I have done several baby blanket warps over the years, in fact I think it has been 3 x 40 yards worth of Overshot baby blankets. Needless to say my enthusiasm wained towards the end of that third warp and I messed around switching from an all over design to a plain weave blanket with different designs as an Overshot border, Cat Track and Snail Trails being my favorite.
Recently I wove some fabric using what remains of that third warp and a Monks Belt design. I then made purses out of that fabric. I got an order for 2 baby blankets a couple of weeks ago, and one of Dear Ones good friends just had a baby boy recently. So with the shows over, I went about rethreading once again for Cat Tracks and Snail Trails, and I had a hard time finding the threading that I had used in the past and had to wing it a bit. In the process of searching for the pattern that I had always used, I saw an abbreviated treadling that I thought I would try this time around.
The loom I am using is a Counter Balance 4 shaft "Burchard" loom made in Oakland California a long time ago, and she has some quirks. One of them is that the treadles are set up a certain way and they really cannot be changed unless you want to switch the actual treadles around, which I could do if I wanted to take the loom apart to a certain degree. I always just transposed the treadling order, it saves a lot of time!
I was finally ready to weave and for the first two blankets I just wanted some Snail Trails on each end of the blanket, and those were quickly done. Then I started the third blanket, and as I began to weave the pattern, I thought it looked a little funny, but I continued on. It wasn't until I was done with the pattern repeat that I realized that I had forgotten to switch the tie up for the Counter Balanceness of this loom!
I had a good giggle at myself for not recognizing from the moment I started it that it was the back side, but I just thought it was the new treadling! I wove the body of the blanket and did the smaller pattern on the other side.
I have a lot of fun with the stripes on these blankets and rarely do the same stripes, sometimes even changing the stripe width that frames the design on each end of the blanket. Of course sometimes that is by accident because by the time I get to the other side of the blanket the first sequence is on the cloth beam and covered up. I do try to take a picture so that I can refer to it when I get to the other side, sometimes I forget and sometimes, I forget to look at the pictures, trusting to my memory! (not a good idea)
I snapped a picture of the right side of the pattern before it got to the cloth beam. I really like this abbreviated pattern it works up nicely in the 8/4 cotton I am using. I am always on the lookout for miniature Overshot pattern ideas for these blankets and this one so far is my favorite.
I think next time I will repeat the Snail Trails section at least 1 more time on each side of the Cat Tracks section, I like odd numbers.
Today I am hemming, washing and hanging to dry these blankets, and I will bring them to show and tell on Tuesday before I send them on their way.
Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina
Recently I wove some fabric using what remains of that third warp and a Monks Belt design. I then made purses out of that fabric. I got an order for 2 baby blankets a couple of weeks ago, and one of Dear Ones good friends just had a baby boy recently. So with the shows over, I went about rethreading once again for Cat Tracks and Snail Trails, and I had a hard time finding the threading that I had used in the past and had to wing it a bit. In the process of searching for the pattern that I had always used, I saw an abbreviated treadling that I thought I would try this time around.
The loom I am using is a Counter Balance 4 shaft "Burchard" loom made in Oakland California a long time ago, and she has some quirks. One of them is that the treadles are set up a certain way and they really cannot be changed unless you want to switch the actual treadles around, which I could do if I wanted to take the loom apart to a certain degree. I always just transposed the treadling order, it saves a lot of time!
I was finally ready to weave and for the first two blankets I just wanted some Snail Trails on each end of the blanket, and those were quickly done. Then I started the third blanket, and as I began to weave the pattern, I thought it looked a little funny, but I continued on. It wasn't until I was done with the pattern repeat that I realized that I had forgotten to switch the tie up for the Counter Balanceness of this loom!
I have a lot of fun with the stripes on these blankets and rarely do the same stripes, sometimes even changing the stripe width that frames the design on each end of the blanket. Of course sometimes that is by accident because by the time I get to the other side of the blanket the first sequence is on the cloth beam and covered up. I do try to take a picture so that I can refer to it when I get to the other side, sometimes I forget and sometimes, I forget to look at the pictures, trusting to my memory! (not a good idea)
I snapped a picture of the right side of the pattern before it got to the cloth beam. I really like this abbreviated pattern it works up nicely in the 8/4 cotton I am using. I am always on the lookout for miniature Overshot pattern ideas for these blankets and this one so far is my favorite.
I think next time I will repeat the Snail Trails section at least 1 more time on each side of the Cat Tracks section, I like odd numbers.
Today I am hemming, washing and hanging to dry these blankets, and I will bring them to show and tell on Tuesday before I send them on their way.
Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina
2 comments:
Cat Tracks/Snail Trail is my favorite overshot pattern!!! But, I'm always on the lookout for something new! Those blankets look great!
Hi, I am so glad I found your blog. I also have a Burchard loom that I bought at an auction about 5 years ago. It's been in storage and I'm now trying to set it up. Is there anyway you could share some pics of your loom that I can compare mine to so I can make sure I'm getting it right. I think my biggest hangup is in attaching the treadles. I can't wait to get it working again. Thank you in advance.
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