Charleen's Fiberblog

Ms and Os Finished

I finally cut off the Ms and Os and started the finishing process. This is the alabaster weft, before washing.

And here, after washing. Would have been nice if I had the same orientation.

And again, after pressing.

The baked clay weft, which will be a dresser scarf for the guest room:

and my sampling with thicker wefts. The variegated is 4/4 cotton, the brown and gold is 5/2 perle.

I like Dixon's suggestion of using a thicker weft. The 4/4 gives great coverage without making a stiff fabric.

These towels will be used but they would be even better with a thicker weft. I'd use the 5/2 for towels, go with 10/2 for the warp. A few years ago I used a structure similar to this and was not happy with the way the weft filled in. I never did finish that baby blanket. The 4/4 weft would make a nice baby blanket or pillow fabric. I'm sewing the hems by hand because there's no tabby header and machine stitching would be too visible.

Final thoughts? I can definitely see more Ms and Os in my future for table linens, blankets, and upholstery fabrics.

More M's and O's

The last two towels were with some 8/2 mill ends in Pecan. I have several cones of this and I use it often. It's a nice neutral taupe which works well with a wide range of colors.

Like many other weavers I've experimented with many types of hems and this is what works for me when I'm making towels. I use 100% cotton sewing thread for just under 1/2", then I begin using the pattern weft and weave for just over 1/2". I throw two picks in the same shed when starting my pattern just because I like the way it looks at the fold.

I'm always thrilled when I see the cloth beam filling up with new fabric but alas - it's coming to an end!

I used Davison's M's and O's Three by Three Plaid (p. 64), inspired by Leigh's work. I love reading about the history of each structure. Just as I reached the end of the warp I started looking through Anne Dixon's the Handweaver's Pattern Directory. Dixon recommends a weft thread which is thicker than the warp. Dixon also warns that floating selvedges must used and she recommends setting the selvedges as follows:

left selvedge: float,4,2,3,1,44,33,22,11
right selvedge: 44,33,22,11,4,2,3,1,float

I think I'll try that the next time so I can make some comparisons. Unfortunately there wasn't much warp left to experiment with a thicker weft but I did throw a few inches of 5/2 (brown and gold) and 4/4 (the variegated).

I'm teaching this weekend but hopefully I'll have enough energy tomorrow night to stitch between the towels and throw them in the wash. I like the look of the 5/2 on the loom. I'll be interested in seeing how they all wash up.

Spring Break Weaving

The skies are gray, there's a nip in the air - but it's Spring Break and I'm off! Too cold to do any of the outside work I usually do over spring break. I already painted the guest room so no big painting project. Guess I'll just have to play!

So, back to my Ms & Os. I had planned on trying the suggestions of a floating selvedge or temple. Peg mentioned trying a plain weave selvedge. Being a lazy weaver (and also forgetful) weaver I went for the quick fix first.

I attached one pound weights with an S hook to the four end threads and that did the trick!

The selvedges are MUCH better.

I completed two dish towels with the Alabaster weft and started on a runner for the guest room using more Eight/Two, this time in Baked Clay.

Listening to the end of Haven Kimmel's Something Rising (Light and Swift) I wove 40" inches before I left to pick up Jackson.

Really, even after tossing his cookies and getting a quick wash up the kid is gorgeous! His eyes get me every time!

M's and O's

Yesterday's snow day gave me the time I needed to get the warp threaded and sleyed.

This is the first time I used the threading chart that comes with Fiberworks. It was very easy to follow. Although I was a bit blown away when I got to the end and had 18 threads instead of 8!

I checked and there were no threading errors so I guess it was a counting error.

This is one repeat of the treadling. I'm using WEBS' Eight-Two Alabaster for the weft.

It looks like the sides are sort of wavy. (If you click you can see the curve on the edges of the warp dominant blocks.) It seems like the 3-4 end warp threads get sort of twisted during the weaving of one block but not the other. I slid my finger in and opened the shed right to the fell but I don't know if that's a good thing or not. If I don't the weft won't pack all the way down on the first shot of the block. I might cut off after the first towel to see if washing tightens it up.

I love the fabric and am already thinking of other design possibilities. Leigh played with bright colors for her towels. Kristin wove several scarves using a turned Ms and Os. I'm thinking of a wrap using a handpainted warp with some sheen, maybe rayon or silk, with a cotton weft.

Out With the Old

Rip, rip, rip! It's out with the old and in with the new!

You might remember Jackson in his sausage sweater. I was just going to give this to a younger baby but I realized it wasn't proportional. The arms are too short and the body too tight and long. I started this at a very stressful time last fall and I now realize that along with my gauge being off I was following several different sizes in the instructions. Doh! While looking for something else I found another ball of the Fixation so knowing I'll have enough for a size 2 I started ripping. I started over, going up a needle size and have progressed through the neck ribbing and short row shaping and am now doing the raglan increasing through the shoulders. In case you need a dose of cute, here's Jackson getting ready to watch the Super Bowl!

Inspired by Leigh's lovely M's and O's I starting winding a warp for some more towels using one of my favorites - WEB's Eight-Two in willow green.

It's a 128 end repeat and I have three repeats wound. Now I have to figure out my sett and decide if I need to play with the pattern a bit. That's wrapped pretty tightly and it's 36 wpi. I could have sworn I used 20 epi before with this yarn. You'd think I'd have records somewhere but apparently only pictures!

I'll mull it over while I rip up carpet. Yes, I'm doing another room makeover!

For those of you who are lucky enough to have a three day weekend, enjoy! And take some time to read Syne's new endeavor WeaveZine. Bonnie has a great Turned Weft Ikat article. Tonight it's back to the table of contents for more information and ideas.

Well, Look at Me....

I finally finished something! I'm sure the view from my loom helped motivate me.

The old patio door was scratched and drafty, now I have a clear view and the e-glass will help with fading when those projects stay on the loom too long.

I ended up with seven towels.

I have fooled around with every setting on my camera. I either get too washed out or too saturated.

They really fall somewhere between these pictures.

I'm keeping these two as samples. The top (also seen in the center of the right stack in the second picture) was woven 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and produced a wonderful, almost waffle-like texture. It has a lovely hand and would be great for a spring/summer jacket. The bottom one was woven 1,2,3,4 and resulted in a stripe with a nice drape. I would use this structure with a painted warp and a coordinated solid weft. It would make a beautiful lightweight summer shawl.

Variegated Variations

Finally, I'm on the last of the False Damask variegated warp towels. These rather washed out photos don't do justice to the variety of looks I'm getting by changing up weft and treadling.

With black weft I treadled 1-8 with no repeats.

The terra cotta weft was my favorite. I used only 3 repeats each of 1-4 then 5-8, rather than the original 4 repeats.

The last two towels are striped, treadling only 1-4.
Kim's obsession with The Secret Life of Bees has led her to create a beautiful colorway which she named Tupelo Honey. While ensconced in my room (I was teaching a few hours from home) this past weekend I started Mona Schmidt's Embossed Leaves Socks from the Winter 2005 IK. Love the yarn, love the pattern!

The slightly out of focus picture captured with my iphone. While I had it out I had to snap a pic of why I'm finding teaching out of town to be a pretty relaxing weekend. I could get used to this! I just ran down the steps and there was pineapple and strawberries, oatmeal and dried cranberries. Oh my!

And just because I find it funny .... Someone sent this link to one of my psych lists. After watching that I noticed a link to the Colorectal Surgeon's Song. Come on, wouldn't you click too?

Weaving Progress

The loom was finally warped and threaded and ready to go. I thought the variegated yarn would allow me to use several different weft colors. After sampling these five bobbins I found that although the colors matched they didn't do anything for the fabric.

I settled on a deep wine that I hadn't considered earlier, it's much richer than it shows on screen, and wove two towels.

I had nixed the idea of using black originally, but I'm happy with the way the black lets the warp show through. It also allows the structure (false damask) to move to the foreground.

I'm also kicking myself for changing the threading to even blocks. The first time I used false damask the block B was twice as wide as block A and I think it the contrasting sizes adding much to the total design. Oh well, live and learn. These, after all, towels! Like many others I can try out ideas on towel warps and still have something useful. I'll know better when I use this on a baby blanket.

Trying Something New

I'm always looking for the right way to warp until I realized I need to find my way to warp. One idea I had was to use these big S hooks to hold bunches of warp after presleying the reed. There wasn't enough slack to slip my hand through and, really, that basically tied me to the loom until I finished! This way I could slip the rod through once I was finished and lash it to the beam.

The handmade raddle that came with my loom was not working for me. I like warping from back to front and have tried presleying the reed and hanging it from the castle but that was a little clumsy for me. I came up with a couple of things that I could make but before grabbing the tools I tried a little mock-up with things I already had.

I clamped on the Angel Wings and then drilled a hole through my reed holder (made from a piece of 2x4 and a couple of dowel pieces, you can see an example on the Angel Wings page) so that I could bolt it to the back beam through the holes already there for the raddle.

The warp went under the harnesses and front beam and up and around my pvc trapeze. Each of the two bouts were weighted with a 1/2 gallon plastic milk carton filled with water. Warping was very smooth with absolutely no snags. I had just given my dowels a quick rub with steel wool and another coat of Wood Beams and they were as smooth as silk.

One final thought came to me, I've been putting the cross right at the beginning of my warp because that's the way the warping board was set up when it was given to me! Then when I bought a warping reel and I could put it anywhere - there it was right at the beginning, even though I never have enough slack and I'm constantly aware that it could go flying back through the heddles or reed! On the next warp I'm going to try putting the cross about 18" from the end.

I'm off to the Funny Farm for some dye sampling and lots of laughter!

Revisting a Favorite

I decided to go back to one of the first projects I made after buying my loom - false damask towels. The first time around I used off white for the warp and a bright white for the weft. This time I'm using a variegated 8/2 cotton warp.

For the weft I'm deciding between purple, turquoise or burgundy.

I've changed the threading to even blocks,

which will still allow me some variations.

I didn't forget about the baby blankets - I just forgot to order the yarn!

A Record?

I don't know if there is a Guinness World Record for the longest time a short, narrow sample warp has stayed on a loom, but I know this is definitely a record for me! I decided to finish the second boundweave sample before cutting off the warp. My original plan was to make little bags for my nieces so the designs were upside down, then after a plain area for the bottom they are right side up. Here are the after-washing shots. The project details can be found here.

This tie up gave the fabric a wonderful hand. It was heavy but still had some drape. The motifs came out clearer with this tie up also. This would be perfect for placemats.

While I liked this colorway better, I didn't like the ridges that this tie up created. The fabric is heavy, heavy, heavy. It would take an incredible amount of foot traffic without showing signs of wear. If I ever (and, by the way, feel free to shot me if I do) decide to weave a boundweave rug this is the tie up I'd use.

When I switched to this tie up I had more draw in. It takes four shots for one row and you can see that the weft was not packing in well. Notice the horizontal line through the flowers where you can see the underlying red thread. I changed the way I placed the weft after that.

Here I made sure to position the weft at a 45° angle before beating and you can see the difference. Not only does the weft pack in completely but the fabric is not drawing in.

I probably won't be weaving any boundweave in the near future but I'm glad a tried it out. Maybe when life is not so hectic I'll try a small wool rug.

Baby Blankets

Whoa, is June over? The last few weeks have been a blur of activity. The most important of which was Jackson, of course, but lots of other things too. The end of school and beginning of my new job (second job, not replacement!) Thinking ahead I realized that when I leave my high school students I still need something to bring in the dollars. None of those 30-and-out deals for me unless I'm willing to wait until I'm 71. Um, no!

So, I'll be teaching for the same masters program I went through a couple of years ago. I'll teach one or two classes this summer and then probably two each semester. These are intensive, week long classes during the summer and span two weekends during the school year. I was scheduled to teach in August but they aren't sure if that will fill so when an opening came up for the week of July 16th I took it. To add to the chaos, I'm also heading up to Clark University again for the APA/Clark workshop on Sunday. Maybe this time I'll get my picture taken with Freud!

Now, what's on my loom? The same freakin' boundweave that's been there since January! I was going to try a couple of other motifs but let's face it - it's a sample and I've sampled several motifs so it's time to move on.

Baby blankets seem appropriate. Besides Jackson there are several new babies arriving this summer and fall that are going to need covering. I have several ideas in mind.

Choice 1:
Choice one is a log cabin in 5/2 perle. I got this draft from Handweaving.net. It's a little different than my usual log cabin because it uses both colors in adjacent heddles.

I want to make at least two with each warp. I was thinking that my only choice was to make two identical blankets - I didn't want to use a solid weft and have stripes, but then I decided to play around with two different colors for the weft. I like it! Instead of the more pastel blue and yellow I could use a brighter primary yellow and blue for the first blanket and use red or purple and green for the weft with the second blanket. It reminds me of a circus.

I could always go with my basic log cabin draft

or step it up to a three color ABC sequence:

Choice 2:

This is also a good choice because I can use one color for the warp and then change up the weft for several different blankets.

Choice 3:

Ditto for this one - one warp, different wefts:

Guess it's time to get off the pot and get something new on the loom!

Summer and Winter on the (pool) Table Loom

If you've been reading Leigh's blog (I love her polychrome rug) you know that the Online Guild of Weavers, Spinners, & Dyers have just completed the March workshop. We studied Summer and Winter weaves.

Summer and Winter is a three element weave, like overshot. Traditionally, the warp and structual weft (the tabby or tie-down) is of a smaller diameter, often tightly twisted yarn. The pattern weft is larger, more loosely spun. Tradition, however, is just the starting point and and you can use te same yarn for all three elements, leaving the structure to give texture to the fabric.

This is the basic draft which shows both the pattern weft and the tabby weft as the same thickness.

I warped the Dorothy with 6/2 unmercerized cotton and used the same for both the pattern and tabby wefts.

Here you can see the pattern because I used a blue 6/2 unmercerized for the pattern weft, keeping the white for the tabby.

Besides coverlets, blankets, and table linens, summer and winter lends itself well to fashion textiles. Next up for sampling: using 5/2 perle cotton for pattern and 10/2 perle for the tabby and 4/4 cotton as the pattern weft with 10/2 as the tabby.

Putting this in the can't beat 'em, join 'em file:

The pool table remains a LARGE part of my fiber studio. It does, however, make a nifty stand for my table loom. (Tacky vinyl tablecloth was left after my recent dyeing!)

Even More Boundweave!

I started doing the second set and wasn't as pleased, despite the new colors.

As you can see in the picture above coverage wasn't as good as I'd like. I thought it had to do with changing the tie up. This is a 2/2 twill, as opposed to the 3/1 in the earlier posts.

I reread parts of the book and realized that I wasn't angling the weft as much as I did when I started. So I tried to keep a consistent 45°. I actually began to do this at the bottom of the flower's stem (which is at the top!) but forgot to take a picture until later.

Much better! Good, consistent weft coverage. You can see that the fabric is wider at that point as the weft wasn't drawing the fabric in. Since these photos were taken I've finished the 3" of green and have reversed the designs to go up the other side. Instead of making a third little purse I'm going to design a few motifs of my own and make a little wall hanging to put in my studio. Next I need to put a casing on my color gamp and it will begin to look like a real fiber studio.

Off to slice peppers and onions. All the kids, plus SOs, are coming for fajitas!

Boundweave Progress

Not quite sure what happened to March! Oh, that's right, I was knitting. Here's my pitiful progress on the boundweave project I started in January. Boundweave does weave more slowly but I think I was more enthralled with the speedy progress of my Faroe Vine cardigan** and, of course, progress only comes when one actually sits at the loom and weaves!

I finally finished the first piece, enough for a small purse.

But the bright primary colors were just not doing anything for me. I didn't have any other 5/2 around but I made do by doubling some 10/2 for a few new colors. My daughter is a cross stitch junkie so I tagged along on a trip and found these.

But if I wanted a more unified piece I was going to have to order more yarn. I love The Mannings! When I finally got around to ordering it was after 5 on Wednesday, they shipped Thursday, and it was at my door on Friday.

I've colored in a few more designs and should find time at the loom this week. This is why I need a second floor loom. I've got ideas galore for baby blankets and June 6th will be here before I know it. Unfortunately that pesky pool table stands in my way!

**The Faroe Vine cardigan has been stalled for the last two weeks as I waited for spring break and a big chunk of time to cut the steek and add the front edgings. I was planning on tomorrow but 76° weather and a messy, neglected garden could tempt me to go outside.

Catching Up

Oops, I did it again! I've uploaded pictures and started two posts, only to discover later that I never finished nor published them. Oh, well! So.....

After listening to the interview with Bonnie Tarses on WeaveCast last fall I was intrigued with the idea of Horoscope Weaving. I put it on the backburner until Marie brought up the idea again when she was planning a baby blanket. Now that I'm going to be a grandmother in June (like the way I slipped that in?), baby blankets are a top priority! ETA: Thanks, Sara, I forgot to include a link to Bonnie's blog!

I finally found some nice fabric for the Amy Butler messenger bag that Carolyn talked about a few months ago.

I've been getting in the habit of putting things in a big tote as I think about them then bringing them into my mother's. We're getting settled into this every fourth day routine and it's working out very well. When I have weekday duty it's from 4:30 until she's ready for bed, but weekends are all day and evening. While there's no sewing machine, loom, etc. I can get tons of prep work done.

One of the perks of the Online Guild is that you have access to archived notes from all of the past workshops. I've only done one toe-up sock before so I was eager to try some other variations. This is the crocheted provisional cast on with a short-row toe. You cast on half of the number of stitches you need and short row until you have 10-12 left in the center, then reverse the short rows until you are working all the stitches. Rip off the crocheted chain and pick up the other half of the stitches and you're on your way. I love this technique. I'm almost up to the heel which is also short-row. The other sock in the workshop uses a Turkish cast on and a Reverse Dutch Heel.

What about that boundweave sampler, you asked? Well, it is coming along, slowly. No sense posting pictures as I'm working my way up the back of the little purse I'm making and it's the same as the front only rightside up! I'll post more pictures after I change my tie up with the next sample. I also bought some more perle cotton in different colors at JoAnns (thanks, Sara, for the tip) which is good. I was getting tired with the blue/red/yellow/white scheme.

Computer Design Workshop

My local guild has very few weekend workshops. I've signed up for several only to have them cancelled for lack of participants. They have had several week night programs that sounded interesting but due to school responsibilities I couldn't go. So when Leigh and Karen started talking about this Online Guild I was psyched. There's a different workshop each month - I'm pumped and ready to sign up for them all!

If you've read other members' blogs you probably already know that Leigh is running this month's Computer Design Workshop. She provided us with three sample pictures which we were to modify using the capabilities of photo editors. She provided several online editors and freeware links, but since I have Photoshop I wanted to explore its abilities. You can get really caught up in this. My hand, wrist, and elbow haven't hurt this bad since I finished my thesis! But once I started I couldn't stop. I added, subtracted, and modified each filter so many times my head was spinning. I tried to keep track of what I was doing but many times I forgot to note what was done. There are so many tricks in Photoshop that I wouldn't be surprised that there is some way you can see what was done - like the way you can tell what camera and settings were used to take a photo. So here's what I did, with as many notes I can can dig out of this muddled brain.

Sample 1

I rotated the image, then used a series of filters under the Blur (motion and radial) and Distort (glass, spherize, twirl) menus.

This was after only a few filters were applied and I wasn't very impressed.

This reminded me of some of the low water immersion dyeing I did a few years ago. I liked the results and it inspired me to think about dyeing more fabric, but I was looking for something more.

Sample 2

I thought this image was very uninspiring - that is until I started playing with the filters.

I left the orientation the same and started applying blurs, swirls, etc. Finally I focused on an area in which the colors spoke to me. I selected a spot that was probably about 1/6 of the original image. I then used the patchwork filter. I could have played with the filter exclusively and not run out of new ideas. In Photoshop it is under the Filters/Texture menu. You can choose the size of the square (1-10) and the relief (1-20). While the literal inspiration would naturally be for patchwork I wasn't thinking so much as using these exact patches but more for layout purposes. I also could use it as a jumping off point for warp painting.

Sample 3

There were some amazing things done with this sample by some of the other members using the Brush Strokes filters.

I rotated it 90° clockwise and used more of the Texture filters, Craquelure and Grain - maybe others. Anyone thinking Shibori?

I cut vertical and horizontal pieces and pasted into a new image. I was trying to make it look woven by moving sections forward and back, but I think that would have necessitated too many layers and too many brain cells!

My Design

Maybe it was because several weaving lists were discussing crackle or maybe it was because I couldn't get the name of one of the texture filters - CRAQUELURE - out of my mind but I decided to that sample 2 would be a good inspiration for my first attempt at crackle.

I pulled out A Handweaver's Pattern Book, A Weaver's Book of 8-Shaft Patterns, and Mastering Weave Structures. I settled on a draft from Mastering Weave Structures.

Then I went into Photoshop and picked up colors using the eyedropper tool and found the RGB settings. I then went into Fiberworks and used those colors for the light and dark pattern weft, which remains constant, and the light and dark warp, which changes.

This isn't predictive of the outcome because I couldn't figure out how to make the tabby a thinner thread. Fiberworks lets you choose thickness for weft but as far as I could tell only for two pattern wefts. My plan is to use 10/2 for the warp and pattern weft and black 20/2 for the tabby weft. I have some silk but I don't think I want to use this as it's still pretty much a learning experience. I'm also thinking that rather than use solid colors for the warp I might paint two or three combinations of light and dark using these colors for inspiration.

Surprise! Surprise!

Last August, before the s**t hit the fan, I ran to my local weaving shop to pick up some cotton rug warp and 5/2 perle to use for my boundweave sampler. Finally the loom is warped and ready to go. I watched the tape again and I'm ready to color in my worksheet. I ran downstairs to see what colors I bought. Lo and behold there's else wrapped up inside the bag -- a Schacht double bobbin boat shuttle. The good thing about being so forgetful is that it's like getting a present for no reason!

As I've said before, I'm using Nancy Hoskin's video but then I remembered I'd picked up a book at Creative Strands a few years back. For my second surprise I picked up the book and found that it was always by Nancy Hoskins! Using the two I hope to learn the basics and then some.

There are two pieces of posterboard placed in two sheds. She instructs you to tape the cardboard to the warp to keep it from pulling in at the beginning.

After weaving an inch in a solid color you pull out the cardboard and hemstitch using the knot stitch.

Here are the first two bands. There is one more upside down and then three more right side up for the first sampler. She designs it that way so that you can fold it in half for a little purse or bag.

The warp is 8/4 white rug warp, the weft is 5/2 perle cotton. I might also try using two ends 10/2 so that I have more color options. I have lots of small amounts left after the gamp. Green leaves and stems would be nice.

Out with the OId - In with the New

I rang out the old year finishing up some projects. The three ply grey corrie is finally done. This is for an all natural wool Faroe style cardigan. Next up will be the chocolate brown - unless I take a short break for some more colorful spinning!

I also finished the twill placemats using 4/4 cotton. Leigh asked if this was the same as Sugar and Creme. This was called Peaches and Creme but it's the same thing, the heavy cotton that people use to knit dishcloths. I got 8 placemats from one cone of ecru for the warp and about .75# of the variegated for the weft. I was very pleased with the way the washed up. They make a nice heavy mat. I've heard people say they've used this for baby blankets, but it seems a little heavy to me.

I tried several different means of reserving space for the fringe - strips of plastic grocery bags, and strips of posterboard. I was going to try some rags or doubling up the weft but ended up sticking with the bags.

I used a three-step zig zag and sewed along each side with the bags still in. Then I pulled out the strips. If I hit it with a stitch or two the plastic ripped very conveniently and pulled right out.

Placing my hands on each mat and pulling gently for tension I ran a second row of zig zag down each one. This is when I realized I should have done a few rows of tabby as a header.

I was able to use the same piece of string for each mat keeping the finished mats within 1/4" of each other. After washing they look identical.

These were sett 10 epi, 140 ends and woven to 19.5". They came off the loom at 11.5" x 17.5" and shrunk very little (less than 1/2"), which really surprised me. I will use this heavy cotton again, but the next time I am going to use a tabby header and a hem. When I weave towels I weave the turned under portion of the hem with sewing thread. For these placemats I'd use 8/2 or 8/4 to reduce some of the bulk.

New beading: I'm trying my hand at designing my next necklace. It's pewter and copper metallic seed beads.

New weaving: Boundweave! I put on a 10" wide warp of white rug warp and I'll be following along with Nancy Hoskin's video.

Placemats

I started weaving placemats using Sue's twill draft.

When I looked at the draft on Fiberworks I didn't think the floats on the sides would be a problem, but working with supersized yarn (4/4 cotton) is a whole 'nother story!

I stuck with it for for the first mat which was probably a mistake. We'll see what it looks like after washing, but it can always be a mat under the espresso machine. I have enough warp for at least 8.

I added floating selveges and wove in 2.5" of plastic bag strips to hold the fringe. I think I'll use two strips of cardboard between the other mats but thought I needed to get the floating selvege anchored before starting the next one. It made such a difference. The selveges look great.

The close up colors are truer than the larger shots.

I sett mine more open than Sue's, 140 ends at 10 epi and 10 ppi.

I found some blank Shrinky-Dink plastic while rummaging through some of my stuff. Just right to make a dishwasher button for my mom. She hasn't used her dishwasher much in the past few years but now we are coming and going and we're not sure if the dishwasher is clean or dirty. A little velcro and we're good to go!

New Beads

After several attempts at figuring out how I wanted to attach the clasp I made one vital error!

I fixed it and here's the finished necklace. Just what you wanted to see - a 55 year old neck close up!

When I took the right angle weave class the instructed has us use Nymo B doubled. I see instructions for netted or woven beads using single strands of Nymo D and some with single strands of Nymo B. In this necklace you can see where I had to go through beads more than once and I don't really like that. Any suggestions?

I started a new necklace which is much prettier in real life. I've used Topaz Iris seed beads but you can't see the beautiful shading. I forget what the blue beads are called but they are cylindrical.

Fulling Makes the Blanket

I tried to take a picture that would convey the wonderful drape of this light, but warm blanket. I lost a few ends while weaving but it was easy to fix before twisting the fringe and fulling. The only problem was the selvages, they are a little ratty looking. I'll have to fix that before the next warp with this wool.

Because I was a little discouraged by the energy in the singles and a few broken warp threads I decided to just experiment with the fringe. Using the Conair Quick Braid I did 2 groups of 2 ends each on one end and 3 groups of 2 ends on the other. I really like the fuller, rounder fringe. It took a little more time, but it looked better than doing 2 groups of 3 ends. Just like the roundness of the three-ply that is still in process.

Kathy was spot on when she told me that I would love the texture in this singles blanket.

So now that I've decided not to ply the remainder but to try a twill doubleweave instead, I've got to figure a way to get a little more control over the yarn. I'm going to use one color for the entire warp so I will definitely be using B2F. I don't think I'll use the trapeze, although I really like it for cotton warps. Maybe sizing or spraying with hairspray to strengthen the yarn during the weaving process?

Changing Seasons

Mmmm, nothing like a rich, creamy soup to warm you up on a cold, autumn day.

I stopped at Panera Bread on the way into my mother's a couple of weeks ago and got her some broccoli cheddar soup. She loved it so much I had to try and duplicate it. I've made this several times since, usually in double batches so I can freeze single servings for her.

1 large head broccoli
2 cups onion -- sliced
4 tablespoons butter
48 ounces chicken broth
2 teaspoons oregano
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup milk
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese -- grated

Cut off florets and reserve. Chop stalks into small pieces. Add stalks, onions, and 2 tablespoons butter to dutch oven. Saute for 5-10 minutes until onions are translucent. Add half of the chicken broth and the oregano. Simmer for about 20 minutes, add florets and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Process in food processor or blender.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in pan, add flour and stir until smooth. Add dijon mustard and white pepper. Gradually add the processed mixture and the rest of the chicken broth. Cook, stirring, until mixture begins to boil. Lower heat and add cheese. Stir in milk and heat through.

I love the fall!

That reminds me - the autumn blanket is finished. Here's the before washing photo. I finished twisting the fringe and washed it last night.

Ahhh

This is more like it! I didn't get a chance to get back to the tangles until tonight. After an hour or two I got it straightened out and started weaving. I only had one thread pop on me so I consider myself lucky.

Watching the colors interlace and the design building never fails to delight me. The magic continues when I take a peak from the side.

Autumn Blanket

What a wonderous sight ...

until you look on the other side!

I could have sworn they said this was Donegal when I bought the cones at WEBS last spring, but their website only shows a 2/6 Donegal and this is definitely a single. After winding back to front for the last year or two I decided to wind separate colors and use front to back. Yikes! The singles were wrapping themselves around each other and made quite a mess. But it's only a three yard warp so the tangles will be easy enough to work out. If I decide to use this yarn for a longer warp I will be sure to wind the it in threading order.

Jackie asked if I had done other doubleweave blankets. I have woven 5 or 6. I switched some of my old blog posts over to Movable Type so I could search more easily and I found pictures of a few. My first doubleweave blanket was done following Chandler's suggestions. It was the second thing I ever wove and I used leftover yarn from two sweaters. I thought it was a little tight at the fold so I just pulled two warp threads out.

For my second I tried using fishing line as described in Handwoven's Doubleweave Issue (J/F 2002). That worked well as you can see here and it's what I've used ever since.

Indecent Exposure

Except for the boundweave sampler warp that I casually draped over the castle, the loom has remained dressed in only its birthday suit for about two months. With cool weather blowing in this weekend I decided to wind a warp for a blanket in warm autumn colors.

It will be 2" blocks woven double width (10 epi, sleyed 20 epi). 40 ends green (the yarn in the foreground is more green than it shows in the photo), 40 ends gold, 40 ends brown, 5 times, then 20 ends green at the fold. I wanted to do a plaid but it was taking me too long to figure out how to do it in doubleweave so I went with something easier. I'm still trying to work out the plaid, there's plenty of this yarn left.

So, what do you think this is?

Give up? It's polar fleece lined with flannel and this cool elasticized fold-over binding around the face opening. 1" elastic around the bottom holds it over the car seat. All that and it's reversible too. After I get some feedback from the new mom, this may end up being my default new baby present. I'm Wallaby'd out and this little gem only takes about an hour from start to finish.

Taking It To The End

I finished off the warp on the table loom with some dyed muslin strips.

I cut the strips 1" wide and sewed them on the bias as I did for the earlier mat. On Rugtalk people were discussing different ways to work with rags: sewing, glueing, tapering the beginning and end of a strip. Those that glued used a water soluble glue. It holds the strips together while weaving, but washes away without leaving any hard spots on the mat. The 1" would make a nice place mat. I think I'm going to wash these mats several times to see how the raw edges on the strips hold up. I'm still thinking that bias strips would not fray as much.

I dragged out a fleece that I love, but was giving me problems. It's a beautiful, fine fleece with wonderful color, but it seems to my unskilled eye that it sort of felted together by the clippers. After teasing and carding I still wasn't happy. I know June would have said "send it away" but I was too involved at this point and needed to find some way to make it work. What worked was to spin fine, allowing me to pluck any neps that didn't work out during processing and then 3 ply.

I wish there was some way for me to show you its squeezable softness. I feel like Mr. Whipple is going to come around the corner and yell "stop squeezing the corrie!"

Wandering Around in Circles

I do not even know where to start. I've had so many ideas bouncing around my head, with very little time to do anything about them. The trip back from Worcester took over EIGHT hours, so I had lots of time to think about future projects. Then I had to lock myself in my office and write four papers.

So, I guess I'll just pick up where I left off.

Angi asked about weaving the ends separately. Usually the knots in a carpet are not woven right up to the ends. You can use an argatch edge or even just plain weave to fill in that space and protect the knots. Look at the Specialized Kurdish Selvage about half way down this page. While you're there make sure you see the Asian looms. Actually take a good look around. Marla Mallett's Woven Structures and her website are just treasure troves of information and images.

I put in an order for some Davidson Navajo and Indian warp. No specific plans yet, but I think I want to use handspun and maybe make a small rug that I'll hang.

Then, as I was watching Nancy Hoskins' Boundweave video again and planning some little bags, I noticed that she mentions Tuna Wool as one of the weft choices. I wonder if there's a North American source or a substitute for this wool?

Here's the first loom I made from Sara Swett's Kids Weaving. How cool is that? I have the connectors to make another one. The gold line shows where the warp goes. I just picked up some straps that will tension the loom where the red line is.

I think I have a plan for Jacket 001.

I'm planning on dyeing these three yarns for the warp. There's a 10/2 mercerized and two cotton/rayon textured yarns. Here's a close up. I'll probably use a 20/2 for the weft. No just to come up with a colorway.

Finally, while blog hopping I found a tutorial on the length of color segments in handpainted yarns. Good stuff since I have all that white yarn waiting to be dyed!

**If you tried to comment earlier and couldn't, I realized that I started this post soooo long ago that the script I run to close old entries to comments had already taken effect. Oops! It's fixed now.

The Party's Over

Now that school is done and Laura's party is over it's time to move on to summer projects. I had been thinking about using my table loom, still warped from my class with Tom Knisely at Creative Strands two years ago, and some generic roving to make a pad for my loom bench. The roving wasn't doing anything for me but I remembered that I had several skeins of fat, chunky yarn made from Brown Sheep Beast.

The loom was warped 6 (doubled) epi. I wove an inch or so with the carpet warp, then about an inch of tabby, 1-3, 2-4. The rest will be woven 1-2, 3-4. If I were making a rug I would weave the last 4 threads with carpet warp to protect the sides of the warp.

I still have the roving, which is not anything I want to spin, so I brought up my Louet and spun it putting in as little twist as possible. Basically what I was doing was a long draw but not holding it to allow the twist to even out. This is definitely speed spinning - I was able to spin two gigantic Louet bobbins in about an hour. I'll weave with the singles and wind the shuttle right off the bobbins. I have enough for two more white and two gray which will give me enough to sample for some Navajo style rugs.

Working with Handwovens

It's taken me a long time to get the nerve to cut into my handwoven fabric and make a garment. Finally I took the plunge began to cut.

The fabric didn't fall apart when I cut and it held up well as I serged the raw edges. The flat band didn't lay correctly around the neck and I started to take it off. Unfortunately, I attacked with my usual vengance and found that I pulled the fabric apart.

Oops! It wasn't really a problem because the fabric was wider than it should have been. So I just serged off the old band and applied a new piece.

That looks much better, but the jacket is still too big. There's too much fabric under the sleeves and the raw silk doesn't have much drape. I'll probably only wear it around the house, but I still consider it a success. It was the first thing I made from handwoven fabric and I've overcome my fear of slicing into it.

After looking at Carolyn's pattern suggestions, I started thinking about patterns that would work with handwoven fabric. I think the Cathay vest would be appropriate. View C of another Lois Erickson pattern is a possibility. Linda Kubik's Elements Jacket 001 certainly fits the bill. As do two patterns from Cutting Line Designs: Butterflies and Bees and Less is More. Loes Hinse's new pattern, The Garbo Jacket that might be good too.

Sounds like a good time for a Weave-along to me!

Kimono

I painted this warp at a dye day hosted by Claudia in 2003. After I realized how short and narrow the warp was I knew I wouldn't be able to use it. So I dyed some more raw silk and made this fabric to coordinate.

Now almost three years later I finally cut into the fabric and started making the kimono featured in Sara Lamb and Molly Freeman's Warp Painting video. The rather plain fabric was a good choice for the test drive. No stripes to worry about getting straight. I got the sleeves attached and after three tries got the neckline the way I want. I cut a band from the violet/scarlet/golden yellow painted warp. Tomorrow I'll interface and attach it. I didn't put any pleats over the shoulders but it's apparent that I need to.

I was able to wrangle some spinning time too. My new Lendrum Saxony can really spin up a storm. In just a little time I was on my second (big) bobbin of lovely grey corrie. This is from the stash c. 2004. I decided to spin it before dyeing as I'm waiting for Claudia's new design - a Norwegian sweater done in natural yarns.

I Think I Like It

I'm on the second one of the not quite log cabin towels. My tension is wonderful and the selvedges are looking pretty good, too. Usually my sides get a little loose as I work my way through the warp, but this trapeze method really helps with even tension throughout.

I've got quite a list for this summer's weaving, including placemats, runners and a couple of rugs for the kitchen. I think this technique is going to save me a lot of fiddling with the warp.

Northcott Rib (scroll down the page to cardigans) is coming along well. I love the yarn and the pattern, but my hand and wrist are bothering me. Could it be because the yarn is bulkier and I need a longer needle? I feel like it's all scrunched up and I'm always pushing the stitches away from the ends. I'll have to see if I have a 40" around here.

Doh!

This is what happens when you don't have much time, but you want to get something on the loom.

Apparently when I read that you could thread log cabin DLDLDLDLDLDL I didn't realize that they were talking about a ONE BLOCK log cabin draft. So this is what I'm left with. Here I thought I was saving a little time! Hey, I'm so happy I have a warp on and can throw a shuttle that I don't care. I found some slubbed cotton that I'll use for a couple of the towels and I like the effect with just the moss green weft below. It has an almost rep look.

Sara talked about why we do what we do. I can't explain it as well as Sara did, but all I know is that I haven't woven since I took the painted warp baby blanket off the loom back in January and when I sat down tonight and finally started weaving it felt like I was where I belong!

No Men Flying

but I did get the trapeze up today!

I tested the way the warp would go with a dowel before screwing in the hooks. Here's the yarn showing how the weighted warp will be coming up over the trapeze, under the breast beam, through the angel wings and then either through a rough sleyed reed or the raddle, before being wound on the warp beam.

I used 1 1/2" pvc with a screw eye through a bolt, through the pvc, and a lock nut at the bottom. After I made the niddy noddy I thought that pvc would be a better choice than a sanded dowel. We'll see about that. I can always change it.

Off the Loom

This blanket started out 35.5" in the reed; off the loom it is 33" x 50", before washing. As you can see from the picture I didn't plan ahead on this one. The purpose was to see if the Sabracon dye would be good after sitting for a year and it was successful in that aspect. Only time, and washing, will tell if it lost any of its "fastness". If I had been thinking ahead, I would have painted the smaller bout to match the center bout.

The stripes don't hit you in the face as they do in the picture. In fact I like this so much it's going in my hope chest. Well, my hope plastic bin! Never had one when I was younger, but while I was making all of these baby items and giving them away I decided to put a few of my favorites aside for my grandchildren. What grandchildren you say? With four kids you figure my odds are pretty good that I'll have some, but who knows? (No, they don't know that I'm doing this. I know that none of them are ready right now.)

With that in mind -- this is the last Wallaby I'm making for awhile. My daughters both want one, but I'm going to have to give it a break. This was quick to knit, but seemed like such a chore. Cottage Creations has a new hooded cardigan that I think I'll try for the next baby gift. Ann made it earlier this month and it's knitted in such a way that it will be interesting (as long as I don't make too many of them).

It's been awhile since I've posted any recipes. Time's been tight lately and I'm always looking for fast and tasty meals. I made my version of California Pizza Kitchen's Sedona Corn Soup tonight. Goes great with some easy corn bread and a salad.

Single or Double

I don't have much to play with here, so I've got to make my decision after just throwing a few picks of the single and doubled 8/2 purple. I think it's going to be a pain using two strands. I have to wind a ball off the cone and then two threads want to go their own way when I'm winding the bobbin.