go.

 I have already corrected the mistakes I could find in the 10 napkins that have already come off of the loom, so they are ready to go to Marie who will do the hemming for me.  (I do stuff for her that she doesn't like, and she does stuff for me that I don't like)

I won't take them to her though, until I get those last 2 napkins off the loom, so that she can finish them all at the same time, it works much better that way.

I wish that I had used the live weight system and the temple from the start, but that is how I learn sometimes, the hard way.

Until next time, keep on Weaving, Tina

First Tuesday

......in October!

  It's always good to be back with friends. 

  We were so happy to see Peggy today....she seems to be on the road to recovery!  Marie brought her linen samples back so Peggy could take a look at them.

  It was also great to see Dickie and Connie.  They were able to tag the woven items for the shop while they were visiting with the weavers.  (Carol wanted them done three weeks ago....too much going on!!!)



















 
  Betsy was having a little trouble with the tension on the right side of her warp.  The warp was lashed on the front rod, but the right side needs to be snugged up a wee bit.





 Bonnie has finished threading and tying on her warp, and she double checked the tie-up on her treadles.














  The "snake skin" pattern does not have a true tabby, which made hemstitching a little more challenging!  But, I think Bonnie is doing a beautiful job!

Carol and Ray have been discussing the upcoming Board meeting....it looks like the Weavers will be attending in November.












  Christy had the sewing machine out to join the blue jean panels she had prepared.  Carl will be happy to have such a good supply!
  We missed you today, Carl!



 

Alyce had some trouble shooting to do today, too.  But, all is well!
















  Helen seems to like her little island between the big looms....she's always got Linda to talk to if she has a question.






   Shirley spent some time picking out her next warp.  This is a nine yard, space dyed, bamboo scarf warp.  She has plenty of colors to choose from for the weft--we'll have to wait to see what weave structure she'll use.












  Always on the lookout, Ms. Ila spotted a threading error before she got too far.  This shawl will also be in the "snake skin" pattern!

And, before you know it, it's time to fold the looms and roll them back to the middle.
See you next week!

LouAnn


 

Happy

  We all have the choice each morning:  are you happy today?  As I downloaded the pictures from today at the Center, I noticed that there sure are a bunch of smiles on these faces.
  Marie and Christy sorted out the tee shirts and jeans from a recent donation:  notice the smiles?  And Bonnie is back on her loom grinning from ear to ear!








  Although I'm sure Christy is getting "over" this job, just look at that smile!!!  She keeps Carl in blue jean panels for his rugs. 











  And, Carl is always smiling back at his loom!  We have folks from near and far asking about his rugs.










  It's such a little thing, but this clock makes us all happy!  Thank you, Sharon!!!

(We didn't realize for the longest time that the old clock had died......)





  We were all excited to see Marie's samples from her linen class at John C. Campbell.  I love how she wet finished some of the pieces so we could compare.
  We're looking forward to seeing the linen projects she'll be weaving!

  We kept Marie very busy today!  She got right to work helping Sharon dress her loom with the ten yard scarf warp.  We'll have to wait to see what pattern Sharon threads for the scarves.

  Anna spent last week at John C. Campbell, also.  She took a paper making class using natural materials.  Today she brought her pin loom....it's time to make more Christmas tree ornaments for the Foothills sale!















  Shirley eeeked out several more inches on her towel warp....look how close the bar is to the heddles!  That's a total of FIVE towels!








  Bonnie is having a ton of fun with this placemat warp!  The painted warp threads just dance in and out of the design! 
  Those are happy tootsies on those treadles!!!!













  Every Tuesday, Frieda tries to talk me out of taking her picture.....but, we love seeing her progress on this scarf warp.

  Now, look at these happy campers!!!!  These are the drawdowns they did as a homework assignment for their Weaving 201 class.  HAPPY!!!



Just in case you need an earworm, here's a song for you:
 Pharrell Williams - Happy (Official Music Video) - YouTube

(Thank you, Theresa, for giving me the idea!)

I choose HAPPY. 

LouAnn

We Miss You!

  Hey!!!  Anna, Linda, Jocelyn, Marie, Peggy, Polly and Tina......we miss YOU!!!!  The Tuesday Weavers wanted to send out a big ole "Howdy" to let you know you were thought of today.

  It was quiet in the Studio while this group was hard at work in the Potter's studio.  No....they aren't taking up clay....they are taking Weaving 201.  They were learning more about reading drafts, making drawdowns and choosing yarns for different projects.

 

Me?  I threaded a Summer-Winter sample warp for next week!  After lunch we will be talking about the Summer-Winter chapter in Mary Black's The Key to Weaving.  We can try our hand weaving the first example in the chapter!

Have a great week!
LouAnn

Another Tuesday

  What a group!!!!  There's always a million things going on:  move some yarn, weave a little, ask a question.  Oh, and a little conversation!  That's just in the first 15 minutes!  The area where Helen and Anna are weaving is where we store the Pups, Baby Wolves, the Mighty Wolves and the table looms on stands when we are not in the Studio.  Having that open space on Tuesdays means that we have access to the back of the looms if needed.  It's a system that works!

  Betsy's warp is tied on, and it's time to tie up the treadles.  I have to admit, the Macomber can be a challenge!  This means we'll get to see her new placemats begin next week!















  Threading began on Bonnie and Ms. Ila's warps today.  They are both using the "snakeskin" threading that was in Handwoven awhile back.  This will be one that we will be watching!!!!







  Ray is weaving.....he's not totally happy with the way the loom is acting, though.  But, you can see he is getting two layers, just like he wanted!!!!
















  I guess our discussion on Overshot worked for Charlotte!  Just look at her mug rugs that she wove at home!!!!







  Sharon finished hemstitching the mobius scarf, and off the warp came!  There also were three scarves on the cloth beam.















  There were lots of laughter from this part of the Studio!  You just have to wonder what Frieda and Alyce were talking about.

  Jaid has here red warp wound on, and she was busy threading today.  That lovely yellow warp that Pearl was working on is a delight to the eyes!
  You can see where Christy has been working on joining more blue jean panels for Carl....it's hard to stay ahead of him!

  And, just for fun, Alyce and Pearl serenaded us at lunch.  Linda posted it on her Facebook page, and I shared it on my page if you'd like to hear some of this special moment.


Never a dull moment!

Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

Thank You, Ms. Ila!

  Can you think of a better way to start September than one of Ms. Ila's cakes????  And, this one is an all time favorite:  old fashion stack cake!  She even used dried apples to make the filling!!!!  
  I knew I had better take this picture early, because it would disappear quickly....and I was right!  There was one wee sliver left at lunchtime....it went home with Ms. Ila!
  We are some lucky weavers!!!!












  Liz was back from her trip, and she had to spend a little time figuring out just where she was in the pattern. 
  (That happens to me when I get up and walk away for a bit....much less a few weeks!!!!)

  Carl told me that he would be cutting weft today, and he was right.  This also gave him some time with Pat before she leaves on her trip.  He was back to his loom later, just weaving away!
  You can see Betsy over Carl's shoulder.  She has been hard at work threading her placemat warp.

You can just catch Ray in the picture above.  He walked in this morning with his tool box, ready to do some repair work on the loom.  He does get serious about power tools!!!!!  The end result is that his double weave project is now a GO!

  Sharon will be cutting off her warp next week!  The last few inches of this scarf warp will become a cowl....we never waste warp!!!
  Frieda is still hard at work on her lovely blue scarf.












  Bonnie had that minute or two of deciding where she was in her pattern, also.  That's what happens when you miss some Tuesdays!!!





  Our other Bonnie was doing some UNweaving.  Yes, we all should develop that skill, too.  (And, it never fails....you don't see your mistake until a couple of rows down!)











   As promised, Linda started the yellow towels today.  It's a little difficult to see the pattern with the lighter weft.  Once they are wet finished, though, it should be easier to see.








    Alyce's towels are coming right along!  She'll have a bunch ready for the Foothills sale!













  Don't let that smile fool you!  Marie HATES to twist fringes!!!!  But, it has to be done......

  We all learn from each other.  Our newer weavers, Pearl, Jaid and Marion, have the opportunity to learn from our mistakes....and our accomplishments!  And, Carol is always there to guide us along the way.   We are so lucky!

Happy Weaving!
LouAnn