In order not to forget to do this in time for the new month I will jump the gun and post this a day or do early. How did summer go by so fast? We are just now getting into the real heat of summer and I am afraid that it will last well into the fall but shouldn't complain as we have had gloriuos weather up until that last week or so. I am enjoying seeing everyone's project and hearing or accomplishments and trips and conferences and workshops. We are a very busy groups of very talented people! Keep up the wonderful work and weave on. . . . .

Comments

Sat, 08/01/2015 - 13:01

sally orgren

We got SNOWED on while it was near 100 in Boise, Idaho, just a few hours southwest. But it was a nice vacation, and great photo ops. (Maybe too much hiking, not enough weaving. I still have a bit of "canyon walk" in my stride ;-)

On the day we hiked nearly 12 miles, I was thinking how backpacking was a lot like weaving. If you are planning to do a repetitive activity for hours at a time without injury, you have to make sure everything is *perfect*, taking time to adjust the equipment or your actions to ensure the least amount of effort is required for continued, long-term  performance.

Sat, 08/01/2015 - 14:04

tien (not verified)

Gorgeous photos, Sally! And it sounds like you had a wonderful time.

My Big News is that the book is finally at the publisher!! There is a lot more work to be done yet, but mostly on the part of the publisher's team. My job is to make sure that the i's are dotted and the t's crossed on the paperwork (photo release forms etc.), review the galleys, and scour the world looking for marketing opportunities for the book. So I'm very pleased to have turned it in!

My digital painting class is also complete - I turned in the final project on Thursday. I'm sorry it's over - it was a lot of work but also a ton of fun, and I learned an incredible amount during class.

Which leaves me free (once my mom departs) to read up on the TC-2! Vibeke Vestby (head of Digital Weaving Norway) was nice enough to send me all the documentation, so I'll be pre-watching the assembly videos, installing the software to drive the loom, and so on. And developing my first few designs, of course.

And, finally, I'm hoping to clean out my studio today! But I need to scrub down the rest of the house first. My mom is not a neatnik, but the house is in no condition to be seen by anyone. So out come the sponges, brooms, and mops!

Sat, 08/01/2015 - 16:52

laurafry

I got up into the mountains this summer, but not that high!  :D  Still, it felt good to push my body and feel good while doing it.  :))))

Had a pretty good day yesterday - wove on the AVL making a dent in the tea towel warp, then dressed the small loom with another mat warp.  Today I'm aching a bit so I might take it a bit easy and not push quite so hard.  :)

cheers,

Laura 

picture of my friend at the waterfall at the top of the trail in the Ancient Forest - an inland rain forest - elevation 3000 feet or so...we had a great day!

Sat, 08/01/2015 - 19:01

sally orgren

Did you know it was *you* I was channeling when I kept adjusting my pack? Wink

Sat, 08/01/2015 - 19:38

laurafry

I've been told I'm an ear worm...in the nicest way possible!  ;)

cheers

laura

Sat, 08/01/2015 - 19:55

ReedGuy

Some nice country Sally. :)

I've hiked over a few acres of rainforest in BC while working, namely on Haida Gwaii and some Islands around Prince Rupert and inland toward Kimano on Douglas Channel. That's been almost 20 years. :) That's the funniest place, stars could be out at 6:00 am and rain begins at 8:00 and ends around 4:00 pm most days. Well it seemed so. :)

Sat, 08/01/2015 - 20:51

Missus T.

Inspiring me to get outside!  I've been a warping fool the last few days and have missed some beautiful weather in my determination to try out a 20/2 wool twill.  Ya'll could have put this warp on in nothing flat, but I kept doofing it up!  Anyway, I just finished the tie-up so the evening weaving is upon me!

Half of my household is away on vacation so I will distract myself (from all the cooking and cleaning I'm NOT doing, ahem) by putting on my second Navajo warp and weaving a stripy rug.  This rug WILL have selvedge cords which are consistently twisted!  And I shall be more patient weaving in the last inch. 

I have to make a poet's shirt for my daughter, too.  I found my old Folkwear pattern for this but am definitely using the serger, because then I'll have more time to weave!

 

 

Sat, 08/01/2015 - 21:30

Artistry

Wow, love the photos Sally and Laura ! My kind of places:) like your observation of similarities between weaving and hiking, Sally.

Tien, what can I say but you're just awesome! Congrats on getting the book to the publisher!

i'm stitching away, a very pleasant activity :)

Sat, 08/01/2015 - 23:34

endorph

close to my home ( okay a few hundred miles but) - your pictures make me home sick!

Mon, 08/03/2015 - 19:04

laurafry

Down to the last few turns on the warp beam.  This warp is coming off today!  Already got the next warp ready to go on - red warp with a simplified pine trees and snowball design woven in twill blocks.  Determined to finally use up the last of the singles 24 linen AND the 2/16 red cotton!  (She says, hopefully)

cheers,

Laura

Wed, 08/05/2015 - 06:32

laurafry

the cream warp yesterday.  Doug beamed a red warp today.  Too many distractions so I only got half of the place mat warp woven, but that will come off tomorrow.  

Looking forward to the red warp because it should a) use up the rest of the singles 24 (doubled) linen, and maybe even use up some, if not all, of the last of the 2/16 red cotton!  Clear space on the shelf!  :D

cheers,

Laura

Wed, 08/05/2015 - 14:28

tien (not verified)

We're getting ready for the TC-2! It's scheduled to arrive in port on August 25, three weeks from now! It should arrive on my doorstep within a few days thereafter, so definitely time to do some advance work. Mike is going to rewire the electrical circuits to the garage to accommodate the substantial power requirements (don't worry, I trust him not to burn the house down Smile ). I have another friend who is an expert in electrical engineering and mechanical engineering reading through the manual - he's going to lead the team of 5-6 friends who are going to assemble the loom. Thankfully, Digital Weaving Norway has provided excellent documentation! including assembly videos and specifications for just about everything. So I don't think it will be a problem.

I'm also starting to think about designing my first "real" project, which will be weaving panels to cover up the sides of the loom. Digital Weaving Norway, for reasons I can't fathom, paints the TC-2 in white and an atrocious shade of mint green - almost exactly the shade of Bianchi bikes. So I thought it would be a nice first project to design woven panels to cover the sides.

Since I've been obsessed with phoenixes for the last five years, I'll probably make it some kind of phoenix design. I'm going to start sketching thumbnails for the design this week, based on what I've learned in my digital painting class. So exciting to be designing my first project!

Wed, 08/05/2015 - 21:55

laurafry

Not nearly as exciting as Tien, but I just cut another place mat warp off the loom.  Now to decide - do I dress that loom with yet another place mat warp, or thread the *red* warp on the AVL for table runners...

cheers,

Laura

Thu, 08/06/2015 - 06:43

Nassajah (not verified)

Sally, what beautiful pictures!  They are also so inspirational for weaving. And you got to hike in such beautiful nature--a well rounded trip, for sure.

Thu, 08/06/2015 - 11:54

Artistry

Laura , can't wait till I can " tromp" the treadles, a couple more weeks. I'm going to try to get on your Webinar today from Craft U.

Tien, I love your Phoenix exploration and side panels seems as your first project sounds like great fun:)

stitch, stitch for me however as I start tapering off the mind fogging pills from the surgeries , I can read! So my study of laces will ensue in the next couple of days:) happy days!

Thu, 08/06/2015 - 14:18

sally orgren

Boise and Ketchum, Idaho, seemed to have a terrific and accessible public art program. They printed artist's work onto vinyl wraps, and then covered the utility boxes in each town. (I thought this would be a great idea for any town!)

Below: Racheal Teannalach, Wood River Valley Cycle - Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer

Below: Lisa Flowers Ross, Sunspots (The original art appears to be a textile - quilting technique)

Below: Seen at the Canyon County Historical Museum in Nampa, Idaho. A women's magazine from 1937 touting the latest in beauty aids, with the magazine being clipped from one of the antique hair curling machines depicted on the cover. (Why yes - of course she's knitting!)

Thu, 08/06/2015 - 14:31

endorph

great photos Sally - and what a grat idea to spruce up the look of ugly utility boxes!

Thu, 08/06/2015 - 19:50

Erica J

Another great day at the castle. We have also started our own tests on the new site!

I fixed 2 errors on my broken point threading and began working out my next taquete project.

Thu, 08/06/2015 - 21:54

laurafry

Got the red warp threaded and just started sleying when it was time to go get 'crunched'.  My neck now moves - more or less, thanks to my chiropractor - so I'm going to go finish sleying, tie on, generate the treadling and maybe even throw a few picks to make sure there are no oopsies...

cheers,

Laura

Thu, 08/06/2015 - 22:39

tommye scanlin

My current tapestry continues at a slow pace but I'll get to the end eventually!  Earlier this week my husband and I took an afternoon to go into Atlanta to the High Museum to see the Alex Katz exhibit, "This is Now."

I've loved Katz's work for a long time and having a chance to see room after room of his enormous paintings was awe inspiring!  He works from cartoons, by the way... based on his smaller sketches and studies.  Cartoons, much like what a tapestry weaver like me would use.  Here's a cartoon in the exhibit of one of his paintings.  I took an inadvertent selfie as I photographed it since the glass of the frame reflected more than I realized!

Thu, 08/06/2015 - 23:11

Artistry

Tommye, the Alex Katz exhibit looks fantastic!

Laura, I took a break from needlepoint and watched your Webinar on Lace today. Very nicely done, I might add! I think what surprised me the most was how many different threadings Huck Lace can be woven on. I had seen a few but not as many as you presented. Oh yes, that other structures can be made Lacey by adding holes, intentionally of course:)

Thu, 08/06/2015 - 23:56

laurafry

Cathie - I find lace weaves endlessly intriguing.  :)  Especially when other threading systems are woven lacey.

Got the red warp up and weaving today, in spite of computer problems.  :(

Fri, 08/07/2015 - 01:49

MMs-and-OOs-Ha…

Bianchi green is so retro. Mid-Century retro. There was actually a "tudor aesthetic" in the 50's - 60's. Griffins and phoenix. Fun! 

Fri, 08/07/2015 - 19:22

ReedGuy

I am featured in the Summer 2015 edition of AgelessNB magazine. It's a local magazine so it hasn't got a large circuation. It's not viewable online unfortunately, except the cover that has a photo of a local member of parliament. :D

I am quite happy with the journalist's article. :)

The magazine site is here:

http://www.agelessnb.ca

 

Happy weaving.

Sat, 08/08/2015 - 01:47

sally orgren

Any way us non-subscribers can access content?

Sat, 08/08/2015 - 08:33

ReedGuy

Not through online viewing I don't think Sally. I don't have any online access myself. It's not a nationwide magazine, mostly circulated along the western portion of New Brunswick. I think shipping across borders would be pricey, even local shipping is around $2.50 on top of the $4.95 price. It's a quarterly magazine. The magazine is not about weaving per se, it's about the people in the area.

Sat, 08/08/2015 - 16:53

theresasc

on my floor looms again.  It has been a busy summer and weaving kind of ended up on a back burner.  I have been lurking all along and enjoying everyones creativity, just not posting or weaving much.  Last weekend I finished dressing one of the 8-shaft looms.  I had beamed a warp on a few months ago and promptly lost interest.  It is a towel warp, an 8-shaft shadow weave gamp and I am enjoying seeing it develop as I weave.  I guess the time away from it has resparked my interest.  Strange how that happens.

 

Sat, 08/08/2015 - 22:11

laurafry

So many dreary days - good days to be at the loom!  Got the Leclerc dressed with yet another place mat warp, then wove on the AVL for a while.  Taking a break, then back at it.  :)

cheers,

Laura

Sat, 08/08/2015 - 23:39

endorph

my loom room is too hot to handle even with the AC on  so I am knitting and spinning in the living room instead. Here is a photo of my new toy - I am stil paying for thiem but they let me bring them home. They were handmade at Homestead Heritage in Elm Mott Texas, both the woodwork and the steel tines! Aren't they pretty - and wicked. Innocent

Sun, 08/09/2015 - 00:03

Missus T.

It's so inspiring to see everyone's projects.  Seeing your beautiful combs, Endorph, makes me want to spin!  How lucky we are to have such a great forum for sharing our output and weaverly musings!

The Navajo warp is ready to mount on the loom after fixing my twining mistakes!  I thought I had twined every end but when I pulled out the warping dowel to then lash it back on to the dowel I saw the mistake!  Easily fixed, if tedious.  Now I'm excited to get weaving tomorrow.  My  floor loom is also dressed-and-ready-to-go with a 4 shaft twill in 20/2 wool, set very close to be used for stuffed animals.  I finished my daughter's poetess blouse and re-upholstered the piano bench pad with some gorgeous LINEN velvet (didn't know this existed, and was shocked and delighted to find it at $28 per yard at Banksville Designer Fabrics in Norwalk, CT).  This stuff is just as shiny as silk and has a crushed pile texture.  I bought extra to redo a cult chair as well-- but I must refinish the chair first!   I finished knitting some socks and sewed a linen bag with yardage I wove in June following the Big Book of Weaving's pattern for a beaded linen purse.  It turned out nicely and I found the perfect, peach-colored China silk to line it at said fabric store!  Knitted up some fingerless gloves for my steampunk daughter's fall wardrobe, and translated a 36 row, written-out cable pattern into an easily-read chart to knit a comfy cable-wrap cardigan for Mom.  So I've been busy with all things fibery. 

Sun, 08/09/2015 - 04:28

Artistry

Congrats on the article ReedGuy! that's exciting !

Tina, I agree, those combs are mighty fierce ! fine purchase, I'm sure:)

we drove to Michigan to be at the cottage. I brought almost all my Lace books and videos with me. Of course, I left Stuck on Huck by M vdH at home. Darn:( I do have her video Weaving Laces and watching it is my plan for tomorrow !

stitch, stitch for today.

 

Mon, 08/10/2015 - 16:44

laurafry

Finally - woke to blue sky!  Yesterday I finished off the red place mat warp and wound another white one.  Today it's back to the AVL to see how much warp I can burn through on that 40 yard warp.  Since I'm just doing 'yardage' I have no visual markers to tell me how I'm doing so it's an article of faith that if I keep at it, I will get through it.  :)

Really happy to see those cones of singles 24 diminishing - so happy to use them up.  I'm ready for something a little more co-operative - like cotton!  :)  And no need to double it - yay!

cheers,

Laura

Mon, 08/10/2015 - 17:14

ShawnC

You all are so inspiring! I'm a bit excited about this latest project. I was fortunate and found a used fan/ondule reed. Finally managed to warp a lovely slubby knitting yarn to try it out. Still playing, but really enjoying it.

Thu, 08/13/2015 - 02:10

tien (not verified)

Congrats on the article, ReedGuy! ShawnC, where did you find the ondule reed? I am so totally jealous - I've wanted to play with one for years. I'm continuing to prep for the jacquard loom's arrival - I decided to start with a 220-thread warp to test out the basic function of the loom. The only problem is that the thread placement in the modules is 15 epi, and I don't have any yarn that thick! So it's off to my local yarn shop to see if they have 3/2 cotton or something else that size. Once we've established that the tloom works, I'll put on a considerably more ambitious warp.
Thu, 08/13/2015 - 10:25

ShawnC

Tien, so excited to see what you do with your new loom!! 

I was very lucky, indeed. I decided it wouldn't hurt to post on a couple of forums that I was looking for a fan reed. About a week later, someone contacted me. We negotated price (still not cheap, but not AS expensive) and I got the reed. It has a 28 inch weaving width. I will have so much fun with it, I think. So many possibilites. Right now I'm simply using my overhead beater's adjustments to make the 'fan'. Plan to experiment with different methods, yarns/setts, and structures. Yippee!

Thu, 08/13/2015 - 18:32

Erica J

Whew, I have gotten quite a bit done, though I still haven't gotten through yesterday's to do list.

I have started beaming tye diamond twill warp with extra width. This is going to be an adventure! I have also started threading the ground warp on my next damask weaving, whuch is basedon some medieval damasks and will (unconventionally by modern standards) have a 2/2 twill ground/binding structure.

Finally, I am back to weaving some samples of weft faced twill. I'm just playing around waiting to strike upon the right combination of colour scheme and pattern. I think it may have solidified today!

 

Update: I finished threading the ground shafts, so that is most of yesterday's to do list done and the drawloom half the way there! Wink

Fri, 08/14/2015 - 13:19

Erica J

Those with very good memories, will remember the fabric I wove to make a tunic for our son, TJ. You may also remember that I had decided it would be a better idea to warp 9 meters and the width I needed for TJ and just add the width to the 7 meters I was going to use for a tunic for Oliver. Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking. I blame the sleep deprivation from having a toddler who gets you up at 4:30 in the morning.

Anyway, Oliver very kindly made me a trapeze! I had wound the original warp onto the cloth beam and was going to beam the original warp and extra warp I needed. Thanks to Oliver being able to see the obvious and clamping the trapeze to the loom, so the cloth beam can rotate, I am nearly there! (photo for your amusement will be posted soon). 

Now I just need to rewatch Becky Ashden's Drawloom video, so I don't do anything silly when setting that up for damask!

Fri, 08/14/2015 - 20:24

Erica J

Whew, I am very close to having all the looms warped up and weaving again. Though my twill and texture exploration warp is desperately needing some love!

Photos will be flowing soon! Happy weaving everyone!

Fri, 08/14/2015 - 21:04

tien (not verified)

Wow, are you lucky! But really, you made your own luck by asking. :-) Please post photos of your work with the ondule reed! I'm really excited for you - and completely fascinated by work made using them.

For myself, I went down to my LYS today and bought some 3/2 cotton. 210 lbs of yarn in my stash and I had to buy more yarn?? But no, I need a yarn that weaves up at 15 epi and I had nothing in my stash that big!

Plan is to do a warp of just 220 threads, 14.5" wide, to test out the loom. After that I'll put something more ambitious on...

Sat, 08/15/2015 - 01:44

ShawnC

I'll be sure to share. Glad other folks are as fascinated as I am!

Ha ha. You're lucky to have a LYS to visit as required. 210 lbs of yarn...remind me of the song about 500 channels and nothing on ;-)

Really looking forward to seeing what you do!

Sat, 08/15/2015 - 03:00

tien (not verified)

LOL! Exactly like that. (And I love Bruce Springsteen, who sang that song!)

My LYS is mostly a knitting shop but they are trying to expand their weaving section. They have a nice selection of cotton yarns, and I want to encourage them, so I went there and bought a pound of 3/2 cotton yarn this afternoon.

My other great news for the day is that the guy I asked to write the Foreword for my book said yes! He's the Executive Director of the American Craft Council, so I'm very pleased that he agreed to do it.

 

Sat, 08/15/2015 - 03:39

laurafry

Two sessions on the AVL, then the rest of the day hemming at the fall fair.  Not many public coming by, but the kids were interested.  Just before closing a trio of 4H girls came along and wanted to play with all the things!

cheers

laura

Sat, 08/15/2015 - 13:03

ShawnC

Congratulations on getting the book even further close to completion!

 

I've been trying to encourage the local knitting shop to venture into some weaving yarns. Not working well so far.

Sat, 08/15/2015 - 17:07

Erica J

I'm not sure you all will believe me when I tell you this. Today I spent my weaving time swtiching between finishing setting up my next damask warp on my drawloom and doing really technical things on the redevelopment!

I was victorious on both counts! The damask is nearly ready to weave, I just need to finish the tie up and do final adjustments tomorrow. I should be weaving on both this and the diamond twill next week!!! :)

I scored a major victory on the redevelopment today, yes on a Saturday. I have one more break through to make and we'll be nearly ready to launch. We are so close. We will start testing next week, so if you are interested in helping test the new site before launch, just let me know!

Happy weaving everyone! :)

Sat, 08/15/2015 - 18:05

Artistry

I went on a field trip yesterday! Michigan Fiber Festival at the Allegan County Fairgrounds , continues through tomorrow. I went to visit guildmate Barb Gallagher owner of The Weaver's Loft ( advertises on Weavolution) she has a booth at the Festival. I bought some 20/2 linen in natural and in 1/2 bleached to be used, not together, for lace weave. I also got a small Hockett Tapestry loom for sampling techniques and colors. Plus some really lovely alpaca to weave a scarf. also some other stuff. I Lasted about 45 mins.then came home and took a long nap:)

Sat, 08/15/2015 - 20:48

laurafry

Morning at the fall fair hemming, lunch and now working on more place mats. 

Cheers

laura

Sat, 08/15/2015 - 21:01

ReedGuy

They don't bother here either Shawn. They move way more knitting yarn obviously since we are vastly out numbered. The local guilds here are pretty much gone. We had one upstart yarn shop here a year ago, they were never there but one time out of 4 or 5 tries I made. So that didn't last. Plus most everyone that knits in this area now is using acrylic or cotton knitting yarns they get at Walmart or Mardens salvage store. Keep trying anyway. :)

Sat, 08/15/2015 - 22:34

MMs-and-OOs-Ha…

At the Weaver's Barn in Vista I have taken over weaving an AVL threaded w 3/2s pearl cotton weaving damask blocks. This is something I have never done but it gives you a lot of bang for the buck. Yep, weaves quickly. I just was thumbing through Jean Baptist Falcon's drafts in mt guild's library, Anne Sutton editor?, on this trippy graduated shading design for making circles (mandala?) by gradually iterrating the weave interlacement. 

Sat, 08/15/2015 - 22:34

MMs-and-OOs-Ha…

At the Weaver's Barn in Vista I have taken over weaving an AVL threaded w 3/2s pearl cotton weaving damask blocks. This is something I have never done but it gives you a lot of bang for the buck. Yep, weaves quickly. I just was thumbing through Jean Baptist Falcon's drafts in mt guild's library, Anne Sutton editor?, on this trippy graduated shading design for making circles (mandala?) by gradually iterrating the weave interlacement. 

Sat, 08/15/2015 - 23:32

laurafry

Another dozen place mats and a now empty loom.  I think that's enough for today. :)

cheers

laura

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