It's great that so many people want to collect good ideas but I think it's time for some more good ideas and/or a few introductions

So here's my introduction - I took my first weaving class in 1972 just after leaving university and was hooked.  For lots of reasons I didn't buy a loom.  A few years later I took a spinning class and had the sense to buy a wheel.  I eventually did a couple of very short weaving courses, bought 2 pre-loved looms and turned out about 1 project every couple of years as I worked full time studied part time, worked for my professional association - you know how it is.  In 2005 I had the oportunity to do a 2 year weaving certificate course through my local guild - about 160 hours of classes together with homework, folios, and projects.  I just loved it even if I did sometimes do my homework after midnight on the night before the next class.

I'm only sorry I took so long to get serious about my weaving.  I've now got 3 looms - a Toika 8 shaft floor loom, a Noble 8 shaft table loom and a Druva 4 shaft floor loom and often have something going on all three, a serious stash and am working hard to make up for lost time

And another good idea - I was in my local hardware barn - Bunnings in Australia, Home Depot in the US - looking for paint colours for a project at work when I saw these neat little colour scheme cards.  While they're obviously designed for painting the house, I thought they could work for weaving as well, especially for anyone who's not confident with colour or who just wants to try something other than their favourite colours.  They even came with instructions to use 60% of one colour, 30% of another and make it up to 100% using the other 3 as accents.  I went to the stash and found some colours that were pretty close and did some wrappings.  I think they have great potential as towels for a blue kitchen or I might use them for the warp faced plain weave bands I make and turn into eyeglass cases - but not yet, I'm having too much fun with a painted warp

Have a look at your local hardware barn or paint shop, who knows what you might find

Comments

weaverbird53 (not verified)

Oh, what a clever idea. Isn't it wonderful how inspiration can be found in the most unlikely places? I'm definitely going to look for these color chips the next time I visit Home Depot.  Thanks for the tip!

Your post reminded me of another good place to find new color schemes: Colourlovers.com   It's a site where anyone can play with creating colors, color palettes, and patterns, which are then posted for everyone to see.  You can browse through an enormous number of palettes (over a million and growing).  It's great fun and quite a boost for the imagination.

Enjoy!
G

 

TinaHilton (not verified)

That is a clever idea!  Color theory is definitely my weakpoint.  This will be a great help.


claudia (not verified)

I love this idea.  I just received a commission to do napkins to match this woman's family heirloom china.  I was trying to figure out a way to have the colors with me to choose the yarns and not have to carry along a piece of the precious china.  Now, I can send her to Home Depot, get the paint chips and find the exact ones to match the china and the heirloom pieces never have to leave her home.

Perfect.  Thank you very much, you have solved a big problem for me.

Claudia

Su Butler

HI Claudia.....remember that when you weave together those "perfect" colors, the value will be lowered and they may no longer be "perfect".......think about the interlacement and the fact that the value of the color will decrease a bit when woven together. 

Su

nina

Hello everyone,  I appreciate the colourlovers website.  Thanks fo much for sharing that.

I started weaving while in my last year of art school.  I couldn't decide on a major and fortunately, I saved the best for last! That was in 1973 and I've been weaving on and off ever since.  Have had a variety of looms, mostly countermarche, and various sizes, depending on the room I had available for my studio.  Presently, I have a Leclerc Compact for workshops and smaller weaving projects. And I just purchased a pre-loved loom. It was handcrafted in California and has traveled through a few different weavers to Northeast Ohio. My present home.  It is a 45", 8 harness jack loom (my first) and I feel like I have so much more to learn now.

I also spin and knit. We have a small hobby farm with llamas and an alpaca, but my spinning flock over the years  has consisted of navajo churro sheep, angora, pygora goats and crossbred sheep.

My contribution to this group pertains to a problem that I solved while not having a small shuttle to weave with.  I had some foam core board.  It is found in craft stores and is sold in large sheets with  paper on either side of a foam core.  I cut a piece about 6 inches long and 1 1/2" wide, notch the ends and it has held up well. 

Nina