Catching up on my posting!

May 8, 2011  Mother's Day

Of course I have to be one of the people that cervical cryo is VERY hard on!  So I haven't been doing as much weaving as usual, and certainly no posting as much as usual.

But, the antibiotics have kicked in and I am starting to feel a little better.  A leeeeeetle.

I have been concentrating on backstrap weaving and it seems that it is indeed hard on my back.  Actually it isn't the weaving itself that gets me...it is the warping.  The only place I have to lay the warp out and place my saver cords...and I use lots of saver cords...is on my bed.  Which means leaning over.  Remember most of my warps are between 5 and 7 ft. 

Also, if I owned my warp board I would hang it on the wall...as it belongs to someone else... it is propped against the wall...on my bed.  More leaning. Then placing the string heddles and making sure the sheds are correct...you get the picture.  

It is only worse when I find a mistake in the warping and have to keep at it trying to correct things.  Let's not forget I am a frugal soul and hate throwing out a warp AT ALL.  But it is what it is.  I can only get better from here.

So in the end here is what I have accomplished.  

First a blue and lime green piece.  Five ft. long warp, 55 or so warps wide, plain weave.  Ignore the old lady legs and notice that I am tied onto a wooden chair...I am actually sitting in my recliner.

The completed piece has ridges that are very visible in places.  I believe this is caused by the tension being too tight.  Ms. Carol, my roommate snapped this one right up!

Then we have my first pick up piece on a backstrap.  Just pleased as punch that I got it warped up.  Mystery yarn, same size as the blue and green piece.  This one is teal and mocha brown (mystery yarn, scratchy and shrank horribly when washed) and I used a hook design that I got off of Laverne Waddington's blog.  We all know I am one of her keenest fans.

 Then I had two botched warps...my back started killing me again...so I am back to my Mini Wave and a band for my poncho project. 

This one is 7 ft. long and 80 warps per shed wide.  I have 50 threads in my pattern area.  First we have my mark...the infamous heart.

Then I finally got to do the indigenous flower design that I have on multiple sites on the internet.  This design always seems elongated when I do it.  That is why I have not done it as of yet.  Each time it looked more like a geometric design than a flower.  I have even tried lifting pairs instead of individual warps and it is the same way for me.  ?????

Last but not least I am using my own scrolls side by side...it almost looks like a heart too!  I got that idea from Laverne!

I found another flower in the 'Byways in Hand weaving' book, it looks kind of like a tulip.  I had to chart it myself for this technique, so I am not sure if it will work yet.  The book is geared to 4 shaft looms and I don't quite understand some of her pictures and instructions.  So sometimes they work and sometimes not so much.

  So my design factors (hopefully) will be yellower petal flower, blue scrolls, yellow tulip, blue scrolls, repeat.  That is the plan at this point anyway.  Always subject to adjustments.  LOL

Dana has made HUGE strides in her backstrap adventure.  She surprised me and did her second warp alone AND with horizontal stripes.  She has been experimenting with her pick up floats. 

I can't wait to see her progress as well as pictures of Ryan's birthday pictures.  I hope he likes his guitar strap.  ;-}

Pictures finally came!!!

He looks proud!

So that brings us mostly up to date.  I am still healing and will keep you posted.  

I am excited to be back into the successful weaving, instead of the possession of learning a new loom.  The backstrap bug bites me hard, just a little OCD going on there and I won't get my poncho bands finished in time for cooler weather if I don't keep at it.  I am going to do the weaving, the design, the assemblage sewing, lining and all, and we all know I am sew not a seamstress.  But I figure if Dana can get the hang of backstrap weaving this fast, then I should be able to tap into all of her textile knowledge and learn to do a little sewing.  I hope.  

I told her that I want to do it all myself, that I just want her to instruct, unless I find myself destroying my weaving's.  Her response was "  Knowing that...you will have a hard time getting me to rescue you". 

She knows I am excited to finally have something to wear that I have done completely on my own.  Except for spinning the yarn anyway.