Maybe this post should be called 'Manic Monday'?

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Well gang, it seems I am still in the creative slump that has had a hold of me for about 2 weeks now.  As a result postings are getting difficult. 8~(  

So today I will just post a 'Thank You' note to all of my fans and wonderful on line weaving/fiber art buddies.

I actually received yet another gift from my friend 'Popsicletote' from the Ravelry.com site.  She is so talented and generous.  She actually hand-made me a reed to play around with.  She put it together with twining, and she actually did it on a backstrap loom.  On top of that, she actually sent me five wonderful skeins of yarn, a wool-cotton blend!  It is a fine yarn and I can use it for sock knitting or for weaving, either one.  Tempting to do socks as I haven't had any really nice sock yarn in quite some time.  How did she know that blue is my favorite color?

We often do what is called a Weave-a-long on Ravelry (aka WAL) and usually they have some sort of theme.  OF course there are no weaving police, so often there are wide and varied ideas going on.  The one going at this point is for plain weave.  Either plain even weave, or warp face plain weave.  As a result alot of the gals are doing, and experimenting, using the backstrap for plain weave.  (I have discovered that as far as terminology goes, it is understood that plain weave is neither warp face or weft face, otherwise it would be stated as such.  So here on in, assume when I say 'plain weave' that you can see both weft and warp.)  

And, actually this is what got me started on trying to do some plain dbl wv.  If you recall the pink and blue piece a couple of posts back was the best one so far.  

What I usually do is warp face dbl wv and they are definitely horses of different colors.  I think they both have their place to be used to their best advantage, and at this point I still prefer my warp face dbl wv, and warp face plain weave also.  This may have something to do with the fact that I am still learning how to do plain dbl wv.  Mostly, I think it is the cleaner lines that make me prefer warp face dbl wv.  Plus you don't have to factor in the color of the weft, as it is never seen.

The learning process for the pln dbl wv is how I ended up doing the skull piece I have on the loom at this moment.  I didn't get it just right for pl dbl wv and converted it over to wrp fc dbl wv.  Often when I am learning a new technique I will have to 'adjust' my thinking.  I end up with alot of extra bands that way, and luckily, I have learned to save the warp yarn somehow and I usually even make a envelope bag out of them, so no waste!  That is a good thing.  I would only have so much need of a narrow band, and the little bag's make great give-a-way's.

For now, here are some pictures and my 'Thank You' to all of the folks out there, you know who you are, who enable and encourage our fiber art addictions!  I often find surprises of gifted fiber related boxes in the mail box.  Thank you one and all.

I think she got the thin reed pieces from disassembling a dinner place mat another lady from Ravelry sent to her.  Again, generosity.  The gold trim is one of her hand produced pieces.  I am not sure what technique she used.  Might be weaving, might be braiding.  Trim for our weaving's has become a hot topic of late also.

Sky blue and teal.

 

And how did she know that I am a bag lady?  All the way from Oregon?  Isn't that little blue bag just perfect for weaving tools!