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, 08/15/2015 - 23:39

ShawnC

Wow! You area all so productive (even in the shopping category). Reedguy, I won't give up. Ugh. How anyone can tolerate acrylic in their hands...

I've spent the day organizing the yarn another weaver was clearing out. Primarily wool, so will be great for ruana type garments, and some appropriate for rugs.

 

Erica J, I hope you'll post pictures of the drawloom project. It's on my bucket list. Have had several books on damask that I've been carting around for years. Now that I'm weaving again, I even purchased some long-eyed heddles for use with a weaving sword.

 

Happy weaving!

Shawn

Sun, 08/16/2015 - 17:56

Erica J

I am slowly, but surely getting my drawloom set up for damask again. And seriously questioning why I ever thought it was a good idea to try to set it up for taquete. In all fairness, I ended up buying a 16 shaft loom for my taquete experiments, so this is a bit unfair, and I may use the drawloom for samitum or taquete again someday.

Anyway, I will post photos, once the adjustments are made and I am weaving again! I know I wrote up notes on setting up a drawloom, but am not having any luck finding them right now!

Sun, 08/16/2015 - 18:29

laurafry

I am back to picking away at the 40 yard long red warp.  I'm nearly (for certain values of 'nearly') finished with the doubled 24's linen.  All of it has been wound onto bobbins and when they are done...yay!  The balance of the warp will get woven off with the red 2/16 cotton, same as the warp.  And hopefully I will use up enough of *that* to make a sizeable gap on my shelves.

Lunch, then hopefully one more session, then up to the Fair to tear down our demo display.

cheers,

Laura

Mon, 08/17/2015 - 18:23

Erica J

I just need to tie on the wool warp tomorrow and level out the shafts on the drawloom and I'll be weaving on nearly all my looms again!

Mon, 08/17/2015 - 23:06

laurafry

Slowly but surely I am making my way through the red warp.  I'm down to just one 'bucket' of bobbins (of the doubled single 24 linen) which means I should finish that by Wed.  :))))  Then I will see how much of the red 2/16 cotton I can use up on what's left of the warp.  Looking forward to the shawl warp next in the queue.  Busting stash!

cheers,

Laura

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 07:19

Erica J

You and I both Laura! I'll be using up a variety of stash on my damask warp. And am using from my stash on the wool tunic! 

I need to finish up my textures warp or my next Taquete, then winding a stash busting warp my a workshop in October. Hmm maybe we should all post photos of ourselves and our stash?!

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 14:33

sally orgren

but I am finding it hard to get back to my looms quite yet!

 

I was in Maryland this weekend past, revisiting the Bethesda/Chevy Chase area where the Complex Weavers Seminars were held in 2012.

 

I met a few spinners (Karen Schlossberg of Avalon Springs Farm) and visited a knitting shop (Second Story Knits), plus spun some New Zealand wool in the display case at the Icebreakers store (Yes, I nearly always have my spindle in my backpack). I thought at first it was just junk roving, but it spun up beautifully! I was surprised the staff knew quite a bit about the process and their sheep, compared to the Average Joe.

 

On the way home, there was a stop at G-Street Fabrics in Rockland, MD. Sadly, the family-owned fabric store filed for bankrupcy in June or July, and I hope they can recover. Along with Britex Fabrics in San Francisco, this was one of my favorite fabric stores. You can still find fine Italian wool and wool+cashmere suiting and a small selection of imported fabric, like African prints and silks (but no longer Liberty of London). They also still have the heaping $2.97 per yard tables, but sadly for me, nearly all the fabric was solid knits. In the past, I found wonderfully-colored cotton prints for rag weaving projects.

 

The loom call is getting louder, perhaps I'll be as productive as Laura after work tonight!

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 14:39

Erica J

 

Today's weaving...not much and just playing around to test the set up!

 

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 18:31

sarafigal

Show us pictures of your damask blocks, please! And I'd love to see what you mean by the mandala circles.

 

Tue, 08/18/2015 - 18:32

sarafigal

Show us pictures of your damask blocks, please! And I'd love to see what you mean by the mandala circles.

 

Fri, 08/21/2015 - 03:00

tien (not verified)

What, two days with no posts?!? Where are all you folks??

I'm getting ready to put leveling casters on the 40-shaft AVL. Leveling casters are basically a combination wheel-foot: when the foot is down, the loom will sit on feet. But there is a wheel next to the foot, so when you retract all four feet, then the loom sits on wheels and can be moved. I figured that would make it a lot easier to rearrange the looms should I need to do so later. The TC-2 weighs over 1000 pounds and the AVL over 600, so if I didn't put them on casters, they would be completely immovable!

And I am pleased to say that I have FINALLY settled on a name for the TC-2. I'm going to name her "Grace," or maybe "Amazing Grace," after Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, who was not only a Navy admiral but a tremendous pioneer in computer science. She wrote the first working compiler, was very influential in the development of the programming language COBOL, and popularized the use of the word "bug" to describe computer problems after finding a moth in a malfunctioning computer. (She removed the moth, successfully debugging the computer.)

Anyway, that continues my proud tradition of naming my looms after prominent women in mathematics (and now computer science), and I think a Navy admiral's name is appropriate for a loom that sailed over the sea to get to me. And "Amazing Grace" (Grace Hopper's nickname) is appropriate too, as I never thought I'd be able to own a TC-2. I expect she will be just as remarkable as her name.

And she arrives in port next Friday....!

Fri, 08/21/2015 - 03:16

laurafry

I finally did finish the fine linen and made a good start on the cotton although it looks like I will have lots of the red left over.  Tonight I spent time plying some yarn I had spun earlier in the year. 

 

Fri, 08/21/2015 - 11:54

endorph

spinning and knitting a lot lately - trying to finish up a knitting commission and get some fiber spun up that has been sitting on the wheel for a while!. I have some new fiber I wwant to get spinning. . . . in the meantime I have two loom sitting warped and aprtially woven that I also need to get back to if the weather ever cools off enought for me to stand being in the loom room. I might have to manhandle the portable AC unit that lives in my bedroom and take it down to the loom room so I can work in there.

Fri, 08/21/2015 - 13:57

Artistry

Amazing Grace it is then! A wonderful tradition! 

Goodness gracious Laura, you spin too? How on earth you get all this done is beyond me! Actually I have a feeling it's honoring a schedule and discipline( plus efficiency!).

i've been reading lace weave books, it's starting to sink in,Yay!  I should be able to push the treadles down  next week! Another Yay! Plus I'm soooo excited about Beauty , my tapestry loom which I'm eager to weave on. Triple Yay!

so I'll be looking towards all of you who inspire me with weaving everyday , schedules, and just getting to it! 

Still in Michigan ,still napping, but looking forward to get back to Cincinnati where I can weave !

Fri, 08/21/2015 - 15:33

laurafry

Spinning was the conduit that sucked me into weaving.  I will never be a good spinner but understanding how spinning fibre makes yarn makes me a better weaver. :)

glad you are feeling better Cathie.  Recovery takes as long as it takes  

cheers

laura

Sat, 08/22/2015 - 16:38

Artistry

Thanks Laura, you're right " recovery takes as long as it takes". Do what one can!  

I have have often thought I would take a spinning class for exactly the reasons you cited. We have an excellent COE ll spinner in our Guild who teaches the classes. I took a Fiber Characteristics class from her and it was great.

i've decided that I'm going to color in my cartoon for the tapestry 'Patagonia' it will be a better guide.

also contemplating starting up another Tapestry Diary again, but this time very simple. It's a commitment but it's definitely a springboard for getting more work done. I would start Sept.

Mon, 08/24/2015 - 01:36

sally orgren

Still having a summer time affair with Franz Donat, this time stash busting the 8/2 cottolin in greens. Once I finish this round of towels, I am ending the relationship and moving on...

 

Mon, 08/24/2015 - 02:28

laurafry

the computer that drives my AVL keeps crashing.  I think I need a new one.  I'm trying to finish the red warp before I buy a new one and deal with hooking it up.  Sigh. 

 

Laura

Tue, 08/25/2015 - 06:01

Erica J

I did manage to get in 10 mins. yesterday. I wove about an inch and a half. Then I spent some of the time between 2:30 and 3 am calculating how long it will take me to weave off 7 meters at that rate. Perhaps this is why I couldn't get back to sleep.  And why I had a nightmare that the loom had commercially woven cloth on the warp beam,  when it should have been ready for weaving. I was quite upset when I woke up,  but I'm not sure my husband fully understood my distress.  :)

Tue, 08/25/2015 - 08:31

Erica J

Shawn,

I finally found my blog entry on my initial drawloom set up and warping. Ironically it was here on my Weavolution Blog! http://weavolution.com/node/28179

Tue, 08/25/2015 - 11:27

ShawnC

Thank you, Erica! How did you know I was drinking my coffee and looking over the posts on drawloom weaving?! This is quite helpful. One thing that sort of stuck out to me was the problem in the raddle and how you describe the threads coming off the beam. I have recently become a convert to rough/pre sleying the reed. So darn easy and intuitive (like most of weaving at some point). My raddle may now gather dust unless I find a good use for it elsewhere in the process.

 

When I first taught myself to weave in 1994 or so, I warped front to back, etc. The last few months (my second weaving life after a 15 year break) I've almost taught myself again, but really enjoying more traditonal ways of working in the Scandinavian tradition.

Much of what you describe in your blog will be helpful when I get the attachment made or purchased cheaply. So thank you so much! I hope to have the loom set up with long eyed heddles for use with the weaving sword and more direct pick up (fun to try both while I'm at it) before the holidays. Will be my gift to myself. In the meantime, while I weave off some other projects, the reading and video viewing are my leisure activites.

I've pulled out Sara's book (so much fun!) and Pattern Devices for Handweavers. I think this book (PDFHW) may have been my first introduction to the possibilities of the drawloom many years ago. I'm excited to move forward on this a bit sometime soon!

Look forard to pictures of your progress!! And thanks again for the conversation,

Shawn

Tue, 08/25/2015 - 13:52

Erica J

Shawn,

I would love to say, I am just that smart, but it must have just been fate! I wrote that post over my morning coffee, but sdveral hours before yours.

I do promise to post pictures,  but my damask weaving is my "fun" weaving right now. I have to refocus on my weft faced studies. Today seems to bea good day for it, as lots of pieces are clicking into place!

Wed, 08/26/2015 - 01:15

Artistry

Home, Sweet, Home! There is a choir of looms calling my name :)

Wed, 08/26/2015 - 04:45

tien (not verified)

Holy early loom arrival, Batman!

I got a call from the customs broker (who is also arranging shipping) this morning. The loom wasn't due to arrive into port until Friday, but it's already here! That means that it will arrive on my doorstep on either Thursday or Friday. Yippee!!!

...uh, sort of.

You see, I expected the loom next week, which would give me all weekend to work on clearing space in the garage for it...yes, you see the problem! The garage is packed with Stuff and there is no room for the 64"x64" pallet carrying 1200 pounds of loom...so I am taking a half-day off work tomorrow and am going to rearrange the garage with help from a wonderful weaver friend. I'm hoping that will be enough. I also hope they'll tell me tomorrow what day exactly it will arrive!

So I'm really excited, but also really, really busy!

 

 

 

dsflaskj

Wed, 08/26/2015 - 05:02

laurafry

i got the red warp cut off yesterday, but I needed to buy a new computer to run the loom.  It had been crashing, repeatedly.  :(

i got got the new cpu yesterday, but today the power was out so it wasn't until late in the day I could actually turn it on to make sure it worked and to download Fiberworks.  As soon as I get the code to activate it I will see if the computer will talk to the loom...and that the loom will talk back!  Wish me luck!

i don't have time to waste as show season begins in a matter of weeks and I really need a warp of shawls, too.

cheers

laura

Wed, 08/26/2015 - 18:03

Erica J

Welcome home Cathie!

Congratulations Tien, and good luck!

I'm keepong my fingers crossed for you Laura. I know Fiberworks got back to me very quickly, when I got my new computer! 

Wed, 08/26/2015 - 19:26

laurafry

Bob was great - heard my cries of woe and told me exactly which adapter to buy - mine was apparently 'too old'...

I have one on order - unfortunately it looks like it won't arrive until Sept 10.  Good thing I have work to do on the Leclerc Fanny!

cheers, Laura

Thu, 08/27/2015 - 22:01

Artistry

Good luck Laura! I know you'll keep those shuttles flying on the LeClerc Fanny!

Good Luck to you Tien on getting things organized for Grace's Homecoming!

i'm pleased with my efforts today! I got my tapestry warp ( from last Dec.!) all organized, neat and tidy. It is now hanging from the top beam dangling down, waiting for me to put through the raddle and heddles. yay! 

it's rather daunting putting your first warp on a new to you loom. But if you just break it down, step by step , you get there :) well, it takes coffee too, in my case !

 

Thu, 08/27/2015 - 22:03

tien (not verified)

Yay Cathie! Yes, it's daunting, but it's also such a thrill! Can't wait to do it for Grace.

Speaking of Grace, she's arrived in Oakland! I expect she'll be delivered tomorrow. :-) :-) :-)

Thu, 08/27/2015 - 23:08

laurafry

One more place mat warp on the Leclerc, and then I can switch to towels - for a while.  I still don't have anywhere near enough place mats for the show season.  And here I thought I'd been making them like crazy - not crazy enough, apparently.  But I need a break, so towels it is.  First towel warp wound, now to get that place mat warp out of the way.

cheers,

Laura

Fri, 08/28/2015 - 01:18

laurafry

It's a wee bit fuzzy but this will be going onto the Leclerc just as soon as I get the current place mat warp off.  Hopefully tomorrow.  Looking forward to seeing how well the striped design turns out.  Fibonacci is my friend. 

cheers,

Laura

Fri, 08/28/2015 - 11:09

tommye scanlin

The tapestry I've been working on since late April came off the loom yesterday evening.  Now the work of finishing begins!  

 

Fri, 08/28/2015 - 13:13

Artistry

Hooray Tommye! I can't wait to see it!

today's goal - start threading Beauty:)

Fri, 08/28/2015 - 13:42

Artistry

Tommye, I just went to your blog and the tapestry is beautiful. The blossoms are so lovely in their shape and look perfect against the earthy background. 

 

 

Fri, 08/28/2015 - 17:03

laurafry

the new adapter for the computer/loom arrived this morning.  It is with a fair bit of trepidation that I head to the studio.   Will the two now talk to each other?

cheers

laura

Fri, 08/28/2015 - 19:47

laurafry

And we appear to have lift off.  Will have to get a warp onto the loom and actually try weaving with it, but so far, so good.  :)

cheers,

Laura

Fri, 08/28/2015 - 20:22

endorph

Hard to believe there are only a few more days until September - where did the summer go - although the summer temps here in Texas don't seem to be recognizing that summer is supposed to be over soon.

Fri, 08/28/2015 - 21:09

tien (not verified)

Yay for Laura and Tommye! Tommye, I really love that tapestry - beautiful work! Glad you're sharing it with us.

I got a phone call from the trucking company who's going to be delivering Grace to my door. They're booked up today, so they're going to deliver her late Monday morning. She's such a big girl that her pallet doesn't fit on the liftgate - they're going to have to break down the pallet and carry her boxes into our garage one at a time. (Which is great for me, as it will make them easier to move later.)

Woot! My loom is almost here!!

Sat, 08/29/2015 - 21:35

laurafry

Got the new towel warp onto the Leclerc last night and started weaving today.  Looking pretty good, even if the colours aren't 'mine' - I think they should appeal to people who like 'natural' colours.  :)

Sun, 08/30/2015 - 11:02

Erica J

Laura,

I saw your blog post with the close up of this warp and the hem. I had some questions about how you were doing the hem, so I finally watched your efficient weaving class from start to finish, and of course all my questions were answered!  I am also thrilled to be practing your way of threading the heddles! 

Hopefully my next taquete warp will get threaded and sleyed today!

Sun, 08/30/2015 - 14:05

Erica J

Taquete warp on the loom and ready to weave! I wove about 5" on the diamknd twill, I never should have let that warp sit so long. Laura, I am not being perfect, but I am trying to be consistent, the beat is definitely not perfect!

I also have my damask sorted out, that is the big whew! My first pattern is not suited to this sett, but I'm mostly using this warp to test out some patgerns, so no worries.

Photos after my back rests up.

Sun, 08/30/2015 - 19:29

laurafry

glad you found it helpful Erica.  

Cheers

laura

Sun, 08/30/2015 - 21:17

Artistry

Nice drawloom samples, Erica!

Laura , love the stripe sequence!

a raddle on a floor loom takes what? 2 mins. To get your bundles in? Beauty's raddle is permanently affixed to the loom, with a metal top bar that does not come off. The raddle is above my head when I stand , the 7 yd. warp is hanging from the top beam, and I have to pass the warp ends a few at a time down through their appropriate slot. Sounds easy but it's taking forever, grrrr! Plus there are tangles:(

I will really rethink my steps of dressing this loom next time out. But good thing is I'm putting enough warp on for lots of tapestries:)

 

Mon, 08/31/2015 - 02:47

tommye scanlin

Cathie,

The raddle top should slip out... slide it sideways.  It will be stiff at first to get started but the raddle teeth should be slightly offset with a metal pin ever so often in the cap and that will ride between the offset rows of the raddle teeth, if it's like the one I had.  

Tommye

Mon, 08/31/2015 - 12:39

Artistry

Thank you Tommye! Yes as you say the top of this raddle does slide off! Well, silly me! You've saved me hours of work and frustration! Thank you so much!      Cathie

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