It was pointed out to me that today is the beginning of a new month - Welcome August! Weave on!

Comments

Fri, 08/02/2013 - 13:04

loomyladi (not verified)

Enjoying the break from school and work. A nice mini-vacation that has kept me confined to home for the week - YEAH!!! Waiting on a a very important phone call and WEAVING!!!! Two projects completed this week and another on its way. I completed a scarf using some hand dyed wool and some very tiny seed beads. It came out lovely, I just wish I had made the scarf wider than 6" and I don't have enough left to do another. Oh well. On the loom now is a 16" shawl of blue tencel. I was going to do this as bead leno so I sleyed 4 3 2 1, but after a full day spent troubleshooting and sampling I just wasnt happy. So to save face and not have to completely rethread, I'm going to make this using a nice twill variation. The ends are grouped into 4s and and skips are placed in a descending pattern so the woven result is interesting. I have not finished a sample yet, but so far I'm pleased and it weaves easily. Have a great August.

Fri, 08/02/2013 - 13:35

sally orgren

Here is a snapshot of my meanderings as I planned the glitzy ram's horn tablet warp.

As you can see, I didn't start out in that direction at all!

 

Fri, 08/02/2013 - 13:47

Artistry

Help me understand a few things, please. The top left are variations of how you might thread the cards, on the right Along the bottom the letters of the holes, that must mean along the side is how you turn them? I read somewhere S and Z twist? Also can you use an ordinary Inkle loom ( although we know Bandit is not ordinary!) and just add cards? Is there a book you can recommend that explains all this? Love, love your designs! Scouring cotton skeins today, ugh! Lommiladi, do you have a pic of your scarf, would love to see it!
Fri, 08/02/2013 - 18:37

sally orgren

The top four grids are for a different pattern, and all the cards are threaded the same, S or Z. (So I left that off.) Another way to think of the threading is if the cards are threaded front-to-back, or back-to-front. 

Within these 4 illustrations, the columns going downward indicate one card which has 4 holes (or shafts). In this pattern, there were 20 cards with 4 warps per card. The first card (on the left) would be threaded hole A: white, B: pink, C: lavender, D: eggplant.

After that, I veered away from my plan. I took a photocopy of an existing Ivy band, then colored variations up on a light table, to make it fast and easy to go through a lot of options. The markers seemed to give me a better representation of the yarn colors over the colored pencils.

The final draft is turned 90 degrees to all the rest of the illustrations. That is what I actually threaded and wove. The first of these two drafts is executed in 5 colors (representing the larger illustration at lower right.) The second represents the impromptu selection with the glitz.

In this final pattern there are 24 cards, and some are threaded S, some Z. You'll notice the "peak of the horn" is where the threading direction changes. (Where there are two cards threaded the same.) I noticed on the original pattern, card 24 changed direction again. I suspected that might have been an error, so I threaded it the same with the rest in the final.

The turning (or treadling) for this pattern is 4 forward turns. Then, the circled cards (7-8, and 17-18) continue turning forward, but the rest turn backward for 4 turns. One complete sequence is 8 turns. 

You CAN do tablet weaving on an Inkle loom, with a few qualifiers. For a small guy like Inky, I could not use the regular-sized cards you see here, I would need to use some of the very small ones (Lacis or John Mullarkey sell them.) Big inkle looms would likely have no problems.

Also, inkle looms have a slightly different peg configuration for the string heddles. So you need to make sure your cards fit and you can access them from both sides of the loom to turn them cleanly. 

 

P.S. Candace Crockett, Card Weaving, Interweave Press

P.S.S. You don't need any loom at all. You can just tie the warp to a tree and slip the woven end into your belt, then lean back and weave away!

 

Fri, 08/02/2013 - 21:48

Artistry

Thank you Sally! What a fabulous explanation! Thanks for taking the time. I think designing would be so much fun ( also challenging) , but keeping track of the turning of the cards, well, LOL, I guess you just look at what you're weaving, but still I think I'd get awfully confused! Can't wait to read the book!
Fri, 08/02/2013 - 23:43

endorph

Took a drop spindle class today. Finished a small skein of yarn - it is not pretty! I keep telling myself that it is "art yarn"! Tomorrow I take and intro to wheel class - we will also talk about preparing the wool for spinning, etc.

Sun, 08/04/2013 - 12:40

endorph

results from my intro to the wheel class. We learned how to card the wool then spun a mini skein before lunch. Aftr lunch we spun a larger skein. It was great fun.

Sun, 08/04/2013 - 18:15

sally orgren

It was much fun, but I am not used to talking that much from 10 a.m. until after 5! 

Wed, 08/07/2013 - 08:57

Erica

I'm finally back at my table loom! I'm happily sampling away on a commission and getting new ideas every few picks! What if I use this weft, what is I changes the stripes in the warp this way?! You get the idea. Sally thank you for sharing your design page! This reminded me that I need to do more of this, particularly for this commission. The customer has taken several years in deciding what she wants! This may be the first of several samplers before the final cloth is done.

I'm learnign a lot and have been thinking a lot about the improtance of sampling and the usefulness of table looms in really understanding weave structures. I've got to go jot down some notes and see if there is enough in this for a class!

Happy weaving everyone.

Wed, 08/07/2013 - 12:38

Artistry

Erica, Congrats on the Comission! I think designing and sampling is the most exciting part of weaving, so I , also, really appreciate Sally's design notes! Speaking of which, I'm still trying to give the illusion of tilting, practicing with water colors for another tapestry. I'm getting closer but still have a ways to go. SOoooo, it's time to think of an additional design and warp up my Tapestry loom, like right away! Scoured 14 skeins of Organic Cotton and now have them hanging all over the house because it's been raining for two days, looks funny:)
Thu, 08/08/2013 - 00:27

ryashani (not verified)

I've been far too busy getting things ready for my Viking era fiber arts display to post anything (and am just now catching up on the forums!).  Everything was finished in time and here is a pic of it all:

I built the miniture warp-weighted loom myself and spun the yarn for it (Icelandic) as well as dyed the yarn used in the starting band.  The rest of the woven goods (the green dress, the grey fabric, the linen samples and even the cover of my documentation book) were woven on the Oxaback Lilla loom that I got from the Woolgatherers.

I actually think one of the most enjoyable parts of this was researching sheep breeds (primative ones as well as others that share some of the same lineage as those sheep the Vikings had).  I collected quite a few wool samples and spun a bit of yarn from each (and now know that I LOVE Spelsau wool!)

Fri, 08/09/2013 - 01:36

DianneStucki (not verified)

you were at Pennsic!

I think I saw your display, but I had so much other stuff going on, I didn't get much time to spend there. 

 I didn't have anything to enter in the display this year (didn't have enough notice that we were going) but I did pick up a mini inkle loom from Pine Box Traders, and a tablet weaving book from White Wolf and Phoenix.

Wed, 08/14/2013 - 11:23

Woodburner

Cute WWloom! :)

I was mostly spinning last week following a day demonstrating (spinning), although I did get one row of sprang done in the car while waiting for Mum at the doctors'! Saturday I went to an anglo-saxon LH event, hopefully to see a wwloom in action but the demonstrator had taken ill the night before. Sunday  I went to a spin along , and I finished off plying on Monday. Yesterday, I went shopping for some DK and 4ply for an upcoming workshop on RH weaving with pick up.

Wed, 08/14/2013 - 13:34

sally orgren

Still swamped at work, most nights I am working until 8:30 or 9 p.m. with a 6:30 a.m. start to my day — so not much time to weave in July or August so far.

Imagine how bummed I was to realize I flipped the last bout of warp in my color order, just as I was about to throw the first pic on 8 yards!! That threw me off for a few days to think about how to address the problem.

I decided to put that errant bout on separate lease sticks, flip it over, rethread and sley, tension, weave in just a header, and then rebeam the whole warp to the front of the loom. Then, I can go to the back and just flip that bout on the back lashing rod so the twist will be gone, rebeam to the back, and begin weaving. (I don't cut my warps, I just slide the loop onto the lashing rod at the back.)

So far, it took me less than an hour to rethread and get everything set up for rebeaming to the front. I'd love to be able to be weaving tonight or tomorrow eve, if I can make my work deadlines and nothing unexpected comes at me today.

Thu, 08/15/2013 - 14:25

sally orgren

So I got the stripe fixed, warp rebeamed, tensioned and ready to weave (again), and now the pattern is coming up incorrectly! The draft rendered correctly in the software, so now I have to figure out what I am doing wrong. :-(

Thu, 08/15/2013 - 14:40

Artistry

What a bummer Sally! You'll figure it out, you always do! Now that ALL the houseguests are gone, I can get back to my tapestry and Indigo dyeing. So far behind it's ridiculous! However it was fun having everyone here though:)
Thu, 08/15/2013 - 16:02

endorph

trying to figure out where the summer went. . . No weaving going on in my house at all. I have two naked looms and a yarn stash that calls to me every time I walk by. I will get a loom warped soon! If I keep telling myself that often enough eventually it will happen!
Thu, 08/15/2013 - 20:26

sally orgren

I started with the wrong color in the first shed!

Thankfully, it was an easy fix and I am thrilled with how it weaves up. It should be fast and easy to weave, even with 8 colors. (For this project, I am NOT carrying all the colors up the selvedges ;-)

Thu, 08/15/2013 - 21:03

Sima

Hi, I am new here. Have been a member at Weavolution for a while but have never participated. I just graduated with my BFA in fibers from Colorado State University and am now trying to start a studio practice. My goal is to go back to school for my MFA and start teaching. I live in a tiny cabin with my husband and three boys in the middle of the mountains. We just got rid of our dining room table so I would have room for a loom. So my current project is cleaning and conditioning this old long unused loom. She is a four shaft Nilus Leclarc. A bit different than the looms I was used to at school and a bit confining after the 8-16 shafts I had been using. I also have a 12 ft cranbrook that is in storage while I wait for a place to set it up. Its taking longer than I had expected to get a studio space fixed. So now I am debating keeping it or trading it for two smaller looms. So that me. Just living the dream from day to day.
Thu, 08/15/2013 - 21:24

endorph

you will find us to be a friendly group - please share projects, progress, frustrations, etc, Sounds like you have a lot on your plate right now!
Thu, 08/15/2013 - 21:25

endorph

glad you figured out what was wrong and that is was an easy fix - looking forward to seeing your progress
Thu, 08/15/2013 - 21:52

Artistry

What Sally! You're not juggling 8 shuttles? Glad you were able to figure it out so smoothly! Looking forward to seeing this project, I love the colors and design! Welcome Sima!
Thu, 08/15/2013 - 23:12

sally orgren

Go for your BFA, acquire a lot of weaving experience, and talk to Western. They have an art-room full of looms and no one to teach weaving. (They just shove them over to the corner of the room in a jumble!)

Also, get hooked up with a guild if you can. You have a great group of weavers in CO, they offer an incredible conference, and your learning curve will go through the roof. (I'll bet they will love to have you, too!) With so many weavers aging out of weaving, a guild is a great source for equipment, and opportunities to find out what exactly works and what doesn't without having to warp up a million looms or projects yourself.

I am burning disks of jobs now to drop off at FedX, they are open until 8 p.m. After that, bit of weaving and then Project Runway. (Will the other Milwaukee designer be kicked off the show?)

Thu, 08/15/2013 - 23:53

endorph

that the other Milwaukee designer has a high probability to get kicked off tonight - especially if she does another pencil skirt and ugly top!
Fri, 08/16/2013 - 14:38

sally orgren

We are stuck with her for another week. However, her creation this week from wallpaper was pretty good! (but wasn't that just a shorter pencil skirt connected to a deep V-neck top?)

Fri, 08/16/2013 - 15:01

endorph

glad the person who got sent home got sent home - although Ken - was that his name - should have been sent home too. What a whiner! It was a sorter pencil skirt but since it was attached to the bodice I guess it was a dress - certainly looked better that other stuff she has shown. She was lucky to be in a good team this week! I am actually going to try and get a warp wound this weekend - I am drying food, instead of canning this week so I should have a bit of "free" time! I also need to get some towels hemmed so my sister can give them away as a house warming present. So maybe something weaverly will happen in my world!
Sun, 08/18/2013 - 12:28

sally orgren

I am LOVING weaving this. The quick change in weft colors keep me interested. And listening to The Litigators, by John Grisham. Today should be overcast, possibly rain, so a good summer weaving day. Who knew 4 shafts could be so much fun?!

Sun, 08/18/2013 - 12:57

Artistry

These are looking soooooo good! All the colors are working well together, they are just wonderful! Me? After 4 1/2 hrs.tapestry yesterday had enough draw in at one of the slits in the center , decided to redo. So today it comes out and I get to do it over again:( Listening to a book on tape Wanted Man by Lee Child.
Sun, 08/18/2013 - 21:38

sally orgren

More than once! My husband points out I get 3X the amount of fun out of my materials when I have to undo. I have to admit, sometimes I learn just as much, and have just as much fun, in the "undoing." Or, in the cases of extreme frustration — get by with a good book on tape. Hope you are moving forward again quite soon.

Sun, 08/18/2013 - 18:26

Artistry

Thanks Sally, all unwoven and progress is being made, so glad I did it! isn't taking too long as all the wefts were already cut to proper length:) Will post Pic after I return to Cincinnati this week, will look more interesting than, I hope!
Sun, 08/18/2013 - 23:02

endorph

Sally - glad the unweaving went well Cathie -
Mon, 08/19/2013 - 19:37

Deanna (not verified)

I have orders for a couple of items.  I need to measure an 8.5 yd warp and figure the warp for the Ruanas.  I emptied my Baby Wolf, I think the ruanas will work on there but the shawl warp (8.5) is too wide...

 

Wed, 08/21/2013 - 06:56

Weavejoyforall

I think you all might remember me from a few months ago.   Well my ganglon cyst has finally gone away...and I have bought a wrist support so I can start weaving again soon.   Dr's thought It might go away by itself ( and it did) just took months and months for it to go...and I was not comfortable weaving while it was still "Up" and growing...  Doc said if I waited it might go away then a Wrist support might keep it "gone" for good.(Glad thats over with!)   Now I have a  Wanted ad in "sell or Trade" for a used 16 or 24 inch Kromksi RH loom to start afresh on.  If anyone has a used Kromski or Ashford type RH loom Or might know someone who might, want to  part with one? I am retired and on a fixed income. I can afford about $100 dollars or so but not much more. I know that is a very low price but its pretty much as much as I can scrape up.  I live in Ct.  Even an older model in good working condition would be great ! I would be willing to pay for shipping to Ct. since at that asking price I could not expect anyone to ship it free.

Wed, 08/21/2013 - 10:35

Artistry

Weavejoyforall, What great news that the cyst has gone away and that you can weave with wrist support! I don't have a RH but having an ad in Sell or Trade is good. I imagine you can find something! So glad you're doing better!
Wed, 08/21/2013 - 13:10

sally orgren

You know, when it comes to looms, just put the good thoughts out there and be patient. Some of my favorite looms have come to me for free. Belonging to a guild is really helpful. There are a lot of retiring weavers, and they want their looms to land in the hands of someone who is really going to use them. 

RH looms are very hot right now, with lots of knitters trying them. If you are open to table-top shaft looms, you certainly could find something used in that price range that would give you a lot more capabilities than a RH.

However, you certainly don't want to do anything repetitive that may bring your cyst back, so I am sure you have considered the wrist motion required between different loom types. (Again, belonging to a guild — if one is nearby — is a great way to try out different types of looms before committing.)

Good luck! And keep your listing active by adding a comment once a week, so it pops up to the top of the list. 

Thu, 08/22/2013 - 23:34

sally orgren

Our guild provides weaving volunteers to demonstrate at Hill House, in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on summer weekends. We coordinate with the Millbrook Village Society, whose big blow-out event is Millbrook Days, held the first full weekend in October. So a few weeks ago when I was out there, I realized the dishtowel warp is nearly finished! I am going back out this Sunday, and I need to finish off that warp and get another one ON the loom so it's not naked by the time Oct. rolls around. This may seem WAY early, but I have a lot of work travel coming up, so I won't be around to get out there as frequently. The criteria for the warp is the following:

> 4 shafts, and not wider than 22" (home-built loom with quirky operation)

> no budget for yarn, draw from the stash or donated yarns (cheap materials)

> historic pattern if possible

> easy to weave, one shuttle, any volunteer can pick up the pattern

> pleasing colors/pattern so visitors will be engaged, along with the volunteers

I was thinking about some dimity towels, which might look something like this-4S Dimity Hill House Towels

Mon, 08/26/2013 - 11:21

Woodburner

oof! Where does the time go!?

I picked up some dark chunky yarn at the guild meeting last week-end. It'll go nicely with a big cone of grey chunky in my stash for the workshop, rather than the yummy DK's which can wait for a proper project. I got my spare rigid heddle back from the friend who has my RH loom, and have refurbished an old ashford RH loom, so we will both have looms for the workshop.

Other than that, I've tidied up my stash, and found a number of missing items (weaving ofc) in the process, found a couple more elsewhere, figured out what to do with my 4shaft table loom's heddles, unravelled a jumper for it's yarn, have watched some youtube videos on pick up, and have been musing on whether or not this technique was lkely to have been used in the making of certain ancient textiles.

Finally, today, I've dismantled another couple of knitted items ready for unravelling.

Mon, 08/26/2013 - 13:14

sally orgren

Thanks to help from my guildmate Betty, we completed the warp at Hill House yesterday, and she heddle-hopped to prepare the loom for the new warp. This is cotton, 18 epi, plain weave.

Why, when you are demonstrating, does it takes 3X as long to complete tasks!? I only got 1/2 of a repeat wound for the new warp yesterday. (She made far better progress than I did!)

Next up, hemming and washing. Can't wait to share with the guild!

Hill House fabric

Hill House Fabric 2

Mon, 08/26/2013 - 13:24

endorph

beautiful Sally - can't wait to see the next batch! With my nephew in town - he showed up unexpectedly Thursday - my weaving plans were put on hold this weekend - The looms are parked in the front hallway so he could have somewhere to sleep - they usually reside in the spare bedroom! He's lucky I did not get rid of the bed as planned. . . .
Mon, 08/26/2013 - 13:39

sally orgren

Family coming for the holiday weekend, so I have to turn the weaveatorium back into a bedroom!

Mon, 08/26/2013 - 14:46

Artistry

Hi all, well I've ripped out the 2nd time now, but took a picture before I did so I could show you the problems. Not that the third time around isn't presenting it's own challenges:)

These are about creating cylinders. The first one was using achromatics and color in the center. I thought I would like the juxtaposition of the soft colors against the strong black and white, but it was a no go for me. Perhaps if I had chosen a different subject matter for the center, I would have liked it better. The colors didn't really turn me on either! Also it was more difficult to get the softer colors to "roll" next to the strong contrast.But what bothered me tremendously was the horrible draw in! you can see in the close up how far in the draw in goes in tapestry. The wefts yarns just pull and pull. you can set the edge perfectly but if you don't tension the yarn perfectly, and make good arcs, through your fingers as you beat down, draw in :( This happens to me when I get distracted or excited about a different aspect of the tapestry. So I ripped it all out! 

I decided to go to all achromatics with large cylinders in the center. Design wise I'm pleased with this. The center  really does " roll " if you look at it a few minutes. However the draw in is still there. It's like the warp threads have been stretched out now, I'm being uber careful. But, I think once the slits are sewn up I will be able to block this piece and everything will be fine except the ribbing which will not be perfectly straight, a sign of a really good tapestry!

Mon, 08/26/2013 - 14:53

Artistry

P.S. No family coming for the weekend, I have to get 4 pieces ready( backs sewn and mounted) for an exhibit before sept 17, yikes, I think I'll just make it. T. V., NPR, Books on Tape, for me this weekend, oh and I guess I'll eat too:)

You all have fun!

Mon, 08/26/2013 - 15:45

jlread (not verified)

I wove as much as I could tolerate.....(@~@)....and decided to end this torture.  Wound the warp off on to a cardboard tube [to the front of the loom]...taped it to the breast beam...ran sturdy sticks from the breast beam to the the rear beam...laid a new reed [on the sticks] in front of the present one...pulled the threads out of the heddles...threaded the 'new' reed...tied this mess all toghther and will transfer to another loom at a later date. Will post pix of the toweling I took off the loom....I really needed to free up this loom as it is sold and the folks are coming to pick it up in 10 days.  That's what I've been up to!

Mon, 08/26/2013 - 17:45

sally orgren

that everything seems to be bollixed up right now. Sure has been true for me, and it sounds a bit like that for everyone else, too!

At least no one is giving up! And Cathie, your tapestry woes remind me of my guildmate's conversations about her tapestry projects. Yes, she spends a lot of time reworking areas. Tiny steps in the beginning can have big repercussions at the end. I am always in awe of tapestry weavers.

Mon, 08/26/2013 - 20:04

Artistry

Yeah, the tapestry artists I really admire have been doing their art for 30+ years, so LOL maybe when I'm 90 I'll make one I really like with no draw in:)
Tue, 08/27/2013 - 06:33

Weavejoyforall

I'm still waiting to find a larger RH loom ...dang.   Since the one I have only has a weaving width of 5 and 1/2 inch or so. ( childs brio loom). I'm getting a bit fiddle fingered here waiting ...lots of looms out there but they all want more for them then I can afford....  Such is life...lol      Might try to save up and get a  QUAD 16 inch by Christmas..or so.  if folks in my family are really generous this year... HO HO HO boy I hope so.    I know one weaver here has one LOOMING I think is her name but she has not replyed yet to my email...with questions.    

Tue, 08/27/2013 - 10:16

Artistry

I know you've been patient Weavejoyforall, but I do believe one will come your way. Have you tried the Homestead Weaving Studio website? They have used looms for sale. Mostly floor looms but they might have a RH. I see RH on E Bay, but I don't know how E Bay works really. Maybe you do. If you have a local Guild, your best bet. But keep putting the word out here, someone with give one up! I will keep my eyes open too! In the meantime , try to think of different things you could do with your Brio. Some of the finger manipulated weaves are just lovely and make beautiful Lacey scarves . Several panels, you could make a tote bag. Good Luck !
Wed, 08/28/2013 - 14:10

jlread (not verified)

Pix of the toweling off the loom...waffle weave in natural color cotton.....

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