No fooling, it is time for a new check in thread. Everyone is being so productive, keep up the good work. Weave on! Tina

Comments

Mon, 04/15/2013 - 08:09

ReedGuy

Sally your braver than I am. I'm afraid a monster would arise from me like an Edward Scissor-Hands or something. :D LOL

Mon, 04/15/2013 - 10:11

Artistry

Good Luck Sally, I'll be routing for you! Now that I see the looms lined up it does look intimidating! But if anyone can figure this one out it's you! Tina, I also love the colors for your tea towels. So rich. Can't wait to see them! April tapestry is well under way, truly got stalled , while I worked on other things with deadlines.(Trustee for the Guild, you know?, is that Weaverly?) So, this may become April/May. Which leaves me doing 2 in one month over the summer if I want the intended 12 tapestries. We'll see. The important thing is I'm back on track! I worked my usual hours yesterday and it felt sooooooo great! I'm so excited about my summer project! Will be dyeing organic cotton with a fruit juice indigo vat( no harsh chemicals ) to make baby blankets! I want to weave them in Hin un Weinder please excuse the spelling! I have fallen in love with these patterns which I found on Handweaving.net. And, an Indigo Vat! How fun is that!
Tue, 04/16/2013 - 01:21

endorph

and it dawned on me that I needed to check to make sure I had enough heddles to sett thie project at 24 epi! So have counted heddles and I have more than enough - phew! IT would have been the pits to wind out the warp and sicover I was short on heddles. So 30 inches wide at 24 epi - 720 ends - off I go to the warping board.
Tue, 04/16/2013 - 03:08

D-Stitchins Studio

Sally,     Hope you are in Minneapolis/St. Paul on the 25th of April.  The Weaver's Guild of Minnesota's Annual Fundraiser, featuring a live auction, silent auction, entertainment, and a traditional smörgåsbord, is on April 25 at 6pm. Located at 3000 University Ave SE, Minneapolis. This isn’t a $25 per plate event – it’s FREE.  In conjunction with this, the Gallery at the Textile Center (both the Weaver's Guild and the Textile Center are in the same building) has the following exhibit.  Here is a link to tell you more....   http://www.weaversguildmn.org/?

Everything Under the (Midnight) Sun: Scandinavian Weavings
Artwork by members of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota's Scandinavian Weavers Study Group March 15 - May 4 in the Textile Center Community Gallery
An exhibition that features varied contemporary interpretations of traditional Scandinavian weaving techniques.  Here is their link    http://www.textilecentermn.org/gallery.asp

Tue, 04/16/2013 - 03:19

Dawn McCarthy

I was threading the Megado with a chenille warp - but as a runner (who usually runs the Boston marathon) I spent the afternoon tracing friends at the race to see if they were safe.  Terrible, terrible events!  Thoughts and prayers.

Tue, 04/16/2013 - 08:19

ReedGuy

Yes it is traggic about the Boston bombings. Hard to believe this happened in northern New England. Senseless.

Tue, 04/16/2013 - 09:50

Artistry

It's hard to think of anything else.
Tue, 04/16/2013 - 14:54

sally orgren

I quickly realized I needed more heddles for my borrowed loom, so I put out a second call to guildmates. Thank you Deb, for the loan of 150+ heddles! I spent a good portion of my evening counting and heddle hopping. (OK. It's taking a village to weave off this project—I'll have to have a credit roll at the end...)

In light of the heddle situation, I decided to redraft my Bronson pattern to 6 shafts, so I didn't have half the warps (315) on shaft 1. (I spread them over shafts 1 + 2) That was kind of tricky to figure out, thank goodness for the software. Then, I took my new draft to the back of the loom, rotated it upside down, and began threading. After a few inches, I realized I could thread 30 warps in about 5 minutes, so I expect to have it completed after work tonight. Yeah!

If I can get it threaded, I am hoping yet another guildmate (that would be YOU, Jerri!) may come over and help me beam it tomorrow eve after work. Then I would be ready to weave by Thursday eve. Woo HOO! If I can weave off one towel in an evening after work, that would *totally* justify the time I took to make this warp transfer.

------

D-Stitchens Studio— I will miss your event by just a few days. :-( I plan to be at the Textile Center on Monday mid-day, and I can't wait to see the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group exhibit, plus spend time in your INCREDIBLE library. I think the three most amazing U.S. based handweaving libraries I have seen (to date) would be the Textile Center in MN, The Handweaving Museum in Clayton, NY, and The Saunderstown Weaving School, in RI. Anybody know of any others out there? 


Tue, 04/16/2013 - 19:43

Woodburner

When I signed up to this group a few days ago, I thought, mm there's no way I am really going to manage something weaverly every day, (not unless you count bobbin lace, knitting, and spinning yarn that's not necessarily intended for weaving) but actually, if you count sprang, I have done something every day since. First off I played around with sprang with some waste yarn, and having got to grips with the basic rules, set up and started afresh with some handspun. I'm hoping to finish it and make it into either a bag or a hairnet by Saturday. I've also done some braids with more of the same handspun for drawstrings and ties. I've also been getting to grips with the nasty, badly tensioned, hairy warp (rug wool by the look of it) on my table loom. (It came with wip.)

Saturday, I went up to London for a weaving event, (then spent the afternoon at the British Museum) Sunday, I was k*******d. I did manage to do a bit of bedtime reading tho' rummaging through my weaving books for a suitable weave for the hairy warp. Yesterday I did some online searching for more interesting pattern for the sprang, and today I threaded the hairy warp through the reed and with a bit of luck, I'll thread up the heddles tomorrow.

Tue, 04/16/2013 - 22:19

endorph

welcome - keep in mind we also count thinking about weaving, planning and design all as being weaverly - Sounds like you are doing just fine! Sally - again I am so glad I am not you! Good luck!
Thu, 04/18/2013 - 14:05

sally orgren

My guildmate Jerri released the tension and watched the lease sticks on the back end of the original loom while I beamed and packed the warp on the new loom. It beamed wonderfully well and didn't really take that long at all. (maybe an hour or slightly more?)

Two last minute changes that made all the difference in the world—I used dowels to lift up all the shafts on the original loom—so none of the warp had shaft weight, it was now all equal. (my big "duh!" moment.)

Second, I hung 2 pounds of water weights on each 3" bout, between the two looms, so that kept the weight even on the whole warp as it fed into the new loom. The lease sticks on the second loom didn't need any attention at all. 

Lastly, when the end of the warp came up, Jerri marveled at how it was nearly even, not a huge shift in the ends. Ok—even I was amazed by that! After rechecking my threading, I will tension up the new loom and begin weaving towels again! (This had the potential to be a BIG tangle, as it was 16/2, 30 epi at 629 total ends.)

Thank you, JERRI!

Thu, 04/18/2013 - 14:16

endorph

I think we were all collectively holding our breath on this one!
Thu, 04/18/2013 - 15:11

ReedGuy

Sally, 16/2 in itself would create a nice tangle regardless of # of ends. Glad you had help on hand to 'get'r done', as they say. :)

I've been slow at threading my table cloth, not putting in the time at it. Yesterday I was away all day and this morning some other chores that needed done. I'll get there. :)

Fri, 04/19/2013 - 02:29

endorph

pile of warp for my apron rpoject - sitting on top of the pile is my brand new custom made shuttle from Jon Hayman. I asked him for a shuttle that could take quills, not be heavy or too long - he made me a beautiful shuttle - 12 inches long, 7 inch well for 6 inch quills and only weighs 3 ounces - we'll see how it works this weekend!

Fri, 04/19/2013 - 09:13

Woodburner

That is a scary looking length of warp there! Love the shuttle! (green smiley)

Congratulations Sally! :)


I thought I was about ready to start threading up, but I decided I really didn't want a mix of string and wire heddles, so I have taken the frames out and slid most of the heddles off. I was going to put just the right number of heddles on the shafts for the hairy warp, but getting the frames out was such a nasty business, I have decided I will divide all the wire heddles equally between the shafts, so as (hopefully) not to have to take them off again ever, and marking the central ones as they go on to save counting evey time (I hope).
As I was taking the heddles off I noticed that they have slightly larger eyes than a bunch of spare heddles that I came by a few weeks ago. (Does it matter?) Then I noticed that actually, both my original heddles and the 'new' lot are actually a mix of ever so minutely larger and smaller eys. (I'm gussing it can't matter after all.)
Unfortunately (well, actually it's probably just as well really) I also noticed that they all have a slight twist . . . Most of those on the frames twist slightly to the left, but some twist to the right, so I'm going to have to wear my extra strong specs so I can put them all on the frames the same way round/up.

More interestingly, I was playing around with point twill threading on WeaveDesign and realised that with a certain treadling, I have discovered an easy way of reproducing a certain Anglo-Saxon weave. It's described as a S&W variant, but looking at my draft it seems it might be a point twill varient, turned through 90degrees. So now I am trying to turn the draft to see which looks more appropriate for A-S technology!

I think it's time I got to grips with the projects section of Weavo! ;)

eta: Well I completely failed at adding a project there! I belatedly found that the software totally messed up converting to .wif anyway! And I can't figure out how to delete the project. :S

Fri, 04/19/2013 - 09:28

ReedGuy

I use WeaveDesign all the time and have not found any trouble making a wif file. I upload any of my drafts here with WeaveDesign wif's.

What is going wrong with your wif's? Yesterday the site seemed to be down awhile, so maybe you got in the middle of that.

Fri, 04/19/2013 - 10:26

Woodburner

Glad you mentioned site being down yesterday, as I had been wondering if it was my comp. Nothing to do with wif problem, as site was back up before I tried uploading and anyway, I saved the wif to my comp before I could upload, and it's the wif on my comp that is messsed up. The threading is ok but the treadling is messed up. Seems like the conversion didn't like my lifting more than one shaft at a time.

Fri, 04/19/2013 - 10:39

ReedGuy

I know it won't show a doubleweave (two layers) in Weavedesign, it interlaces the layers. But all my wif's have multiple shafts raised. Do you mean more than one treadle being pressed?

There is a bug. When removing and adding ends and treadling with cut and paste the changes won't show up in the area of the pattern display sometimes. Even if the program is reloaded and the draft reloaded in. You have to click the end or treadle sequence for it to appear sometimes, the little black squares.

Fri, 04/19/2013 - 11:07

Woodburner

No treadles, just liftplan. Some picks have one shaft lifted others two, but they are all messed about regardless.

 

eta: the pattern dislay is corrrect for the treadling that it shows.i.e. it is only wrong when compared with the original file.

Fri, 04/19/2013 - 12:04

ReedGuy

Ah, liftplan. You have to select the radio button for liftplan in properties before designing the draft. I don't think it converts it in weavedesign. So if it's a tie-up and treadling it won't let you convert after.

Fri, 04/19/2013 - 12:05

endorph

the warp is not that bad - the pile shown is four bouts - each bout is a little over 7 yards long with 180 ends - so 720 ends total.
Fri, 04/19/2013 - 13:40

warpology

 

These are bright lemon yellow but I couldn't get the color to come out any which way with my camera. This scarf will be totally different from the pink scarves. Not sure the twill will stand out much once it is off the loom but it was all stash yarns and is very spring like.

I now have all of my weaving stash in one location. Our house after 5 years finally sold. Trying to make room for all my rug weaving stash. I keep trying to weave anyway! 

Fri, 04/19/2013 - 16:13

SallyE (not verified)

Well, I was going grocery shopping today, but since we are in lockdown here in Watertown, I think I'll finish my drawloom piece instead!

I had tied on a new warp, and was weaving off the old one.   It was very sicky as the knots moved through the heddles.   To finish the piece, I had to move the knots through the reed and now I'm "beating" with a comb.   This piece was planned a little close to the edge, you think!

Fri, 04/19/2013 - 16:28

endorph

I am so sorry you are locked - but better safe. . . . At least you have weaving to keep you occupied - although from your description it doesn't sound like a fun project :) Stay safe and give us updates.
Fri, 04/19/2013 - 16:34

SallyE (not verified)

The pics on TV are 8 blocks from my house.   I'm hoping he is actually in the area, because there are a lot of resources here.   A cop is outside my front door.   Our problem has been how to let the dogs out.   Maybe I should pick up their water . . . . .

Ya, this part of the weaving has been slow, but it's coming out well.

 

Fri, 04/19/2013 - 20:24

ReedGuy

Woodburner, another method to post a draft might be to take a screen snapshot with CTRL and PRTSCR keys together and paste to an image program to crop and edit and save a jpg of the draft.

Fri, 04/19/2013 - 20:28

ReedGuy

Warpology, sometimes in Photoshop or similar program you can adjust contrast and brighness to bring out the color. Sometimes natural light is better than a flash, as it white washes the colors sometimes.

Sat, 04/20/2013 - 03:17

loomyladi (not verified)

Sally E, hope the end of the drama finds you safe and that the boat wasn't in your neighborhood.

Sat, 04/20/2013 - 03:30

loomyladi (not verified)

While I can honestly say that I was very productive today as I started winding a new warp, my mind keeps wandering to Sheep & Wool! It's less than 3 weeks away! So I'm winding 8/2 for a bead leno shawl, I was so pleased with the last one that I can't resist doing another one. I'm going to make some minor design changes, the original pattern was warp every 4th dent and with the heavier fiber I can see that, but since I'm using such a fine thread I'm only going to skip 2 and I'm going to increase the width of the project to 20" from about 9". I'm going to play with the color and make it solid blue with a gold strip trimmed with white set about 1/3 of the way from the left. I'm hoping this will work out well as a shawl. I've put enough on to sample so if I don't like it I can pull the beads off and run a twill or something else. Deadline for this project is mid next week and I need to rewarp this loom so that it can travel to S&W. But for now, I need to stop procrastinating and get some homework done. I will be so glad when Dec. 15 2013 roles around! I'm tired of school and homework! What will I do with all my free time, oh yes, I will WEAVE!

Sat, 04/20/2013 - 03:30

endorph

same thing loomyladi - While watching the drama unfold on TV I was rough sleying the loom. Have gotten the warp beamed on - will start threading tomorrow - I think this may be the longest warp I have successfully gotten onto the loom - onlt 7 yards but for me that is pretty long! Tried a 9 yd warp once - it was not pretty! I ended up with about 4 yads actually on the loom - the reast is still tied with choke ties waiting to be used for some other project - figure I can always salvage it for weft - or maybe try and get it beamed on the RH loom! So I was happy to get all 7 wound on this time with only one broken thread - easily fixed - yippee! Good night all
Sat, 04/20/2013 - 03:30

SallyE (not verified)

Turns out that he was hiding in that boat about 2 blocks from my house.   I heard the gunfight in real time from my front porch.  The streets are still full of people and police and some TV trucks.   There was a DOT environmental truck parked next to my house, and they are now processing the crime scene.

But I did get my weaving done and washed! 

Sat, 04/20/2013 - 03:32

endorph

safe and sound SallyE - I am sure there is a lot of relief - but still so many questions to answer. Tina
Sat, 04/20/2013 - 10:37

loomyladi (not verified)

So what creative ideas have you come up with to mark the warp path on the warping board?  I am tired of having different colors, different lengths to make my path.  I was thinking about collecting the little plastic rings off of milk bottles and putting them on the pegs I needed.  I have a quilters tape measure that can measure lengthy distances nicely.  Any thoughts?
Sat, 04/20/2013 - 10:50

sally orgren

I mark the base of the board, numbering the pegs. Too many times I ended up capturing the guide string with the bout. I want the guide to stay with the board, and not to effect the peg.
Sat, 04/20/2013 - 18:39

warpology

Reed guy the photos were photoshoped to get that much color. I tried with the lights on, the lights off, flash on, flash off, Nada. One of those colors that won't cooperate. I'll try again when it is off the loom in natural light.  

Cleaned more of the studio today. Warp for the AVL is still being wound and this is the only non naked loom! Will be moving looms soon. My old old loom driver computers died at the same time so the megado is going to live with the AVL and Norwood. The glimakra is coming inside. OK enough procrastination!   

Sat, 04/20/2013 - 21:06

ReedGuy

I finally got all those ends threaded today for the table cloth. I told myself before I began this hobby that I'm suppose to be making wool blankets not 16/2 cotton table cloth. (rolls eyes) :)

Sat, 04/20/2013 - 22:27

endorph

ReedGuy - I have some 16/2 cotton chained and ready to go but I keep putting it off! I am slowly threading heddles this afternoon - my plans to start this morning were thwarted by life. But I am almost to the halfway point - 8/2 cotton, 22/2 cottolin and 8/2 cotton rayon blend (its mostly cotton) so it is going fairly fast. A bi t over 400 ends left to go.
Sun, 04/21/2013 - 15:03

sally orgren

The dishtowels are weaving off incredibly well and FAST! I can't believe the difference. It was worth interrupting the project to switch looms. (Otherwise, the project may have turned into a dog on the loom.)

Tomorrow I test the effects of the sequestration on the FAA that were started today. Oh Joy.

Sun, 04/21/2013 - 15:34

ReedGuy

Busy sampling sett on my table cloth. Tried 32 epi, too open, the pattern was a little wide. I think 36 epi will do it, but we'll see. :)

Sun, 04/21/2013 - 23:04

Woodburner

Didn't finish the sprang in time, but it and my homemade 'loom' did cause some interest at my local SWD. I got it off the loom by the end of the meeting, but it's too narrow to use as a hairnet, and too short to use as hat or a bag. :S Better luck next time.

Today, I have just been playing around with WeaveDesign trying to get to grips with proper summer and winter.

Mon, 04/22/2013 - 02:19

endorph

threaded, the reed is sleyed - almost ready to tie-on to the apron rod - that may need to wait until tomorrow - was lazy this weekend (dealing with migraine for part of the time) but will start weaving tomorrow! Woohoo Sally - can't wait to see the finished towels! ReedGuy - good luck with the sampling. Woodburner - at least you finished your Sprang - I have a sprang project that has been on the loom since early last summer! Good night all
Mon, 04/22/2013 - 09:36

ReedGuy

Yes, 36 epi is going to work. But I grouped the ends incorrectly, so I'm going to retie the small sample area. I should have used  a 4|5 repeat in my 8 dent reed instead of what I did. But as an after thought, I could use a 2|2|2|3 repeat in my 16 dent reed as well. But a 4|5 is easier to keep track of when threading, less thought. ;)

Mon, 04/22/2013 - 09:06

Erica

What a diverse group we have. I find everyone very inspiring!

I took one of my small projects to a local craft group to work on yesterday. Unfortunately I did not have the right weft thread! I did have my design book and pencils. So I played with possible stripe patterns. I also attempted a tapestry sketch inspired by Van Gogh's Wheatfields. I'm not sure I have the gumption to share pics though as I'm not very good at sketching yet. :)

Mon, 04/22/2013 - 16:36

Woodburner

It's so frustrating when you find you've left something vital at home! At least you still managed to use the time constructively. :)

Having just about got to grips with S&W, I have decided to stick to simple point twill threading. It gives plenty of scope for twill variations as well as the Anglo-Saxon S&W variant and waffle weave. Trying to thread part as S&W and part as twill wasn't going to work as it was far too likely to give me undesirably long floats, so I decided to keep it simple, and as I will (hopefully) one day be weaving loads of S&W, for re-enactment purposes, I plumped for a bit of fun and the point twill.

Now I am going to sort out all those wire heddles . . .

Mon, 04/22/2013 - 19:50

ReedGuy

I noticed a V (14 ends) missing in the pattern, so I made 14 heddles from fishing line and added 14 ends which will be weighted at the back until I come to the tie-on rod. Now ready to sleigh the reed 4|5 with my 8 dent reed and start weaving.

Tue, 04/23/2013 - 02:19

endorph

sleying the reed and tying on the warp - all nicely even and ready to go!

Tue, 04/23/2013 - 06:57

ReedGuy

Looks great, all ready for some weaving action. :)

Tue, 04/23/2013 - 11:36

Artistry

Beautiful Tina! Love the colors! I also love the sight of a loom all set up ready to go, so many possibilities, so much fun! Can't wait to see your apron!
Tue, 04/23/2013 - 13:03

Artistry

I've been out of town having way too much fun, now it's back home and I'm rearing to go! Tapestry, tapestry, so behind. Drafting homework, yikes my class is this week, homework to do! Tea Towels to hem. Better get started! Although the AVL sits empty and I hear it calling my name. Maybe a summer shawl? ReedGuy, I really feel inspired by Goldenrod and your bedspread design. Makes me want to play around with my computer software, always fun, but does take time, always figuring out ways to get rid of those long floats:)
Tue, 04/23/2013 - 21:57

ReedGuy

Yes, one has to watch the floats when designing unless it's Overshot. I try to limit it to 3 thread floats as I gain experience and questions raised with more experienced weavers here.

I'm still threading the reed, but I have only been working a little each day at setting up the loom. It will eventually come together. :)

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