The Little Loom Wall

Ever since I got my first 30" triangle loom I had been dreaming "making" a wall for my small looms. Several years and new-to-me looms later, I finally decided to do it! I classify a "little loom" as something I can easily bring with me to a workshop or class, and although the 7' tri-loom is pushing it a bit, it does fold up, so it still counts!

I also did get a bit more weaving done on the Leclerc.

I believe I am starting to understand the meaning of "weaving slow cloth". It doesn't just mean that it takes me 45 minutes to weave an inch. It also means that I have to slow down and just focus on weaving for a while. I really enjoy that.
Unfortunately I cannot bring the big loom with me everywhere! I was on the road a lot today, so to fill the time I started plotting.

I am thinking of making a poncho with sari silk, but I am not sure if the fabric would be to thick. As my weaving mentor always says, "When in doubt, make samples!". Being the star pupil I most certainly am (not), I followed her advice and wove some samples on the 30" and 15" tri-looms. It is hard to say which one I like best...

Inspiration

I am afraid I was not very industrious yesterday. I had a few things I needed to think through, and thinking and complex weaving patterns don't mix too well. I did manage to get another inch and a half woven though, and now the pattern is really starting to show.

Sorry for the bad lighting!

However, it seems that I am not allowed to be lazy, because while I wasn't doing much yesterday, I was very busy at 5:30 this morning!
I love creating things, and that will never change, but why is it that my best ideas come very late at night, or very early in the morning?! Perhaps it is because the logical part of my brain is exhausted, so the creative part takes over...
It doesn't really matter, because the results are worth it.

In the past few days I had been trying to make a thank you card for an "aunt" of mine (we are not related, but she is very special to me),  but I never got one quite right. The other cards I made will find homes eventually, but this one is just her style, so I hope she likes it!

I can't find the words

I finished threading,

lashed on, spaced the warp,

and then...

I started weaving

                   I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but this is 1000 times better.

Threads of Time

I am officially one third of the way through threading the loom!

I chose an eight shaft pattern for this project, officially bumping up the shaft count by 4 from my previous record. I think that threading the loom is even more fun now!  Reaching for the back headless reminds me of a book I read where a magician "Reached into the abyss to grasp the threads of time".

My personal threads of time :-)

I read too much fiction, I know. The annoying thing is that I want to read that book again now, but I can't remember what it was... oh well.

Anyway, that memory and seeing parts of the warp secured on the reed gave me an idea for what I want to name the finished piece:

"Air, Earth, Fire, Water... Threads". A bit of fantasy never hurt anyone... right?

One of those days

Today was one of those days where I had marker on my hands and glue in my hair, but I didn't really care. I guess that's just my style! Most of my craft time was actually spent on a school project, where I had to make this puzzle cube:

Fun! And yes, in case you were wondering, this is where the marker and glue came from. :-)
After my schoolwork I did get back to real crafting.

The sewing thread warp has been pre-sleyed, and beamed onto the loom, so tomorrow I can start threading the warp! There were a few snags, so the tension isn't perfect, but I think I will be able to compensate for it when I start weaving.
And lastly, I found some beautiful purple flowers in the sun this afternoon.

Cutting it close

An Easter addition to the studio.

The M's and W's scarf is off the loom! I made it through all 70 inches of fabric, and 6 inches of fringe. But, that left me with literally less than an inch of working room!

 That was cutting it very close, but it made me very happy. Why? Because I had only 6 inches of loom waste! I love it when I can save as much yarn as possible, and managing to get only 6 inches of waste on a loom that usually requires 10"...  makes me feel like a superstar :-)
  I also hemstitched all of the fringes this afternoon, so I can wash the scarf tomorrow. After that, it will be completely done! I have three ideas for my next project: raffia placemats, sewing thread bookmarks, or a cotton scarf. They all sound fun to me!
Until I have decided which one I want to make I will be working on a blanket I have on the triangle loom.

I am 3/4 of the way through the blanket, and I ran out of the red yarn! I only need about 150 more yards, so I am going to look to see if I have any remnants of the same yarn from another project.
But that will have to wait till tomorrow.
Good Night!

Spring... break?

Tony has been at the loom more than me!

Whew I have been busy! This week I had spring break, so I thought that I would had much more time to weave than usual. That was not the case! My brothers and I started the week off with building a garden shed, and... that... took... FOREVER. Who knew you could put literally thousands of screws into such a tiny building? But the little shed is very cute, and we did need a place for our gardening tools, so... I guess I can add "proficiency with a power drill" to my skills list! Also, I got to go up north for a long overdue visit with my weaving mentor. While I was there she helped me learn this really neat rug making technique called Pleache't (it rhymes with crochet). It is a lot like crocheting a doily, except you use strips of fabric along with your cotton thread.

My first project, a mini rug.

Also, I actually did manage to get some weaving done! I am now halfway through the M's and W's scarf, and it is so pleasant to weave, I might have to make a second one.

And I'm weaving again!

I LOVE this pattern! It is simple enough for me to do while listening to an audiobook, but complicated enough to not get boring.
 Boredom is the enemy, and it is the fear of being bored that keeps me up at night... ahem... trying out some ideas... ahem. My Zodiac sign is an owl.

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present the Midnight Meanderings Expo!

The bead loom was very busy.

First, I made this cute wrap-around bracelet to showcase some special red beads.

then I got funky with some fringes...

...to make this!

It is definitely safe to say that I had WAY too much fun!

Smeagol is FREEE!!!!!!

Or rather, the Leclerc is!

 Ok, I know that I said I would finish the rainbow clutch first, but I really wanted to get that overshot warp done, so I finished it! Ladies and gentlemen, the most annoying warp in my (considerably short) weaving history IS DONE. I did weave through all of the warp, and once I fix the many, many mistakes, it will actually be a nice looking piece. Maybe then I will post some pictures of it... maybe.
Also, I have decided what to do for the scarf. It will be in dark and light green with some sparkle added in. Also, I have decided against the crackle pattern. I finaly found it again in a handwoven magazine, and it was just as gorgeous as I remembered. But there was a bit of a problem... just looking over the pattern made me seriously in need of some chamomile tea. I will get back to that one in a year or two, but for now it is way out of my league. So, for now the scarf will be woven in a M's and W's pattern. Which brings me to one of my favorite parts of the planning process.
Which pattern to choose?

Ah the possibilities!
Meanwhile, I did finish sewing all of the squares together for the rainbow clutch. I want to lightly felt it before I finish sewing it together.

And lastly, my supervisor (aka my cat) decided to add a little cuteness to my "photoshoot". I decided to take the picture of the rainbow clutch on my loom bench, so I had to move the sheepskin cushion. I folded it up, placed it on the floor, and proceeded to take photos. When I turned around to put it back, well...

It is good to know that I'm not the only one that appreciates MY sheepskin!

On the road yet again. (January, 16, 2015)

Danish Medallions in the car!!

Today started very early, and as the sun rose over the rolling slopes of the Texas hill country, my mom, brother, and I set off for a nine hour road trip! I was all set for the hours ahead, because I managed to fit my 15" cricket in the car with me! Now you are probably wondering why I am talking about a road trip in a weaving blog. Good question!
It is a long and funny story, and it all starts with my mom on Ebay. She found a listing for a "Leclerc Nillus loom" for auction on Ebay, and it was close enough to us that we could drive to pick it up. We did some research, and discovered that it was a Leclerc Fanny floor loom. We were waffling all week wether we should go for it or not, but we finally decided to try and get it. So last Sunday night we were both hunched over her computer like hawks ready to strike when my dad came along and asked what we were doing. We talked about the loom for a while, and finally my dad suggested we add $50 to our max bid, and so we did. Without those $50 we would not have won the loom! So today we set off on our road trip to pick up our beautiful Leclerc Fanny!