More Sampling for CWTW

I am still working on getting my samples done for my Complex Weavers Tied Weaves Study Group. I need a total of 14 samples, and I have about three more to do. Here is the top and bottom view. I only see this bottom view when I drop a shuttle.

 

Swift and slippery

The yarn zips through the shed

One than the other

Swift and slippery

The yarn zips through the shed

 

Sampling for CWTW

I have finished the 'keys to my heart' scarf and now I am making the samples for my Complex Weavers Tied Weaves Study Group. This was a fun project. I used only three blocks to create the keys, used my eight shaft Baby Wolf, and my favorite tied weave: summer and winter.

I will need to finish weaving the samples, wash and secure. Make my write up and get them mailed.

Weaving and Spring

Sometimes weaving isn't just about throwing the shuttle and/or creating yardage. Sometimes it is visiting with other weavers or reading about weaving or just thinking about weaving. And sometimes we just dream.........................

 

Help from a Friend

I have gotten my BFF to help me thread this loom. She will help the work go faster and help me check for errors. She is also looking forward to what this BABY can do!

Multi-Tasking

I am sure if you have more than one loom, that you too:  multi-task! Well, that is what I am about these days. Well, most days if you really knew me!  Working for my Complex Weavers study group, I have my project for this year. It was a study to see what I could come up with that didn't take a lot of treadles. Having lots of treadles is something you usually need when working with tied weaves. But for this I am only using eight treadles.

 

And also, I am itching to try out the new loom. Twelve Shafts!!!  Sweet!! Can it get any more fun???
I decided that maybe I would just put on a straight twill. Then I can play with the tie-up. I always admired those fancy twills. Here I have found some handpainted tencel that was just the right amounts of ends. Bookmarks are the order of the day.

Also, I have taken a (sticky) ruler and attached it to the beater bar. That will help me to center my warp. That tip was from my friend DAWN. Thanks Dawn!! (as always, click on photos to enlarge)

Baby is Good to Go!

Looking for my twelve shaft drafts, I remembered they were lost in the last computer crash. So, I looked through some of my books to see if I could find a quick something to try out. Well, I think I had better step back and do some thinking. I have some yummy Bambu colors, but want to do some bookmarks. So I had better try to work up something along that line.

Besides, I am still working on the two-tie "key to my heart" scarf.

So much to do, so little time......................

Setting Up New Loom

Working on getting the heddles on the new loom. I will need to give it a name. Any ideas? Maybe I will just call it "Baby" since that is what http://tandrhandweaving.blogspot.com/ called it ;-) "A lovely baby"!

I have the loom on it's side. They seem to be going on pretty easily. I just wish I had thought to have ordered more heddles. But I did remember to put a few more on shafts one and two as I really like to do single two tie (summer and winter). Once I get the heddles on, I should be 'good to go'.

Overshot - Side by Side Study

I gave a program to one of my weaving guilds about taking a four shaft overshot motif and weaving it on eight shafts. So thought I would share with you what I told them.

The idea is to have the four shaft motifs threaded on two independent sets of shafts, so the same pattern can be woven side by side. Now I didn't dream that up, I saw an article in the Summer 1997 Weaver's Magazine by Barbara Koch: Two For One. I did weave her draft.

Her idea was to weave the designs side by side in different colors as show above. That way you look at it and wonder how you could have woven the color on the diagonal. After all, you throw the shuttle across the warp not on a diagonal.  By using an eight shaft loom she used shafts 1-4 for one motif, and 5-8 for the other. (The only drawback is you need 12 treadles.)

As you can see here, the same 'motif' is on the bottom for shafts and the back four shafts. Now, see her tie up. I decided to see what would happen if I wove the bottom four shafts in Star fashion and the top four shafts in Rose fashion. Now look at the same threading with a different tie up.

So now, I will treadle each in traditional overshot, but I will need to step on two treadles at the same time. One will hold the pattern for one set and tabby from the other. Then the next pick with the the other pattern and the other tabby. So it a color and weave effect too. Her is the Weaver Rose motif: Remembrance I did this way.

I now have the purple and gold colors running on the diagonal and also a different looking motif running on the diagonal. (and sorry, but I took a photo of the back side so you don't see my diagonal line through the star motif)

Thinking my self very clever to tweak the tie up for this neat effect, I was reminded that any weaving we might do has been done before. While researching another overshot question, I found on page 311 of the book: Pattern Techniques for Handweavers by Doramay Keasby, the explanation of this very trick. But I did enjoy the chase to figure this out. (If you can find that book or magazine article, maybe you will try this too.)

New Family Member

A brand new Leclerc Voyageur 12 shaft table loom has come to live at my house. Looking forward to seeing what this baby can do.

Lazy Crazy Day of Spring

A very lazy weaving day... I worked a little on the center seam of my overshot project, then threw a few shots of the double two tie scarf then watched it snow! I thought it was Spring in Missouri ?!?!

 

Sewing the Seam

OK, now is where I have problems. A needle and thread! Yikes!!  I usually have good luck with thread and yarn, but not so much with a needle. I think it will be best to do this by hand. All in all, I think the seam look good. (You can click on the pictures and get  closer view.) I think this will be slow going. 

Tooting Own Horn

I am proud to announce I received from Handweavers Guild of America a congratulation for receiving a Mearl K. Gable, II, Memorial Grant for 2013. I applied for the grant to attend the pre-Conference at Midwest Weavers Association to be held in June.

The class I will be attending is "Weaving That Sings: Painting with Yarn" by Nadine Sanders.

I am totally excited and honored to receive this grant. Thanks to the HGA and the Weavers Guild of the North Shore who made this possible.

Here I am telling my friends!

Tied Weave and Keys

I am going to run with this combination of silver and black for this scarf. I don't know if a male would ever wear this, but I am going to weave it for 60 inches. I read somewhere that a scarf for a male should be shorter than for a female.

Since the warp is Bambu (from Cotton Clouds- yum), I have to twist the fringe. But it won't be too long, again, geared toward a male. And I usually hemstitch weather or not I twist fringe. It's just what I do!

After I have woven the scarf, I will work on the samples for my Complex Weavers Tied Weaves Study Group.

Weaver Rose Together

Here is what it's going to look like. It measures 37 inches wide, so I have enough to make a crib blanket. I found some numbers and a crib blanket should be 36" x 54", so this is a can do. And the rest can be pillows or ?????

More Sampling TW

A little more sampling on the tied weave draft. Here I am trying metallic silver as tabby. As the intended purpose of this would be a scarf for a male, I like the silver/black effect, better than the gold/black.

I went back to the treadling and weaving in 1-2-2-1 tie down order and a-b-a-b tabby order, I was able to get my 'keys'. It's a fun little draft on seven shafts and only using eight treadles. Sometimes, less is more.

Sampling for Tied Weave

I have gotten the black bamboo on the loom and tensioned. Now to do a little sampling. I already know that that the draft I made will not work.  I will see what I can do by just - - messing around! Sometimes I find nice surprises doing this 'free weaving'.

This first sample is gold with white tencel. Hummmmmm??????

Ta Da - cutting off

A major event: cutting off

And now there is the securing the ends, washing, and then the all important...... sewing the center seam!
Wish me luck, because if my center seam doesn't match, I will sew it anyway.

Always lessons to be learned along the way.
 

Ending and Beginning

I am about ready to finish the Weaver Rose overshot project. I have six yards woven and will throw for a few more inches and then cut off. A very pleasant project. This was on the Macomber.

Now onto the Baby Wolf and the tied weave that will be my submission to the Complex Weavers Tied Weave Study Group.

Fixing Loose Thread

I am happy to note that I only have one thread hanging over the back beam - so far - that I have had to fix. And if you look real hard you will see I am running out of warp. There was about 15 inches woven today. Marching On!!

Coffee and the Journal

I just wanted a cup of coffee to read my Complex Weavers Journal with......... but some days a thought jumps in the brain and you just roll with it. I didn't get to drink the coffee, but did spend several hours reading. Excellent issue- by the way.

It was fun, but back to my fiber.

Rhythm and Beat

I continue to keep the beat! Overshot is such as pleasant peaceful weave structure. The rhythm is easy to get into.

More Progress on Weaver Rose

I have now completed five yards of this Weaver Rose threading. It looks like I might be able to get another yard done before I run out of warp. I had thought I might be able to make a couple of baby blankets or lap robes, but maybe I can get a small twin blanket out of it. Only time will tell.

I like the looks of the finished cloth rolling around the beam. It looks neat and tidy. Hope that hold true once I cut it off and wash it.

Just a recap: I have been working with some drafts from the book: The Weaving Roses of Rhode Island. This is one of his threadings, but my own treadling. If you get a chance to see this book, I hope you find it as interesting as I do.

Working On MidWest Weavers Item

A side street in the world of weaving. It might be a one way alley or a four lane highway. Lots of thinking will be needed!!

Yards of Overshot

 What do these two pictures have in common?

They are showing that I have woven four yards of this Weaver Rose overshot threading. (I know it's a stretch- but pretend each foot above  represents a yard each)

Guild Meeting

What a joy to attend a guild meeting. It recharges and inspires! We had huck, twill, felted wool, plain weave, exploring color, tapestry, kumuhimo, rugs, and lots of tips. And I think there was a 'beaver' there too!

Tied Weave Heddles

I am now starting on threading the heddles. I have two inches of the twelve and one half inches pulled through. This part will go quickly once I get going. I hear the sun will be shinning.....soon... Now just why did I pick a black warp? Why, for the fun of it! I like this part of the weaving process.

Counting Heddles

I left something out of my game plan on yesterday's post..... I need to shift my heddles so that they will be balanced. The way I do this is, I know how many heddles are on each shaft so I subtract how many I need, divide that by two and that is the number of heddles I need to count on one side to push out of the way. I use a paper clip to keep them back.

Two Tie Unit Weave Throught the Reed

I am going to remember threading the reed with this black bamboo as a tip ...... don't try to work with a black warp unless you have a good light source. 

It was slow going, so this is about all I got done today. A good light helps, but the sun would have been helpful.

Next steps:
  1. thread the heddles
  2. tie on
  3. beam
  4. adjust tension
  5. Begin


This draft is not just single two tie (summer and winter) but sometimes called double summer and winter. One of my units is 1-3-2-4, making it two tie but double shafts. So let's just call it a two-tie unit weave so we know where I am starting from.