Friday, March 30, 2018

Good Friday

It is good Friday today, and because of that and the fact that the family is gathering on Easter Sunday,  all weaving has come to a standstill as we get the place ready for them.  On Monday however, I was able to get a good start on a commissioned rug that has been backlogged for way too long.  You see I took the order when I had LouAnn's rug loom about the place, and then I found out that weaving on that loom gave me bursitis of the hips.  It was really scary to lose the feeling in your leg for over a month!

Anyway, with Big Bertha in the studio, I can now finally get these rugs done and to their new homes. The first rug is a copy of one I made sometime last year or the year before.  The customer had bought the rug as a gift and ordered one for another gift.  They are made with recycled T shirts, one of my favorite rug ingredients.

Original T-shirt rug





The rug I did before had wide blue and white stripes with shots of black, red and green.  This time I am using a variety of blues in the blue sections. and I really like the effect.


Current rug project






In this rug there will be 5 blue stripes and 4 white strips, I am shooting for 40 inches or so in length and 30 in width.  I am just starting the second white strip.

Bertha is behaving quite nicely, I have found that I can weave standing up, and right now I have the treadles tied up  as 1-3-4-2, which I heard about on Peggy Ostercamp's website.  I am doing a regular twill pattern to make the Hollywood rug warp sing, so I am walking the treadles standing up.

This method of weaving will take care of the 2 concerns that I had about bringing Bertha here to my Studio.  She is really big and I am really short, her treadles have always been difficult to press, and reaching for the edges of wide fabric was really a stretch for me.  But I really wanted to weave some wide wool blankets.  I heard about someone who stood to weave on a loom just like this, so I took the chance.  Standing to weave does not hurt my hips or knees, and I will be able to easily weave full width, once I get the yarn finished for the blankets.  While I am spinning yarn for the blankets, I am weaving rugs.

I won't get much weaving time for the next week or so, I am going home to see my Mom and family, I try to get out there at least once a year.  I will be back home late on the 10th, so I am going to be missing 2 Tuesdays,  and probably will not post next Friday either, since I am leaving my computer here at home.  I expect to have this rug finished and the second one started when I post the following week.  The next rug is all about sports teams, and it has turned out to be at least 3 projects, instead of one.

Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina


1 comment:

LA said...

I'm so glad that Bertha is working for you. I'm looking forward to seeing your blankets from your handspun yarn.