Since I missed the beginning of the month in September I thought I would get a head start on October. I can't believe it is October already - where has the year gone? Everyone has been so busy and productive. I am looking forward to weaving in October for Halloweave. Nothing big and fancy but good simple weaving. I enjoy weaving vicariously thoguht all of your projects but am anxious to be actually doing something at the loom! How amny of you are woring on gifts  decorations for the upcoming holidays? Anything you can share to inspire the rest of us?  Weave on all!

Tina

Comments

Tue, 09/30/2014 - 15:55

theresasc

is in the process of going on a loom now.  I am trying my hand at weaving figures on Rosepath - just some holiday place mats with some trees along the edge.  I have not tried something like this before so we will see how it comes out - using more stash yarn! 

Tue, 09/30/2014 - 17:39

Artistry

Theresasc , How fun! Tien, It's so much work, but as you say you're getting to talk to the most amazing people! I just can't wait for your book! I've gotten a little bit of dye color testing done, but the ear...good news though the CT Scan was normal. Going to Chicago for the the weekend. At the Art Institute there is a special exhibit of Ethel Stein Master Weaver - 30 weavings. I don't know who Ethel Stein is, will do my homework:)
Wed, 10/01/2014 - 13:05

sally orgren

The trip to Chicago sounds great! 

This weekend I will be demonstating in Hill House, Millbrook Village, wearing at least 5 pounds of historical clothing along with two of my guildmates (Betty & Dee).

Tonight is a guild meeting, Monday also, and Wednesday I am presenting a program for another guild. Rhinebeck is coming up mid-October.

This is gonna be a BUSY Month!

Wed, 10/01/2014 - 23:07

Artistry

Sally, say Hi! To Betty for me! Cathie
Thu, 10/02/2014 - 00:56

endorph

back to the floor loom and even managed to weave (and unweave) for about 40 minutes this evening. Its been too long away -

Fri, 10/03/2014 - 18:34

ReedGuy

Recieved my book "Handwoven Laces" today. Another out of print book.

Keep busy. :)

Fri, 10/03/2014 - 23:49

endorph

towel #1 a few minutes ago. It is tabby so I think towel #2 will have some twill in it - maybe in the stripes.

Sat, 10/04/2014 - 12:35

Artistry

ReddGuy, Handwoven Laces, an oldie but goodie! I'm in Chicago an went to the the Art a Institute of Chicago yesterday to see the Ethel Stein Exhibit. Wow what a weaver! I had never heard of her. She studied with many people but the most influential was Josef Albers of the Bauhaus. She weaves on a drawloom, satin damask, double cloth, or Lampas, mostly. Her work also incorporates warp and weft indigo dyeing. Large circles, undulating curves woven as panels or squares and hung together. Some of her wok is black and white all looking at design possibilities, some in bright primary colors. She is totally amazing! I hold her responsible for making my ear stop whomping! Good art is powerful:)
Sat, 10/04/2014 - 14:47

LindaHahn

I had not heard of Ethel Stein so just looked her up in Google. Wow! Just wow. 

 

Sat, 10/04/2014 - 16:03

ReedGuy

I'm working on an 8 shaft - 10 treadle huck draft today, I don't know what it will look like in the end as you have to work with the shafts and treadles you have before you. :D

Sat, 10/04/2014 - 18:56

MaryMartha

Well, speaking of going to war with the loom you have ... My Varpa with Glimakra parts, aka "franken-loom" has sold. It is headed back to New England, from wence it came.  Gave me a lot of pleasure, and at least enough frustration to build up confidence, which is what you want in a first loom.  It is going to a good home, and making room for a made-to-order (as yet unnamed) Ulla Cyrus with 16 shafts and floating lamms.  That's a lot of texsolv! Puts me in mind of rigging, so maybe "ship of dreams"?  Or, given the size compared to my tiny house, possibly just "the boat" or, because of family lore, "my new car".  Should arrive in another week. 

Sat, 10/04/2014 - 18:59

pammersw

If you call it your new car, I have to ask, "does it have cupholders?" 

(That's the family lore new car question in my family - and no, I've never had one with cupholders.)

Sat, 10/04/2014 - 19:22

MaryMartha

7-11 used to sell plastic cup holders that hook into the window. Not sure one would be wide enough to go over a side support. Or maybe those belong to a by-gone age.  First you get the loom, then the adaptation begins.  So, pammersw, any suggestions for a celebratory first draft or warp?  Seems everything on my wish list is a 4-shaft project.  I might finally tackle BGH #77 "gastric ulcer".  Always been curious about that one.

Sat, 10/04/2014 - 19:37

pammersw

Walmart still carries cupholders, but I like the kind that wedges between seats better, it's sturdier.  Could you mount one on your bench? ;)

I'm just moving on to the next thing on my to-weave list. And since it's plain weave, and I could,  I took out all but 2 harnesses! They just drop into place and sit on the lifters (lamms?) on my Pendleton.  I'll need more of them for my next project, but this was less scary on the new loom.

BTW, this was the EASIEST warping on I've ever done! Love this loom so far.

Sun, 10/05/2014 - 03:38

tien (not verified)

My celebratory first draft on a multi-shaft loom is usually "HELLO WORLD!" It's sort of a joke - I work in the software industry, and the very first thing you do when you start up a new system or try a new software language is to get it to output a single line of text on the screen, which is traditionally "Hello, world!"

I am actually doing some weaving stuff right now! I am about 40% done resleying the shadow weave warp. Hoping to finish it this weekend.

Book-wise, I am getting ready to write a prototype chapter, the one about ideas and inspirations. I'm thinking of changing style/tone a bit in order to incorporate the interviews into the main text of the book...so a little apprehensive about how it will work. Still, the only way to find out is to try, so I'm going to sit down and write the first draft tomorrow morning. When I run out of ideas or get stuck, I'll go work at the loom for awhile. I figure I can alternate between the two!

Sun, 10/05/2014 - 08:58

ReedGuy

If you put in a border of denser weave (sett=warp-wise, firmer beat=weft-wise), do you leave a bit of regular sett plain weave between the denser area and the lace areas, say 1/2" for discussion. The weft white area is actually only going to be a 3 pick gap that will be stitched so weft won't slip.

 

Sun, 10/05/2014 - 11:52

Artistry

ReedGuy, I haven't done a lot of laces, but they are dependent on floats. It seems to me if a dense plain weave was put around the lace, the floats would be too close together and you'd lose the nice airiness of the lace. Stiff too. So I would say yes put the regular sett plain weave around the lace. Just my thought:) Cathie
Sun, 10/05/2014 - 11:52

Artistry

ReedGuy, I haven't done a lot of laces, but they are dependent on floats. It seems to me if a dense plain weave was put around the lace, the floats would be too close together and you'd lose the nice airiness of the lace. Stiff too. So I would say yes put the regular sett plain weave around the lace. Just my thought:) Cathie
Sun, 10/05/2014 - 15:37

endorph

managed tp get a bit of weaving done every day this month. Yesterday, I also finished plying some wool I spun up a couple of weeks ago and at my knitting group got a baby bootie almost done.  THis morning I wet finished some handspun and have some merino / silk blend fiber ready to start spinning. I will weave a bit, later this afternoon.

Sun, 10/05/2014 - 15:52

Artistry

You won't believe I sprained my ankle last night ! *@$&%#€<> what IS my horoscope? I think I'll still be able to paint the warp when I get home. I have a office chair with wheels that I zoom around in. BUT this is the worst part, my husband and I are going to Patagonia in 2 weeks and there will be all this wonderful hiking ! Man I'm so PO. Sorry about the language, it's not weaverly.
Sun, 10/05/2014 - 17:20

theresasc

this is a huck lace draft for towels.  I sett cottolin at 20 epi and ended up with firm fabric around little lace insets.

 

 

 

Sun, 10/05/2014 - 21:31

ReedGuy

But I was wondering how to offset a denser sett area from the lace. As regular lace is all one sett with the background. The dense stripes will be a design element instead of color. Thanks. :)

I'm still designing mine and working on monogram lettering in the centre of the cloth. I'm not sure how far that will go, but I do have a B , the first letter of a lastname I'm weaving the piece for. Of course the lettering creates patterning at the boarders to. The letters are turned the long direction of the cloth.

Mon, 10/06/2014 - 04:19

Thor (not verified)

Hi All! I've been lurking of late, reading posts late at night but posting naught myself. Apparently, the job is short staffed and I have picked up an extra 1 to 1-1/2 shifts each week all throughout October. So, working a lot with only 1 to 1-1/2 days off in a stretch. Regardless, I am so inspired by my new student's energy, passion & enthusiasm. We are warping 5 scarves (on 2 looms) all at the same time. Breaks all the rules, I am sure, but we are committed to pushing some boundaries and our comfort zones. I already have our respective next projects lined up. Mine is a commissioned piece, his will be lots of towels! I presented my client with fiber choices, 6 different drafts that I felt would work and then showed her a .wif file downdraft of each in the colors she selected. It took a bit of 'up front' work since I wasn't sure which colors she would select so I prepared for each combination for each of the drafts. Totally worth it. She was very impressed at how organized & prepared I had everything to show her. I even had a little take home bag for her with a print out of her selected draft in her chosen colors and a tassel of each of the yarns so she could pet it until her fabric is woven. It will be an oversized shawl, basically, for her adult daughter who apparently has a lot of diabetes related health problems. When daughter gets sick, she calls on Mom, a nurse, for that love & reassurance that can only come from Mother. Mom decided that she wanted to have a handwoven snugly wrap to gift her daughter the next time she hits a rough patch. Such a thoughtful thing to do! Finally, I have a confession and a declaration to make to you all. First off, I have a project sitting, warped, on my Glimäkra. I am afraid of it. It's stupid really. I am afraid of messing it up. I am doing a Swedish cartoon inlay. Never done one before and am nervous. That's all. Just chicken. To boot, I deliberately warped for 2 of the items so that I can learn by messing up the first one, then doing a beauty on the second. Okay, now. I declare that I will complete, at minimum, the first of the two items by or before Halloween. (I don't know if this would fold into any of the HalloWeave houses or not so I wanted to be accountable somewhere!) Weave on, good people!
Mon, 10/06/2014 - 05:42

pammersw

Wove about 8 inches on the scarf today.  Might not have enough weft, so I'm contemplating what to do about that. Matching dye lot is basically impossible as I bought the yarn a year ago. It's ombre varigated, so I might get away with a random solid section in the scarf, blending background colors. 

 

 

Tue, 10/07/2014 - 07:58

Artistry

O.k. Back home ! I have to stay off my foot, so the dyeing even with my office chair seems a little risky. SO, I'm going back to my tapestry sample of the sunset, which I thought was done, but you can ALWAYS practice more:) So Tapestry, tapestry, I do love tapestry :) Thor, good luck with starting your Inlay ! I get afraid of projects too. The only cure for me is to just start. They usually end up being not such a big deal after all, just something new !
Tue, 10/07/2014 - 13:39

Artistry

The big tapestry piece will be about 30 inches wide I'm not sure how tall yet I haven't made a cartoon for it yet. I 'm not able to set up the big LeClerc. However, ReedGuy, you gave me an excellent idea I can be designing the cartoon! That will be truly fun! So the little sample is just practicing colors and techniques.i need to order a ton of yarn , it comes from Australia which takes awhile, but I better decide on the size first:) On a side note, I found out from my brother that one of my great great grandfathers settled in Nova Scotia ( not Ontario) before later descendants went to Saskatchewan. He was a Buchanan .my brother remembers everything:)
Tue, 10/07/2014 - 13:50

Artistry

Pammersw, I had that happen to me once . I put in some stripes , then went into a different color of variegated color. It turned out .beautifully. The key was having the stripes make sense between the two color ways. For instance, if you had a brown, then used subtle green stripes, then went to golds, that's what I mean. Good luck, I'm sure you'll work out something! Cathie
Tue, 10/07/2014 - 15:57

endorph

towels - I have some helpers in the loom room!

Tue, 10/07/2014 - 17:23

endorph

cracks me up - he didn't even lift an eyelid when I sat down and started throwing the shuttle.

Tue, 10/07/2014 - 23:02

ReedGuy

endorph, I like seeing those old hounds. Not a care in the world. Old lay abouts. LOL :D

Cathie, that name is quite familiar to me as I knew several of them (the old folks). One old lady lived at the end of the road, she married a Buchanan. She was a hoot. She had flowers of all kinds, never mowed a lawn. Loved garlic she did...hahaha .... in the winter she would stuff the old kitchen stove with wood, the pipes would be red hot. She'd sleep with all the windows up in the bedroom. Tough as nails. The garlic preserved her, she lived over a 100. She was in that old drafty farm house until her mid 80's. She lived on the Ark....haha a preacher here made an apartment building the shape of Noah's Ark. Takes all kinds, that's what makes life fun. :)

Wed, 10/08/2014 - 09:47

Artistry

ReedGuy, What a great chuckle this a.m., yes if we were all the same life would be rather dull:)
Thu, 10/09/2014 - 02:41

endorph

how is the ear? How is the ankle? Has the ear remained good since seeing the weaving exhibit? I knew that weaving had great powers, wasn't aware of the medicinal value, however!

Towel number two is done. I think I can squeeze out three more from this warp. The last one might be a but shorter than the rest but still usable!

Thu, 10/09/2014 - 07:47

Artistry

Tina, I failed to mention that your towels look great when I saw your "pups" sleeping in your studio! Ear is slowly getting better, trying to decide about a MRI, probably will if it's still bothering me after our trip. The ankle,I did RICE for 2 days, I can walk pretty well with ankle support, but it's still swollen. We're giving it another week to decide if we want to postpone our trip to Patagonia. Thanks for asking Tina! All is not dire, today is Tapestry Study Group and I'm going to go, yay! Medicinal value in that!
Thu, 10/09/2014 - 12:48

theresasc

I could not believe it.  I was weaving away on my tapestry yesterday and I had a number of bobbins hanging down behind the shelf of the loom and as I was treadling a tapestry bobbin stabbed my leg ontop of my knee!  I could not believe what I was seeing!  It actually poked a hole in my leg.  I knew weaving was addictive, but I did not know it was dangerous!  LOL

It felt very good to cut the tapestry off the loom after that!

Thu, 10/09/2014 - 13:40

Artistry

Theresasc , " Death by Tapestry Bobbin" sounds like a good mystery novel to me, but seriously those points are sharp and big, OUCH ! Your tap. Looks really good. Do you know the story about having good friends over when you cut the tapestry off, then drinking champagne! In my case it would be sparkling water, can't afford champagne:) All the snipping and sewing now but at least you don't have to concentrate as har, lol. Do you have another tap. Up you sleeve or are you giving it a rest for a while? I've started to doing the clouds now in my tapestry which are quite dramatic. It's hard to tell from my photo what color they really are. Hmmmm. Bluster bay shuttles came today! Dark Cherry, close bottom, 11 in. Honex tension, so sweet!
Fri, 10/10/2014 - 15:51

theresasc

I was just glad it was not one of the brass tipped bobbins that attacked me.  I did not know about the champagne, but there was a gathering of weavers at my home the night that I cut it off - we had apple muffins, not quite as fun as champagne! 

As for the next tapestry, I think I want to go geometric.  I have some ideas floating around in my head, maybe I will put them to paper or maybe I will just rewarp the Tissart and see what happens.

Speaking of the Tissart, my weaverliness today was bringing the Tissart up to the loft.  Now all my major loom are in one area.  It was kind of Key Stone Cop-like bringing the loom up the stairs.  I laid it down on one of the "A" frame sides and dragged it up 14 steps.  I did take the beams off so it was a little lighter, but I had no desire to disassemble/reassemble it, so where there is will, there is a way!

Tissart in place

Fri, 10/10/2014 - 16:00

Artistry

Thereasc, I love your loft! I totally agree about where there's a will there's a way, that Tissart looks mighty wide, Good For You! I've been alternating tapestry and icing my ankle, proving to be a very nice day.
Fri, 10/10/2014 - 20:44

ReedGuy

Thereasc, looks like a nice place for inspiration. :)

Sat, 10/11/2014 - 16:56

theresasc

It is a really great fiber space.  I felt the need to get tapestry loom up here and place it where a floor loom that I sold used to live.  I tend to have LAD (loom acquisition disease) so I figured if I filled the space with a loom that I have I will stop looking at the sale lists.  We shall see how that goes!  LOL

Sun, 10/12/2014 - 17:19

Artistry

Rip, rip, out it comes! How do you make clouds look wispy ? It's a mere suggestion of clouds and very dark color , because it's a sunset. It's airy while full of color . Hmmmm, I think Soumac for directional wispy colorful lines. But for the cloud, itself, I have to practice. So close but so so far away.
Mon, 10/13/2014 - 04:51

Vennui (not verified)

Today I scored mucho vintage materials at an auction. Rags rugs are on the menu. Some of the prints are really out there. They should really weave well. It was amazing how much material was available at this action I brought home 7 boxes and a that was just a drop in a bucket. It was really fun.
Mon, 10/13/2014 - 04:51

Vennui (not verified)

Today I scored mucho vintage materials at an auction. Rags rugs are on the menu. Some of the prints are really out there. They should really weave well. It was amazing how much material was available at this action I brought home 7 boxes and a that was just a drop in a bucket. It was really fun.
Mon, 10/13/2014 - 05:03

Walkingquail

is absolutely no fun, Cathie. I hope it heals in time for your trip but...that might be too much. I once gave myself a bad sprain on stairs and wore an elastic ankle brace for something like 6 months after it healed enough to begin walking again.

I am preparing for our local open studio event but fortunately I'll be at someone else's home for it. We group people together to encourage visitors and this gets me closer to other studios. I moved a bit away and no groups closer to me organize such an event. This means I need to finish a tapestry but I don't have to clean up my studio!

Thor, please have no fear! You are doing the perfect thing by giving yourself enough warp to weave 2. Even the practice one will go better than you think and you will learn so much that will make the final piece amazing!

Theresasc, lovely loft you have. I am afraid mine is a bit of a jumble but I love it. I understand your need for looms, I just acquired a new to me one which just took over my painting studio. Don't you love having your own creative space?

Mon, 10/13/2014 - 07:54

Artistry

Thanks Walkingquail ! I'm starting to feel better already but I'm doing very little walking! Icing all the time. I can walk down the hall without any pain. The key now I believe is not re- injuring it. So I have a really good brace coming .i'm going to leave the decision to the last minute though. I've had bad sprains that sound like yours, this isn't nearly as bad. The Open Studio sound great! It's really a good idea. Good luck! Tapestry : Today I start with the wispy clouds. I will remember less is more in this case!
Mon, 10/13/2014 - 08:34

Artistry

What it looks like partially ripped out...I'm going down to just above the little yellow streak.

Sunset heavy clouds

Mon, 10/13/2014 - 11:35

Thor (not verified)

After a short weekend jaunt to Atlanta, I am back to work again for four more 12 hour shifts in a row. These early morning hours are such a gift when I am awake for them. The weaving is so grounding and gives me such a sense of accomplishment outside of the work environment. Fortunately the scarves I am weaving are turning out beautifully (even with the oddest treading error that I decided had to stay in! Sadly, my student & I are on opposite shifts this week so we will be doing several short sessions when I get home from work in the evenings. He still needs to weave in his header though he had the loom warped & sleyed for a week! Once we get him past the header and his hem stitches, he can come & go in the studio as he pleases. This coming weekend our Guild meeting will be at my studio... sort of an "Open House" to relax, discuss the future of the Guild and nominate Officers for 2015. It's time for the creators to step aside and let some development people step in. Exciting time.
Mon, 10/13/2014 - 13:43

sally orgren

My favorite part – threading a loom with a vague idea for sampling and then see what happens. It can also can be frustrating and time-intensive, because you need to weave a bit and then let the loom sit and ponder the results for awhile. So we'll see.

My first impression after the first half inch was dissappointment. But I am planning to try other wefts, and considering the ratios is always important. Maybe I need to use a bigger warp or weft (or both) to bring to reality the image of the final fabric I am carrying in my head.

Mon, 10/13/2014 - 17:46

endorph

and more hemming and some hawing along the way too!

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