Off the Loom
It’s Friday, and this week’s finished object is off the loom. This year it has been so nice to have my time back, my health back, and to be able to just immerse myself in threads and color.
The end result: Doubleweave; 48 epi (each layer 24 epi); tencel 10/2; commercially dyed; pattern – original on the loom; colors – cream & violet sage.
Am pleased with how this little sample turned out and will certainly make up some full sized scarves and/or runners styled after this prototype. What I would do differently in the future is — yes, once again, double the selvedge threads for about the first 3 threads — since for some reason when working with Tencel, the 3rd to 4th thread in on each side eventually winds up breaking on me. I didn’t double this time, and ping ping — it happened just like clockwork. The repercussion of this is, that my edge tension was just a wee bit off for the remainder of the scarf after having fixed the broken threads — and while it’s not super noticeable, I can see a bit of an arc in the far end boxes at the first solid horizontal line. All in all, it is lovely, though — and it’s the perfect size to throw over the shafts on my Baby Wolf when it’s not in use — a little dust runner.
Off the Grid
Was reading Peg’s blog this morning, where she was brainstorming about surface design on handowovens other than woven shibori. In replying to her post, I thought I’d share the information here also. It’s so nice to get “off the grid” at times and especially for weavers who are using a rigid heddle loom or are working with fewer shafts.
One way to have fun is to paint directly on the warp while it is on the loom. Dharma Trading Co carries some great fabric paints (I like Jacquard brand) and paint on dyes. Personally, I use Jacquard fabric paints. Edit: Caution should always be taken when using dyes of any kind, and studio safety procedures need to be followed and direction thoroughly read prior to using any pigment (thanks for the reminder, Peg).
The weaver can paint designs directly onto the warp or onto the woven fabric at any point in the weaving — free form designs and flowing colors, easy. Just take a piece of cardboard, cover it with plastic wrap or reuse a grocery store bag — place it under your warp in front of the beater and paint away. Then go read blogs and let it dry, return to the loom and weave weave weave. Before wet finishing, just press with an iron to heatset the colors. You can get some wonderful things happening and what I like — is that I’m not stuck on the grid, nor do I have to use a warp that has been completely painted priror to putting it on the loom. I can also highlight specific stitch patterns if I want to. Very cool. I am indebted to my friend and mentor, Dottie Weir, for showing me this technique. She doesn’t have a website, but you can see one of her pieces in the current issue of Handwoven.
Weaving Without Guilt
I have spent most of this week Granny cleaning my house. No — not cleaning while wearing sensible shoes, an apron, and simultaneously baking cookies from scratch. You know, cleaning every little nook and cranny — wiping things down, polishing, vaccuuming dustbunnies that have been lurking all winter. Somewhere in the back of my brain, it is hard for me to relax into my studio when home-chores are looming (pun intended) over me. Perhaps it is because weaving is such a joy for me, that it feels like a reward every time I sit at my loom. Hence, the voices of both my ancestral sides (Irish on one, and Polish on the other) haunt me about duties first – playing later. I’ve finished about 3/4 of the main floor, and still have the lower floor to go. However comma I am taking a break today to plan my next project. I refuse to have a naked loom for longer than a couple days (my 2008 resolution).
Am off to plan, catch up on blogs, and then to
Weave like an Egyptian,
Jane
