My Corner Of The World - Feb 2013

In my corner of the world (New Jersey), it is still dark, cold (it was 15 degrees this morning) and a little bit snowy. I am working on a sample that uses four shuttles, so I devised a way to hold the unused wefts out of the way, but at the same time, I can capture them at the selvedge so I am not having to start and end wefts every 4 pics. (See the little green plastic page holders, wedged into the lid of the castle.) I also had to label my treadles and my shuttles to keep everything straight. If I can keep it together on a table loom, weaving the real deal on the floor loom should be a piece of cake!

Sally that is just lovely! 

Sample 1 is too random to notice, or the ratio is off. (Or something! ;-). But it is still cool. Not worth using 4 different fibers and shuttles if I go this route. Can stick to just two.

Sample 2 has more differentiation, and if the weft plan is successful, I will rethread and try the same in the warp for sample 4 to bring it into sharper focus.

Meanwhile, Sample 3 is underway, where I colored all the thin warps (with Sharpies) so the thicks will stand out even more. (Dark recedes and light advances, right?)

I had to shovel again this morning. (Not much, but still). Anyone else?

here is a pic from (south of) Sweden:

Pic taken yesterday at 12.30 (30 minutes after noon... a grey day...)

We just missed the big wallop winter storm Nemo delivered a few hours north and east of New Jersey. Less snow for us than predicted, but it still took me 2.5 hours of intense shoveling to clear the driveway. I am very thankful we did not lose power with this one.

I saw this loom today in the weaving studio of the Appalachian Arts Craft Center, in Clinton, KY. This is a very low castle loom — the 2 shafts are supported by beams that are cantilevered out from truncated uprights in back. The loom looked old, and it was positioned next to a traditional high castle barn frame loom. Has anyone seen one like this before?

sitting on the bench, my head would be higher than the rod that suspends the shafts! I only have a left and right view from the same side of this loom. (Didn't think to shoot down on the tie up and treadling.) The looms were all pushed to one side of the room. As I was unaccompanied in this non-public location, I didn't want to make a bother. I am thinking about following up with the person who teaches the weaving to see what she knows about this loom. Of course, I am dying to know how it actually WEAVES!

Hello Everyone!

We've had a cold snap here in East Anglia. During which my school lost heat, but we didn't close! We haven't really had any snow though.

The biggest news is TJ, aka the Baby Jones, is nearly 7 months and has been crawling for weeks. This makes for a fun time trying to juggle the "oh don't go there!" moments with Weavolution. 

Although we've got a lot of unpacking done, my loom is still in bits, so I'm relying on your lovely weaving pictures, posts and questions to get my fix! I too love your ingenuity Sally Orgren!

We're half way through the month so enjoy the rest,

Erica

If you can guess where this image was taken, you are REALLY well-traveled. Hint—it's the home of the Pioneers

You just blew ME away! I hadn't been on the campus in something like 15-20 years, and wow, have they expanded!

Inky got a shot at being Commander in Chief today! 

I'm just returned from Tennessee where I was in Chattanooga, Nashville and Memphis.  Would love to return in the spring.  The magnolias were just barely starting to blossom as I left - to return to (sigh) winter.  :)

cheers,

Laura

I was in Athens on Wedesday afternoon, Nashville Wed eve and then out to Tusculum by Thursday afternoon! I put nearly 1,000 miles on the rental car in just three days. I am a bit punchy now, as I got up at 4 a.m. for my return flight and need a nap, although it is actually time for dinner. 

hanging from the "roof" (aka hawk deflector) of the chicken run

I think we were on the I-40 - but since I was a passenger I wasn't paying much mind.  :)  I was driven from Atlanta to Chattanooga, then from there to Nashville, back to Chattanooga, then to Memphis via Nashville.  I saw quite a bit of the state!  :D

cheers,

Laura

Hope so—it was GREAT!

Our guild held a special Saturday workshop on Fingerweaving. Franco, have you posted samples of this type of weaving in the past? It was fascinating! It is one of those weaving techniques were you can get amazing results with NO equipment, it is just a play of color and weave effects. 

Here is my first sample band. Each warp becomes the weft for one pass. No shuttle needed, you use your fingers to create the shed, and there is no beating required!

This Pepto-Pink Yaris, owned by somebody's grandmother. If Inky had been traveling with me, he would have been in the shot.

because the wefts don't intertwine around the warps and/or each other as they go across. (I have done twining via a Bobbie Irwin workshop.) The warp-that-becomes-weft is going through the shed cleanly.

To weave this, you just "pick the shed" as you work from right to left. (Example, you pull the first warp thread up, pull the next one down, etc.) until you get to the left side. Then the left-most warp thread becomes a weft, goes into the shed and pops out to the right. The previous weft (which was left hanging out to the right) now crosses down over the top of it, and becomes the new right-most warp thread. 

In addition to twining, it also looks a bit like tablet weaving, because the warps make little diagonal diamond shapes. But unlike table weaving, with this technique, the warps do not twist.

You start in the middle of the warp. When you finish one side, you flip it over and work the other side to complete!

I am still fascinated, and working on the Chevron pattern next. It is going a bit slower, needless to say!