Snip, Snip! ✂️

 

Do you recall the blue, green and mauve plaid in my last post?  The edge blue tencel threads kept on fraying and breaking every 1 to 3 inches and I finally had enough.  I cut off a 32 inch long woven piece.   I wasn't sure what to do next so I resleyed and tried it again for about 6 inches...... then cut the whole dang thing off the loom!  ✂️  😁     Oh, so liberating! 

It seems the blue tencel along the edges was much more loosely spun and or plied and so it became a problem.  No matter what adjustments I made, it was too soft to pass a reed to and fro.    So in the future, that royal blue will be weft only and I have marked the cone as 'weft only'. I also must check the twist and ply more carefully on any chosen yarn. Isn't it wonderful that after 25 years of weaving I still have new things to learn?   

I have another warp wound and beamed and only just started.... here's a sneak peek at what one repeat looks like....

More on this next time....

I have been playing with my new Hansen mini spinner and I just love it!  With the better weather, its been nice to sit out side and spin and admire the garden.     Now I'm going to shamelessly plug the fact that I have a Louet Victoria S95 fully loaded spinning wheel for sale. Contact me if you are interested.   Email is emmatrude at gmail dot com.   You can see it here

Another announcement. I became the Test Administrator for the Guild of Canadian Weavers.  It will be formally announced in their next issue of their Bulletin newsletter.   I will be assisting weavers who wish to take the tests.    What is it all about?   You can read up on the program, the test booklet (which anyone can download) and the annual submission times and requirements and costs.

That's it for now..... go and get vaccinated and then get outside!   💉    😁  🌞 ⛱..... be sure to keep a mask handy just in case.  

Spinning a Rainbow 🌈

I have a lovely batt of fine merino and silks all custom dyed and blended  by Yarnshine Fibre Arts. (Etsy and FB) It runs through  the rainbow with a black base across the spectrum.  I dusted off my Rose wheel and have been spinning up the deep violet and just progressed into the turquoise range.  It comes with a batt of jet black to spin up so you can ply the two together. I reckon its going to be a classy look and I'm  enjoying the process.

Its Pride Month, and I just lost a dear friend to whom he and his spouse thought that this is all so very important.  To simply be. To live, love and enjoy each day. Its not much to ask really.   Its a very human desire.

This yarn simply glows! 

Here's the balance of the batt and you can see where I have been nibbling away on the far right.

The little Victoria wheel sees more action as it travels with me and I seem to be endlessly spinning this strawberry mix.  Its lovely but I have a lot more of it to go !

I had the guild ladies over for a spinning, socializing yesterday afternoon on the patio. It was fun, despite a gale force breeze that fortunately was blocked by the house for the main part. We had a little oasis of relative calm. 

Nothing makes you tidy the studio up better than having company!  Last year the Megado failed to perform and so much mechanical tinkering was done and solutions found.   This time, I wove on her the day before to ensure no problems again, but on the day: the brake wouldn't release, the weaving program was being uncooperative but I did manage to get some throws in.   I felt like a complete novice....   geesh.

So today, I rolled up my imaginary sleeves and got busy and cranked out half a meter on some towels.  No issues at all. The brake worked fine, the weaving program was snappy and responsive.
I guess it doesn't like crowds or had performance anxiety!  😳

I had a threading for a 16 shaft braided twill with 8/2 cotton warp and cottolin weft, and decided to change to another draft instead.  So this is a hybrid of a threading for braided twill  that featured straight runs, combined with a fancy point twill in the tie up, and the two melded together looked like this:

I can't take any credit. My 'brain' here does all the hard work!

So I'm thinking most of the trouble yesterday was 'operator error'..... and practise makes perfect.  Simply do the work and learn the program properly.   As with most things in life, there are no short cuts.   So I'm still learning this old message at my advanced years....  I can almost hear my mother and father laughing from here....   🤣

The looms says "no comment". 

Good to Go!

 It took a couple of weeks to arrive but my birthday present to myself has finally arrived! 

I took my time 'un-boxing' (as its now called) and savoured the event.   Everything was packed in Louet's usual professional manner, with very sturdy boxes,  and clear instructions.

She has a nifty carry bag.  It has handles or can be worn as a back pack.   I found a video on Youtube on how to open her up and set her up correctly.   Its amazing how light and compact she is. When closed up and tucked into her bag, she can fit into the overhead bins on a flight.   She weighs only six and a half pounds.

Its hard to convey her size in these pictures, but she's tiny! She a fully functioning wheel and has three ratios (1:6, 1:8.5, 1:13), has a traveling kate and three bobbins.  She just has big feet for a little lady.

She's made from beech and in time will mellow to a light golden colour.

I'm so looking forward taking her along for spinning days with the girls at the cottage.  We also have the  Vancouver Island Fibre Fest being held here on May 5-7th. She will be out on the town quite a bit.

Its a different feel to my other wheel and so I have been spending some time playing with the new baby and adjusting the scotch tension and finding my groove.

I'm spinning a very pretty merino silk blend in a pink red..... which is more red than pink.   I have quite a bit of it on hand so I'm glad I like it!   I found I wanted to hunch forward over the wheel so I purposely positioned myself back into the chair and didn't worry where the orifice is located and focused on my hands and the drafting.

Next thing I knew, the bobbin was filling in nicely!

Its hard to convey the overall size with no reference points, so I thought of my old fashioned yard stick. So here's the measurements:  it comes to 23 inches to the top where the stick is and then the flyer and orifice angles upwards from there.

Here's the depth of the wheel and as I mentioned, she's all feet!   Cute ones too.

My other wheel? Its all set up and we sat outside today and watched ducks on the pond.  It was lovely!  

Tomorrow another spring storm is rolling through with high winds, so that will be a weaving day.