On My Loom Now 📸

 When I start something new, I usually weave some towels to get use to the changes. New dobby on the loom, so more towels.  

This is a 16 shaft twill and basket weave, most likely from Handweaving.net but I seem to have misplaced the number. It drove me crazy looking for threading errors! So I have declared there were none....

8 yard warp of Venne cotton and all wefts used for the 7 towels will be linen. This is 9/2 French linen from Brassards. The reverse side is darker....a mirror image.

It’s good to be weaving again, even if for short periods. If my back starts to make its presence known, I stop or move onto something else. 

The draft is nifty and I have had it in my ‘to-do’ file for a long time. There was a post it note attached with the handweaving.net number and it dropped off. I checked my copy on Fiberworks as I usually keep the number under the ‘notes and records’ and I didn’t add it….. but this would have been years ago so I’ll just have to look around on the website.

I’m also enjoying the weaving and looking at it from the view point of where to add colour in the warp next time I weave it up again. How to make the celtic knot work more ‘out there.' 

Proof Of Life 😁

Some fresh pictures taken this afternoon...

 A little ‘proof of life’ in the studio….. sleying my new 14 dent reed that I got for last Christmas and haven’t used until now. Just a bit more to go and then we’ll be tackling the very last tie up on this loom.

This is this loom’s last project with me at the helm.

Meanwhile on the Megado…. a new beginning on scarf #2 and I’m using a pale gold to take a softer approach to this mix of colours. 

This is the last project with the older dobby and the new one is waiting patiently in its box.

I weave for short periods and see how my back feels and also slowly build up my muscles again!

It came with a bonus foot rest too! Now I have one for each side on the foot rail.

🌎 One Day Among Many

Sorry about the missing pictures, but this is a problem that Blogger is looking to resolve.

Welcome from the  'bunker' formally known as our home.  We enjoy our house and yard, but the instant you are told NOT to go out, you are suddenly filled with a desire to go shopping, visit friends and just get out there.  I can get over that urge!

Well, we tend to stay home a fair amount anyhow so there's not much change really.  We got some groceries ordered on line and delivered to our front door, we both have three months worth of our medicines, the car's gas tank is full and we have propane for the BBQ.   We have scads of books, internet, on line streaming services..... and even some toilet paper left.  We're just fine here.

Hubby is puttering around the house and yard. Fixing irrigation lines and doing light garden work.  The primroses, crocus, heather and tulips are up.  Everything  that needs pruning has been done and the hedges have been trimmed up. Power washing was done  two or three weeks ago.    I guess window cleaning is next up soon. Maybe when it warms up some more?

The Covid 19 pandemic is top of mind for everyone and the uncertainty is the hardest part.    I have seen some interesting memes on FaceBook:

Your grandparents had to live through and fight in World War 2.... you are being asked to sit on the couch. You've got this...."

The virus doesn't move, people do..... so practise social distancing!

Adopt the attitude that you have the virus and then work hard to prevent passing it to others.

Our days seem to have settled into a routine.  Coffee and news in the morning, then house chores and / or laundry.... then lunch. I go into the studio after lunch and work on several things, all of which are under way and not close to being finished.

I have been spending all of my weaving time on the Megado and my 9.5 yard 8/2 towel warp.  I have about five or six towels done. This the one currently underway and its a muted plum shade

The roll is starting to build nicely  and its a great stash buster as I dig through the cottons looking for choices for the next towels.

Here's the winding station with all the part pirns of colours and I may just do a towel with multi colours for each pattern change to use them up.  The blue and teal is for the crackle weave on the Spring which hasn't advanced at all  and is patiently waiting for my attention. 

I've been doing project planning and warp winding.  I have several projects and drafts all worked up.

I like having a longer warp on the Megado for towels and so dug around in the stash and found a lovely  two pound cone of natural 8/2 Venne cotton and have been winding six bouts of  one hundred ends, ten yards long.  I have also wound another warp, also ten yards, of 10/2 cotton for table runners. Here they are hanging on the beater bar assembly of the tapestry loom.  (This weavers equivalent of "laundry on a treadmill" right now  😁 )

I still have one more bout of one hundred ends to wind of the cream cotton. This is where I confess to a guilty pleasure. I like to stream nature shows on my computer and sort of half watch, half hear them as I wind away.  David Attenborough has a delightful way of narrating the episodes and no matter how dire the situation environmentally, he always ends them on a positive note.

Here's the colours for the runner and the cream is the Venne cotton.

Here are the drafts:

So between what's under way and the warps waiting, there's lots of daily activity here.   I have taken my Etsy shop off line and in 'holiday mode' as I don't want to deal with post office trips.  So that's why there is a large white empty box on the right hand side of your screen.   We will get back to normal eventually but I believe it will be many weeks of social distancing as areas of infection peak and diminish.   Past history of pandemics show second and even third waves so we must be very careful. It could come back to bite us on the arse otherwise!  😳

I don't believe that people will return to normal spending habits for some time as they recover their financial lives.  So things like my scarves and shawls are not essentials.   I'll keep weaving to keep myself busy and build up my inventory for the better times to come. 

As you can see, I have many scarves, and a good number of shawls on hand.  Towels and runners are my only gaps  ..... and one runner will be for our large dining room table and will be 98 inches long!   I've been promising to weave one for us and apparently I have the time right now. 

So if you are at home  refusing to be an Uber ride for a virus bug, enjoy the time that comes along with this situation.  Read a book, watch movies, write, paint,  spin or weave.  Whatever your heart and mind feels like doing.   If somedays, its to simply do nothing, then that's okay too.   This is a stressful time for everyone and we must be kind with each other, including ourselves. 

Some humour for you:   

Snow on the Maple

So basically days after our first frost, we had our first snow fall this past Saturday.  Mother Nature seems impatient this year!   What was left of the chestnut leaves fell in quick order and the Japanese Maple leaves didn't get to finish their last show and have been falling thick and fast before their time. 

Once the sunshine hits it there's daytime melting ... and by this coming Thursday daytime temperatures will be back higher again. This was a wake up call to get ready for the main event(s) to come!

Some artsy shots taken as the sun started the day properly.....

Meanwhile, back inside we just had a glorious two whole days off and the first thing we did was sleep in and take full advantage of the extra hour with standard time being reimplemented.   With help, I  had the looms shifted into new positions and I think this arrangement will work better.

I needed more room down in the alcove but need to use the wall space too. This looks like a good compromise between  the Spring and the roll-abouts.  (The sewing table is gone and may not be back).

I straightened the Megado and now I can see about setting up the fly shuttle as the ends are not pointing directly at windows anymore!

The tapestry loom was shifted to this shorter wall by the window. I do plan to do something with it but other stuff always seems to come up and it gets pushed further and further down the list.  To stop this endless slide I'm not taking commissions for the time being and getting back to more exploratory type weaving, colour play and start using equipment that doesn't see any of my time.    To have more fun again.  I still need to get more handwovens into my shop so there'll be some 'bread and butter' work still to come.

I also need to find a good video of how to beam and set up this Leclerc tapestry loom and if anyone can steer me in the right direction I would be grateful....  my email address is in the profile.   

As you can see, the colour is brighter and fresher. The name is "Rambling Rose" but it feels more raspberry to me. Its an energetic, happy colour!   The opposite walls are done in a light touch of grey called "White Egret".  It could have been a bit more grey but the raspberry wall is a tough opponent.  So its quietly neutral.    It also worked best in the bathroom beyond.  There are white tiles and a row of decorative trim tiles that have light grey, the same malachite green as the floor and a dash of gold. I used the grey to play off from and since it sweeps from one room to the next, it was a leap of faith!

Now, please excuse this crummy picture below.... but its all I have at the moment....

This is the wall where the tapestry loom used to be and in the near future it will have a 'new to me' desk.   It has a larger desk surface and I plan to set the serger or sewing machine up here when needed, or just throw up a small folding table.  This shows the main grey wall.  

The painters are working in the den / office and main bathroom right now and when the time comes to paint our bedroom, this spot is where we'll set up our bed.

I'll be sleeping with  my babies !   

So things are progressing slowly here and fortunately the calendar is more or less empty to accommodate this decorating reality show  😜    There is going to be a ton of house work to do before this is all over and back to normal.  

By the way....  today is the 16th anniversary of me getting my first artificial hip back in 2001 at age 45.  I'm very grateful to surgeon Dr Boyce and Kelowna General  Hospital.    All three of my artificial joints have 'birthdays' as they gave me a new lease on Life!

Velvet Opera

I think I'm in love....   with this colour!

Its called #42  Velvet Opera and came from Treenway Silks

The fine 30/2 black silk came from Sanjo Silks.

Its a Canada - USA collaboration here on my Dutch made Louet loom. 

The silk most likely came from China and India. 

Its a slower weave but its fun to watch the pattern build. 

I think my client is going to find it hard to gift this scarf away!

I have done some on line shopping and bought a couple of rare end delivery shuttles via a friend.   I have been trying to find an English Crossley shuttles for several years now.   They stopped making them in 2006 and rarely come up for re-sale.  AVL bought out their remaining stock and released AVL shuttles that used Crossley hardware and shuttle blanks and I have two of those.... but no genuine Crossley's

This one is roughly fifteen inches and I have ten wood based pirns. Its big and heavy and for a fly shuttle.   I'm going to have to get my fly shuttle set up on the Megado and give them a whirl!

The second shuttle is smaller, lighter and could be used on a regular loom despite the metal end caps. Its eleven inches and uses these  lacquered cardboard pirns.  I have ten of those too.

As you can see both are in beautiful condition  and only the larger one shows a bit of wear.  I can't take any credit for the linen huck lace weave cloth in behind the shuttles. That towel was a gift from dear friend and weaver Wayne Nicholson.  Its currently in the "too good to use" phase right now as I admire it in my studio.

I also found a gently used copy of "More on Mormon" by Heather Lyn Winslow. It takes Theo Mormon's work and takes you in to more general use for hand weavers. It has some dated pictures of 1980-1990's fashions but the techniques are timeless.

So just a short update today.... and I'd best get back to weaving this lovely scarf !

So... this happened.

So, week ago we had lovely sunshine, warm temperatures and we were sitting outside sunning ourselves. Bruce did some small yard tidy up and we noticed the golfers were back on the course again.  It was feeling like spring here on the Island!

Then in the past two days, this happened

There's the BBQ that was fired up just three days before and we cooked supper on. 

With a large pot of home made soup simmering on the stove,  we are now back to perfect weaving weather and I have been busy in the studio. You can't tell by the picture below but there are good tunes playing and weaving going on!

There are newly completed table runners in to soak in the laundry room (show and tell next post!) and below is the warp for a new project for the Spring loom. 

Judging by the depth of the snow, we aren't going anywhere for a day or two.   My husband just informed me he's run out of gas for the snow thrower too.  This could get interesting......

Edited in later:   Oh, it did get more interesting !  We have received an official total of 44 cms here and its still lightly falling....  24 hours after the first snow pictures shown above were taken, it looked like this:

Hubby was going out at all hours trying to keep the driveway clear, especially after the plow had been through and buried the end of the driveway!

All kinds of winter weather records are being broken all across BC as it turns into a winter to remember!

Snap Shot

So today is supposed to be the most depressing Monday of the year.   Weather is dreary or downright cold. Christmas bills are rolling in.   Its the time of year where you just get on with getting on....

Unless you're a weaver.... then this is the prime weaving season! No holidays to prepare for,  no garden or yard work to do..... and you can sit and weave 'guilt' free.  

So call this a studio snap shot of today:

Cup of coffee and ready to start !

The Megado has had some action and a 16 shaft double plaited twill is quite eye catching.  I can see some beat issues but put that down to my bench. Its too low and so I had a double cushion on the wooden seat. It was wobbly and I kept sliding off.   Hubby has raised the bench height up for me and we'll see how that works soon.

The table runners are proceeding on the Spring loom and I'm midway on a long runner. This time I'm using a soft taupe tencel weft with the natural mercerized cotton. Its a nice combination. Definite clear pattern but not overpowering.

I'm doing some sewing and mending that have been waiting for some months.   I'm not a fan of hemming slacks and I'd rather pay someone to do it.  But its falling to me this time and like a good procrastinator, I'm here blogging rather than make a start.  (Yup, its that bad!)

I also had the warping mill set up and whirling away as I wound this warp.  Its 8/2 tencel and that's all I'm saying about this.   😉

So, I hope you are managing to avoid the flu making the rounds and staying healthy. Enjoy this weaving time..... and don't worry about other stuff going on right now.  Weave some sunshine in your studio and be creative

17 Years and 10 Days

The last warp on Emmatrude

....and with 6 yards still to go.... I cut this part off.

This multi coloured warp has been on the Woolhouse loom for quite a long time. My information on the digital pictures say they were taken February 14th, 2014.  So long on the loom, that I told weaver friend Wayne that he'd have to come back from Michigan for several consecutive annual visits to complete his towel!   Well, the cloth section is off the loom now but not enough to be a full fledged useful towel.  Its now a nice stack of samples.

The draft is one of my favourites "Breaks and Recesses" or number 47 from A Weaver's Book of 8 Shaft Patterns by Carol Strickler. Nice tidy little boxes and fully reversible.   I used up all sorts of small 8/2 cones of various colours with black bands to bind it all together and make the colours pop.   Great warp to sample a loom for sale..... or weave away on to get acquainted with the loom's personality. 

I loved to treadle away and listen to a book on my iPod or a podcast..... or my favourite playlists. Its a simple treadling.

So new friend and weaver Jill came one day last week to view the loom and after trying her out and spending time with me in the studio for the afternoon, she decided to buy her.  There would be a delay of two days before she could take her home though...

The night before the loom was due to leave I spent time unpegging all 384 clips on the 20+ tie up assist cords and labeling all major beams and parts. I also put the cross back into the warp and secured the lease sticks to the  sectional beam. There's enough warp to weave at least 5 towels so Jill will be off to a flying start. 

I couldn't take the 20+ cords off as they are attached to the upper and lower lamms and I needed help with that. I thought to bundle the heddles together but pulling them together in the centre of the shaft sticks makes the shafts sticks unstable and collapse. So the balance of work had to wait until the morning.

10 am the next morning: once the heddles were bundled and secured top and bottom and off the loom, things progressed quickly!  Off came the shafts sticks and next thing, the lower, then  upper lamms were off in neat piles.  A decision was made to leave the treadles attached to the lower rail and so Jill secured the treadles so they wouldn't be an entirely swinging mess. There were four of us working and so things moved along smartly. With the sliding patio door right there, every newly released part started to be stacked out side on the deck prior to loading in their truck.

Everyone was busy!

Suddenly all the outer 'peripherals' were off the loom and it was down to the basic frame structure. This frame is what needs to be in place to rebuild her up again in her new home.  There is also a very detailed manual to help Jill from when the loom was brand new and also my many pictures, and my little green labels!

The main action shifted to the deck and loading up their vehicle and I was left with an empty spot and a herd of free roaming dust bunnies. (Actually more like buffaloes!)  So out came the vacuum and I gave the carpet a good going over! I didn't want any of them to get away, and besides I was of no use for the loading phase. 

Soon a quick scout around produced no more 'body parts' to go to the deck for loading and it was all over and done. Just the foot prints were left behind. 

  Then a group effort had the Megado shifted down to the spot where the Woolhouse had sat for seven years in this home. I was so grateful to have the loom moved into the spot so quickly.  No staring at an empty carpet!   There is a light fixture and fan assembly above the loom and two sets of windows so lots of light.

The Spring was sitting mid room and it was also shifted left to be under the other light and fan fixture at the opposite end of the space. There is all kinds of room now and it feels very open and airy.  The dog, Calli, went and got some of her toys and left them around the room!

Here's another looks at the Spring in her new spot where the Megado used to sit.  The studio ended up with a very thorough vacuuming in the next few days. I pulled things out and dug deep into corners. 

Today I just sat and enjoyed the space and puttered at odd jobs and continued with clearing things away.  I even just sat and wove on the Spring for a time!

Here's myself with Jill the new owner. 

Jill already has her new loom together and is now working on the slower process of setting the 20+ up and the fine tuning it requires.  The loom stayed local on Vancouver Island which I really like, and the sale and move was done quickly and painlessly.  Its hard to be sad when you see how loved the loom is.  I'm looking forward to seeing all the great weaving to come off her in the near future!

My name and the date she came to me was on the top of the jack frame for seventeen years and ten days before I wrote the final end date in.  I see Jill has carried on the tradition and added her name too.  As one friend said "we are simply their stewards for a time".  It was simply wonderful making beautiful cloth on her.