Ta Da... Done

I have finished up the red and white dimity striped towels. They sure wove up fast. But then again, I was only using one shuttle and five treadles for the pattern. With this threading, I was not able to get a true plain weave, but I was able to get one that worked. Now on to the washer and dryer to see how the pattern really looks.

Strips the Light Fantastic

All red weft. (top)

This is a Dimity draft I got when taking a class at John C Campbell Folk School way-way-way back in 2007.

Of course it will look a bit different once it is washed. The Dimity strips will show up better then.

I had received a Mearl K. Gable, II, Memorial Grant from Handweavers Guild of America to attend this week long class with Pam Howard and Barbara Miller Learning about 18th Century textiles. I keep going back to what I learned then and still love the drafts.

All white weft. (bottom)

Strips To You Too

Red and white strips ready to go!

Sometimes a plan come together. I wound the warp, I slayed the warp, now to weave the warp!! Maybe I will just do some weaving-- soon.

I have this set up to weave 3 or 4 kitchen towels using one of my favorite weaves: Dimity. The red and white strips will play with the dimity strips and I won't know what I 'gots' until I 'be done'. I may use solid red for weft, or maybe try solid white for weft, or maybe both red and white for some plaid. I will let the Weaving Fairy's show me the way once I start treadling.

Strips

When you want to wind a warp with strips being the main idea, where do you turn to?

You go to the kitchen and find the Flatbread Pizza box, the Folgers coffee can and the Coffeemate. I wrote down the numbers by the bar codes and had my strips. No math, no thinking involved. Just follow the codes. (pizza, coffee, and fake cream--yummy!)

Reminds me of Christmas candy!

I am having fun just winding warps for future projects. I am planning on this being a set of towels for a red and white kitchen.

Wall Hanging

I finished a small wall hanging just today. I was so inspired by the front cover of the Missouri Conservationist magazine (Volume 75, Issue 12, December 2014). The photographer is Noppadol Paothong. He says: "frost covers Indian grass."

Cotton, silk, wood.
8 inches X 14 inches

Season's Greetings

While looking back over this past year, I noticed these photo's belonged together. The bottom cloth is woven Shiboria. Wishing all good health! Thanks for checking out my blog.

A Bit Of this-and-that

Just a peek at some of the fun we had at our Weaving Diva 7th Annual Christmas Party. (sorry-camera was misbehaving). There was much more show and tell and lots more awesome gifts exchanged. I was having so much fun I forgot to take some pictures and then others were to dark or to light......

The gift I received was a Tube Holder. It was just what I was needing for this project I am winding warp for. You can find a photo of it at weaversloft.com if you search on the words "tube holder'.  Thank you Carol!!!!!

A Labor Of Weaving Love

One of the projects that the Weaving Divas worked on this past year (and a bit more) was a felted purse. Each member took it home and added something. Even the inside lining was hand dyed. So when it was finished, we as a group decided that our Marilynn should have it. She is the glue that holds us together! We presented it to her at our 7th annual Christmas Party. 

front

inside

back

up close 

A Diva Christmas 2014

A gathering of Divas to celebrate the season, each other, and weaving.

Two Sticks and Some String

I have been working on a knitting project. It was fast and used up one ball of sock yarn! It is knit straight but looks like you knit on the bias. And, surprise - s-u-r-p-r-i-s-e - I made a mistake and ended up with a "V" that I can put in the back or the front. And don't you love that shawl pin. I got it in my goodie bag at Midwest Weavers Conference 2012.

Another Awesome Picture from MO Conservation

Look at this study I did back on January 21,2012.  (you can find it in my past posts)

This was a photo taken by Noppadol Paothong for the Missouir Conservationist. I went on to weave a Bateman table runner.

Here is the latest issue of the Missouri Conservationist. I love it! I guess I am drawn to his colors and subject matter. I wonder if a summer and winter draft would do his work justice??? Something to think about on a cold and windy day.

More Winding and Loopers

This shot from the "loom room" window tells it all! It's cold and rainy and icy!!! But a good day to wind a warp.

This is where I wind my warps. As you can see, when I first started...not so long ago...I had to remember where my cross should be. And since the board is attached to the wall, I can pin important info there. 

I am using nylon loopers as my choke ties. The cotton loopers make great rugs and pot holders, but not very good choke ties. These nylon ones don't slip and they are easy to remove as I am winding on the warp. 

This is a warp for a set of towels. The weave structure will be summer and winter. Well, maybe. I may change my mind about that once I decide to put this warp on the loom. ;-)

Repeat -- Hemstitching 101 - Ann's Version

I like to hemstitch the edges of scarves. This is the edge of this woven shibori crackle experiment. I like the little holes I get. I am weaving with 10/2 Tencel, 24 epi.

Here is my version of hemstitching.

I do the same on both edges. The only difference is that on the ending edge, I will go into the fringe area first, then the web. Here I will show you the beginning edge. I start in the web, up two rows, around three threads, then down two rows (into the fringe area) around three.

When I start , I will leave a tail 4 times the width of the warp.

I will take the needle behind, two rows into the web, around three threads.

Now I will always keep my needle on the top of the warp. I will go below the fell line and go around three.

I now go up two rows, around three threads. I am always going in the same direction.

Back to below the fell line, around three. I am always pulling tight to get a small hole.

When I get to the other side, I will weave the tail into the web and clip it off.

This is what the back side looks like.