Summer Winter Runner

Believe it or not, I got my summer/winter runner designed and woven!

I'm not sure how much I like the end product...right now it is hanging to dry, and I've already noticed one or two errors, not to mention design elements that are not as nice as I thought they might be. --This is called gaining experience, right?!

One special challenge from this piece has to do with my method of retying the warp to the loom after cutting off a piece. I like Peggy Osterkamp's method of weaving an inch of plainweave, inserting a stick into shed A, a stick into shed B, and another inch of plainweave. After the sticks have been woven into the piece, the finished portion of the weaving can be cut off the loom, and the weaving reattached to the front apron via the two sticks. You don't have to worry about tying lots of knots and getting the tension right again. It's simple, and it works.

Except this time, the warp started to pull out of the weaving and the sticks. I had one side of the piece with almost no tension at all and the other at normal weaving tension. Gulp. It took some time staring at the piece to figure out possible solutions! Interestingly, just as I was about to try one method, I realized I could try something new, and changed plans!

Syne Mitchell of Weave Cast mentioned lashing on with shoelaces in one of her episodes. I was able to tie the warp in 1" bundles with an overhand knot and lash these knots to the front apron bar, and viola! I was back in business! Hooray for Syne, and for all my other on-line weaving connections! You guys saved the day!

Summer Winter Workshop

Here are some photos from our recent Wabash Weaver's Summer/Winter Workshop with Linda Adamson. The first is "bricks" woven with a variegated 5/2 cotton. I'm not sure I like the combination of the changing color on the "color" yarn....It looks too much like an old bit-dot printer running low on ink! I think I need to pull my sampler off the loom and stare at it for a bit before deciding what I want to make!











Before the actual workshop got started, Joan and I were discussing warping techniques. She is getting ready to put on some long warps and is toying with various ways of putting it on her loom. (This is also one of the few photos that Ron took where I am not looking at my weaving with a grim face! I guess I'm not very smiley when I'm trying to keep track of my place in a new technique!)








And this is one of the most interesting photos that Ron posted (He put together a gallery of all the photos he took that day: Ron Baker's Gallery). These are Dorothy's hands. I haven't the slightest idea of what she is describing...But hands are amazing and I can imagine Dorothy's voice in my head as I look at this picture.

Thanks, Ron, for serving as photographer! You do amazing work!

Other Stuff

I spent 5+ hours at the County Fair this morning. The Master Gardeners hosted a booth for "Kids' Day". We gave away sunflowers and had a large table of "interesting" plants for the kids and their parents to explore. My favorite plant was the "living stones". They look like rocks, but they are plants. The "Sensitive Plant" was a big hit with the kids--it actually does stuff! (The leaves fold up when touched.)

After my morning at the fair, I came home and crashed. Whew! I'm pleased that the booth worked out well. I'm glad that my work on it is done. One of my jobs was decorating the booth. The photo is of my poster...I'll have to get copies of pictures from one of the other workers to show my paper plate sunflowers!

Skeletons

One of my birthday presents was the book:

A Weaver's Book of 8-Shaft Patterns: From the Friends of Handwoven

It has pages of neat patterns that can be woven using a rosepath twill threading...I think there are about 40 cute, pretty, interesting patterns.

The loom is warped. The weaving has begun. But there were challenges!

The tie-up for this pattern required 40+ connections to the shafts. The book includes instructions on how to create and use a skeleton tie-up... I made the mistake of staying up late (and going cross-eyed in the process!) to create my tie-up.


I had high hopes of trying at least half of the 40 patterns, but I'm not excited about creating all the skeleton tie-ups! Ah, well! As a good friend says, "There is no such thing as a free lunch." Time to get to work creating skeletons!