Winding Warps

Here's that second royal blue warp I wove with a pale purple stripe and the rich purple section in the middle. The weft changes that purple and it blends it all nicely together. This warp has been woven, serged and washed. The pieces are hanging on the drying rack waiting for me to cut and serge the individual pieces before assembling them.

 On the loom right now is the first of 2 purple warps. I got a neat cone of accent yarn from Yarn Barn in their mailing every other month.  I do like the way this is weaving with the bits of color fluff showing up. It'll be interesting to see how it washes. This warp has a bit of blue and white in the warp as well towards the center of it.

 I had noticed that Amanda had mentioned in her blog that she was using a paddle to wind a warp. I don't use a paddle. She was interested in seeing how I wind my warps so I took a few pictures with DH's help to show my way. The first thing that I find important is a good stand to hold my cones. I wind either 6 or 8 threads at a time. It goes so much faster than if you were trying to wind just one or two at a time. Also, I use different yarns in my warps, everything from 8/2 to 8/8 in the same warp. This works for me.

 I separate the yarns from the stand into 4 sections with at most 2 threads in a group. I group the threads together that are across from each other on the stand.

 So in my case, I hold one thread between my pinky and ring finger and one next to my thumb. The other 2 "slots" hold 2 threads each.

 I never let go of these threads. My hand is controlling the tension of the thread as it comes off the cone. I think this is the best part about not using a separate paddle. I can nicely control the threads and if one gets hung up in the eyescrew down on the holder, I feel it and can immediately stop and fix it.
I use both hands to wind my warps. On the right side, my hand holding the threads goes around the peg while my left hand is above the stand keeping the threads coming straight up off the cones.

 Then I move to where my right hand is above the cones and my left hand reaches out, holding the threads as a group (having been kept apart by my right hand they won't tangle) and goes around the peg to place the yarns.  I guess I should have somehow taken a video but I didn't think of it. At this point, I will be moving back toward the right side again. My left hand will let go of the yarns as my right hand goes toward the peg on the right. My left hand will go below my right hand to kind of catch the group of yarns and holds it while my right hand goes around the peg. Then as my right hand comes back to the middle, I drop the threads in my left hand and grab them again above my right hand to then get them to the left side of the warping board.  My whole body moves toward the left with the yarns and my left hand pulls the group back around the next peg on the left.

 So my right hand constantly holds the group of yarns, separated between my fingers but my left hand will hold the group until it's around the left peg. Then lets the right hand control the complete tension as I go around the peg on the right. My left hand has let go of the yarn as I go around the right peg. Then the left hand holds onto the group of yarns from below my right hand to grab it just til my right hand gets back to the middle. Then I reach above my right hand to grab the yarn and go around the left peg.
This also allows me to keep from moving as far to the left side of the warping board conserving energy because my left hand is reaching out further than my body needs to go.
If I stop inbetween to answer the phone or something, I divide the yarns as shown above to keep the groups separate using the pegs to keeps my 4 little groups apart.
This is the way I've wound my warps for many years. It works for me. However, everyone figures out the way that works best for them. That's the great thing about weaving. Everyone does it differently. I like it that we can let each other know how we do it so that we can adapt what someone else does in a way that works for us.
It's like hem stitching. I teach my way but I know that within a few warps or at least a few placemats, everyone will figure out the way that works for them. The result is the same. The hems are sewn so that the yarn won't pull out and it's secure. I don't do it the way I was taught. I changed it to suit the way I thought worked best for me.

We had just come in from being out in the evening when we took the pictures. Our cat was down there waiting for us to come home as she often does. So, DH picked her up but she always likes to come to me so he took a picture of us. Molly is about 13. She was about 3 weeks old when we got her. We bottle fed her. We think her mother was wild and she wandered away.....not sure if mother or baby wandered away but the result was someone took her to the vet and we were the lucky recipients. Problem is she will only go to either me or DH. She will hiss at my daughter and has done so for the last 6 or so years since she left for a semester of college. She really is a sweet cat but it has to be on her terms!! She wasn't too thrilled to have her picture taken either.

Today I have to get a bunch of rugs ready and inventoried to take downtown to the Art Market Gallery on Gay St. Every month they have featured artists....a 2D and a 3D artist for their featured artist wall. I've been a member for about 25 years and have always sold my clothing there. This time I'm taking rugs for the first time. These are those rugs I wove in December and January.  It should surprise some people. I do hope to sell some. I'll have pictures next time of the exhibit.
Anyone in the Knoxville area is invited to our First Friday. The first Friday of each month the downtown galleries are open and people shop hop. We have food and wine, even some musical entertainment (altho it won't be DH this time). We are encouraged, as members to come and wear our nametags. I'll be there most of the time because I have to. Otherwise, if I have time I pop in for an hour or so each month. It's from 5:30 til 9pm each first Friday of the month.
Then it's back to weaving for me!! I am so much happier just to be in my studio working...
Til next week..
Carol