Back to Weaving!

So...I have NOT been weaving for quite awhile.  If you recall from this post, we gained a couple of additions to our family that did not go so well with the table loom.  The table loom became quite the jungle gym where many a tussle took place.

 The result was this broken warp thread.  Since I am really new to weaving, I had no idea what I should do about that except sit down and cry - which I did - after yelling at my new "friends".  Who by the way paid no attention to me and came over after I yelled to sit in my lap and let me pet them.

 I did a lot of research on-line via blogs and you tube and also talked with friends who are much more accomplished than I about weaving.  One thing I learned is that broken warp threads are just a fact of a weaver's life, so I better learn how to fix them.  Above is the knot where I have tied on a new thread that is hanging over the back of my loom.

 Here is the second broken warp thread.

 And the second knot.

 Now I know that all my warp threads are under tension and they are supposed to all have the same amount of tension on them to produce an evenly woven fabric.  In comes all those film canisters that I had stashed away from when we had a camera that used film (we still have the camera by the way!!).

 I tried many things in them to get the right tension on the strings, but these little decorative marbles that you put in the bottom on vases did the trick.  I filled the canisters all the way to the top.

 I did not use a very scientific method to measure the new string.  I just kind of held it in the front of the loom, pulled enough off to reach the back and most of the way down to the floor.  This by the way was more than enough for one of the warp threads, but a little close on the second one.  I would leave a bit more thread when this happens again.

 Here are the film canisters in action!!  They provided the perfect tension to weave with.

 This is the front where the new warp threads have been attached with pins and I have started weaving.

 More weaving.  At first I had a little tension trouble, but it worked itself out and I was good to go.

 Just for a laugh, I included a picture of these screws that I took from my husband's tool box - I tried to use them in the film canisters but they were not heavy enough to provide the amount of tension needed.

More of the weaving.  The tension looks good.  I have done a fair bit since this photo.  I finished this kitchen towel which is 3 of 4 and started the 4th one.  I think in my fear of making a mistake fixing the warp threads, I forgot how much fun I have weaving!

Sharing over at Tami's, Ginny's, and Sara's.

A Discouraging WIP

I am still working away on my placemats and things were going quite nicely when I noticed a couple of problems :o(

 Do you see it?  Up there, that little blank space with no blue lines?

 Here, let me give you a closer look.  I don't know why that happened, but for a small section, I must have woven differently, so that the white weft was above the blue warp.  AND...that's a long way to unweave...to unweave or not to unweave, that is the question.  AND, I've never unwoven and am not sure how to do it without all kinds of tangles happening!

 There is also a bigger problem that I just noticed that is throughout the ENTIRE piece.

Notice that "little" gap right there, the one where it looks like a line of warp is missing?

Well, it looks like that because there IS a line of warp missing--not missing exactly, but I skipped a dent in the reed when I was warping the loom and I didn't notice until now!!  This is the third of four placemats!  How could I have missed noticing that there is a huge gap in the weaving??!!  I walk by this loom and gaze at this piece many times a day--am I blind or something?  Just unobservant, I guess.

This is so discouraging.  I'm not sure what to do.  Finish and hope that at least some of these problems seem a little bit less after washing these, or just scrap them totally and start afresh.  For the time being, this WIP is on a complete and total TIME OUT!!

Sharing with:  Tami, Ginny, Ambassador Crochet, and Sara and Susan.

Placemats Finally Finished!!

I finally cut apart the place mats I had finished weaving awhile back.

 I'm not quite sure what took me so long except that I was afraid to cut the threads.

 I was afraid that everything would all unravel too quickly for me to get the hems sewn in.

 Well, I have been a big reader of the blog, Weave Away for quite a time now and she is making 2000 bookmarks for an order.

 She weaves for a bit and then cuts them off and sews them up.  She is amazing with all the patterns and color she can do with one warp.  I am so inspired!!

 Anyway, since reading and drooling, I decided that I could possibly cut apart my seven place mats and hem them without anything blowing up.

 And....it totally worked!!

 Each placemat, while being the same color, has a different pattern and I love them!

 Here you can see there is quite an oops with this one.  I'm not quite sure what happened, but there are definitely things out of place here.  We will still use it, I just wish I had payed enough attention to my weaving at the time to notice and then I might actually know what I did wrong.  Inevitably now I will repeat this error :o)

 Some of the place mats had different looks to each side.  This side is dark and...

 this side is lighter.  I kind of like the lighter side better.

 They all match, but are different which somehow appeals to me greatly.  I think we will use these for our family dinner on Sunday - my in-laws and my mom are coming over - we will see if they know I made them.

 All together :o)

 This is the sampler I made to get ready to make the place mats.

 I picked some of my favorite patterns and then got started.

 This one didn't show up on a place mat because at the time I didn't really like it, but now I think it looks pretty nice.

I was really taken with the bottom pattern and it was used for the first place mat that was woven, the others here really didn't grab me at all.  It's so funny how color, thread thickness, and treadling play such a big part in how everything is all pulled together.  Now I need to finish my kitchen towels and get my big loom up and running - I have so many ideas!!!

But for now, I am off for a run.  I joined the fleetly forum and took on a couple of challenges that I want to complete so off I go!

Sharing today at:  Tami's, Fiber Arts Friday, I've made Friday, and Creative Fridays.

Weaving Away

I finished another weaving class - it is called "Patterns".  We got to try out all kinds of different patterns and tie-ups.  I loved this class!!  I want to take more classes, but am having trouble finding the time right now as the craziness of school starting surrounds me.

 This is how long it is.  I would love to turn it into a wall hanging at some point.  I really like the colors and think it would look really nice hanging on the wall above my big loom.

 These are just some of the patterns - as you can see it's not perfect.  There are multiple errors, but with each error, I learned so much.

 Close ups of some of my favorite parts

 I started to learn how to twirl the ends into a really nice fringy type thing.

This end is sewn right by the end of the fabric where all the fringe hangs off.  I am planning to twirl all the rest of the fringe and then make a casing for a bar to hang it with on the other end.  Then it will be hung on the wall.  Well...off to make kid's lunches and figure out what the rest of the day will bring!

Sharing at Tami's, Ginny's, Sara's, and Ambassador Crochet

Weaving & Reading

These are placemats hot off my smaller loom.  They need to be cut apart and then they need their hems.    There is even a potholder in there!  I love weaving!

 Still reading this book.  I am thinking I was made for a bigger plot of land and a more simple life.....this totally appeals to me.....growing most of my own vegetables and fruits, having a few hens for homegrown eggs....of course I would need to be vegetarian because I would never be able to eat the pets :o)

I have several more books like this that I took out from the library and am enjoying them greatly.  I have all kinds of things growing.  I found this great site called Sprout Robot where you plug in your zip code and it will tell you what you can grow and when to start - so cool.  I now have more seeds to start growing!

Take a look at Tami and Ginny's blogs to see more great things people are working on.

WIPs

We were super busy this week!!

 But I managed to knit 11 hexis!  I think that is a record for me.  The one in the middle was an experiment - I'm not quite sure how I feel about it....

 I really like the stripes on this hexi.

 Almost done with one of the woven kitchen towels that I am making!

 I have to admit, I did not get this far on my own!  I had some helpers!

 The 10 year old reading the pattern, moving the levers and weaving,

 The 7 year old weaving

 and learning how the levers work.  Soooo much fun to work with my kids!

 My nephew graduated from Kindergarten - how cute is he?!

 "Someone" is super excited for him :o)

 The cousins together on his special day.

This is the book we are reading together as a family.  It is by the same author and in the same style as "Hugo Cabret", but we are finding that Hugo was a much better book.  It has been so much fun to spend more time reading, playing and creating together.  Well, I'm off to the pool with the kids - catch you all later :o)

See more wonderful WIPs at Tami's and Ginny's.