HAPPY NEW YEAR! What happened to 2016? Well I did not get my looms warped but do have projects ready to go on them.  Loking forward to seeing all the new projects in the new year. Hope everyone has a happy and healthy new year! Weave on!

Comments

Queezle

I am on band number three.  The whole rationale for the band loom was to make loops for hanging my dishtowels, yet I have hems prepared for three and forgot to incude the loop!  It was in a headachy post-red-wine (whine) state that I realized I had forgotten them!  Happily, the band loom is so quick to set up.

This band is just under 1/2 inch wide, and uses white and the same dark blue as is in most of the recent set of dish towels.

for these dish towels:

Joanne Hall

I too have forgotten, so I just get out the ripper and open up a small place to sew the band in. 

Joanne

Walkingquail

I will make bands for my towels! Just a little extra planning and I love my inkle loom.

Walkingquail

your towels are particularly beautiful!

Queezle

I've been very happy with these - its a pretty cool pattern, and by using 20/2 as my tabby weft, and 8/2 as the pattern, they have a lovely hand.  I'm excited about exploring other Bateman weaves, and hope that I actually do follow through with it.

10ashus

...from KPgreenweave:

 

Seeing that you did a different color stripe near one end makes me want to mention that a good way to keep things symetrical with twining is to work top and bottom at the same time and work toward the middle.

Last night I got about 3/4 of length finished and flipped my frame loom. At first, I made myself crazy worrying about this and that. Are the twines twisting in the same direction? Are the colors lining up in the correct order? Time for a break. Returned after a few hours to enjoy the flow. I may flow in the wrong direction, but I am floating instead of flailing.

Queezle

The amazing effect of wet finishing!  I am carefully hand hemming my Blvd weave dish towels, and wet finishing as I go.  In these photos, the unfinished one is on the bottom, and the finished one on the top.  That 8/2 space dyed cotton is fun, and I think the colors pooled nicely!

back side (favored by my kids):

top side (my favorite)

10ashus

Perfect towels for people like me who crave change. Fold the towels so different side shows. Change without more stuff to store. Brilliant. Interesting how the color pattern is so very different..

The colored threads really were defined in the pattern after wet finishing. Were the white and color the same fiber and weight? A different reaction; or, is it just fooling the eye?

Queezle

The warp was 8/2 cotton (white), and the pattern weft was also 8/2.  But this structure uses another weft for a firm tabby background, and for that, I used an off-white 20/2 (quite fine).  It feels wonderful, and makes me think about trying this as a scarf. 

ShawnC

Oh those towels are beautiful! How fun!

Queezle

I think these are the best towels I've woven. Its been a fun project, and I will return to other Bateman weaves later this year (promising myself, reminding myself). 

 

I am now warping the loom for a table runner.  I hand dyed it, trying for a space dyed.  Not too pleased with the dye job.  First, lots of undyed spots where my shortcut - failing to wash the warp ahead of time - is probably to blame. Second, wanted mostly dark blue with a few purple highlights, but 20 year old cobalt procion with new ultraviolet procion messed with my plans, lol.  However, on the back of the loom it doesn't look quite as bad, and maybe the result won't be horrid. 

Erica J

Love the table runner Queezle!

I managed a bit of Weaverliness today. I got an inch threaded! :)

Queezle

If you are threading a loom, healing must be progressing.  Best wishes for a speedy recovery, and a well threaded loom.

 

I think I am finally on track for the color challenge.  I placed an order with Georgia Yarn Company, and will be all set to (a) work on my secret silly color project; (b) make a guitar strap (a barter for making a missing piece for a 50% warping mill - too complicated to explain right now); and (c) make some dog collars on my new Glimakra band loom.

This is my super busy semester, but I am continuing to watch my Laura Fry video - the efficient weaver - and telling myself that I really can do it all.  haha on me, probably, but we will see.

Erica J

Queezle,

Those are some interesting weaving options! I love the Laura Fry Efficient Weaver video!

The recovery is going, it seems to be going well, though I don't think quikcly is an option. At the rate I'm going with the threading, it should be ready by the time the knee might be up to treadling a loom! :)

10ashus

...to the finish. Erica is on the first inch; I am on the final inch. Weavers are like the inch worms; every little bit counts.

Erica, I was happy to hear your leg is improving, even though not as quick as you wish. I hope you will post updates on the future progress.

endorph

really beautiful Queezle. I love seeing the change that wet finishing can make on a weave structure!

BishopCreek

Due to my teaching duties for an education abroad progam in Tuscany this semester, I am away from my loom until Spring break.  I have been enjoying seeing everyone's current work on this site and considering my next projects.  

I have, however, been able to travel to some very interesting weaving related sites.  My tech-savvy children built a blog site for my Christmas present and raided my photo stash for a gallery of my past work.  I have started posting to the blog on some interesting site visits that I would like to share with this group at this address.  

bishopcreekweaving.com

If anyone has suggestions for fiber visits near Florence, I would love to hear about them and then I could report back to the group if I make it there!

 

Queezle

And boy am I envious! 

That yarn store looked crazy - so much inventory - and you will have so much fun when you get back home. 

Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

sally orgren

If you can enlighten me about Valdostico, Italy, that would be fantastic. I just found out over the holiday that my ancestors may have come from there!

Thanks for sharing. What an adventure!

BishopCreek

Hi Sally,  so nice for you to learn about your family history.  Valdastico is a town near Trento at the start of the mountains in the north.  While this area is most famous for wine, it also has a connection to weaving.  Silk was produced around this region for centuries now.  Back at the beginning each landholder had to plant two mulberry trees for each team of oxen in order to feed the growing silkworm industry.  Silk is still spun and woven in this region, particularly at the highest fashion end in the nearby Lake Como area.  

sally orgren

Weaver Randall Darwall passed away.

Queezle

This is a new name to me, but the internet provides a lot of information.  Amazing work!

I am finally into weaving my table runner with hand dyed ikat-inspired warp.  Finnish Twill from Davison book.  Even though this is an easy treading pattern, seeing the pattern while weaving is not easy (its pretty subtle unless seen at an angle) and the errors creep in.  I do not like spending time unweaving, and so am, once again, strongly considering getting a tempotreadle to minimize the un-weaving time.

10ashus

That is what I kept saying after each turn at the selvedge edges. I only needed 1 inch when I started tonight. With only 1-2 rows to finish, I had to put the loom away.

I predict my twined rug will be finished by next Monday. Now is that not a safe prognostication?

10ashus

Reading today as I have joined the wounded weavers list. Dec & Jan has been rough on our group.

  • Discussion on twining: http://weavolution.com/forum/weaving/twining-15652 
  • Ordered the recommended book, Taaniko: Maori Hand Weaving

 I am 10ashus (tenacious). The effort will be made to finish my Mistakes Galore Rag Rug this evening -twine two rows, thread in ends, slide rug off the dowel sticks.

Queezle

I look forward to seeing your rug.  I still have my very first weaving project.  It shrunk to half my anticipated size, is full of errors, but yet it never ceases to make me smile.  My best wishes to you - that your MG rag rug bring you pleasure, too.

My dyed warp table runner is half done.  The first one I hem stitched and will twist the fringe.  But its not long enough for my table.  I had thought I was being careful to customize it, but, well, I'm not sure.  But I bet I would have no trouble finding a home for it - so far I'm really surprised at how much I like it.

I will switch from 10/2 weft to 20/2 weft for this next one, and weave the ends in sewing thread in hopes of a neat selvedge.

sally orgren

It came as a total surprise to discover my Fitbit registers treadling as steps! Now I need to figure out the ratio of calories burned to inches of handwoven cloth.

 

nancy3terrific (not verified)

I thought I saw Boulevard weave! Are there any other Bateman weaves in there?

Catrinka

Just wondering if anyone else finds unattached mystery warp threads on the underside of your completed weaving cloth.  I am a newish weaver but am stumped by these 3 or 4 long warp threads I discover after weaving.

Queezle

I don't think I understand your question - is it whether there are other Bateman weaves in the 8-shaft book?  I'm not sure that is your question, but it is something I've been thinking about.  I've not seen other Batemans in that book, but I have not looked exhaustively.

I'm spending my friday evening measuring a warp to make my dog a collar.  My color study has led me to learn that tans/beiges/yellowish colors look terrific with blue.  So - she just might be getting a blue collar  ;-)

Oh - maybe this counts toward the color study??

Weavin Steven

Hi all,

It's been a long time since posting on this site. I don't know if this is the correct group to post in but here goes.

I'm working on a particularly nasty warp right now. It's a fairly dense sett at 60 epi. The edges really like to spread out on the warp beam, even with warp sticks. So I made a homemade raddle and plan on attaching it to the back beam. This should help keep the spreading to a minimum as the width in the raddle will equal the width at the reed. But should I remove the raddle when I start to weave? Does it matter? Will the well-wound warp start to spread when it reaches the back beam?

Queezle

I have not had a warp with anything close to 60 epi, so my experience might not be relevant.  But when I've thought to leave my raddle in, I found it held the warp up higher than I wanted, making my shuttle race ineffective and resulting in more skipped threads than I wanted.  OTOH, the one time when I wove with a supplemental warp, I used to raddle to keep the supplementary warp separated from the other warp.  It was fewer threads so didn't interfere as badly as when the entire warp was still in the raddle. 

These experiences were with a mighty wolf. 

BishopCreek

I frequenty use 60/2 or 30/2 silk at high epi and with these slippery yarns I have had similar sliding issues during beaming--usually more shifting to one side than actually spreading out.  I tried to place paper under the warping sticks a couple inches out to make the threads drift uphill--not noticably successful.  Better was tightly wrapping several several winds of large stiff yarn around the back beam and tieing.  (not the wind-on warp beam, but the beam the ends pass over). I actually used 8 ply twisted cotton/linen "braids" made according to a Vavstuga method which allowed a nice bite for the knot.  I pushed them next to the outer threads and measured their correct location from the side of the beam.  While winding on the warp, I occassionally remeasured and adjusted as needed.  In most cases they held fine.  This method does not raise the thread height as was mentioned and at least tells you if there is a problem with some chance to address it.  I did not notice any binding up of the warp as it slid past these stoppers.  I left them in place during weaving, but did not find them slipping at that point.  It looks like stopping the trouble at back beam also stops the trouble at the warping beam.

BishopCreek

Hi Catrinka,  noone with such a lovely cat should have to suffer with unwanted warp floats.  These happen when some ends stick down when they are expected to rise as their shaft move up or when the shafts are not raising the warps uniformly high.  In either case the shuttle-weft thread does not catch them as expected.  Sometimes this happens with warps staying up, but in that case we see them on top!  Some weavers have a mirror positioned to show the underside in order to catch this common problem.  Solutions???  If sticky warp, use higher tension, watch as best you can before passing the shuttle.  If you have extra shafts, spread the threading over more shafts to spread more. If the shed is uneven (my problem for months on a countermarch) the tieups need to be tweaked up or down at each treadle to clean the shed.  If jack style loom, make sure the at rest warp is lower than a straight line from back beam to front beam.  This will give a bigger shed and more tension to help the ends  make the right decision.

nancy3terrific (not verified)

Hi - I was basically asking if you were using other Bateman weaves in your towels. I recently discovered Boulevard weave when I acquired an older (March/April 1995) Handwoven mag.

nancy3terrific (not verified)

I am currently working on 10/2 tensel that I dyed this summer. My own design I call Wonky Squares. I too have experienced loose warp threads - hopefully not for this project! BTW - I left the lease sticks in from warping back to front.

Catrinka

Ah, at least I know what to call those mystery threads now--warp floats!  So it seems that I need to look at the shed (probably uneven)!  I only have two treadles/shafts, so cannot go too wrong with that.  I will check tie-ups as well. The mirror is a great idea but might be tricky to hook up.  And thank you for helping me out!

Joanne Hall

Hi Nancy and Katrinka,

Besides what has already been mentioned, try to determine if there is a pattern, like being in one area of your warp or random.  Sometimes it is the warp threads that are just slightly looser than the other warp threads.  This can come from the way you wound the warp or the way to did the tie-up to the cloth beam tie-on bar. 

Wind only about 4 to 6 inches of your warp width in each bout and your warp ends will all be the same length.  Winding too much, especially on a small frame, can cause the warp ends to be different lengths,

As you weave, it should get better.

Joanne

Catrinka

BishopKnoll and Joanne:

Sounds like good advice.  I can definitely relate to "loose threads" as they sometimes occur when advancing the cloth. I just finished re-tying half a dozen loose or "crossed" threads. I have never used lease sticks. My floor loom is on the small side, a Saori loom (Japanese).  I will keep you all posted on my progress.

And thanks again.  So glad I joined your forum.

Erica J

Weavin Stephen,

Greater to see you again! I have never left a raddle in while weaving. I would not think the warp would spread out on the back beam once wound, especially if it is well wound.

I can't wait to see how you get on with this weaving!

Erica J

I didn't get a lot of weaving done this weekend, between the knee and gearing up to host 12 fellow fibre artists this coming weekend, I was a bit pre-occupied.

I have started implementing the GTD (getting things done) system. I heard Felicia Lo talk about using this in her Sweet Georgia Yarn Podcast. 

Implementing this system has helped me get all the things out of my head, The author's mantra, if you like, is "Your head is for ideas, not for holding them." This is absolutely me! I now have an organized list of all my current and planned weaving and can add new ideas to the bottom and assess new priorities. 

Short story long, I did get some weaving done this weekend, if only a few inches on my twill study sample, which is also cleverly a bit of a color study sample! :)

Joanne Hall

Hi Steven,

Sorry I missed seeing your question.  This is a perfect warp for making selvage papers.  This is a solution that is in the Swedish book, Manual of Swedish Hand Weaving, out of print.  It is on different pages in the different editions.  I have this in my warping book, page 26, as I have used it many times on long warps and warp faced warps.  Basically, it supports the selvages and the sticks so that you always have a flat surface to wind your warp, which is what gives you even tension.  It is a simple folding of paper so that one layer of paper sits on the last 1/2 inch of your selvage threads and then there is a 8 layer folding of paper beyond the selvage that supports the next layering of sticks. 

Joanne

Queezle

couldn't help myself.
 I ordered two books this morning. 

One is "Bateman Weaves, The Missing Monograph: The Basics and Beyond"
by Linda Davis.  Two great books have been published about the Bateman weaves over the past year, and this one seems better suited for me.  And once I was ordering that, somehow, Norma Smayda's Weaving Designs By Bertha Gray Hayes: Miniature Overshot Patterns slipped into my cart.  I have not done any overshot in more than 20 years, but Reedguy's bathrobe/smoking jacket-in-the-making intrigued me, and so, well, we will see if it spawns overshot weaving.

I realized later in the day that I had not purchased a weaving book in many, many years.  I don't know what it was this morning that made me do it, but I am happy that I did!

sally orgren

I have tried a few different things over the years. Weaving with the raddle in place didn't make any difference in the shed on my 45" floor loom, because there is enough distance front to back in the loom frame.

I have elevated parts of the warp at the back of the loom when I want to separate them, as mentioned previously.

I use two cable ties, set at the width of the desired warp, on my back beam to keep the warp from spreading out while beaming. (I beam back to front).

I have also used cable ties in place of a raddle when one was not available. This does not increase the height of the back beam, so it worked well on a small table loom, where you have a narrow shed aleady, and don't want to decrease it any further. (Positioning/rotating the cable tie "lock box" so it won't catch on warp threads is the trick.)

 

Queezle

That is very clever, Sally.  I guess you must tighten them up quite a bit to keep them from moving side-to-side?

What is everyone up to?  I am almost done hemming those dish towels I started back in the fall, the boulevard weave.  My table runners with the dyed warp is almost done weaving, too, but I decided I wouldn't let myself take it off the loom until I have finished hemming dish towels.  Only 2 left to go.

laurafry

I am finally starting to get to the studio, although still only very short spurts, as the clearing out of my mother's apartment nears an end and her affairs are set in order.  I am hoping to begin weaving on the rayon chenille warp I beamed yesterday and threaded/sleyed/tied on today.  Hopefully I can get that warp woven off tomorrow afternoon.  But we'll see how the final push to clear out the apartment goes.  What is left is what we will keep, and finding places for it all will be a bit of a challenge.  :(

But it did feel good to finally get back to the loom.

10ashus

A friend of mine is in charge of library programs. He has asked me to teach a hands on craft for rag twining. I have been thinking of possibilities, problems and projects.

Eager to start my next twining project. It is delayed due to waiting for a ride to town. I must visit the resale shop to purchase rags. Yes, purchase rags. It seems that I must keep wearing the ones in my closet. My fingers are crossed for luck. Hoping to find the colors I want for my Color Study Challenge.

Queezle

When I took a twining workshop, about 23 years ago, the teacher had prepared small wood frames, and we each made a hot mat.  It was a satisying project, but did take quite a bit of time.  I wonder what the "minimum unit'" is for a twined project.  Maybe a mug rug? 

It is yet another snowy morning.  I am indulging in a second cup of coffee while waiting for the high school kids to all get to school and parked so the roads are a bit safer, lol. 

 

sally orgren

In some cases you might want to slide them along the beam to vary the size of the increments inbetween, or slide them out of the way completely, so you don't want them locked down super tight.

10ashus

I was suffering  severely from empty-loom-itis. Many weavers will get this malady from a lack of time. Mine was provoked by a lack of materials; or rather, an inability to drive myself to town. Today I got a surprise package from a friend. My symptoms ceased immediately when I began dreaming over the fabric's and colors. This weekend I will be completely cured by starting a new project.

 

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