Comments

debmcclintock

Nice colors! What dye are you using? Whoa! I just looked at the drill in the photo. Is that a device you use with the cardboard tubes so you can wind yarn on the tube? Did you make it? Sweet!

r1mein54 (not verified)

Thanks Deb. I was told at the guild meeting about dyeing yarn with KoolAid but decided I wanted to try Rit (hoping for sharper/deeper colors for tartan). I knew there was no way to handwind all of that, so a few minutes in the workshop to dream up a way to make a spring wire holder for the paper towel tubes [thanks to a person on Youtube trying to use a mixer with a beater for inspiration].

debmcclintock

Good that you used Rit, some of the Koolaid fade quickly. Check out prochemical if you ever decide to bump up the dye budget. At the least they have lots of safety sheets and instructions for you to browse as you wander the world of dye color. Here's the website http://www.prochemicalanddye.com/home.php Natural dye is useful also but chemical dye is great for exploring possibilities. In the meantime i'm hunting for that winder on YouTube!

ttkjohn

I especially like the drill idea for wrapping your towel rolls.  I also use a drill with a large drill bit attached as a bobbin winder.  Good for you.

r1mein54 (not verified)

ttkjohn, I use this same battery drill to wind my shuttle bobbins. All it takes is a 8 - 10 inch length of 1/4 wooden dowel rod with some duct tape wound at an angle so that it tapers and increases diameter a little as it get closer to the drill chuck. The bobbins slide on and get tighter and will pull back off with a slight reverse twist. Back to square one - underestimated the total yardage needed in the blue and green ,,,so I have to pull off more from cones and dye some more yarn - tomorrow.

repweaver (not verified)

Your drill use is way cool! Wonder if my husband would miss it if his drill happens to migrate loomside? Hum . . .

Artistry

I love the colors, which Scottish Clan? I'm Mc Eown. I love the the winder too, very clever!

r1mein54 (not verified)

Thanks Cathie, my family colors are for 2nd Great Grandmother Mary Johnston born Arbroath, Scotland 1839.
Finished Length Unit
yards
Finished Width Unit
yards
Length Off Loom Unit
yards
Length on Loom Unit
yards
Notes
Have spent most of the day adding color to hundreds of yards of yarn I pulled off cones last night. This is the same yarn that is the off white neutral in the "white & grey" twill scarf. This will be an attempt to make a < wide > item ( 30-32 inches) still following Scottish ancestor`s clan colors. More additions to this posting as they progress or complete. Update: In the past few days I have finally loaded the sectional warp beam, got heddles threaded and reed sleyed, tied to the cloth beam. Before I could finish the tieoff I encountered a problem of too many ends on the warp beam for the max width of my reed - I had to go back and take off a whole color band group so that stops this attempt to make a wide fabric. After I finally got to weaving up the sample I was still "fighting" the warp as it was not passing straight through the heddles and into the reed. I cut off the sample and decided to pull off all of the warp, reload it with a smaller end count (reduced the neutral). It is working fine although I still am having a little problem getting both selvedge edges to work right. Break time is over and this is posted - so its back to the loom and continue weaving. Final note : I`ve finished. I had to quit a little sooner that anticipated as some "bands" of warp I retied on the beam were shorter than others - at any rate the finished length was 2 yards 8 inches (last photo - 2nd plaid). I plan to wet finish it tomorrow and hope it will be less scratchy and full up. Last post: wet finish is done (last photo), did get a softer feel and did full. Colors dulled a bit - looks like it was made decades ago
Number of Shafts
4
Number of Treadles
6
Project Status
Finished
Sett Unit
epi
Width off Loom Unit
inches
Width on Loom Unit
inches