Summer and Winter...play time

Now, there are strict rules to follow when you are weaving summer and winter (single two-tie). But weavers are always pushing the limits. And if you know the rules, you know which ones can be broken and which cannot.

For traditional S&W you would use the same tie-down, tabby  order throughout your entire project. Well................... This is an example of weaving my blocks in 1-1-1-1 order and also in 1-2-2-1 order. (I have kept the tabby in a-b-a-b order.)

The yarns are still the 8/2 cotton. The pattern is brown and the tabby is dark green. This is dented 18 epi.

Since the contrast between the dark colors and the white warp are so stark, I am not sure if I will just have this on one edge of the towel or keep going and make the whole towel in these two colors......???

New Colors for S&W

I finished the green runner and think I will see what it looks like with a pink weft and a purple tabby. I haven't decided what the pattern work will look like yet. I am just changing blocks as the mood hits me.

I think this will be one of the small finger tip towels. I am using 8/2 cotton warp and weft. The tabby thread is 10/2 cotton. I am still using  1-2-2-1 tie-down order, and a-b-a-b tabby order.

This looks better from a distance, but wanted you to see how the tabby and the pattern colors interact.

Green S&W Up-Close

Still working on the green/green metallic runner. Here is the green/green metallic weft. I am weaving in 1-2-2-1 , a-b-a-b order. Remember, this will look a lot different once it is wet finished.

A Little Weaving.

Things are calm in the fiber world. So I will take a little time and weave off the Summer and Winter Workshop warp. I am using a green weft with added green metallic. I am throwing the green and metallic in the same shed, then using the white as tabby. I have worked with this green metallic before, and it's best to put it on its own shuttle.

I am weaving this in my favorite order: 1-2-2-1, a-b-a-b 
I like the little circles!

With so much talk at the workshop we just had, I am going to make a small runner. Then some more of the small finger tip towels.

Sock Project is Done!

I don't know why I keep calling these special socks, 'socks'? My friend intends to hang these by her chimney with care. So they are really 'stockings;! I was able to get stocking number six finished. This was a fun project.

Here is Santa checking them out:

Back to the Special Sock Project

Now that the summer and winter workshop is history, it's time to finish the special sock project. I am attempting to knit six socks using sock yarn that my friend Janice dyed on Sept 29, 2012. She dyed the yarn and I am knitting the socks for her. She will use the socks as Christmas Socks.

The great thing about knitting these socks is they didn't have to match. Of course when I knit socks for me, I don't care if the match or not, but others do. And I usually knit a six inch cuff for women and eight inch cuff for men using the knit two, purl two rib. But for these, the cuff is straight knitting with a ten inch cuff. They would make really great 'slouch top' womens socks (if she doesn't like them for Christmas Socks).

Here is sock number six about half done..................

More S&W Workshop

It was a great adventure, learning about summer and winter on four shafts.  I think everyone had a good time and have a better understanding of what summer and winter can do. I heard some of them saying as they drove out of sight "tie down one + pattern, tie down two + pattern..... .......what if I use a different color than the warp for the tabby?....."  Comments that showed they were thinking and learning about the weave structure.



Sam keeping the beat.



We had a show and tell the second day as some of the people who came to the workshop, don't get to come to all the meeting we have. And since they were a part of the original Friendship Coverlet project, we wanted to show them some of the 'put together'  coverlets. "Awesome" was the word of the day!!



Jane's gray Friendship Coverlet.





Barbara's multi-color Friendship Coverlet.







                                                      Bo and Shirley share their Friendship Coverlets.

    



S&W Workshop - Day 2

It was another great day of summer and winter weaving.
Dawn and I wore our summer and winter garments. Dawn not only wove her fabric, she constructed it too. I wove my fabric, but since I can't sew, I had another sew it together for me. We both must like purple!



Here are a few examples of their work:



on four shafts



 


one four shafts



Seven shaft draft! He says he was just playing around. I like it!



Shirley and Barbara on their table looms.



Shirley, Karolyn and Becky 'talk weaving'.

 


And look what they gave me on Day One! They are such a great group!! I look like a weaving teacher.

 

S & W On Four - Workshop-Day 1



They came from far and near, set up their looms and we got busy. Some were new to summer and winter (single two-tie) and others had done a little with the weave structure. We started with a lecture on just what this weave structure was and were shown examples of what it can do.



Shirley gets set up..



  

Becky helps me get everyone started and helps keep them on task..





Dawn and Larry get ready..



Then after lunch and before we got 'down to business', we had Show and Tell.

Then we  treadled in 1-1-1-1 tie down order and  a-a-b-b tabby order. We also treadled in 1-2-2-1 tie down order and a-b-a-b tabby order, (because that one is my favorite.....) I saw lots of questions marks on their faces, but by the end of the day, I saw lots of light bulbs going off.



Gayle and her Friendship Sq. Pillow


 
 

 

Vicki shares her first hand painted warps.

 

 


 







Becky has Mug Rugs.



Jeff shows his scarves.



       



Sock Number Five ! ! ! ! !

Special Sock Number Five has been completed. I am surprised that I have been able to knit these five sock just since Sept 29th. I just kept knitting because I needed to see what colors would come up next. Janice did a great job dying these socks blanks.

Some of you may remember my BF* Rossanna. She has been cheering me along while I have been working on this project. She wishes that Janice has dyed some sock yarn for her.( Maybe next year at the annual Diva Dye Workshop! )

The Summer and Winter Workshop is here. I hope to have photo's to post tomorrow.

*best friend

More Workshop And Prep-Work

The paper work has been copied and the examples have been rounded up. Now it's time to re-read my class notes. I don't think of myself as a teacher, but I do enjoy explaining and sharing my weaving knowledge. I really do weave for the fun of it.

The people who have signed up to take this Summer and Winter on Four Shafts Workshop are my Cabool weaving guild. These are the people I have learned from and they from me. We will have a fun time!!

Sock Four!

I have sock number four done!! Now onto sock number five........

IN THE MEAN TIME, for the workshop I am making copies of drafts and other worksheets. I am also gathering up supplies and shuttles to take. Gosh we have lots of toys we use when we weave, don't we?

Warp is Ready for Workshop

I did get a little work done on the workshop prep-work. My job was to warp this loom with a four shaft summer and winter draft. Because I had already woven my samples on this warp, all I had to do was to tie the new warp onto the old. Easy Peasy!

I just have to 'jiggle' the knots through the reed and heddles.

Now I have woven the header and checked the threading and I think this part is ready. 

Getting Ready for S&W Workshop

OK, now it's time to put it in high gear and get ready for this workshop that I am giving on Oct 22-23, 2012!!!!!!

I went ahead and wove off my samples and now I need to put another warp back on. I am tying on using my cross holder. I am using 8/2 cotton.


Tying on using cross holder.



I need to get the paper work ready too. A couple of the students wanted to work on an eight shaft version of summer and winter, so I have prepared extra stuff for them. I came up with a seven shaft draft that should work.

Seven shaft single two-tie paperwork.

For the main workshop I will be showing them some of the different ways to treadle four shaft summer and winter (single two-tie). If they understand what is going on with the four shafts, then moving onto eight or more shafts will be easier.

Four shaft single-two tie samples.



Three of a Kind

Here are the three socks I have gotten done, so far. I know they are for Christmas, but just had to share this October painting my very special Mother-in-law did. She took up painting after she turned 80. Who knows what she would have done, had she known she could paint.

I am slowly working on the foot of sock number four. But it was such a nice day I didn't do much knitting or weaving or getting ready for the workshop or..... I stopped to smell the flowers!

Special Sock Number 4

I haven't been doing much, except knitting on my special sock project. I am trying to knit six socks that will be used as Christmas socks for a friend of mine. She dyed sock blanks at a dye workshop we had in September. Now I am knitting them into socks for her. She is sewing some of my handwoven yardage into a jacket for me. 

I have the cuff almost done. I am knitting them ten inches to give her lots of room to add goodies.

While I was outside trying to get the sun to help me get a photo of this sock, I was surprised to see this:



I thought this rose bush was done for the year. But, guess it wasn't.



Autumn Color In Missouri

AH........Color in Missouri!

Pick a color! Your dye pot is inviting you to get busy!!!!!



The neighbor's trees have lots of orange! It's like the old saying 'the grass is always greener on the other side'. But in this case: "The trees are always prettier on the other side of the street"!!!!

Special Sock Number Three

The perfect waiting room activity: Sock Knitting!!

I had a few people ask me what I was dong. The one comment I smiled about was when one lady told another I was crocheting socks. I do know you can crochet socks, but I was knitting, with four needles, no less !  I even know you can knit socks with one circular needle or even wooden double pointed needles.  I just happen to use four- steel double pointed needles. Some times us 'old dogs' just don't want to change, or learn new tricks. I have tried the wooden needles, but got a splinter once. So back to my trusty steel needles.




Three down, three to go!



Working On Workshop

October 22-23, 2012 I am giving a summer and winter (single-two tie) workshop to my local guild. So I have been digging out my samples and books to show as examples of what S&W can do.  Most of my stuff has been on eight shafts, but I will try to explain by using only four shafts. I think if they understand how the weave structure works on four shafts, they can easily go to eight shafts.

Sock Number Two.... Done

It's magic to watch the colors slide onto the needles as I knit these socks. I think Janice did a wonderful job of dying these sock blanks. I do believe they are the first sock blanks she has ever dyed. Beginners luck? I think not...... she has a wonderful eye for color and patterns.

I will begin sock three tomorrow. It's the best activity to do while waiting in a waiting room!

Overshot 2X2 Runner Is Done

Ta Da! I have it washed, pressed and hemmed. It wasn't as large as I had wanted, but will make a nice center piece for a holiday table.

This photo doesn't do it justice. I can't figure out how to get the gold metallic yarn to 'sparkle'. So since the colors are not showing up correctly,  just zone in on the fact that I have woven the same four shaft overshot motif on eight shafts as rose and star fashion at the same time.

Or you know, it could be a checker board!

Overshot Side-By-Side Recap

Here is the sampling I did on the overshot where I used the same motif side-by-side and treadles one rose fashion and the other star fashion. I will revisit this again. It was really fun figuring out how to draft two -four shaft motifs on eight shafts. Once all that was figured out, the weaving went pretty fast.

I wasn't able to weave the green/gold runner as long as I wanted to. And yes, I have already cut the warp off the loom and have moved on! That cotton kept breaking. I guess I had it on my shelf too long. I have the small runner drying in the sun and will try to get it hemmed and let you see it soon.

But in the mean time, here is what my sampling looked like.

Special Sock Number Two

I have been able to knit on my special sock project. Here is Christmas sock number two!  I have the cuff done and am in the process of turning the heel. (at least that is what I call it)

When I usually knit sock, I will make the cuff for women's socks six inches and eight inches long for men's socks. Since these are to be Christmas socks to hang on the fireplace, I am making the cuff area ten inches. I want there to be lots of room to hold lots of goodies.  I am trying to knit six socks before Christmas. Wish me luck!

Another Family Day

I am unable to get to the loom but did see this great wicker chair that gave me a chance to 'think weaving' for a few minutes.

A Day With Family

Sock Progress

I was in a zone and got the sock done! It was a joy to work with this yarn and watch how the colors ebbed and flowed. I will make five more and it's been requested that they not match (my kind of knitting). They will make great socks to hang by the fireplace in December.