
So, I cut it all out and removed the weft. Yup, all of it. Then I pulled the entire warp back through the reed and then the heddles. Then I shifted the lease stick back into the threading brackets again.
A journal about my weaving 'meanderings'
So right up front I will tell you this is likely to be 2 or possibly a 3 part post as we look at "Helping Hands" by Lofty Fibers.
Some time ago I saw a brief video clip on how to set up and use these 3D printed parts and brackets and it looked like the bee's knees! I dithered about buying them as there's the whole US $ to Canadian dollar conversion, plus shipping, and then likely customs etc etc. Finally I just ordered and waited for delivery.
I bought a set for both my Spring loom and my Megado loom. They have sets for just about every major loom manufacturer available at their web site. This is the way it comes in its own little bag plus written instructions and also a link to the video to watch at You Tube. (The one below is for the Megado, so the parts are somewhat larger.)
So the Spring loom was empty first and so I used it this time round for beaming. I'm sure that I will feel more confident with repeating the process, but it seemed to work nicely after I figured out the lease stick and pegs.
Next post will be about getting started.... stopped and making changes on the fly!
Its a glorious day spring day here and I have the French doors in the studio open and a light warm breeze is coming in. You can smell the garden and we have some traditional spring blooms.
Some weeks ago, while it was still cold and dreary out, I had spring in mind when I started my shawl project. Sadly my back spasmed and so things sort of sat and waited. The only tool that saw any action was my e-spinner and while it was fun, it wasn't weaving.
So the goal for this shawl project was a delicate pink rose fiber yarn, paired with soft taupe or even a white or cream. Lovely for a spring day or summer gathering. Where the pattern would be revealed by a play of light or in soft tones so it wouldn't be overpowering to the wearer.
I just got up from the loom where I have made a small, slow start to resuming weaving again. I'm at 30 inches on a scarf on the spring loom. 'Small and slow' as I really do not want to wake up the dreaded lower back and go back to the spasm that had me in its grip and laid up for the past few weeks. Better to let it get used to weaving and build up some strength.
In some ways the time off was good and allowed me to deal with other things that have been waiting for time. I sorted my hand spun yarns and ran them through a yardage counter and so have a better idea of what is there. A time was spent looking over some of my tools and I have parted with some shuttles. They were lovely, but unused so time to find someone who will appreciate their virtues.
I'm the Guild of Canadian Weavers Test Administrator and this is the time of year when I am the go between for the candidates and examiners. So its a busy time and it will be ongoing for at least another 3-4 weeks. Best of luck to all the candidates !
Another benefit of the time off is that you are able to reset your goals and decide what you really want to do with the time at the loom. It can get to be a bit of a treadmill with continual projects and production and that can get old quickly. So a lot of thinking happening on this subject. I've had to readjust physically as I have gotten older and with arthritis and joint issues, but it also makes sense to readjust mentally as well.
This project I'm about to show you is one I had high hopes for and it fell short. Oh, they still look nice and I have no regrets about weaving them but they are not in perfect order due to some issues. They are up for sale but as 'seconds'.
There appears to be a line warp wise on the right side.... but its an illusion. No threading error but where three ends were sleyed together right at the point and stayed together !
So what went wrong? Everything appeared fine when I took them from the loom but when I flipped them over, random rows on the back side had skips. Sometimes not all the way across, and some times over so many inches. Not sequentially like a treadling error. That I could blame on the Megado's compu-dobby but not this time.
The front look just fine but on the reverse there were these random skips. The sett and my eye sight meant I wasn't the least bit interested in trying to needle weave a fix. That, plus the many rows that needed to be done never even made that an option for me.
So I folded them up and they sat in a 'time out' pile while I thought things through. Eventually I decided that they are fine if you view them one side only..... and be honest about the flaw. Not everyone is obsessed with perfection as some weavers are. (Yes that was hard to say as test administrator!)