Happy New Year! Its hard to believe another year is gone - looking forward to a weaverly year ahead. Everyone has been so productive over the last few months - actually all year - good job! Looking forward to all the projects to come in the weeks to come.  Weave on everyone!

Tina

Comments

Tue, 01/21/2014 - 19:59

ReedGuy

Never needed the rocking feet on mine, although I looked at them at one time from Glimakra. Turns out my loom has enough mass in the frame that it doesn't move across the floor. If I was doing rugs it may because of harder beating. They certainly are a good loom accessory when required though.

 

Snow? It's sunny here, but cold. Lots of wood though. :)

Wed, 01/22/2014 - 00:28

loomyladi (not verified)

The seller said it was best to wrap all the innards together as it would save time.  We had to retie the treadles, but everything else was in tact. 

Reed Guy my fella made them because he could and I've had some requests already by the family for "big rugs."  Perhaps for Christmas, if I can get everyone on the same color scheme it would be great. 

I'm in western WV, about 40 minutes due west of Charleston.  No, we did have a water crisis at Back Acres, but the town of Culloden which is 3 miles down the road did.  We are on well (YEAH!)  Many people are still using bottled water and some will continue to for a long time.  A friend in downtown Charleston has finally started drinking it, she says it tastes the same and the smell is finally gone.  She says she will never eat licorice again!  We have about 6 inches of snow at the moment and its blowing a good bit - send sunshine!

Wed, 01/22/2014 - 00:53

ReedGuy

Your software simulation was pretty close Sally.

BTW, I think your just loomie. :D

Wed, 01/22/2014 - 03:23

Cadenza

Sally, that's beautiful! 

 

My yarn arrived! My towels are coming along! The first is almost done. I also got to use my drop spindle! 

Here is the towel. 

Wed, 01/22/2014 - 03:40

Queezle

I'm stealing bits of time here and there to continue with my summer and winter sample.  I only wove this structure once before - and now I feel I am getting to understand it.  Very fun!  Will post photo if I am ever home when there is daylight!

Wed, 01/22/2014 - 11:03

Artistry

Sally there is an Echo in here, that's beautiful ! Cadenza , I love white on white, very nice! Doing handwork, getting those tapestries mounted. Lots of ice around here, slippery.
Wed, 01/22/2014 - 13:17

tommye scanlin

I was back to my floor loom for the past two days in an interesting circumstance.  I was contacted by a church who wanted to film me weaving tapestry (they thought) but when the filmmaker got to my studio, seems the "speed" of what I was doing was way too slow.  He kept asking about machinery moving but by a handcraftsman.  Anyway, to make a long and convoluted story short, the bottom line is that I wound a warp on the warping mill, dressed my floor loom and wove away.  He seemed happy to have moving things and maybe the filmed bits will fit into their video sermon concept OK.  

Chalk one more up to the widely held misunderstanding and use of "tapestry" and "weaving" as metaphor!  

Tommye

Wed, 01/22/2014 - 14:46

ReedGuy

Too busy cook'n today to get down to the wood shop so working on my linen scrim today in 20/2 linen plain weave. 18 epi sett. It's a 3 yard warp for 2 yards of cloth. Lots for my chair build and then some. 36" wide. Probably will just soak the cloth in warm water by hand and a light swirl about, it's not clothing or exposed fabric.

Have a good one. :)

Wed, 01/22/2014 - 14:53

pammersw

I checked. The moss green is three ply and the brown is four ply. Finished weaving last night, hemstitching it off today and warping for the next. 

Wed, 01/22/2014 - 15:01

ReedGuy

Any indications of grist on the label because that will tell more how fine it is. A 3 ply wool in my local yarns is very thick. Judging by your sett it would seem it is around 900 yards/lb. Looks like pretty fine 2-ply in the weft judging by your shuttle. Maybe similar to Harrisville's Shetland 2 ply which uses 15-16 epi for thicker stiffer twill cloth, 10 epi for softer baby blankets according to their sites. All depends on grist of the yarn.

Wed, 01/22/2014 - 16:04

sally orgren

ReedGuy, yes, the simulation was remarkably accurate! Now to play with treadlings and oodles more of wefts! Totally loomie. And I think I can smell your cooking over here...

Queezle, Love S&W! There is so much that can be done with that weave structure, even on 4 shafts.

Cadenza, I agree with CathieB, the white-on-white is classic and is so much fun to watch flow off the loom and into your lap. Is this Bronson, or ...?

Tommye, that is SOOOooo true on so many levels.

Wed, 01/22/2014 - 18:50

pammersw

It's knitting yarn so the label info is limited. ;) but I'll check again.

Wed, 01/22/2014 - 20:13

ReedGuy

All I need is skein weight and yardage of the skein. Convert it to lbs. :) Our skeins up here seem to be 4 oz and those in the US seem to be 3.5 oz.
Wed, 01/22/2014 - 23:51

pammersw

Ah,  I see!  The brown is 4 oz, 220 yds, 4 ply. The green is 3.5 oz, 210 yds, 3 ply. Both are worsted weight knitting wools. What are those called in weavers' terms? 

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 01:19

ReedGuy

Well the 4-ply is obviously 880 ypp and the 3 ply- 960 yyp, pretty hefty for 15 epi Twill sett. As far as I know wool is described differently than cotton since I think wool count is based on a hank of 560 yards instead of 840 yards according to old literature. We mostly don't weave with heavier than 2 - ply unless we do rugs or something. Keep in mind I'm no expert here. :)

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 03:28

endorph

with worsted weight knitting yarn and set it at 8 or 10 epi for plain weave. Don't know if that helps you or not!

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 05:11

pammersw

All my scarves so far have been worsted weight at 12 epi, except this one at 15 epi because it was a twill. Finished the herringbone one today, and warped and started the next one. Every other warp thread is a different color,  alternating a light brown and medium brown. I will also use a lighter weft and a darker weft in every other row. That should result in a subtle horizontal stripe from what is starting out as vertical stripes! That tickles my sense of humor.  ;)

I have already hemstitched the beginning end. 

scarf

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 06:05

pammersw

These are meant to be warm, "working" scarves, dense to keep the wind out, not soft, drapy scarves. They are meant to be warm while working or hiking outdoors,  hours on end, not simply draped over an overcoat between the building entrance and the subway.  The herringbone scarf has now been wet finished, and it is exactly what my boyfriend wanted. It shrank a little, and fulled a litle, and is thick, warm, soft, and 100% wool. Definitely a "win" in our eyes. :)

After I finish the last few scarves, and some placemats, I'm going to try something soft and drapy. I know that to be a good weaver, I need to be able to make thin, sleek fabrics, light, airy ones, and all the other sorts, not just thick,  warm ones. But thick and warm was what this particular project was all about. :)

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 06:19

Cadenza

Working scarves are good to have around! I was wondering if something as thick as worsted could be used for anything other than a rug or maybe a thick blanket. 

The pattern I used for my towels called it Swedish Lace. I don't know if that's a 'real' name or not though. Treadling for this project has been much easier than the last one. Threading was much more complicated though. I love the white on white,  but I think I want to try some stripes on the edging at least for the next towel on the warp.

No weaving today. I played with my drop spindle instead. I hope to wind up with something I can at least use as a weft yarn.

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 06:19

Cadenza

Working scarves are good to have around! I was wondering if something as thick as worsted could be used for anything other than a rug or maybe a thick blanket. 

The pattern I used for my towels called it Swedish Lace. I don't know if that's a 'real' name or not though. Treadling for this project has been much easier than the last one. Threading was much more complicated though. I love the white on white,  but I think I want to try some stripes on the edging at least for the next towel on the warp.

No weaving today. I played with my drop spindle instead. I hope to wind up with something I can at least use as a weft yarn.

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 10:02

ReedGuy

You can often check the mill website to see what their various yarns can be used for as well. Many are knitting sites, but within each yarn description they will oftern list weaving products like blankets and upholstery. I have also read that some labled worsted yarn isn't worsted at all. Confusing at times. :/

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 10:21

Artistry

Cadenza, Yes, Swedish Lace is a real name, and popular weave. Yours is pretty. I am not a lace maker, however have been told that Swedish lace, Bronson lace, etc. are not true laces, I believe that true lace is made off loom with bobbins. This takes nothing away from this weave nor your lovely work:) Tommye, Congrats on getting into ATB 10!
Thu, 01/23/2014 - 10:25

ReedGuy

I don't think worsted has anything to do with weight, but more to do with strength and how it is spun. I have much finer worsted wool here than what Pammersw used, for example.

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 12:39

endorph

that is used to describe how a yarn is spun - worsted or woollen with worsted spun wool usually stronger and smoother than woollen spun yarns (one is a short draw and one a londraw technique) but it is also used to describe a weight of knitting yarn that has nothing to do with how the yarn was spun.  Knitting yarn weights are lace, fngering, sport, DK, light worted, worsted, bulky, super bulky. . .  all having to do with the size of the yarn (WPI) and nothing to do with how the yarn is spun whether worsted or woollen.

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 13:43

pammersw

And just to complicate things,  some of those terms are different outside the U.S. :)

Fingering-weight sock yarn, for instance, might be a readily available source that I could use for the first attempt at a thinner fabric.

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 14:06

ReedGuy

I have never seen worsted refer to weight because I have several weights of worsted yarn, singles and plied. Harrisville of Vermont is worsted 2-ply and Briggs and Little here in NB has singles and 2 and 3 ply all worsted. Each ply the same weight as the single. I have been told at different times that the term has been used erroneously. I think there is mass confusion. Good to know I'm not alone. :D The best solution for me is plies and how many ypp.

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 15:58

kerstinfroberg

And then, at least in the UK, there are knitting yarns that are called 3-ply, 4-ply and so on, which on closer examination have just 2 singles plied - when asked, the mill (in this case) told that "3-ply" is a "weight" that knitters recognize...

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 16:12

endorph

is interested here is a link to the craft yarn council's standard yarn weight system - http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/weight.html  

I think the problem arises when knitters/crocheters, spinniers and weavers all use the same term with different meanings!

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 16:24

ReedGuy

Kerstin, I would be cautious in who you ask at the mill or on the retailer end. For instance, I was told Briggs and Little blankets were woven in western Canada. Come to find out by accident this very morning when browsing the mill's site I see this "Our 100% wool blankets are woven for us right here in Atlantic Canada" on their site. As the saying goes, "if you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with ignorance". :D

 

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 16:57

tien (not verified)

After over three weeks of assembly, debugging, and tweaking to get everything set, Emmy the 40 shaft loom is finally working! Here are the first few inches of weaving:

Hello, world!

(Software folk will hopefully be amused; outputting the phrase "Hello World!" is the traditional first thing one does when learning a new language, setting up a new system, etc.)

 

The gold thread near the top of the sample is two shots of an antique Japanese thread made with real gold (generously supplied by my friend Alfred, also a weaver). We decided to use it as a "christening weft" once we were satisfied the loom was up and weaving - much more appropriate than smashing a bottle of champagne against the loom! So as soon as I got Emmy to say "Hello World", it was time for the christening.

 

So there you have it: she's ready to go!

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 17:12

endorph

So nice to see her up and running Tien - its been quite the journey!

Thu, 01/23/2014 - 19:37

ReedGuy

AH, finally. She Lives!! :D

Did you hear about the rover that was dormant in space several months, if not years, waiting for that comet?. Those were the first words it sent back to the earth station in the UK when it woke to prepare for the rendezvous. Imagine trying to land that thing on that comet. :)

Fri, 01/24/2014 - 20:17

HarleyWeaver

Tien, that is beautiful. What type of loom is this?

Fri, 01/24/2014 - 23:22

Artistry

Congrats Tien! Hello World is just perfect!
Sat, 01/25/2014 - 04:20

Queezle

I think the first project I ever saw here on weavolution was from you, Tien, and it blew me away.  Your new loom looks amazing, and I am greatly amused by your first weaving.  The gold yarn is also amazing.  Congratulations, and I will fasten my seatbelt for more amazing stuff to come.

Sat, 01/25/2014 - 04:28

tien (not verified)

It's a 40-shaft AVL Ultimate Dobby Loom. They were one of the first 40-shaft looms AVL manufactured (I think the loom dates to circa 2001), they only sold a few, and they switched to the A-series shortly after that. So Emmy is nearly unique!

 

Spent some time today fine-tuning Emmy - some shafts were floating sporadically, so (on AVL's advice) I tightened up the springs that bring the shafts back down, and that seems to have fixed it.

 

Tomorrow I'm hosting two weavers! Carla is visiting me from Maryland, and Alfred is coming over to weave a scarf on Emmy. I figure that since he helped me set her up, and generously donated the christening yarn, he should get to weave on her. :-)

 

I'm also making marmalade tomorrow (I just scored a 16-pound box of Seville oranges), and am hoping to send some marmalade home with both Alfred and Carla. I don't actually eat jams and jellies, I just like making them!

 

And here is the pattern that Alfred will be weaving - stylized pomegranates, designed in Photoshop according to a sketch he gave me. I developed the draft for him - we may tweak it tomorrow.

handwoven pomegranate pattern

Sat, 01/25/2014 - 10:01

ReedGuy

Be keeping my eye peeled for a peek of your next weavings off this loom. :)

Sat, 01/25/2014 - 10:56

Artistry

I must learn how to design in Photoshop! Your pomegranates remind me of Turkey! Alfred is going to have a wonderful scarf. I wonder how many shafts, out of your 40!, you used for this pattern?
Sun, 01/26/2014 - 17:11

Erica J

I am victorious!!! I have resolved the issues with my drawloom tie up! I get a nice shed now and the jacks mostly return to neutrel position. Oliver picks up the counter weights tomorrow. Hopefully using them instead of elastics will get all the jacks going back tp neutrel!!!

Sun, 01/26/2014 - 18:01

pammersw

A big puzzle has taken over my weaving time the last two days. I start weaving again today. :)

Mon, 01/27/2014 - 05:42

Cadenza

Yay! Emmy is up and running! I love the Hello World and the gold christening thread! 

I have been doing a little spinning on my drop spindle and some weaving on the second towel. This one has some burgundy stripes in the weft and different treadling. 

Mon, 01/27/2014 - 12:47

endorph

spinning away - I amblaming this on Erica who ignited this spinning obssession with her group on Halloweave! :) I am also now knitting with some of the samples I spun up. I have also bee slowly weaving away on the sample I have on the RH using the vaiable dent reeds. Some handspunin ending up in that too! Love seeing everyones projects and progress on here . It has been a productive month so far!

Mon, 01/27/2014 - 14:00

tommye scanlin

And I'm off to have it photographed today.  I posted about it on my blog at http://tapestry13.blogspot.com yesterday.

 

Mon, 01/27/2014 - 15:35

sally orgren

Tommye, that is AMAZING. I am astounded by the amount of your daily progress.

I think you are going to be up in my neck of the woods this summer teaching a class at Peter's Valley (New Jersey). I have to remember to direct my guildmates to investigate that opportunity!

Tien, how did Alfred like weaving?

I have been doing a lot of project planning and loom set up. Not a lot to show except a messy studio! And all 5 table looms are warped up at the moment for sampling, demo, and upcoming workshops. 

Mon, 01/27/2014 - 16:51

Artistry

Tommye, That tapestry is phenomenal!
Mon, 01/27/2014 - 18:10

warpology

 Got very bogged down when we sold a house, bought a house and moving. I do have a nice studio with a few problems. Prefrence this with it was a HUD house so we knew that going into purchasing it. This cold snap has made it tough to weave, we need to boost the amount of vents down there. On top of that found out the the electicity will have to be worked on as well. Glad I didn't hook up any compu dobby. 

Finish a sample warp of Crackle. In my many years weaving I had never woven that structure. I used the book "Weave Classic Crackle & More" by Susan Wilson

The rest of the pictures are on my blog at:http://warpologynotufos.wordpress.com/last sample, Christmas runner

Right now I'm working on some towel from an old handwoven pattern with Turned twill. Have a warp half wound for the Megado but am afraid to hook it up to the dobby. When I can handle the cold!

As to coloring or dyeing the heddles, I've never done that. I move heddles around too much if weaving lace or whatever. On my 16 shaft on the bottom of the shafts I marked every 4 heddles and plan to do that on my 24 shaft AVL. Hate having all these nakid looms around but the cold hit right when we were moved and I had time. All well Love this house and will get all the kinks out of my studio space soon!!

Mon, 01/27/2014 - 22:20

warpology

double post sorry. I think it happened when I edited it.

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