Sometimes, It Takes A Village

 As Carol wrote in her blog yesterday, she spent the weekend at Fiber Forum at Arrowmont.  She brought her woven sampler for us to see today at the Center.

  Then, it's time to see how much we can get done while we're at the Center!
  Carl was hard at work on the next rug in the re-weave project.
  Maggie launched into tying on her warp once the lease sticks were removed.  Andy is still working on her tangle.......

.....Christy and Cindy worked on the tangle, too!

 

  Allan went to Bonnie's loom to help out with her warp.  She's all threaded and got wound on today.  Of course, there was a tangle!!!!

Marie got her strips cut, and started in on her runner again.  I thinks she's about ready to change prints!!!

  And, no Tuesday is complete without a weaver under a loom!  Someone has to tie up the treadles!

  Barbara was able to join us today, and it's always fun to see what's new on the looms!

  Then, back to that tangle again!  And, Bonnie joined in to help out.

  And, this was our prize for being such good little weavers today:  Ms. Ila made us cup cakes!

YUM!

It's a group effort....what can you say????

Happy Weaving,
LouAnn

Southeast Fiber Forum Conference

I love conferences! You learn something every time you go. There's such a vast amount of weaving knowledge out there to add to our brains that it's impossible to learn it all, but we keep chipping away at it and hope to acquire just a bit more each time we go.

The conference was this past weekend at Arrowmont. Arrowmont's in Gatlinburg, one of the meccas of commercialization, not exactly a place you'd want to go to for improving your knowledge of weaving. However, there's a tiny oasis among the shops and "museums".  It's Arrowmont, a wonderful school for crafts. At Arrowmont, you don't realize you're in Gatlinburg. You're in a place that surrounds you with opportunities to learn! I used to go there for spring classes every year until we adopted our DD back in 87.

This is the third time SFFA has had their conference at Arrowmont.

This year I took a class with Karen Donde on Turned Beiderwand. The class was 2 1/2 days long. It could have been 5 days. So much information, so little time, so much to thread, weave, figure out....

I tried to take some pictures but I missed alot!

We all wound 2 warps before we got there. One warp we wound onto the back beam of our looms and if we had a second warp beam, the other was wound onto that one. I only have one beam on my ashford. So, the other warp had to be positioned and then supported with a weight so it wouldn't move while we threaded the 2 warps at the same time. Yup, 2 sets of lease sticks and all!!

Karen ended up helping several of the students at times, making sure they knew what they were doing!

 Christy took the class with me. Her baby wolf worked nicely. Note the weights she has on her second warp..

 I did snap a quick picture of my loom while I was still threading the warps. The only thing is, I forgot to snap one while I was weaving. So, once the warps are threaded and tied onto the front, you have to do something to be sure that that second warp is as tight as the first one for weaving. In order to do that, you have to divide it in sections and hang weights on it. We used water bottles that we hooked onto the sections of warp. It did look interesting, all those bottles on the backs of our looms. Of course, you could weave just a few inches before you'd have to go back and adjust the bottles down again. As long as the weights were the same and hanging from the back, not resting on the floor, you were fine. I did have a bit of problem with one side of my warp. Somehow the weight didnt' work so great there but I wove it off anyway.

 Karen helping a student with his warp. If you hadn't ever threaded a loom with 2 warps before, it was rather daunting!

 I mostly weave clothing that I sell. Our class assistant has bought probably about half a dozen of my pieces over the years. I consider her a friend, more than just a client, even though I only meet her at shows. This past fall she decided she wanted to learn how to weave as well so she signed up in the 2 year program at Haywood Community College. So now she's weaving and I suspect one day I'll buy something she wove when she gets into the Southern Highland Craft Guild as well!

 Oh, just noticed, you can see the bottles hanging from the back of her loom. The long term solution would be to get another back beam. Yes, you can get one for the baby wolf. They're not that expensive. Someone in the class had one. It does add depth to the loom but she sure could weave quickly! Only problem with the weave structures we were doing is that she had to change the tie up underneath the loom quite often. They all did. However, once the sampling's done, you wouldn't need to re tie everything, just weave it off!! Something to consider!!

One of the draws for the conference is that you have a keynote speaker. This year it was Jason Collingwood. He also taught rug weaving there. Of course we've all heard of his father and knew that he was now teaching, taking over from his Dad. Well, I'd never heard him speak before. What an interesting life! He showed us pictures of the studio where he weaves and explained how it all worked. I enjoyed his speech as much as any I've heard in a long time. Incredibly informative!

 The other highlight of the conference is always the fashion show. I tried to take a lot of pictures but the models kept moving alot and it was hard to pin them down..
Here's our fearless MC for the evening, all dolled up courtesy of the vendors, including the feathers in her hair!

 Diane Totten's class sent a representative from them all pinned up in things they had woven and crimped. Very serious fashion show this was!! We did some of this gathering  of handwoven fabric 2 years ago when I took Catherine Ellis's class on woven shibori...

 I don't knit but this cape was awesome. I think she may have spun the yarn too. I don't remember but it was gorgeous!

 Our instructor sent her assistant onstage with a vest she'd woven. I like the blocks that were created in the weave.

 This person won a bag of roving at a previous conference and this is what she did with it....how cool is that?!

 

I won a skein of yarn that has angora in it. Ever soft!! Now I have to think of something to make before the next conference, if I choose! I'm thinking of ideas of what to make. It's not that big a skein so maybe some overshot.....hmmmm...
We all left Arrowmont exhausted but our heads full of new ideas to try to incorporate into our weaving lives. I'll take my samples along tomorrow for all the Tuesday Weavers to see and assess.
Until next week, hope you find time to weave!!
Carol

Gifts

I have some of the new green Bread Cloths, almost ready to go.  They have been woven, inspected, serged, and hemmed.  Now, all that is left to do is wash and iron them, and I ran out of color catchers this week! 

I will be picking those up today so that I can get these done.  I need to finish these up because they are going with me on a trip next week as gifts.

I am excited, I will be going to a continent that Dear one hasn't been to yet!  I hope to be able to share more when I return in a couple of weeks.  

The tickets are bought, my bags are almost packed and the visa should be winging it's way to me by Monday morning, and I take of Tuesday afternoon.  There are still a few details I need to take care of, so I had better get to it!

See you all in a couple of weeks, Tina

One Thing Leads To Another

Take one loom that is ready to weave.

Add one load of donated blue jeans.

Take the jeans apart.

Join the legs of the jeans, using the straight side seam as the guide.  (I joined 11 legs.)  By the way, I overlap the edges and sew twice.
 Join the ends of the long strip that is offset the width you want your strips.

Clean off the kitchen table and clamp on the rag cutter......and start cutting those strips!

Wind the cut strips into a ball OR wind on your rag shuttle.  This ball weighed 1 1/2 pounds!

You're ready to weave a rug.....

You already know all of this, right?  I have worked on the jeans that Tina donated to me, and decided that John would appreciate a little action since it's raining like crazy.  There is still some denim to cut from the long strips since it doesn't come out even.  But, this will get me started.
  What will be your rainy day activity?
Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

Why Can't Knitting Be More Like Weaving?

 When I learned to weave, I was absolutely blown away by the fact that I was making fabric.  I'd been a long-time purchaser of fabric.  I loved to cut it out and make it into other things, but I'd never thought it was possible to make the fabric myself.  It was magical, and I was hooked.  I even gave up quilting, because cutting fabric up into little pieces, only to have to sew it back together didn't excite me anymore.

Then one night, I was sitting at the table at my mother's and my old knitting group when Mom said, "Well, you know, knitting is just another way to make fabric."  I was dumb struck!  She was right!  It was just a much slower, much more tedious yet unique way to make fabric.
  I love to knit, just as much as I love to weave, but I am constantly struck by how long it takes to make, say, a sleeve.  I'm making two at once for the hot pink sweater, because I'm making up the pattern as I go along and don't want to keep notes on how one was made, then have to duplicate it.  And it's taking a long time.  The left front is done, and all I need now are sleeves to put the whole business together, but it just seems to take forever.  After all, a row is only 1/8" long!  And the sleeves need to be about 17" long.  What's 8 times 17?  About a week!  If I have time to knit this week, that it.  I start my new job at the Home Depot Friday, and work doubles all weekend, baking in the morning and watering plants in the evening.
  No time left for weaving, but that's okay, because one row on the scarf is also about 1/8" inch, yet takes a second, as opposed to five minutes on the sleeves.  The drawback is that I can't watch television and weave.  No craft is perfect, is it?
  A busy week ahead, but I hope to join my weaving friends on Tuesday.  If the sleeves are done by then, you'll read about it here!  Until then, happy fabric making, however you choose to make it!
Maggie

Up Close and Personal!

It is my turn to give you an idea of what goes on at the Appalachian Arts Craft Center, of Norris Tn, on Tuesday, from the hours of 10 - 2!  It was again a relatively small group today, but the sun was smiling at us this week!

I thought I might give you an up close and personal look of what is on the different looms.  Everyone is working on something different, from something as small as Christy's bookmarks woven on an inkle loom, that rests on your lap or a table, to the rugs that Carl and Ann do on the huge barn looms in the corner of the room!

 Eiko is weaving away on this beautiful scarf.  She is weaving on a Schacht Wolf Pup, and using 2 shuttles to weave this pattern.

La donna, is weaving with knitting yarns on her rigid heddle loom that she brought from home.

Ann is weaving rugs, on the rocker beater, using a black warp of 8/4 cotton and she is getting this really cool pattern by using............

 this really cool selvedge edge that came on a spool!  I never would have thought to do it!  It so interesting to watch the weft rotate when she beats it in!  She says that she thinks it is going to look one way and it rotates to show a different face entirely!

Miss Ila is also weaving on a wolf pup, and she is using once again a beautifully complicated treadling sequence!

 Christy is planning her next Inkle loom warp.  She brought in several really different yarns to put together.  I didn't get a picture of it before she left, so we will have to make do with some in progress pics.

Carl is working on a huge 200 + year old barn loom in the corner.  He is actually re - weaving several blue jean rugs for a couple of customers.  We take the old rugs apart, throw on a wool warp, this time 16 yards or so, and use the old weft to weave new rugs.  The original rugs have got to be 20 years old at least!  The customers were thrilled to learn that we could re-do these rugs!

Betsy is weaving on a table loom, she is weaving with 8/4 carpet warp.  She put together a beautifully striped warp, and is having a ton of fun weaving a twill pattern for her placemats.

 Here is a shot of the plastic bag rug I wove last week, on the Studio loom.  This poly/cotton warp is on the 4 harness Studio Loom.

A shot of the hem.

I  Think that Pat is not sure if this black placemat/runner warp will ever end!   We did put on 60 yards!









A Baby Wolf is being used this time to weave up these lovely towels.  Cindy had some help getting the warp on the loom, but she is having so much fun weaving this wonderful pattern!

 Lou Ann and I came in last Friday, to finish getting this warp loaded onto the 12 harness Macomber.  She is going to be using 8 harnesses to do a turned twill pattern, stay tuned to see what she has come up with.

 While Lou Anns back was turned Marie said quick, where is the camera!  You see, it is usually Lou Ann that gets all the glamour shots of the rest of us!  We thought it was only right to return the favor!

Marie is weaving on the Norwood, on a multi colored warp.  We put 60 yards on this loom too!  But aren't they lovely placemats?

Remember that rug that Carl was re weaving?  He had finished weaving it by lunch time!  We cut it off and I tied the fringe knots, Carol put the tag on it, and set the price for us.  I called the customer, and took the rug upstairs for him to pick up sometime this week.






There are several more looms in the room that escaped my camera today,  Bonnie has something going on her loom, Lanny has hand towels using variegated cotton flake, Maggie has the 60 inch Leclerc ready to tie on and start weaving, there is the white warp with Ellen's pattern placemats/runners, I somehow managed to miss a picture of the rug that Linda was weaving on the Studio loom, and Andy will be winding her warp onto the small Macomber next week.

We had a visitor today, she was traveling through the area, and just happened to stop by the Center today, when the weavers are working.  The noise we make when we are in residence can be deafening, and today, even though we were not in full force, was no exception!  This visitor came cautiously down the stairs to see what was going on!  Turns out she studied weaving back in college.  In fact I believe she said it was her major!  She even had a loom at home that she hadn't touched in years!  We encouraged her to give it another try, and to be sure and come see us again sometime, to show us what she had woven on that loom!

We love visitors, come by on a Tuesday and see us!

Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina for all

Fly a Few Miles....

I flew a "few" miles on Thursday and came back to spring. They did have some snow here while I was gone but it didn't stick around long and spring is back in action.

Yesterday I was in and out of the kitchen. I know that in the morning the tree outside my window was just as brown as could be. By afternoon, there was a noticeable change. The buds on the redbud trees are about to pop open!!

The pear trees are in full bloom in the area but I don't have one in my yard. I do, however, have redbuds. They will be so pretty for the next week or two!!

 

 Last Wednesday and Thursday morning we woke to a gorgeous view. There was some fog in the area too but not a serious problem. This kind of scene I've only seen in Knoxville about twice in the many years we've lived here. Probably a good thing that this was while I was still in Canada!!

 It was just gorgeous to see and I grabbed the camera. What I couldn't capture was that as the frost fell off of the trees, it was like a blizzard of snow falling.  By mid morning it was gone but had been so nice.

 So I'm back down here in spring but my sister is up there dealing with the snow. The temperatures are going above freezing as well, slowly but surely. She is busy digging ditches in the snow and ice trying to create channels for the water to flow away from her driveway and onto the back alley. I know that they moved some snow yesterday from around the house. I hope they finish that today so that as it melts it'll head to the street and not to her basement!
Of course there's no guarantee that they won't get another snow storm but here's hoping that this is it.

I had 2 rugs left on the loom to weave when I got back. Here they are:
This one is so cheerful! The warp is multi colored and the colors I wove into it just pick it up. I'll be hemming the rugs when I get a chance.

 I ran out of cheerful colors and I have no more colorful loopers left so this one is natural. The colors of the warp show up between the naturals of the weft. This rug is fairly heavy since the weft was more substantial than some of the ones I've used!

I am gearing back up for production. My yarn order came and I'm ready to wind a warp later today. However, I don't think I"ll get much done this week. On Thursday the South East Fiber Forum Association conference begins at Arrowmont. I signed up to take a class on turned beiderwand. It sounds like it's going to be an interesting class with us bringing weights, clamps and water bottles, dealing with 2 warps at a time on the loom and the excitement of a new weave structure!
Should be a blast, meeting new people and taking some of the Tuesday Weavers along to take classes as well. I'll take my camera....
Until next week, I'm glad to say Keep Weaving!!
Carol