Welcome to March! It looks like March is roaring in like alion in most parts of the US, hopefully that will mean he we go out as a lamb bringing April showers and May flowers in his wake. Everyone is being so productive. I have been enjoying seeing everyone's projects and seeing how much we can help each other with questions and problems, as well as boistering each other wiht  all the compliments. I have not been weaving much lately, but that will change next week with a 5 day workshop. Keep up the good work everyone - weave on!

Tina

Comments

Mon, 03/03/2014 - 16:52

theresasc

that is one of the great things about weaving, you end up with a collection of lovely items that you can actually use all the time instead of a collection of dust-catchers.  I have a few Bluster Bay's, both EF and boat shuttles and you just cannot top the feel in your hand as you weave, the finish on the wood is so silky and smooth to the touch - just what we touchy-feely weavers need!

Cathie, it sounds are as stash-challenged as I am:-)  It is fun to see just what ends up working together.  Yesterday I wound a warp for rep-weave placemats, all stash yarn and it seems that I will have enough for a couple of towels to coordinate with the mats

Mon, 03/03/2014 - 16:54

Weavejoyforall

 We have mentioned this topic (as you said) before yes.  I cryed the first when my first warp went "south" using heavy paper to seperate my warp.  I swore....(sort of ) I would find a way that it would never happen again...and Warp sticks are my answer too!(I tend to do research when things go that baddly wrong and found many floor loom users do use  Warp sticks.)  I have cut several differnt sizes about 20 or so of each size hand sanded,like you did, the sharp edges smooth.  I'm no wood worker but I can handel a jiffy knife and a bit of sand paper  I have a full set I made for my scarfs at 8 inchs and am working on sanding my second set 16 inch ones for my next project now.   I also have nearly a full set of 25 inch ones I have started to work on little by little they will be ready when I attempt a wider warp. Since I started using them I have neater salvages and my tension is pretty even all the way across. For a Weaving newbie like me every thing you can make FOR SURE ...is one less thing to worry about. As Liz Gipson says in her videos  "When you are new to weaving ...you worry about everything 'cause you just don't know what things you really need to worry about" ...lol  If I have one little thing to say to wamnabe weavers like myself ..its   "DON'T PANIC"   most things can be worked out   Most ...that is ...   :)  I actually saved a whole warp once that was nothing but knots and mess....It was pretty much a loss..BUT I did it.  YEAH! hehe. 

Hemstiched my newest project and wove for nearly two hours today...Me happy!

Mon, 03/03/2014 - 17:25

Weavejoyforall

I am just drooling over your sample.   I am still pretty much doing plain weave but will soon start working on sample again.  I have so much to learn and some to Relearn on this new loom of mine.  I wanted to get my salvages a bit better and deal with the other New rigid heddle weaver stuff before I switch from plain weave . Although I did do some patterns with a pickup stick on my old Little brio loom I never quite got them right... Meaning they never turned out quite as I thought they would. Some day soon I might get to the point That I can send a beautiful picture of my work ...like you  and so many otheres here have.  Heres HOPE'in !

Mon, 03/03/2014 - 18:07

pammersw

Making a loom apron - based on 50 years of machine sewing, nearly 54 of hand sewing (yes, I started as a toddler):

Use fabric the same width as you need, just keep the selvage edges = no fraying. Or do a zigzag over the edges if you have to buy something too wide and cut it down.  I would avoid folding it at all. A tight enough weave, and you might get away with a line of straight machine stitching,  pinking the edge, then loosely hand overcasting. That's how they used to do it before sergers (overcast machines) were common. Overcasting the edge might make a lump. Zigzagging with an overcast foot (it has a little bar up the middle that the stitch rests against) will avoid the lump at the edge.

Mon, 03/03/2014 - 18:31

Artistry

Weavejoyforall, thanks for the complement! Your selvedges will improve with practice and you'll have fun a long the way. The fun and challenge has been what kept me in this field for so long! Oh Weavefails, we all have them! I amaze myself at the creative ways I get into trouble! Done with Tapestry for the day. Time to hem some dish towels.
Mon, 03/03/2014 - 19:11

katiemac

Tien, your shuttles are gorgeous. Yay! I ordered one last week from Bluster Bay, & tracking says it's out for delivery. I'm glad to hear they've gotten a good review. I trust everyone here's experience!

Cathy, that run of fabric is soooooooooo pretty!

I got the call from Fedex this a.m. My 8 shaft Baby Wolf will be delivered tomorrow!!!! I'm taking a vacation day to unpack her & get to know her. I'll be winding a warp this evening.

I allmost forgot about the sticks for warping. I use them always. I never worry about the knots bulging, & my warp is always nice & tight & even. I use any clean, smooth stick that fits - sticks cut just for the purpose, long, flat stick shuttles & pick-up stitcks,  lease sticks, wooden blinds, etc. Yardsticks works well, too & you can cut them for smaller looms.

When they fall off the warp beam as the warp unwinds, I use them on the cloth beam.

Mon, 03/03/2014 - 19:16

ReedGuy

Pammersw, yes that is the idea. But if not, then sewing that edge is not avoidable. I'm thinking this stuff comes in full yard widths, not something like 60". As I said, no warp yarn will even be wrapped over it. I'll come up with something. ;)

Mon, 03/03/2014 - 20:22

pammersw

Actually,  you were talking about upholstery fabric for the apron, correct?  It comes in nominally 60" (really about 58"), and nominally 55" (really about 52") widths. It's the Length that will be in yards or a eighth fraction thereof. Use it lengthwise as the warp direction is always more stable than the weft direction. It will stretch weird under tension crosswise.

Mon, 03/03/2014 - 21:09

ReedGuy

It may be upholstery sundry of some sort. Hopefully some kind of heavy canvas. If I was on the ball, I would have asked Nina to add some to my order coming from Camilla Valley. (rolling eyes) They are indeed hemmed all the way around on their aprons but only one sewed sleave on the end and attached by tacks. So I guess I would have the sew up the sleeve on the other end anyway. They are a little pricy there ($66), but I will compare price in Bangor. Might cost more, never know. I would use it warp wise yes. But thought the widths were in full yards and not odd dimensions. Anyway, good to know. I know that Curtain Store has big rolls of stuff and even Joanne's.

Mon, 03/03/2014 - 21:15

Ann A

They seem to work well and you can cut them down if you need to for a narrower project. They are also slightly curved so they tuck in as you wind quite nicely.

Mon, 03/03/2014 - 21:36

Artistry

KatieMac - thank you! Congrats on your Baby Wolf! I have a couple ( different houses) and one I've had for over 20 years. I have done so much different stuff on that loom it's really been fun. It's also portable in my van for workshops. What's your first project on it?
Tue, 03/04/2014 - 00:16

endorph

we are already at 62 posts on this thread - keep up the good work. Nice to see all the helpful suggestions and encouragement

Tue, 03/04/2014 - 00:30

ReedGuy

LOL, I'll soon be complaining about how long this thread loads. :)

Tue, 03/04/2014 - 03:14

endorph

ReedGuy cuz I will uploading photos from class over the next several days!

Tue, 03/04/2014 - 05:30

ReedGuy

I can speed things up with a mouse click. But at least now my browser will cache the images better. Some sites like this have headers that affect caching but there are ways. :)

Tue, 03/04/2014 - 14:15

Artistry

Tina - have a great time at the workshop ! Off to Victoria, B.C. On Thursday to visit Dad and Marvie. Have to get the dish towels all hemmed , present for Marvie:)
Tue, 03/04/2014 - 22:51

ReedGuy

I got my loom canvas today at the tarp shop. Also my horse hair and cotton batting arrived and a bunch of stuff from LeeValley to get these projects finished up. Still some upholstery tools to arrive. ;)

Still weaving webbing. :)

Here's the horse hair. Don't tell Kerstin, she weaves with horse hair I think. ;)

Wed, 03/05/2014 - 05:49

MMs-and-OOs-Ha…

I had to ponder the shift in your warp as you get to the end and few things popped into my head. First, do you use the raddle at all to spread the warp?, not sure what your doing. The raddle end that goes through the beam stick can shift around before it is locked in by either the bulk of the yarn or by tightening down the flanges. It just seems from the picture that you don't have it spread evenly to begin with OR the flanges aren't really tightened enough. The felt padding AVL provides really doesn't hold well. I think some strips of the Rubbermaid shelf liner stuff between the felt and the beam surface would stop any slipping. Last thing you want to have happen! If you use a raddle cross, well you don't need one. I use it to evenly space my warp but maybe you have another method. I don't generally make my warp wider on the plain beam. The outside threads would be longer and possibly give you a better selvedge. I like to put my selvedges on another beam and make them basketweave, on the dobby that means you sacrifice 4 shafts dedicated to the selvedge pattern.
Wed, 03/05/2014 - 02:56

endorph

day of the 5 day workshop. We started at about9 this morning - actually started weaving at about 10. I managed to finish 3 projects today - I am exhausted! There are a total of 9 projects we can do if we feel so inclined. We are workingon 14 different looms incuding jack looms, Glimakra's and a draw loom. Today I did 5 shaft damask dish towel (which will never be used to dry dishes or hands!) in 16/1 linen and 30/2cotton, goose eye dish towel in 16/2 cotton and a Swedish lace bread cloth in 8/2 cotton. Other projects include rep weave, overshot, rosepath, bound weave and draw loom. Here are a couple of pictures showing our work room - it is a little crowded!

Wed, 03/05/2014 - 03:23

ReedGuy

Oh I would definately use those towels, even if for hand towels. It does no good to hide them in a drawer. But, I suppose if kept pristine to showcase your early years of weaving that has value to.  But I'm still a little mad about it. ;) LOL

Wed, 03/05/2014 - 03:58

Artistry

Tina - I can't believe how much you got done in 1 day! Love the 5 shaft damask. Is this a JoAnne Hall class? MM's-and-OO's- Han, thanks for your response. Yes, I do use the raddle ( AVL's) for spreading out the warp. It is very evenly spaced when I beam and stays that way through the beaming process. It is nice and firm once beamed. The flanges I can not close all the way with my hands so there is a slight gap which I close up with duct tape. I think it might be time to get the plyers out and really tighten the flanges down. I will have to observe if the warp is moving inward, or, if the flanges are shifting. Measuring before and after my next sample will tell me. Thanks so much for your help. Cathie Will try the Rubbermaid shelf liner too, good idea!
Wed, 03/05/2014 - 08:21

ReedGuy

The clamping tight of the flang halves may also be affected by the quality of the wing nuts. Many off the shelf wing nuts have sloppy threads. Although they will turn on the threaded rod, when they get down to the chore of actually tightening, this slop in the threads makes them difficult to turn by hand. Many wing nuts I see in stores are quite bad, coming from China and not very precisely thread. They will be canted off a little, and it will be obvious.

I'm not suggesting to buy them, just that these are about the best you can get.

http://www.leevalley item# 00M54.01 1/4-20 thread  and 00M74.01 5/16-18 thread.

Wed, 03/05/2014 - 12:03

Artistry

Thanks ReedGuy! I'm not sure if these flanges are too small or what. I'm going to ask my Hub. To look at it and see what we can work out. He's one handy guy :) Didn't realize that the wing nuts sold to us were such junk, or close to it. So, thanks again for the link!
Wed, 03/05/2014 - 12:52

endorph

is a Joanne Hall class. I am a bit surprised myself at how much I got done. I really fought the loom on the damask. We were having issues with the shed. I was working on one of the new Glimakras - which was fun - JOanne really worked hard on getting everything set up for that loom - of course the weaver after me benefitted from that but I got my project finished and it looks pretty good. I really didn't plan on finishing the Swedish lace yesterday but went back to the studio after dinner and got into a rythm and finished it up lickety split. Not sure what I am going to be assigned to work on today.

Reed Guy the damask will get used but as a table topper instead of a towel.

Wed, 03/05/2014 - 13:44

tien (not verified)

Hi Cathie,

You inspired me to get out my AVL end feed shuttles and give them a try! These are the shorter ones, and mine are quite old, I think they are the Crossley AVL shuttles that everyone raves about.

Anyway, the main difference is that the AVL shuttles are WAY heavier. They feel more authorative in the hand and would probably do better on wider warps than the Bluster Bay shuttles. However, I would probably need to retrain somewhat to use them, because of the weight - I woke up this morning to some stiffness in my right index finger, possibly because I catch the shuttle differently on that side.

The Bluster Bay shuttles are also made of finer-grained wood and polished to a much higher gloss than the AVLs. As a result, they feel smoother and silkier to the hand. They have a solid pin to hold the pirns rather than a split piece of metal as the AVL (and most other end-feed shuttles) have. That makes them harder to roll paper pirns for. Not impossible, just harder.

On the whole I like the Bluster Bay better, but will likely hang onto the AVL and try it out when I weave wider warps where the additional weight will likely be helpful.

Wed, 03/05/2014 - 13:53

tien (not verified)

My loom is repaired! Hurray! We got the replacement part yesterday, put it on, and now it weaves flawlessly. I wove a good 12" yesterday. Yay!

Today I am retrospecting on a project. I need to pick out and photograph a set of samples/muslins from Autumn Splendor for a slide presentation showing how designs evolve over the course of a complex project. I have a semi-pro photographer friend coming over tonight to help me photograph them - which means I need to completely clean up the studio before he arrives. This is a pretty tall order considering that my worktable is currently buried a foot deep (literally!) in Stuff, and the floor isn't much better. So I really need to get cracking!

I've also finished revising my lesson plan and handouts for the two-day workshop I'm teaching next week at Fiber Celebration 2014 in Ft. Collins, Colorado. It's about the design process, I'm teaching it in Colorado, and it is (yay!) completely full with sixteen people in the class. It's packed with info from my book - I'm basically covering all the topics in two days. I'm a bit worried that I'm trying to fit too much in, but we'll see how it goes.

Wed, 03/05/2014 - 15:36

sally orgren

Sorry, I am still buried in threading. It will be 1,300 warps total since Saturday afternoon if I can finish yet this morning.

ReedGuy, instead of hems or any kind of zigzag, I would do a straight stitch close to the edge, using a small stitch. Just once. Then try "painting" the raw edges of the canvas/tarp with a mixture of glue and water, let dry. Or, use a product like Fray Check. (This can be reapplied easily if it "wears" off, but I don't think it will ;-) The stay stitching (small stitching line parallel to the edge) is the place where if it does start to fry, that will stop it going any further.

The risk of even a slight bit of bulk at the edges can have a ripple effect when that apron is beamed and then covered with very fine threads that approach full width. For me, the risk of adding even a small amount of bulk to the "selvedge" edges of the apron wouldn't be worth making it look nice with a neat hem.

Endorph, the class looks spectacular! I would love to have a 5-day opportunity to romp with different looms and experience more Swedish structures. 

Love my AVL EFS's, but yes, only for wider than 24" widths. And heavy? I guess I am used to it. Works incredibly well at 45", so maybe the weight is needed for longer throws? Tien, how about the height of EF shuttles between the Buster Bay and AVL — are they the same, or is one taller? I always seem to acquire small shed looms. (Endorph, are you enjoying those big sheds this week?)

Back to threading, about 4" left! 

Wed, 03/05/2014 - 16:25

ReedGuy

Sally, there won't be any threads on the apron. But I'm already ahead of ya, I have a stitch on the edge that was cut. It's not rolled, just stitched. The only thing i need to do is cut some windows on the rod ends to pass the cord through when joining to the beam stick. And a little extra sewing around those and to close the sleeve a little more. No biggy. :)

I should be finished up my new beam today, just waiting for the ends from Camilla Valley, and they are coming UPS, so probably Friday or Monday I will have those ready for attachment. I have a beam to make and the end blocks. Should I make the beam (not roller) height adjustable?

Wed, 03/05/2014 - 17:24

Artistry

Tien - thanks for your reply. I think I'll get a Bluster Bay from your comments and a couple of other weavers on this thread. I have the AVL's and I am finding them heavy on my left wrist. So something lighter Would help me a lot. Plus it's a big excuse to get some beautiful wood, and velvety shuttles:) Sally thanks for your input too :) ReedGuy - my beam is stationary and I've never felt a need to raise or lower it. Maybe others will chime in.
Wed, 03/05/2014 - 18:15

sally orgren

I have had occasion to raise my warp at the back beam in the past, or even raise part of the warp to separate it from the rest. However, this was always on jack looms.

If not a jack loom, would it be necessary?

FYI — on my TOTT floor loom, both the front and back beams can be dropped to the floor, and the back beam can be adjusted to three different positions when weaving.

...1/3 done sleying. Took another break.

Wed, 03/05/2014 - 18:19

sally orgren

A few years ago I was traveling in Iowa, browsing the antique shops when I found two pillow cases stuffed with hog hair under a table. I was told it used for upholstery. I posted the find on WeaveTech, and someone picked up the cases within two weeks!

Wed, 03/05/2014 - 21:45

ReedGuy

I looked at the Glamakra standard with a supplementla beam and it doesn't seem to be adjustable. I guess I was just wondering maybe it would come in handy when winding warp and then being able to adjust it if need be for the two warps to merge at different  spaces between then (top to bottom). Maybe not. I think I saw Dawn McCarthy use a drawloom on an AVL that had an adjustable beam. Could just use a steel pin and have the beam slip along a mortised slot.

Thanks for your help. :)

Hog hair is often mixed with horse hair, but the pure horse hair is a superior product according to upholstery books and sellers. It is not cheap. ;)

Thu, 03/06/2014 - 02:08

endorph

and I am exhausted. Manages three more projects today - a quick to weave rosepath tote bag fdrom 1.5/1 tow linen. Then I got to play on the draw loom for a couple of hours. I wove apples and cherries - I ran out the green cotton I started with so ended up with a couple of rows of dark pink cherries and apples! And then this afternoon I did a rep  weave runner. Tomorrow I am scheduled for monks belt and then depending on which loom is oen a second project of one I have already done. (What can I say I am an over acheiver!) Then on Friday I will do an overshot baby blanket and Saturday is boundweave.

Thu, 03/06/2014 - 10:02

Artistry

Tina, I'm so impressed you're getting so much done! Everything is lovely! I love the Drawloom cherries and apples! I'm turning green! Leave for Victoria in a couple of hours. I got the dish towels all hemmed for Marvie, Yay! Marvie has a friend who is an active weaver in Victoria, so We're going to have tea with her, another Yay!
Thu, 03/06/2014 - 10:48

ReedGuy

She's cheating though, her looms are all threaded. :) But still that's lots of treadle tromping....ah ha a new phrase....you treadle trompers. :)

Have a safe trip to Victoria, maybe the croccuses are blooming by now. ;) I'm sure the towels will make a nice hostess gift. :)

Me, I will be in the shop again and keeping warm with a wood fire. Sure nippy this morning, but sunny. :)

Thu, 03/06/2014 - 12:58

endorph

reedguy that the looms are all threaded, sleyed and tied up which is a great help - but I am doing weave structures I have not done before so its not that easy! :) We are also working under time restrictions since the loom we start on in the morning is someone else's in the afternoon. And the afternoon project has to get finished so someone else can have the loom the next morning. The exceptions are the two all day projects. The draw loom is sort of a place holder for those of us who get finished earlier than expected.

Thu, 03/06/2014 - 14:52

Queezle

Very impressive -- it must be amazing to immerse yourself in all that weaving.  As largely self-taught, I would certainly benefit from such a class! 

My towel warp is nearly ready - stayed up till midnight to sley the reed.  Now tonight I need to choose between going to guild meeting or weaving.  Ugh, what a decision -- but I think I need the community, so will support the guild, plus I totally forgot to go last month!

Fri, 03/07/2014 - 01:19

Joyce (not verified)

This is my first weaving project that will hopefully produce 3 dish towels.  I bought the Waffle-weave towel set featured in a Handwoven Magazine. It's a new structure for me as well as a warp and weft with 3 colors.  My loom room is very bright with natural light so Saturday I will be there!

 

Fri, 03/07/2014 - 01:40

endorph

couple of photos of the draw loom we get to play with

Fri, 03/07/2014 - 13:39

tien (not verified)

Beautiful! and so is your work on that loom. I'm jealous - I've never woven on a drawloom before! and you seem to be having so much fun in the workshop. Wish I were there!

Fri, 03/07/2014 - 17:47

Erica J

This is the third time I've started to post this, kept getting interupted/distracted.

I was up at 5 am. TJ was still asleep, so I decided to do some weaving! It was a bit interesting, since my overhead light bulb exploded when I turned it on Wednesday afternoon. Oliver hasn't had a chance to replace the bulb yet, but I have an art lamp by which I could weave. You'll have to excuse the light in the photo though! Here is today's damask, tell me what you think it looks like.

FYI, I included the image here, by posting it to Google+, then copying and pasting the URL in the Insert Image window. Since I post most of my stuff to Google+ I find this much easier than all the extra clicks it takes to upload images through the current comments Insert Image system. And Google does the resizing for me! :)

Fri, 03/07/2014 - 23:27

tien (not verified)

Maybe a spinning top? Or Christmas lights!

Today I wove like the wind and got 2000 picks woven before I left for work, and another 1000 or so picks at lunchtime. That has gotten me through the rest of the tabby-striped scarf, and about 3/4 of the way through a gorgeous silk/brushed kid mohair scarf done in a 20-shaft crepe weave. Tomorrow morning I plan to power through the rest of the scarf and start getting the color study onto the loom.

Sat, 03/08/2014 - 01:20

warpedw

I am working on a guild overshot project.  There are 14 of us involved and we are all weaving a sample for each member of the group, in our chosen pattern, all with the different choices of pattern weft.  I have already had a few issues.  I am working on a Baby Mac, whereas my ususal loom is an AVL A Series.  So beating to square was issue number one.  Had to really concentrate on giving it enough power (yes, I was lifting up the back end of the loom). I wove 4 inches or so, and then took it out to redo.  Then the sides were drawing in more than I like so I rigged some side raddles.  Then there was a missed threading error.  I removed the warp thread from the first sample and will needle thread it through, but fixed a new heddle and new warp thread so the second sample is fine.

Since each sample is a different pattern weft, it holds my interest. But, the variety in choices of pattern yarns means a bit of readjustment to the properties of each new square. At any rate, two down and 12 to go.  I am having fun!

 

Sat, 03/08/2014 - 01:44

endorph

on a boundweave project - luckily I had all day to work on it. Tomorrow I do my last project, an overshot baby blanket. I took pics of my boundweave but forgot to bring the camera home with me this evening! So picks of all the projects tomorrow.

Tien - the draw loom is an awesome machine and it was lots of fun ot work on.

Sat, 03/08/2014 - 05:52

tien (not verified)

Hey, we have pagination now! I like!

Today I finished weaving the "tabby" scarf AND a gorgeous silk/brushed mohair scarf, white, crepe weave on 20 shafts. Wove over 4000 picks today, despite the full-time job! And now it's finally off the loom. But I'm way too exhausted to hemstitch/twist fringe/wet-finish tonight...so pix will have to wait until morning. Very pretty though!

Sat, 03/08/2014 - 05:56

Erica J

Tina,

I agree drawlooms are a lot of fun! I just don't relish the thought of taking the pattern heddles, etc off when I need to weave single harness. I'll admit I used to be of the harness/shaft synonym camp, even after I knew better. Now I can't bring myself to use them as synonyms.

My Daily Weaverliness so far was to tweak a setting on the site to help our long discussions load faster. You'll notice there are now pages of comments. This should help everyone get to the latest content faster. My apologies for only just realising this could be adjusted on our current system!

Sat, 03/08/2014 - 06:05

Cadenza

My yarn arrived!  20/2 perle cotton that is going to be warp and tabby weft for my first attempt at overshot. Going to be interesting.  My last set of towels came off the loom today. Assuming I can find my sewing machine, I want to hem them this weekend. between dyeing my first skeins of handspun yarn and warping my next project that is... Probably a bit ambitious, but we'll see. 

Sat, 03/08/2014 - 07:06

Artistry

Erica - it's a diamond within a diamond! Beautiful in Victoria, all sorts of flowers! No camera though so I can't show you:(
Group Audience
Daily Weaverliness