Tag Archives: Weaving Southwest

Busy

Not busy with weaving, but with all kinds of other obligations. Since In still have not overdyed the yellows for the next project (weather and busyness), I had to have something on the loom. After all, the warp is ready, tied on and spread. So, even though I say I’m not going to, I decided to start of of those multi-colored pieces, using only churro from the Churro Club from Weaving Southwest. We’ll see how long I’ll continue this. As you can see, it’s not centered because I cut off the left side a bit. 

Currently on loom

Teaching

Part of my busyness was teaching this class at Country Day School. The students were part of the Honor Society Art students. As you can see, girls signed up. It was great fun, but as usual, when you do something for the first time, I learned a few things also. Like warp the looms before The Day.

Teaching

Sometimes it just doesn’t work out

Black and white in progress and it’s demise

So, you may remember the black and white I was working on, you know, the one with the slits. That was just not fun weaving, and I struggled to drag myself to the loom. Plus, I didn’t like the way the black yarns had turned out. So, I woke up one morning and thought, “This is it. I’m cutting it off!” I felt a huge relief in just thinking those words. 

Research

But then I got Kathe Todd-Hooker’s book Line in Tapestry, and got to reading and looking at pictures. You can get the book on Kathe’s website and on Amazon. Kathe’s book has lots of treatments for slits. So, before cutting off, I experimented. One of the first things I read about using slits is if they’re going to be very long, consider turning the weaving the other way. Makes sense. Maybe that works for smaller pieces, but 58 x 30, not so much. This is a vertical design, so that would mean that the visible warp finishing would be where the selvedges usually are after it was hung. I don’t like that much better than slits.

My copy of Russell’s tapestry book

I had also read about using a heavy duty sewing thread every few picks, but I couldn’t find much information about it. Then I looked through one of Carol Russell’s tapestry books and found a picture. It becomes practically invisible within the weaving, and that’s the one I think I like best.

Isolated locking weft

If there are ever any long slits again in my life, that’s the technique I’ll use.

Baby’s got a new box of crayons!

Weaving Southwest yarn bale

These came from Weaving Southwest, one of their Yarn Bales. Aren’t they beautiful? They are
2-ply tapestry yarns. I think the bales became such a huge project, that they are not planned to happen again.

For the next couple of weeks the dye pots will be working overtime. And there’s an ikat experiment in my future. Stay tuned…

Just thinking

Warping

Warping

Yes! Finally warping! You would think that after so many years of putting on warps, that I’d have this down. Nope. However, I think maybe it’s happening now. I am putting on 33 yards at 6 epi, using the warping wheel set for 3 yards per revolution. Since I have plenty of warp spools, I’m warping six ends at a time, 11 revolutions, placing ends in the reed, and repeating to get a two-inch section. Gee, I hope my math is correct!

A friend posted the picture below of Brownies lined up for summer camp. Dresses? Really? I know we each didn’t a uniform for each day of camp, but what did we wear otherwise? Even the counselor is in a dress. Geez! I asked my mother, but she said we didn’t wear pants, so I guess shorts were out also. I know, growing up in Texas, fashion trends took a couple of years to reach us. Of course, this was before instant communication. I don’t think I wore pants to school until I was in college. Mother said she was fourteen when pants “came in.” The main thing I remember about this camping experience was riding the very early school bus to “town” and having swimming lessons there in the public pool. I remember this whole camping experience with great fondness. We were in second or third grade and spent the night at camp for a week.

Brownie camp

Brownie camp

Yesterday I took my mother on an errand, and couldn’t resist this building. Even though I grew up in this town, I don’t remember noticing the knight in shining armor or the crenellations at the top.

Crenelated roof

Crenellated roof

The Churro Club

Churro club

Churro club Love these colors!

If you don’t know about the Churro Club from Weaving Southwest, let me explain. Every month you receive a box of yarns with colors that are not available in the usual product line. If you want more of the colors, you have to order them before the month ends. I have no idea what I will do with these yarns, but I love getting the new colors each month. It’s like a surprise gift for adults! Aren’t the colors that arrived today wonderful? Teresa and Joe are doing some really innovative things with their business, including the Churro Club and Yarn Bales. Check ’em out.

And then there’s the weather

So, okay, talking about the weather is boring, but … Friday it was 107, the hottest it’s been in ages, maybe years. Then a front came in, bringing a bit of rain, lots of clouds, and temperatures in the 80s. Glorious! Energizing! Maybe I’ll even finish that warp!

Habits, photography, beaters

ZigZag

My photograph

Habits, photography, beaters–now there’s a combination!

In reference to my post about habits, there is good news. My morning walk has become enjoyable! Instead of keeping my eyes forward to the distance goal for the day, my mind has started wandering, often to design and weaving. Yippee! Years ago, I walked five miles daily. One of the best things about that was going out for my walk with some sort of problem in my head and returning home with the solution.

ZigZag

Professional

This is a picture (left) taken with a good camera, but you can see how dark the picture is at the top, but especially the bottom, which means I need to learn about lighting.  As I think about this, the top part is because I was blending yarns from different dye lots. There’s a really bad picture–taken with my phone–on the Habit post. It’s not the phone’s fault that the picture is so bad; it’s that I played around with editing it, and the original disappeared. Monday I got a professional photo made (right). Find differences? What do you think? Better? Not worth it? Chime in.

Beaters

 

My new beater from Weaving Southwest arrived, and not a minute too soon. I am experimenting with weaving two small pieces at the same time, and this beater works better for this than the loom’s beater.  I love the weight, the length, everything about this beater. The old one is very beat up after being dropped on the floor too many times. I even glued a tine back on, but not successfully.

Do you see things graphically all around you? I do. Things like shadows, lines in a building under construction. Sometimes I detour to take pictures. Yesterday I saw a huge concrete wall being propped up with tall metal rods

Tornadoes Possible West Texas Snowfall

Tornadoes Possible West Texas Snowfall

which crisscrossed each other. I loved the pattern, but unfortunately, while driving 65 on a busy highway, stopping for pictures is not possible. These small pieces are based on something I (we) see quite frequently on TV, in the newspaper, in social media, etc. I have no idea if they will be successful or not, but I’m experimenting with the rest of the warp on the loom, before I put a new warp of linen on. What everyday stuff appeals to you graphically? Keep a list and let us know.

Favorite tools

Navajo-beater One of my favorite weaving tools is broken, and a replacement has not been found yet. I bought this beater/fork a jillion years ago from Weaving Southwest. It’s about 12 inches long–longer than any others that I’ve been able to find. The spaces are perfect for my 4-epi rug weaving. They are out of stock at Weaving Southwest, so I’ve been looking for others. How did this one get broken? It was dropped too many to times. It only got used when I advanced the warp too far, so most of the time it sat on the bench, only to get knocked off constantly. When/if I find a new beater, I am going to drill a hole in the handle, thread a ribbon through the hole, ad wear it around my neck, like some people do with their scissors.

What are your go-to tools? Do you have a beater you love?