So, I am a day early but wated to get this thread started while I was still thinking about it. Looks like March is going to come in pretty lamb like around here. But that is the way our whole winter has been. A few cold days but mostly unseasonably warm. I am not ready for hot yet!

So what is on everyone's weaving plates for the upcoming month. I need to get started on some research and samples for a study group I will be starting in the next couple of months. Keep your eyes open for that one. I also need to get the dish towel warp off the loom. It's been on there way too long and I need to start something fresh and more inviting to get my weaving mojo reactiviated. I am looking forward to see what Sally comes up with for her new snow warp and Tien, your triple weave project sounds intriguing. Everyone in here keeps me inspired. Weave on!

Comments

Sun, 03/27/2016 - 21:28

Joanne Hall

I would suggest a long staple cotton, like Pima or Egyptian cotton.  Since baby blankets are washed a lot, the long staple will keep it looking nice.  It is less likely to pill with washing.

Joanne

Tue, 03/29/2016 - 02:37

Joyce (not verified)

Off of the loom tonight.  There are a few repairs to make and selvedges to fix but it will be ready for her birthday in May. 

Tue, 03/29/2016 - 12:48

Artistry

Thank you Joanne and all, I was looking at the Egyptian Cotton wondering about it. It does come in quite a few colors, glad to hear it holds up well.

Cathie

Tue, 03/29/2016 - 19:17

Erica J

My main weaverliness today, was finally getting my AVL Little Weaver working! My computer picks it up and all the shafts are no longer raising in unison!!! Bob at AVL was so patient and tenacious with me in figuring out the issue. We have a go. Watch out even more complex weaving, here I come!

I still plan to sample new structures on my table looms, this really helps me understand exactly what is going on, but for structures/techniques I feel I really understand, the AVL is a good option.

Wed, 03/30/2016 - 00:42

tien (not verified)

Got up after a couple hours spent threading and looked at the back of the loom. Holy crap! There is a half-twist in the white warp. I'm going to have to take out every single !@*! thread and start over. I've probably put at least 10-15 hours into threading so far, so I think I'm going to go lie down until the world stops whirling...

Wed, 03/30/2016 - 01:12

Queezle

That is truly a bummer.  A nap, a bit of chocolate, perhaps paired with a half glass of red wine...

Wed, 03/30/2016 - 02:34

Artistry

Tien, What a drag :( sometimes walking away for awhile is the best choice! 

Wed, 03/30/2016 - 08:13

ReedGuy

Ah the joys of fixing the bugs. :D Some times we need to step back and go on a walk the dog break. :)

Wed, 03/30/2016 - 09:53

Joyce (not verified)

to have spent so many hours threading only to have to undo it.  Queezle and Reedguy have great suggestions on how to spend time away from the loom!

Wed, 03/30/2016 - 13:55

tien (not verified)

Chocolate! Why didn't I think of chocolate! I've got 40 pounds left over from chocolate season. That ought to be enough. :-)

(Actually, it's hot chocolate I'm lusting after...made with half and half and melted dark chocolate...yum! I think I'll go make myself some now.)

I did go back last night, pull out the threading, and fix the twist. Today I'll start the threading over again. It will give me a nice break in between figuring out examples for my presentation at Complex Weavers Seminars.

Wed, 03/30/2016 - 20:23

Erica J

If only Sally!!!

I am almost done with my latest pile sample, this one is for the portfolio, June cna't come soon enough. Hoping I pass, so I can upload and share my 30 samples!!!

Thu, 03/31/2016 - 02:26

Queezle

Erica, I look forward to seeing your samples.  I am taking a workshop with Robyn Spadey, and spent a good chunk of my day getting a borrowed loom set up for velvet, and then weaving off a sample.  Tomorrow I will tackle corduroy.  I'm so enjoying the intellectual challenge of a round-robin workshop with lots of different weave structures. 

Thu, 03/31/2016 - 09:41

ReedGuy

Pile weaves are also interesting to me. I have only done warp pile so far. At the moment I am doing a narrow piece with an overshot chariot wheel with the floats on the back side and pile on the top. So it is a turned overshot. This is to be used as a sweat band for my hard hat, so when it's rolled up and secured by velco, just the pile side is out. It wraps around the harnass of the hard hat on the front. I see these for sale online. It keeps the sweat out of your eyes. That's the theory. ;)

Thu, 03/31/2016 - 09:47

Joyce (not verified)

features pile weaves.  It's beyond my scope of skill right now but someday!

Thu, 03/31/2016 - 11:49

ShawnC

Oh, Tien, I'm so sorry! Ugh! Dogs (or cats) and chocolate certainly can help. I've been slower than usual, working on threading the ground shafts on the drawloom. The pattern units are all threaded. After I was about half way through threading the pattern units a drawloom weaver asked why I wasn't threading both at once! Good question. Next time I will! Only makes sense since I move the shafts to the back of the loom for threading anyway. So, Tien, I'm in threading mode, too. Will be so happy to get to the point of adjusting and weaving.

Thu, 03/31/2016 - 21:11

Leslie M (not verified)

Sally, how about texslov heddles safety pinned top and bottom over the heddle bars. 

Fri, 04/01/2016 - 00:14

Artistry

O.k., o.k., I decided I wanted a few rocks with mineral strikes on the lefthandside  of the tap., so that meant drawing them on the cartoon. Ha, ha, on me! I forgot to draw my cartoon on velum, super tough stuff that doesn't tear when you whack it. I'm becoming daft. So now I'm drawing again, which isn't all bad because I do like to do it:) then on velum. I'm also playing with wind patterns again ! It doesn't end, Lol!

Fri, 04/01/2016 - 03:17

tien (not verified)

Thanks, everyone! I spent an evening sulking, but a nice cup of hot chocolate got me out of my sulk. I fixed things and am now about 380 threads into the threading. I still have something like 2250 threads to go, though, and I'm threading verrrrry slowly (2.2 heddles/minute at the moment...no, seriously!!), so it will take me at least another week to finish threading. 17 hours, according to my calculations! Thank goodness this warp is 20 yards long. I won't have to go through this again for awhile.

Fri, 04/01/2016 - 04:12

Queezle

Tien, glad to hear your warp is on the road to recovery.

Reedguy - your sweat band will be the bee's knees!  Do post a photo, please!  Here is a photo of my velvet sample - you can see the metal rods that allow you to cut it.  Today I had fun with corduroy.  I've learned a lot in the past couple days.

Fri, 04/01/2016 - 08:13

ReedGuy

The last time I saw velum was hanging in map cabinets with forestry maps printed on them. And those maps were practically antiques. ;)

Happy sketching.

Fri, 04/01/2016 - 08:25

ReedGuy

Your pile looks great. It's slow, but doable. Better than hand maniplating it by a long shot. Other than placing in the rods and slicing the pile. ;)

I wove the band up yesterday and have been using up the rest of the warp without pile, just warp floats. I did the pile as patterned, and it's not a good idea, I knew this going in that there would be some tension issues. But I'll wash it up and see how it behaves. It turned out elongated because I used an extra tie weft to secure the loops. I like the idea of using thin flat rod better than dowel rod because use fine yarns in the weft. Wish I had to reed wire. I have been thinking about that for several months. I never see any narrow stuff. :)

Fri, 04/01/2016 - 11:05

Artistry

I love pile weaves! What about some plastic coated stiff cable for your pile?the stuff that comes in big rolls?  I used knitting needles, but too short and fat for your application. Thinking, fencing wire,would  weather stripping work ?, something from the hardware store, love that place:)

Velum, love the stuff, big, big, sheets. At one point I wanted to be a cartographer, I'm sure it had to do with the velum, lol! I'm glad I'm a weaver instead!

Queezle, velvet and corduroy ! There is a woman, maybe someone else knows, who does gorgeous velvet, last name is Pickett. I think Barbara Setsu-Pickett, that could be completely wrong. I'll try googling:)

Fri, 04/01/2016 - 11:09

Artistry

http://www.wlotus.com/BookArts/WLG/Pickett.htm

Queezle, yes that's the name. I hope the above turns into a link.

Fri, 04/01/2016 - 13:25

tien (not verified)

The one time I got interested in Velvet, I was told to use railroad track for miniature railroads! It's an I-shaped rod, so it has grooves, and comes in 3' lengths, I think.

Fri, 04/01/2016 - 13:34

Queezle

We used doubled brass that was 1/4 inch in the long direction, and narrow.  I hope to get up the gumption to put such a warp on my loom, and several of us in the guild are thinking the same way -- I will find out exactly what these things are called.  By doubling the narrow sticks, there is a tiny groove between them for easy cutting.

When I was just a theoretical weaver (reader without a loom), I read an issue of handwoven about velvet.  I found it fascinating, but had forgotten my interest.  Its so fun to be in this workshop and actually doing it, and it being so many years later. 

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