Learning About S&W in Arrow Rock

Safety Glasses are a weaving requirement at the Arrow Rock Weaving Workshop ? ! ? !



Weaving to her own Toone!

Pam's workshop towels!!!

Jeff helps find the right tabby.



Arrow Rocks February 2014 Summer and Winter Weaving Workshop.( I am in the red shirt!) It was lots of fun learning and weaving together. And the pot luck meals were as good as any 5-star restaurant could come up with. Please check in with the Arrow Rock  guild's web sight and maybe they will post some more completed projects.    Arrow Rock Weaving Guild

Summer and Winter Weaving Workshop 2014

Still working on weaving in 1-2-2-1 tie-down order and a-a-b-b- tabby order.  And then maybe they were weaving in 1-1-1-1 tie-down order and b-a-b-a tabby order? I think they were having so much fun they did both.

Summer and Winter Workshop in Arrow Rock

Having a great time sharing the secrets of summer and winter (single two-tie) with some great weavers up here in Arrow Rock, Missouri. A very charming town with lots of history. Here is the building we are holding the workshop in:

Just a small peak at what some of them have been up to. These two are showing some of the effects that can be achieved on just four shafts. Of the 10 students, 5 are using four shaft looms and 5 are using eight shaft looms. Some of them will be cutting off today, so I hope to get some photos of their works.

They just kept weaving and weaving and would hardly stop for lunch!

Jeff and Melissa are holding up a king sized summer and winter coverlet that Jeff wove. I believe Jeff said he wove it last year, about this time, during one of the snow storms that was so bad. Can you say: AWESOME?

Summer and Winter Workshop

OK now I am cooking with gas. Well, I usually don't cook so here are just a few high lights of the workshop I am giving in Arrow Rock, Missouri.

 

Yes, there were samples for four shaft and eight shaft looms. I am not the real sample queen, but I do have a few samples to share.

The guy standing in the back is the "Head Warpped Weaver" , Jeff Reynolds, who invited me to come share what I know about summer and winter. And of course, he could have taught the class, but as he said, I had all the samples.

They caught onto the concept pretty quick. Some had never woven when you had to step on two treadles at the same time. They learned that S&W can be treadle hungry.

Getting Ready For Workshop

I have found myself in Arrow Rock, MO at the Borgman Bed & Breakfast. The summer and winter weaving workshop will start tomorrow. There will be ten students. I am excited to share what I know. Wish me luck!

I will be out of the office......

Don't think I am at the Olympics, but I am away from my looms.

I am getting ready and then will give a 3 day summer and winter workshop. I will not have internet access where I will be, so please check back February 27th. I hope to have lots of great pictures and tails to tell.

If by chance I am able to find internet access, I will post early. Other wise.... see you back here some time on February 27, 2014.

 Let's hope that spring is here soon.

Rug Research

Waiting on the wool rug yarn I ordered. Here is a book by Heather L. Allen I intend to read cover to cover.

 

Heather says in her book "weaving a rag rug is an auditory as well as a tactile experience." I am sure that goes with weaving a rug with wool yarn too. This look to be a very interesting book. (copyright 1998, Published by Lark Books)

Family

This was given to me by my brother and his wife. I think it fits me to a tee!

Oh, and the weather was good enough that I played nine holes of golf with DH.

Happy Day!

Not only did my children send me Valentines Day flowers, they sent Happy Birthday flowers too!
AAAhhhhh!!!!!

Sleying the Reed

Found the linen for the rug warp, have started pulling through the reed. I warp front to back. Works for me.

I thought I had some wool yarn in my stash, but alas..... not enough to do the job. So I will be ordering some in the next day or so. Until then, I will be reading about how to weave a rug. I am using a 12 dent reed and denting 6 epi with two ends in the last (or first) two dents.

New Project - Rug

A Rug, you say? Yes, it has been 'suggested' that a rag rug be woven. Or some sort of item using rags. I have been pouring over my library and think I might try weaving a six shaft summer and winter rug with an overshot pattern. I am using the information from "The Weaver's Journal" , July 1978, Issue 9, page 20.

I will still be using the tie-down shafts with a pattern shaft to get my design, but I will be weaving on opposites, without tabby. Ah, didn't I just do that with the last scarf? Maybe I will try this with rug wool instead of rags. Or maybe...... I am still in the thinking stage - it seems.

Guild Program part 2

Can you think of any thing else to get the creative juices going than attending a weaving guild meeting and seeing all the wonderful exciting projects that your friends have been working the past two months?

 

Guild Meeting part 1

Was able to attend a guild meeting. And wow, what a great time of sharing and questions and fellowship we had. On of the highlights besides two programs and all our awesome show and tell was a piece from a future fiber artist. I believe this grandson is under the age of 6 but already is very interested in fiber.

Needle felted by grandson of Diva Janice.

 

Program on "Weaving with beads". By Rossanna

Weaving with beads.

2nd Program was on using active and stable yarns. by Marty

Before and after using active and stable yarns.

Swedish Lace Bathmat

Ta Da! Finished.

It's still a bit damp and I need to clip some stray ends, but it is finished. The "before washing" size was 17" X 44", and the "after washing in the washing machine with blue jeans is 15" X 36 1/2".

Some things I could have done differently.........Put a pink strip to start than the blue. That would have looked better. I should have ordered more warp yarn when I found out how narrow it was going to be. I knew it was going to shrink in quite a bit. But all in all, it is a nice design. I may try this again some day.

Setting up the loom in Swedish lace went pretty quickly. This draft would work up into some nice kitchen towels using 8/2 cotton...(maybe). Anyway, something to keep on the back burner and let it simmer.

Swedish Lace And Me Be Done

I have gotten to the end of the Swedish lace warp. This was a very fast project. I think I spent the most time looking for some yarn that was or close too - 8/16 Heavy Cotton. The next step is to do the finishing. Wish me luck!

I will have to look through some of the other kits I have and see if any of them call to my loom!

Playing A Swedish Game

Well, I am not really playing a Swedish game. I don't know any, that I know of that is...... But we have lots of games and words and customs and other stuff we brought over to American. Not me, but those people long-long ago. Any-whoooooo It must be all this snow that is muddling my head!

I have run out of weft, but have a little bit of warp left. I grabbed some mop cotton that I had, even though it isn't much to make any thing of. well, I was able to weave a small - very small- piece. If it doesn't shrink to much, it should make a nice pillow for my loom bench.

Swedish lace top and bottom

Have a look at the bottom and the top. I think this will be a reversal able rug and once I get it off the loom, I won't know which side I was looking at as I wove it. I like to think that the side I see as I weave as the "public side". But maybe this will be a rug for someone with multiple personalities.

Swedish Lace - pink and blue

As you can see, I am using pink and blue to weave a Swedish lace bathmat. It sure is going fast. I guess this is why some people weave with large yarns/rags. Most of my exploration in weaving has been at 24 epi. It is about time I expand my horizons.

 

 

Bathmat Begins

Here is the Swedish lace bathmat all set up and started. I don't have enough blue to do the whole thing (as the kit said) because I made a longer warp than called for (as the kit said I would). Hence the pink stripes. But it should still be a pleasant mat.

Swedish Bathmat

Looks like things are moving right along. I should have this 'puppy' up and running in a few days. I am using 8/16 Heavy Cotton.

It is the kind of project that I may take my time on. But I do hope I finish it faster than that last scarf. But I think I learned a lot about single-two tie, so it was worth it.