Meet Maeve... a Megado 90

So how is your summer going?   Between wildfires, floods, heat waves and hurricane season starting its pretty bizarre!    💨 🌊  ☀️  🔥    Even earthquakes and tsunamis! Then there are the weird things going on with people and politicians.     I'm not surprised people are turning off the news, leaving FB and looking for something more calming in their life.    Parks and hiking trails have never been so busy!

As you may have read here last June, we attempted to downsize our home with little success.   There was little to choose from, prices were very high and the whole economy thing was up in the air.   The literal hole in the roof was a life line for us to quit the deal, stop looking and simply stay put. Enjoy what we have and wait things out.   The whole move concept was fine but it appears we were a few years late.

It wasn't a lost cause though as we learned a lot about what we want versus what we need.  Deciding what to keep and what to shed.   How much 'small' space do we need?    Apparently more than the average patio / rancher style home provides.   Then there was the whole Strata deal.... and they are weird beasts.   The ones we came across mostly were 'bare land strata' where you are 99% on the hook for everything inside and out and have a neighbour on one side to listen to and deal with on exterior costs.    Then every bare land strata is different in what they do cover under their insurance policies.     Want to know how they do business?  Make an offer on a home, then they send you 2 years worth of meeting notes and the rules.  In our case it was 450- 500 pages!   They buried us and only after reading endless pages of technical data do you find out that they actually cover very little, and it's mostly lawns, roads and infrastructure.      This made our decision to stay put even easier!   If we have to handle all the costs, we don't have to argue with ourselves if we can plant a garden or put up a privacy trellis.   🪴

Another thing about a smaller home, is that also means much smaller rooms.   My sweet supportive husband gave me the main bedroom (formerly known as the master bedroom but that's not an appropriate thing to say now) and so I have a generous sized studio, with two walk in closets  and a side benefit of a en suite bathroom. It would be pretty hard to find something like this again in a future move someday.  Even if I was to use the larger bedroom again, it's still quite small.  My Megado 110 would swamp the room and I know that I also need a desk and office type equipment to fit in the space too.   We aren't even talking about where the stash would go! 😳

So the idea germinated of getting a smaller loom now, rather than later and be prepared for the eventuality.   I have been downsizing for years and slowly paring down stuff but more needs to go.

The Megado is right for me with my back and joint issues. All that is wrong is its too big.    I had upgraded the dobby to the new version a year ago and held onto the older dobby to use as a back up in case of a problem with the new one.  It works very well and I have set it back up on the 110 and weaving with it right now.   In time, the Megado 110 (or 43") and its dobby, bench and various bits and pieces will be up for sale. Preferably someone local or at least on Vancouver Island. Its a large and heavy loom and the new owner should be able to 1) weave on it,  2) photograph it complete, 3) assist with taking it apart and we can number / name bits..... and take it home with confidence ... and a manual!

Between the Megado 70 (or 27.5") and Megado 90 (or 35.5"), I opted for the 90 so that I have a larger weaving width, plus a place to keep spare heddles. I was advised to get the biggest small loom I could feel happy with. My old Spring loom was a 90 and I was happy with that size for 16 years so it was  an easy choice.  I hummed and hawed about the whole thing and then Jane Stafford Textile Studio told me that there was a 15% off deal until July 31st and I ordered the loom.   It would not be coming until October...... then the next week I heard "your loom has been shipped". When it was a week overdue, I had to hunt for it only to find it was still in Cornwall Ontario on a shipping company's loading dock.  A 200 pound invisible lump that they had to walk around.  Geesh.

I got the name and number for a man named Ryan at Canadian International Logistics, who promptly tracked it down, changed shippers to Manitoulin Transport,  one he knew could handle the entire trip from Ontario to my front door on Vancouver Island and promised it in 5 days.   Even gave me a tracking number and I watched it make runs from city to city across Canada.    My hat is off to long haul truckers... those are long miles and mostly at night.   I told Ryan that it was a very spendy order and I was concerned about it getting to me undamaged. He said he understood completely as his Dad, Dave van Stralen,  worked for Louet and he knew all about the looms  !  Did I get the right guy or what?  😁

So the next thing I knew, my loom was being dropped into our garage and well wrapped in shrink wrap with several stickers showing its journey from Holland via Air France / KLM to Ontario, and then every city or shipper that it changed hands with.... and my name and address as the final destination.   If only the boxes could speak.... what a trip!

The next day we removed the shrink wrap and found this confusing message sticker...

So don't open boxes unless you read the instructions, but the instructions are in this box?  Something was lost in translation!  We opened the three smaller ones and gradually hand carried all the parts into the studio.    The boxes and the packing are a work of art! The heaviest grade cardboard with wood ends and tightly packed.   I found no abrasion or damage to any parts due to load shift.

Hub is going to keep the boxes as they are simply too good to recycle.  You know "good box"! 😊📦

The next day I read the manual cover to cover. I'm familiar with assembling a Megado but not one from scratch out of the box! I also watched a video that Louet has on You Tube on how to assemble a Megado.  Between the two you get a better picture as sometimes the text is lacking and a visual is better. The parts were labeled with letters and the manual doesn't mention them at all. 

I also sorted the 5 bags of metal hardware and tools so I was familiar with the various sized nuts and bolts.  (During the assembly process I only found one bolt missing a washer, but they give you a bag of extra bits and I found a washer there.) Yes, that white pile are the extra heddles I ordered.  They were supposed to have been installed at the factory but fortunately, they have a video for that too.  The bruises on my hands will attest to how successful I was. 

The Big Box had to come in 2 days later with some help.  Friends, Steve and Sean, carried the large box in and brought out the main section and set it up on 2 stools. I can now start to add on and build it from here.

While I waited for the big box, I had assembled the beater. That was the easy part !   I had ordered a bench but they sent the wrong one. I got to unassemble and repack a Louet box and happy to report it all went back the way it came out. The bench is back ordered and who knows when it will come!

Then,  bits and back supports were added and it started to take shape. 

A rubber mallet and a protection cloth are used a lot to set bolts in place.... rather intimidating!

After two days of adding parts myself I ran into difficulty with the bottom side rails.  I asked Hub for help as they were to low down for my back and I can't kneel on my joint replacement. 

We finally got them on but without sounding overly dramatic, there was a mishap, blood was shed and a rest break was required.  Marriage counsellors weren't necessary.  Later, I did add the side rails for the treadle and added the back beams.

Now she looks like a loom and its getting close!

...... next day I added the brake assembly and the floating tension front legs.

Various cords and springs, small finishing touches and I slipped the foot rest in place. 

Then it was time to wrestle with 2 computer dobbies: get the version 1 set up and working on the 110 and then set up the version 2 on the new loom and get it connected.

Success!  I test ran a weaving draft and everything fired as it should.   Phew!

Lastly, I had to count, shift and add heddles. Not an easy job on a Megado no matter how easy Dave makes it look on his 4 minute video.    It's took a few days, much cussing, and actual bruises but they are now on from shafts 1 through to 16.

Next time it will be about dressing her with her first warp using the Helping Hands system.    I've decided to call this loom Maeve which is Irish Gaelic for 'intoxicating' which pretty much sums up everything about weaving from the looms to the yarns to the endless search for colour and pattern. 

... And Now We're Stayin' Put....

 

So, a quick post to say that after 2-3 weeks of hectic realty capers and placing an offer on a place, its all come to a halt and we're staying here where we are (for now).

The new place wasn't so new after all.    New appliances, windows, doors, flooring and fresh paint throughout... but they never looked up to the roof.  

There was a literal hole in the roof, water inside the attic, and very dark looking plywood sheathing.   Then there was heavy moss growth, broken shingles and some with no granules at all...    The most they would do is patch and repair, not replace.   

So we collapsed the deal and took our place off the market.  🏠

So the best news is that I don't have to take my loom apart or pack up my stash.   It's back to normal here.... what ever that  is  😁 🎉

So, I have some scarves to photograph and will post two of them soon....

Looking for a Change? We Are.... 🏠🤞

 

Dear Readers:   we have our house up for sale, and an accepted offer on another, smaller rancher style home. All pending on the sale of  the home above ⬆︎    

Ever thought of living in Campbell River on Vancouver Island?  Backing onto a world class golf course with a new luxury hotel?   NO LONGER ON THE MARKET.... sorry!

Our realtor told us to use what ever social media we have to get the word out and since we're motivated by the new place we'd like to move to, you bet!

The larger shed will hold a golf cart and there is a large swing open gate at the far right to access the golf course.  Campbell River Golf and Country Club.   We're mid way of the 541' long fairway.    It's just beyond the pond.... yes, pond. Actually there are three in a row....

We love this place but it's time to shift into something smaller, more manageable. So we have an offer on another patio style home just down the street and around the corner at the same golf course.  Why quit a good thing huh?

So it's going to be a chore downsizing our stuff as we go from 2322 sq ft to 1324 sq ft but it will be so much easier on both us ultimately.    Neither of us will be 100% happy and have to give up something so that's a fair compromise.  

I've been downsizing my studio for 5 + years now and gone from three looms to one.... and while Hub has done some serious work in his garage, it's still where most of the culling will have to happen.      They say divesting one's self of clutter is very liberating!  Let's be frank here.... we didn't come into the world with anything and when we leave, we exit the same way.    It all has to go eventually....

I have two scarves that are completed but I have been busy as a one armed paper hanger with all the paperwork, viewings and real estate stuff..... and do have a 2 scarf warp on the loom and just about finished scarf #1.    I'll give you a peak...   4 colours in the gradient

8 shaft Crackle woven as twill.... and if it looks familiar, yes... I wove it before and really liked it so giving it another go. 😊💕

Butterfly Scarves 🦋

 You have been very patient and waited for some time.... so right at the top of this post is some 'eye-candy' 🍭

So if I'm down to one loom, and must weave in shorter time increments, then why not have fun with it and try out new ideas, colour blending, new drafts?    So I worked from my existing stash and found three tencel colours that are close in value (depth of shade intensity) and work well with each other.  Why tencel? Well, I have a lot of it and there are some lovely colours to work with.  I used the gradient program in Fiberworks for Mac and did a 3 colour gradation. Some minor tweaks to soften it out and then printed off the colour order.   

I wound the warp one thread or a few more at a time on my warping mill, inching little 'post it notes' across the colour guide.   The draft I had chosen was very open ended for where the colours landed. No points in the draft to hit the mark, so that is a good thing. 

Each of those bouts are hung with 3 pound weights on an 'S" hook. I shifted them every 2-3 feet or so. It was a lot of back and forth but so worth the nicely tensioned warp!

The colours flowed on nicely and looked wonderful! Dark Teal, Iris and Red-Purple

When I took this picture I didn't know that there were two threading errors lurking in that huddle of heddles! 😬

Sleying also had an issue with crossed threads behind the reed.   I was feeling like a real newbie and it seemed like this start was the slowest ever!

Then I finally started weaving and this is what I saw.... I'm weaving it upside down!   So I'm committed to weaving this one, this way at least. The weft is an old gold / bronze age gold (?) 20/2 silk  from Treenway Silks from the stash. 

I end up having some difficulty with the far right teal edge thread. No matter what I tried, it would fray and break.   Advance the warp more frequently, sit closer to the right on the bench, subtley shift the reed in the beater.  I checked for spurs on the dents.   Lifted the floating selvedge up at the end of a session so it doesn't unwind the plies.... and so on.   Eventually, I could see when it was starting to soften, and I would lift and pin the selvedge thread and start again. It was easier to  needle weave stronger ends in than wispy bits of nothing!

Here is the result of the first scarf.... and now you can see the right side.    Its more warp dominant one side, weft faced the other.... but you know, it works nicely to compliment the whole scarf.   The back side does have a ghosting of the pattern visible.  As you can see from the pictures.

So for scarf number two I had to audition some new colour choices....and there was no silk in something suitable unfortunately.   I found  this salmon shade in tencel. They've tried calling it other names such as red clay etc.  I called it the right colour !  I also wove this one upside down and decided that I liked the big reveal when it came off the loom and so would be a surprise. 

The salmon is rather powerful, but still melds all the colours with a blush of colour throughout. It's my favourite of the two scarves.

They measure 9 inches wide by 73 inches long, plus the  swishy fringe.  

This is the draft I used and you may notice somethings are missing.    This is not my draft, or come from a public source such as handweaving.net or other places.    Its not mine to share and credit must be given to the designer / author.

You will find this 16 shaft draft here in this book, on page 122, by Janna van Ledden who designed this and other drafts inside and authored the book.  It has drafts for 8 shaft to 32 shafts and is presented in both Dutch and English. I do recommend reading the section on how to use and read the drafts *first* and to also seriously bump up your heddles on shafts one and two. Or at the very least count them against the draft.  It's a twill and half basket weave as was related to me by Marion Stubenitsky.

There really aren't much for fresh inventive weaving books right now but this book and also Marion's (such as Echo and Iris)  are ones for your book shelf. 

🌷🌷🌷