Inkle Loom Fun

I am still playing around with my inkle loom. I have a monograph I found in my personal library that has been a lot of fun to explore. "Handwoven Decorative Trim, An introduction to weaving passementerie trims" by Robyn Spady.  This monograph is an excellent place to explore decorative trims. If you don't have an inkle loom, any loom with two shafts will work.

One warp but using two wefts. Both wefts are white to blend into the edge color. 

This monograph introduces weaving with one warp and two, three, and four pattern wefts. She shows a great way to weave looped and cut fringe. There is even some information on adding beads. A great resource if you can find it.

Another example of one warp and two wefts. 

Book Report

I have a new -to me - book. April 2016 Kelly Marshall is going to come to my neck of the woods for a Rep Weave Workshop. When I saw she had published a book, I had her send it to me. You can find it at: http://kellymarshall.com/ 

I have just started reading her book and let me tell you, if nothing else the photo's are excellent. I hope I have some idea what she will be teaching us. It helps if you know the questions to ask when the experts are in the house.

New Weaving Book

The Weavers Guild of Minnesota has been busy. They have published a book called "A Thread Through Time: Modern Projects From Our Swatch Archives." It is a unique anniversary book that includes the story of the Guild, swatches and their patterns from their past 75 years. Forty-seven members got together to publish this full-color book. It looks to be a great addition to my library.

You might go to their web sight to check it out.
www.weaversguildmn.org

Echo and Iridescent Colors

 

If you are a member of Complex Weavers, you know about this new weaving book by Marian Stubenitsky. If not and you are wondering about shadow weave, warp weave, echo weave, Moire, four color doubleweave, multicolor double twill and maybe turned taquete or turned samitum........ you must get this book. The photographs alone are worth the price. If you are only four shafts or thirty-two, there is something in this book for you. According to the book, you might check out www (dot) weefschool (dot) nl   or marianstubenitsky (@) gmail (dot) com. I have only had the book for a few days, but am just really 'jazzed' about all the info she has in this very high-class impressive 233 page book!

Book Review Part Four

These next two book are in my personal library. I learned about the first one "Overshot, a manual for creative drafting and weaving" from Vicki Tardy at a Midwest Weavers Conference a few years ago. At that time in my weaving voyage I was immersed in all things overshot. I love traditional overshot, but found that "creative overshot" was a way to enjoy this great weave structure and yet step out side the box and create unexpected designs. I hold Vicki as one of my teachers who unlocked my "what if, how come, let me try this" thinking.

"Pattern Techniques For Handweavers" for me is more of a quick reference book. It has basic information for beginning weavers but also Drawloom techniques for those with more complex looms. It is very nicely put together. Just a few of the techniques discussed are: Extended summer and winter, uneven tied overshot, three-tie weaves, supplementary-warp pattern or turned Opphamta. Some will find it to be to in-depth, while others will think it doesn't go into enough depth. I think it would be a good reference book for middle of the road weavers. You may not be into uneven tied overshot now, but who know what you may want to explore in the years ahead.

I hope you have enjoyed my book reviews. Maybe you have a favorite book (or books) that speak to you too!

Book Review Part Three

What can I say about this next book except if you plan or was thinking about weaving a rag rug or placemats or table runner you MUST check out this book. I have never met Tom Knisely, but a few of my friends have and say he is very much the "teacher of the year" that Handweavers Guild of America says he is. His simple straight forward text and drafts and tips should make weaving your first rag project very enjoyable. If you are a seasoned rag rug weaver you will be surprised to see some exciting things Tom has come up with.

Not all rag rugs are for the floor. Here is an example of a great table runner. Pick his colors or choose your own!

Book Review Part Two

The next two books I am going to tell you about are ones that I have borrowed. The title of the first on is "Weaver's Delight". It is just that, a delight for the eyes and my little brain cells. There are examples of double-face weave, twill, Drall (I know that isn't spelled right-I don't know where that "a" is on this computer-sorry), opphamta (again I need to find that "a")... tapestry, and more! This book alone could be worth studying for a couple of years or three. Very well written.

This next book "Swedish Swatches -yellow, blue, red, and green series in color photos" got me thinking about ordering some yarns. I want to make the curtain fabric, the drapery fabric, the evening jacket fabric. Doubleweave and twill! Rep weave and twill! Basket weave with warp floats! Broken twill in two blocks! The list goes on and on. Not a lot of mumbo-jumbo just right to the drafts and color photos.... An excellent book if you are a cookbook weaver, but enough information to follow along but add your own colors and yarns.

Book Review Part One

While being away from my shuttles and looms, I have had the pleasure of getting to read and devour some excellent weaving books. In the next few days I will give my humble opinion of some I have found interesting if not down right exciting. Some are mine and some I have been allowed to borrow. You may or may not have some of these books. The good thing about belonging to guilds is that most have a library of weaving books to borrow. I hope you have or can borrow some of these books.

Let me first talk about a 1985 swatch book by Virginia West. The very first sentence in the introduction truly touches my heart. "I like to think of a fabric as a painting, conceived through artistic vision, lively with depths of tonality and texture, the warp and weft the rush strokes across the surface, the yarns themselves the architectonic element that build the composition." As a young person, I always wanted to be an artist. But not being able to 'draw' put the skids to that idea. Weaving lets the artist in me come out.

This swatch book speaks to my creative side. What if I did this or how about.........

This swatch example is called "Scallop". She gives the drawn down along with fibers to use and sett. And of course a real sample to touch!

Overshot Books

Here are some of my overshot books. This is one of the weave structures I fell in love with.

One of the most interesting is "Creative Overshot" by Margaret B. Windeknecht. Shuttle Craft Guild, Monograph Thirty One. There is traditional treadling and then there is fun...........

Weaving Library

Since I know you have gotten a view of the scarf I am weaving in from every possible angel, I will let you off the hook today and show you what else I have been up to. I have been looking around in my weaving library. I can lose all track of time while flipping through these books.

And truth be told, I have lots more weaving books, these were just the ones that were neat enough on the shelf for their photo shoot! I think one of the books I seem to go back to time and time again is the "New Key To Weaving" by Mary Black. I find her book helps me understand a weave structure I want to know more about.

Tick Tock Ticking

Despite the snow lulling me into just reading and drinking coffee all day, I did get some 'sleighing' of the reed done. Or is that sleying? Just a bit of snowed-in humor! Sorry, couldn't help myself.

The book I just finished was "The Lincoln Lawyer" by Michael Connell. I thought it was a good read. (I also like his Harry Bosch character.)

Library Books

You just never know what you might find. I went to my local library book sale and found these books.

                       How about some March 1974 suggested prices for Leclerc Looms.
The Mira:
36B with wire heddles $307, or the 36A with steel heddles $325
The Nilus:
36-4B $370, 4 harness, wire heddles or 36-4B with steel heddles $$386

I sure do like the price of reeds. A 36" one was only $8.25!!!!!!

New To Me - Coverlet Book

I don't know why I waited this long to get this book (2 volumes), but just got it. If we happen to get snowed in this winter I will have a really good book to read!

Remembrance , or Senior Moment

Just to correct an earlier post.... One of my friends says she couldn't find the 'remembrance' motif in the Weaver Rose book that I quoted to you all.... well..... she is not as crazy as we think she is......that motif was found in this book:

and on this page............

Wagon Wheels

I know, I know.... I should be weaving!

But I had to key into my weaving software one of the drafts from Peace and Patience. I was intrigued by this one because there was so much white showing. So here it is:

The sample in the book shows lots more white areas without so much half-tones. Perhaps at this close sett, the half-tones are less noticeable when actually woven..

The sample for this was woven with 20/2 as warp and tabby, with 2/20 wool used single as weft, with a sett of 32 epi. Yes, I can see where that would need a sett of 32 epi. I counted and saw that there was an eleven thread float. These women must have had better eye sight than me!!

Peace & Patience

I heard about this book on one of my favorite blogs. (sorry, but can't remember which one-let me know if it's you.). I am borrowing it from the Complex Weavers library. It is by the same author who put together the Weaving Roses of Rhode Island book. It is a wonderful thing that someone took the time to document this work.

And of course I had to show off my new coffee cup. (I found it at the Cabool Dime Store.)

Heddles, Books, and Weaving Friends

Got a little threading of the heddles done. I am working on the Weaver Rose draft "Ladey Washington".

For the most part, I have been reading my new book. What an awesome organization. Makes you want to move to Boston and get involved with the guild there.

I belong to two weaving guilds in my general area. I drive an hour to one of the meetings and about 15 minutes to the other, both meet once a month. One guild is mostly four and eight shaft weavers, the other has some sixteen shaft weavers there. Always exiting to see what other weavers are doing. Both guilds have programs given by guild members. And sometimes we bring someone in to do a workshop.

New Weaving Book Review

One of my fellow guild members pointed me to a new book out there in the weaving world. It's called: Interlaced, The Weavers' Guild of Boston Celebrates 90 Years of Friendship and Education.

Everything from plain weave to 32 shaft Samitum to shaft switching to lampas, dimity, S&W and lots of other weave structures in-between. 

Wonderful pictures, guild information, and drafts with notes from the authors. Not so much a pattern book, but just enough info you could recreate their projects if you wanted to. Looks to be a treasure.

The web sight is: http://weaversguildofboston.org

Weaving Books

Sometimes when you don't have a project in mind, you need to go to the library. Unless the library is on your kitchen table.