Crackle - Black Bamboo Wouldn't You?

I am going with the black weft. I like how the black is interacting with the fuchsia/gray. Good advice from everyone, including DH. Thanks!

I have hemstitched the edge and will twist the fringe when I get this off the loom. I have used a different tie-up than was with this Griswold draft. I am trying a tie-up that I learned from Susan Wilson when I took her "Crackle" workshop at Midwest Weavers Conf. 2013.  She showed us 'the' three different tie-ups when weaving on eight shafts. That info is in her book too!

Warping On A Shoestring

For someone who only wears sandals or clogs, finding shoelaces wasn't that easy. Thank goodness I was able to get some from Nadine Sanders when I was at Midwest Weavers Conference. I also picked up her booklet "Warping On A Shoestring" to help me remember what she showed us in my three day workshop with her. The only way for me to know if this is the way 'for me', is to try it out!

First I have attached the flat nylon shoestrings to the front cloth beam rod.

I am forming a snitch know to attach the shoelaces to.

Now I tension the warp.

 So far, so good. I feel I have excellent tension. Now all I have to do it weave-weave-weave. Or maybe I should tie up the treadles first. Hummm!

Working on Report

 Working on the report for the Weavers Guild of the North Shore who, with the Handweavers Guild of American, allowed me to attend the Midwest Weavers Pre-Conference. June 2013.

  My pre-conference class with Nadine Sanders on the Theo Moorman technique was very informative and it was exciting to learn a new weaving technique.

This is the perfect medium for using some of those wonderful yarns we have in our stashes. Alpaca, angora, camel, cashmere, qivuit, ramie, rayon, silk, synthetics, Tencel, sticks, beads, rocks, bugs........ you get the picture?????

More Things Learned at Midwest Weavers Conference

Do you know the threading key for 8-shaft crackle? The blocks are below. Crackle is a block weave NOT a unit weave. You many have as many blocks as you have shafts. It is a twill derivative. Your longest float is only three ends long!!!

Block A: 1 2 3 2 (incidental on 1)
Block B: 2 3 4 3 (2)
Block C: 3 4 5 4 (3)
Block D: 4 5 6 5 (4)
Block E: 5 6 7 6 (5)
Block F: 6 7 8 7 (6)
Block G: 7 8 1 8 (7)
Block H: 8 1 2 1 (8)

The end that is in (__), is the incidental that you use when going from one block to the next. You need these to preserve the odd-even threading order. There are other rules that help with these little quarks. Some blocks weave together.... It's true!

There are several different ways to weave crackle: classic, summer and winter, polychrome, lace effect......

More on crackle by Susan Wilson: Weave Classic Crackle & More. Schiffer Publishing. (2011)

Some Things Learned at Midwest Weavers Conference

I have been working on my report to the Weavers of the North Shore who, through the HGA, awarded me the Mearl K. Gable II Memorial Grant to attend the Midwest Weavers Pre-Conference.

As you know, I picked the class offered by Nadine Sanders: Weaving That Sings: Painting with Yarns. I went into this learning environment not knowing very much about the Theo Moorman technique. I have since learned it is a plain weave inlay technique. All you need is a four shaft loom, but now that I think I have the general idea, I see how this inlay technique has lots of design potential. The brain keeps churning and wondering.

A basic draft on a variation of the Theo Moorman technique. Nadine had other sleying options for different projects.

X

X

X

X

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

tie up

O= HEAVIER YARN

X

X

X= THIN TIE DOWN YARNS

X

X

plain weave

X

X

X

X

P

G

P

G=ground weft

G

P= pattern weft

P

G

Reed= sleying order

12 dent reed

P

2 ends- 2,1

G

1 end- 3

2 ends- 2,1

1 end-4

More Fiber Fun - Painted Warp

As I continue to weave the fustian yardage, I am also getting ready for a dye workshop this weekend. I found this fiber while at Midwest Weavers Conference 2013. I think I will dent it 24 epi. But I "might" sample first.

 

I am winding four yards. I plan on weaving a scarf. Because I will be painting this warp I have tied in in several places to keep it in order. I will loosely tie it so the dye can penetrate all the fibers.  

 

Her is where I have found my inspiration for the colors I will paint this warp. I love this magazine. (It's free if you live in Missouri.) So now I have my threads, the colors I will try to match and the draft. This draft is from the book INTERLACED, page 124. ASCOT scarf by Suzanne Rothstein. I think this boulevard weave will look really great with a painted warp. 

Award Winning Shawl

I don't think I have shown the knitted shawl I entered at Midwest that  received the 2nd place ribbon.  So here that is with the second photo showing the detail. I had the sunflower button at the back point to help weight it. I designed this shawl in 2009 and have knitted it a couple of other times. This was using the conference yarn per the requirement of the conference.

The two woven items I entered. (I added a crochet edge to both.)



I saw this while driving home. I have no idea what highway I was on or what state I was in. She and her 'plane' are up high in the air on some kind of pole. How Fun!!!!!  Maybe my KS or MO fiber friends will know. Click to enlarge all. 

Drive home from Midwest Weavers Conference

What a wonderful time I had. Lots of wonderful ideas. Met some great weavers and saw some old friends. I think every weaver should go to at least one weaving conference at least once! The 'goodie' bag was the best ever!! Beautiful campus at Emporia State University, KS. I even splurged every day with a Starbucks coffee.

The fashion show was wonderful. And yes, I left my entry at home! Maybe I can enter it in the next Midwest Weavers Conference that will be in Minneapolis-St. Paul June 15-20, 2015.

In the members exhibit that I entered, I received a 2nd place for my Prairie Shawl. WhooHoo!!!  I was scored a 93 out of 100 on my green/cream runner (it's on the banner of this blog), and a 95 on the side-by-side overshot runner.

I want to again thank the Hand Weavers Guild of America for the Mearl K. Gable II Memorial Grant and the Weavers of the North Shore for the funds to attend the pre-conference class. I now know the general technique of weaving the Theo Moorman Technique. I see some Theo Moorman woven items in my future. But I also want to do some of the lace techniques that Robyn Spady introduced to me and of course more Crackle thanks to Susan Wilson.

Midwest Weavers Conference is still in full swing!

We were invited to help 'weave' on the giant flowers 

 

 

 

Friday morning class: Weave Structure: Lace Weaves

Instructor: Robyn Spady

 

Afternoon class: Designing with Multi-Shaft Crackle
Instructor: Susan Wilson
(Tomorrow's class will be with Susan Wilson again on Polychrome Crackle)

 

More at Midwesst Weavers Conference

Just some of the awesome stuff in the Member Exhibits.

 



Day Four of Midwest Weavers Conference

Here are a few more shots of the Conference.

Thick yarns work well with this technique too!

Love that pink ground!

Awesome!

Here I am explaining my work, that is not finished like everyone else's!!!!!!!

 

Guild members, Diane and Marty setting up their vendor booth: Morning Moon Alpacas. Yummy Stuff!!

One of my Theo Moorman classmates getting ready to go on one of the Tours. Hats and bandana special for the trip!

 

 

Day Three of Midwest Weavers Conference

Working on making her cartoon.

What a fun class I finished up today at Midwest Weavers Conference. I have lots of pictures, so lets get too them! More tomorrow!!

Another class was "Spinning, Exploring, Creating" with teacher Jeannine Glaves

Carol Leigh Brack-Kaiser gave a three day workshop on her Tri-Looms.
 

In the Theo Moorman class.

 

This is my creation! (it's a bird of paradise maybe flying up my nose.)

 

Day Two Midwest Weavers Conference

I am really enjoying this class. I knew nothing about this subject, but with the wonderful instructions of Nadine Sanders, the Theo Moorman Technique is starting to open the mind to wondrous thoughts. I had three 'tie down' threads break on the right side of my warp yesterday. But I will muddle along. We are making samples and learning as we go along. So I will not sweat the small stuff.

 

Some new words to ponder: transparent inlay effect, opaque inlay effect, saturated inlay effect.

 

Getting the feel of inlay work.

Using different thicknesses of threads.

Nadine Sanders likes what this student did.

Lost of fibers to choose from. This student is a pro!!

 

 

 

My circle turned into a vase.

Nadine has her hands full helping me get started on a triangle.

Nadine explains about cartoons.

I have my cartoon attached and have begun to weave a small project.

 

 

 

 



Day One - really!

I have arrived at the conference, and found out how to get the wifi. so I will post a little. I think this 3-day class with Nadine Sanders is going to be very interesting.

And as a footnote-- the sheets fit the bed. ;-)

Very important signs!

Name of class.

My Teacher, who also sings. See some of her wonderful creations?
 

Tying on with shoe laces!