Marks' Prayer Shawl...

Now, here I am trying to get the warp past the reed and through the heddles.  Many little leash sticks trying to make sense of the various batches of wound warp.  Is there a better way?

 Here are the spools I have in the pile of the colours to select from.....  
And oh yes, a bottle of wine thrown in for good measure

And then pulling through the heddles, one thread at a time.....   This is the rear view of my Cranbrook Loom.

 

Sunglasses needed dishtowel...

OK, I am finding the time to add to my blog finally.

Here are a couple pics of some dishtowels I wove with the intention of giving them to an exchange I had signed up for but, I could not let go of them.  I was told by one of the participants she needed sunglasses to look at them and I decided they gaiety was needed in my own home.

I find I love to play with colour gradients.  The warp is a variation of mercerized & unmercerized cotton with a bit of linen (one of the reds).

The weft varies.  This towel is mercerized purple cotton and peach unmercerized on the ends.  I rolled and stitched the hems.

I played with 12 threads in the warp and named them A thru L.  I took the pattern A thru L  and reversed it to L thru A  and broke up the patern with a couple stripes of a bold contrast of greens and purple stripes.   I felt like the pattern and colours and the feel of summer lawn sling back chairs, one strip I kept as A thru L and repeat A thru L as my statement of only the Goddess creates perfection.




Now I am starting to dress my loom with an array of reds, yellows and oranges as a prayer shawl for the minister who married my son and his new wife in March.  WIll get pics up soon and the ward is pulled tight.


Peace, Out for now.
Susan

The Learing Curve.....

OK, I had to find my blog.... then I hd to figure out what I did for a password....  and then figure out how to reset the password....   ok I am in .....  Then today I went to a lovely hike in the hills with the faithful puppy dog......

I am aiming to get on the loom and finish the ray chenille.... which is ending up to be a surprise.... I regret my lack of planning.....  the backside of the chenille has floats I didi not expect....   will see what happens...   look carefully at the next two photos.... first here is the bottom side on the cloth beam

then the next photo is the top side....   argh....  ok ,  I am learning...  it doesn't look so rough in rel life on the top....
  the book I pulled the draw down from did not give any hint the back side was going to be different....

I love the zig zag pattern and was hoping to use the woven chenille for a ruana....   but the floats.....   I am weavinf at nearly 30 threads per inch in the reed..... any ideas?

Life always has something to teach me... and so does weaving

OK, today I finally got the warp on, and I thought I knew what I was doing.... oh sure ...

One more time, I find I am merely a student of life. Yes, I will learn the rules should not be broken. Rule number one: plan. Rule number two: follow a plan. Rule number three: do not ignore the logical sequential steps to a plan.

Determine your weave, Determine how much yarn/thread needed for project, Determine your needed heddles and on which shafts, Measure Your warp, count your heddles needed on the loom, on each shaft...

And then proceed thoughtfully.

I jumped to the proceed first. I did at least meaasure the warp.

I also learned the great value of a warping [addle and what happens when you fail to use it. And they I discovered the use of a comb. But I know ther is a better way.

I am tired.... time to meditate and find a good book... more tomorrow.

S

Oh! My goodness gracious... I am learning to set up a blog.... nothing like being self-taught by using a few clicks and keystrokes.

OK, I am off and writing about the weaving of life. Weaving is such a metaphor for life in general. The strength found in sticking together. Many tiny little warp threads, when held together with a fine delicate weft can create a fabric that can hold up to a gale force wind.

Next to this text you seen a recent weaving of cotton and linen of mixed sizes to create brilliant useful dishtowels. I have a preference for making useful items.