weaving

It’s Here

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Adirondacks in the snowSnow on Sunday.  Snowing again today.  Nothing has really accumulated but it’s here.  It’s been quite cold the past week or so, cold enough to break out the winter coat.

This time of year is the most difficult for me in a lot of ways.  The days are so much shorter.  The house is cold a lot of the time. I know this is one long, long slog until spring.  We are talking 5 months minimum on the hill.  Yes, we will have a few of those January thaw days and it will warm up in April so we think we can actually do something outside in the garden but . . . never, ever plant anything before Memorial Day.

So what are the advantages of a long, dark winter?  For me it gives me time to work on many different projects.  I have a lot of handwork that sits idle whenever the weather is good enough for me to be outdoors.  It’s a time for woodfires in both stoves and fireplaces.  I love hearth cooking and that is really only fun when it’s really cold out.  If I sit and watch a movie on TV that’s okay – I’m not frittering away a day when there is too much else to be done.  Did I mention weaving?  Weaving, weaving, weaving, nothing more to be said about that.

I love the beauty of the snow on the trees and ground, how bright it is with the moon shining.  I love the sound of the snow under your feet on those cold, quiet nights with a million stars visible from the driveway.  I love snoeshowing the property lines, it gives me a wider perspective of the land (and I can walk on all those wet, swampy spots that I can’t cross any other time of the year).  There is bird song of a whole different kind.

So it’s now time to ease into a slower pace, enjoy family and friends and work on things left since last winter.  This is what the dogs live for.

Sophie in the Snow (1)

 

 

Weaving Wednesday – Round Robin 7

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131105 Point Twill (1)In weaving class last night I decided on a Rosepath Point Twill.  This was woven on a Leclerc counterbalance loom (my first experience).  It is warped and woven in 8/2 unmercerized cotton.

The draft for this one was interesting because it gave me choices.  It was drafted with 5 different weave structures and I had to decide how I wanted my towel to look.  I decided to do a 4″ band of one design, a 12 pick band of plain weave and the body in another simpler design (which I modified even further to satisfy my symmetrical OCD).  It was warped in a soft pink color and I chose a chocolate brown for the warp.

All in all I was pleased with the end result.  We are coming to the end of this weaving adventure.  Fabric is coming off of the looms now as people finish it up.  As a sewer this takes on a different feel.  I looked at the 8 yards of towelling that was taken off a loom yesterday, folded and looking like a bolt of beautiful fabric and couldn’t help but think I may have to weave something to make into clothing at some point.  It is just too beautiful to use just for a dish towel.

131105 Point Twill (2)

 

Weaving Wednesday – Round Robin 6

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131029 WeavingThis week I decided to tackle the False Satin Blocks in 10/2 mercerized cotton.  I chose a buttery yellow for the weft.  I sat down at this loom last week and simply could not do this.  I was over thinking to the point where I just had to walk away. I didn’t understand what the selvages were doing, the sheds weren’t opening the way they were supposed to, ugh! (Of course if I had just waited and asked a question or two that might have helped).  I spent the entire week fretting about this whole set up.  8 shafts intimidate me, I’m not sure why.  I think it was just out of my comfort zone right then. I was looking for meditation last week, this week I was up for the challenge.

I sat down and wove this without a single issue this week.  I think having my head in a different place made all of the difference.  I wasn’t distracted.

Pam had to unweave a Navajo rug she was working on because there was a problem with how it was warped.  She was trying to fix and then re-warp the frame.  Her cat, Fred decided he would help her out.

131029 Fred (1)Fred loves the studio.  He is always there, waiting for a pat or cuddle (or food).  He helped Pam read her measurements – we all know tempting any owner reading a paper of any kind is. I think he was just in tune to her frustration and was working on a little comic relief.

131029 Fred (2)He did a very good job.

 

 

 

Weaving Wednesday – Round Robin 5

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131023 Undulating TwillI arrived at weaving class 2 hours early on Tuesday with the idea that I would catch up – I was a towel behind in the Round Robin.  I decided to start with this undulating twill pattern. I remembered being told it would weave up quickly.  Sometimes it takes me quite a while to figure out what color to use for the warp but the person that wove the towel before me on this warp used the same color.  I love the way it looks, it reminds me of vintage fabric.  It took a little less than 2 hours to weave the 27″ for the towel and I wasn’t so fried from a complicated pattern that I moved on to another loom.

131023 Point Twill with HerringboneThis is a Point Twill with Herringbone pattern.  I have to say it was really fun to weave.  The results are . . . interesting.

Both towels are made in 8/2 unmercerized cotton making a nice weight, absorbent towel – isn’t that all your really need?  I am now caught up with 5 more towels to weave.  I can’t wait to have them all off of the looms and start hemming (not).

A Weaving Weekend

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131020 Green Crosss

Although it wasn’t totally planned I spent most of the weekend doing something related to weaving (in between cooking, cleaning and loads of laundry).  I make the mundane more pleasurable by rewarding myself with loom time.  I finished the blue and white and moved onto a green variegated version of the Maltese Cross and discovered something in the process.  Being a newby to this craft I didn’t realize what a HUGE difference yarn would make in how the pattern looked.  (Apparently I’m paying too much attention to other things while I’m throwing a shuttle).  The last two throws I have woven in this pattern I used Bartlettyarn Maine Wool for the weft with a warp of Jaggerspun Maine Line 2/8 wool.  I love the feel of the wool when it’s been fulled and finished, it’s a warm, heavy blanket but . . . the crosses in the pattern were more elongated than I had thought they would be.  When I started weaving the green version of this I was using Noro Boku, a wool/silk blend.  Both of these yarns are worsted weight but one is thicker than the other and the less hefty of the two brought the pattern into what I had expected.  Yes, I continue to weave with the variegated yarn even though the judge didn’t like it at the Big E.

Sunday I spent a good part of my afternoon at the weaving studio helping Pam put together a new Harrisville 36″ 8 Shaft, 10 Treadle Loom. The latest addition arrived in two boxes and reminded me of something I might have picked up at IKEA.

131020 (1)Parts, parts, parts, tools, instructions.

131020 (2)More parts.

131020 (3)Okay, I’ve built IKEA before – Harrisville should get some advice from them on their instructions.

131020 (4)Pam’s attaching the treadles.

131020 (5)You have to be fairly flexible to get this job done ( at least be able to get up off of the floor).

131020 (6)About 3 hours later here she is ready to go – well, with four shafts ready to go.  After 3 hours we were fried, so opted to add the other four later.

131020 (7)Set in the new spot with the other looms.

This was a great experience.  I now feel as if anything that happens to my loom I will be totally prepared to repair.  The maple that the loom is made out of is quite beautiful.  I also learned why Pam asked me for help – it is virtually impossible to put this together without an extra set of hands. I also think it was an extension of my weaving education.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weaving Wednesday – Round Robin 4

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131015 Braided TwillNext up on my twill weaving tour is a Braided Twill.  This was done in 10/2 unmercerized cotton on an 8-shaft loom.  My first 8 shaft experience.  The treddling is quite simple and progressive in a way that makes it easy to weave. The results are impressive I think.

Like many of the towels I have woven in this series the pattern isn’t that obvious as you are weaving it.  You need to stand away from the loom or lean back while you are sitting so you can see it at an angle.  This is where photography really comes into play.  For some reason no matter what angle you photograph textiles you always see much more detail than if you are looking at the textile itself.  I’m not sure if it’s the contrast or the fact that a photo is 2 dimensional.  I know if I can’t see what’s going on I take a photo and get my ah ha moment.  That’s the beauty of the instant gratification of digital.

131015 Braided Twill (2)This was difficult to weave evenly.  You really can only weave in the center third of your warp otherwise you can see where your beat is uneven, it breaks up the pattern.  Another problem for little perfectionist me.  I finished up my 27″ in about three hours then toured the studio to see what I wanted to weave next week.  This is so much fun.

Calling My Name

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131005 Maltese Cross

 

Weaving has become an obsession with me.  I warped my loom in Rowe last week.  I was proud to say after 430 ends only one was threaded wrong and I was able to fix it with a string heddle.  I love having an instructor who knows the craft so well she can teach you the tricks that get you out of a jam.

I wound an extra long warp so I could weave three of these throws in succession with different colors.  This is the traditional blue and white.  The next will be with a variegated green/brown combination and the last will be anyone’s guess.  Christmas is coming.  I figure I can have these off of the loom by Halloween and move on to other gifts.

Although I weave during the week at the studio in Brimfield we are weaving cotton.  Cotton is what I started with when I began learning to weave, it gives a beautiful definition to the structure.  For that reason I like weaving with it, especially when I am doing something new.  My last project for the class this past spring was the red and white wool throw and it was revelation.

I love the feel of wool.  I love the way it feels going through my hands. Winding the warp seemed effortless, it had a calming effect. That’s really the reason I love having something in wool always going somewhere.  It’s not just the counting and meditative repetition of the act of weaving, it is also the feel.  This throw is warped in Jaggerspun Maineline 2/8 yarn, it is soft and wonderful to work with.  The weft on this section is Bartlettyarn Maine Wool  which is a beautiful worsted weight yarn.

The other aspect of weaving with wool is the smell – I’m thinking it’s only fiber people that will understand that statement.  It smells like it came from an animal, it’s wonderful.  Don’t get me wrong – it doesn’t smell while you’re weaving but you can take a hank of wool and breathe it in, ahhhh.  It’s in the finishing that some of these remaining oils are washed out and that’s what makes the fiber “bloom”.  There are so many times when I look at the weaving on the loom and think it doesn’t look as good as it should.  Once it is washed and dried a miracle happens and it often looks better than anticipated.

That’s the thing I’ve found with weaving – every aspect of it is equally important to the finished project.  People tell me they love to weave but hate to warp.  To me that is the most important part, otherwise nothing else works.  It is time consuming, yes, but I take it as a challenge.  I try to beam my warp so the tension is even, thread my heddles so there are no mistakes, slay the reed without skipping a space all the first time.  It becomes tedious when I don’t pay attention and have to take it all out and start over.  Throwing the shuttle is the easy part most of the time.  Finishing can be tedious as well but when you do it it’s magic.  What looked just okay on the loom becomes a masterpiece once it is washed.  All aspects of the process come together.

Weaving Wednesday 16 – Round Robin 2

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131001 Undulating TwillThe towel I wove this week is an undulating twill in 8/2 unmercerized cotton.   This is done on a four shaft loom and weaves up pretty fast.

Another new experience for me was using tie-ups for the harnesses.  I never have – I have a four harness loom with four peddles.  I use both feet pretty much all of the time I’m weaving.  I must confess that as I wove last night I felt like I was cheating somehow.  It was so much easier.  Hmmmm, makes me think about modifications to my loom.  Actually, it makes me think I want yet another loom, smaller, 8 shafts, more possibilities.

This is a disease, truly.

 

Thoughts on the Big E Experience

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130930 Big E Ribbons

 

I just went to the fairgrounds to pick up my entries to the Big E.  It closed yesterday.

The fairgrounds the day after the fair closes are complete chaos.  It’s filthy and crowded – not in a good fair kind of way either.  The street sweeper actually swept right up against my car just before I got into it to leave.  There was trash everywhere.  It is interesting to see the dirty underbelly of this huge fair in the broad light of day – makes you want to stay home.  It could be because the smell of fair food was not there, that’s what draws you in.  All you smell is sausage and peppers, french fries and fried dough.  This morning it smelled of manure.

I knew I won first and second place for my weaving because daughter Cait had gone the first few days and sent me photos while she was there.  You gotta love modern technology.  I didn’t know that every single entry comes back with a critique from the judge – excellent.   The evaluation is based on eight criteria – Design, Materials, Creativity/Originality, Color, Technique & Workmanship, Condition, Finishing and Appropriateness of design to submitted work.  On the red and white Maltese Cross all aspects were checked excellent except for Design and Creativity/Originality.  My assumption is it has to do with it being a traditional design in a traditional color scheme, they’ve seen it before.  The scarf on the other hand the judge apparently didn’t like my color scheme at all.  Design and Creativity got a fair, Color got a needs improvement and appropriateness was good.  Everything else was excellent.  I can weave well but the comment really told the story – “The color stripes interfere with the pattern.  Very well executed.”

This actually made me laugh a little.  I got a ribbon (because they don’t have to give you one) and a good one at that.  The judge just hated the color.  Maybe I should pass on using a variegated yarn on my next overshot project.  Then I thought “that is soo subjective, just because the judge doesn’t like my striped overshot doesn’t mean I don’t like it”.  I already have plans for another overshot project (or two) using variegated yarn so the comments won’t stop me. I just may not enter something like that next year.  It’ll be a crazier and a more radical departure from tradition but will be executed so well that they will have to acknowledge it.  Never try to discourage a person like me when it comes to something I think is working.

 

Weaving Wednesday 15 – Round Robin Week 1

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130917 Weaving (1)I had lost track of time and realized (yesterday) that I was a week off in getting my loom ready for the class round robin. I left work early to get the loom slayed and tied off.  I have to admit I always love the way the loom looks at this point.

It is warped in a 5/2 unmercerized cotton. Once that was done I had 3 hours to weave my 27″ before I could move on to the next loom. The pattern is called “Crooked Check” from Margaret B. Windeknecht’s Color and Weave II.  It’s a straight twill and was fun and quick to weave.

130917 Weaving (4)I kept getting a little confused using two shuttles in a different way than I do with the overshot. With overshot you use two different shuttles for every row you weave, with this it was 4 rows of white, 4 rows of blue. That may be the inherent problem in weaving two totally different projects at the same time.  About two hours into it I was getting the hang of it.

130917 Weaving (3)I did my 27 inches in the alloted time and was very pleased with the results.  This pattern is so cute, it looks like little snail trails.

The round robin project is perfect for me.  I love hand-woven towels, they get better each time you wash them but I find them insufferably boring to weave.  I was a little tired of this by the time I finished it.  I would have been able to weave a second one but by then I would have been done with it.  Next week I will pick another loom, another project without having to warp it.  Sweet!