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!

Update on projects.

July 7, 2011

First you see my new lace weight spindle.  I am spinning this commercially prepared cotton roving, (I can't remember where I got it as I have had it for years) and it is indeed turning out to be my best spun cotton to date.  Either I am getting the hang of it or the roving is better, or maybe it is the little spindle.  Maybe all of the above.  But this is what I have for Tour de Fleece right now.  Remember I already finished the wool/silk on the phang last couple of days.

Since I couldn't turn the bands into a poncho as I originally planned, if you remember they were too heavy, I have decided to develop a tote out of them.  I really love the Tibetan bag, also known as Doni Delis bag. The one you see if you click is made of re-purposed commercial fabric.

The first bands I chose just wouldn't come together in a design that Dana (she will be doing the assembly) and I liked.  So I played around with some of the others and came up with something I really liked.  Below you see the piece that will be used for the closure flap and some interior pockets.  This also gives you an idea of the color scheme.  Can't wait to see the end result.  She picked out some batik fabric for the lining that I will get to see in class tonight.  Stay tuned to see the completed bag...soon I hope!

Tonight Dana wants to learn Double weave on the backstrap.  I gotta go wind the warp!  TTYL

New warp with lovely yarns from an E friend on Ravelry!

April 5, 2011

I warped up on my smallest loom yesterday.  WOW!  It is beautiful.  

I used yarns Mr. cphilip, a cyber friend from Ravelry sent me.  This is how people in the fiber arts are...GENEROUS!  See, I have had very little contact with Mr. Philip, but he has been watching my work.  He somehow happened on the information that I don't have a job and decided...out of the blue...to send me a box of yarn.  Just 'gifted' them to me. 

When I got the box, I was stupefied and without words.  The box was huge and filled to the brim with everything from linen to silk to perle cotton.  I have never had the pleasure of using linen or silk...somehow 'Thank You' just isn't enough.

Both the perle and the silk shimmer beautifully...check it out...

I gotta think of something to make for this wonderfully generous man.

Catseye03's backstrap project!

March 23, 2011

Well after the last failed attempt I now have a decent warp for my friend's backstrap.

I used, pomegranate, ecru, silver metallic, and pink perle.  Doesn't sound like much on paper...but I did take pics.  I think it is going to be very nice.  All in #10 cotton crochet thread.  

I chose to do the 3d effect because she liked it in the failed warp.

I have another new friend on Ravelry also.  His name is cphilip...I got the nicest e mail from him yesterday.  It seems he doesn't do as much weaving as he would like to, so he is sending me a care package of yarns.

I have never met this gentleman other than on line and I find this kindness pulling at my heart strings.  

It humbles me how many generous, warm and friendly people I have met through this computer.  

My warmest to you all.

What's on the Loom????

March 13, 2011 to be posted April 22, 2011

As most of you know I have started a Weave Along in the Inkle Group on Ravelry! You have seen the baby blue, forest green and teal piece...now on to the next one.

This is done in espresso brown, ecru and copper mist #10 mercerized cotton crochet thread.  It is 208 warp count per shed, total 416 threads, which means at 6 1/2 in. wide it has 64 threads to the inch.  It is being woven on the Large Gilmore Wave Loom.

It has 148 thread wide pattern area.  I chose a knot work chart from Laverne Waddington's blog and here is how it is coming along.  She only lifted in pairs, but I am lifting 4 threads at a time.  I do this because this thread is so fine and I wanted the pattern to show more prominently, this is also why the lifts are done in the darkest color, espresso, this time.  It made the pattern twice as large as it would have been also.

Here are a couple of pictures.

Friends, Ravelry and spinning yarn!

March 13, 2011

I have been busy with quite a few things of late.  I actually took up spinning again.  This came about quite innocently enough through a Spin Along in the Backstrap Group in Ravelry.  I have had so much fun with Ravelry and the wonderfully "  warped"   folks there, lol.  I have even made some on-line friends.  Quite the blessing, considering I really still don't have many friends here in Georgia.  

But I digress...again. 

One of my new friends known as popsicletote belongs in a couple of the groups I also belong to.  Inkle and backstrap to be sure.  She is involved in the Inkle Weave Along and the Andean Pebble weave in the backstrap group also.  Thus we go onward into the Spin Along.

Just cruising around and reading one morning I stumbled her her profile and found that she makes her own hand whittled spindles...ALL kind of spindles.  I contacted her to ask if she sold them.  They have a very rustic look to them and I simply had to have one.  Turns out she doesn't sell them, she gifts them.  I am now the proud owner of the coolest spindle I own to date.  It is a Turkish spindle and it is very light compared to my others.  This might be why I have had so much trouble with my cotton spinning...duh...ya think?

My cotton is from GA (just a coincidence that I live here) and is of course short staple.  When I say short, I mean VERY short.  And I have TONS of it.  So since I was having so much trouble spinning it without carding, I gave in and started carding and making puni's.  If you are unfamiliar with puni's they are little rolls of cleaned and carded fiber.  Mostly called puni's in places like India they are sometimes called Rolag's here in America.  Anyway, I started carding and making them as I watched television, or while helping Dana in tapestry class.  I wanted to weave myself a shoulder shrug of some sort.  Past tense.

Now I have decided that I want to spin for warp face weaving.  A horse of a much different color.  When I picked up my spindle again I still had a difficult time.  Now keep in mind that I have plenty of commercially processed cotton I could use.  But that is not what I want to do.  I also feel that it is important if I am to offer to teach this ancient craft, I should know how to process the fiber start to finish.

Thus, more reading and such on Ravelry which lead to my new friend.  I received my new spindle yesterday.  I jumped right on it too.  I already had some cotton spun and had been told that it needed to be spun a second time so that it would hold up to the abrasion caused by warp face weaving.  So I did.  If you take a look at the pictures below you will see that it has little arms.  You wind the spun fiber onto these arms in a fashion that afterward is a center pull ball of yarn.  You simply slide the arms up off the center piece...then slide the arms out.  Wala!  Center pull.  No winding off of the spindle and then into another skein, or ball or hank.  Cotton is kinky when it is newly spun and that rewinding was always a hassle.  So not only is the spindle perfect...it cuts down on the other work involved for storage.  LOVE IT.  It has the added benefit of being able to come apart if you want to take it around with you in a small bag.  Very portable, even more so than most spindles, which are admittedly very portable.  Especially when compared to a spinning wheel.

So then, after re-spinning it, I plied it.  I took one end from the center, the other from the outside, and spun it in the opposite direction it was originally spun to make a plied cotton yarn.  AWESOME, if I do say so myself.  Turns out I am not as bad with the cotton as I originally thought.  Very nice surprise, and I am on my way to being able to use my own yarns in my warp face bands.

Here is a picture.  I must say it is the simplest things that bring me the most joy.  Thank You so much popsicletote!

Silk Hankie!

March 11, 2011

On Monday I received the nicest gift from my new friend on Ravelry, Cateseye03.

She sent me a hand-dyed silk 'hankie' to spin.  So I did a little research and learned that these are silk fibers stretched over a frame, sometimes square sometimes shaped like a 'bell'.  You peel off layers, draft and spin them.  In doing this research I learned that there are all sorts of kewl ways to order silk. Some are even pretty economical.  Rather than try to educate you myself, I am placing a link here for the site that I learned the most from.

She sent me a pick up stick also.  She says these are for helping her with her inkle weaving...I say it was 'my pleasure' as I made a new friend in the bargain.  Even without the gifts.  They are of course welcomed though as I have been lusting after doing some silk spinning.

So I took a couple of pictures and thought I would share them with you.  Don't you just love the colors she chose.  Coincidently I  just completed a weaving for the Weave Along in the same colors.

Warp for Ravelry Weave A Long

Written March 3rd for posting on April 11, 2011 

Dedicated to my sister Jackie, Happy Birthday Jack.  Rest in peace.  She always told me how creative I was.  I used to laugh at her and say, "not creative, just poor, I have to make the best use of what I have".  In hind site, she was a pretty smart cookie.  I miss her something awful.

I warped up my Mini Wave today with a 8 1/2 ft. warp. I double stranded the entire thing. It is 75 warps wide…which means 74 heddles that have 2 strands in each. So at 150 per shed it is 300 threads. It is 4 in. wide and I have woven about an inch so far. Gives me about 75 threads to the inch.

I used #10 mercerized cotton crochet thread, doubled, 15 heddles wide in forrest green.
Then #3 mercerized cotton crochet thread in warm teal, stranded together with #5 perle cotton in baby blue, 46 heddles. Then another 15 in doubled forrest green.

I ran out of the forrest green before I got done, so one side only has 13 instead of 15. Thus 74 heddles/warps that are double stranded wide. By doubling all of the threads I get a streaky effect of the two blues together. I also get the choice when I do my pick ups of using either the perle or the #3 for my picks ups. So considering this…I can get lifts in green when I want to, then I can also do lifts in #3 warm teal and also in #5 perle, or use both blues at the same time. So I get 4 choices of pick up colors instead of the usual two when using the horizontal stripe background. I will say that it is a bear to wind the warp with two crosses using 4 cones at once. grrrr

I will be doing what Laverne calls ‘Simple Warp Floats’ (click here if you want to see the tutorial), on her blog.

I will be doing my own designs and making them up as I go along. For those of you who don’t know me this is how I usually do my weaving. I like to make my designs up as I go. I do sometimes look at pics of other folks designs for inspiration, but I rarely follow someone else’s pattern, and I hardly ever chart mine. I find the proportions off when charting…so I just use my eyes as I go along. Sometimes I have to do quite a bit of un-weaving, but I have had great successes so far and I like to experiment to see what I can accomplish.

Here is the start of the warp.

Here is the first design.  Go figure?  I did indeed follow someone else's pattern.  This one comes from Mary Atwater's, "Byways in Handweaving".

February 16, 2011

For those of you who follow that are fiber geeks like myself, anything from knitting, crocheting, spinning or my own love, weaving, you should consider joining one of the larger fiber groups.

I belong to both Weavolution and Ravelry.  While Weavolution concentrates on weaving, Ravelry encompasses ALL of the fiber arts.  If you can think it up, there is a group on Ravelry for it.  I belong to 5 of them.  Most of my participation is in the backstrap and inkle groups.  Because both of these groups do 'warp face' weaving, which you can accomplish on alot of different looms.  Even a floor loom or a rigid heddle.  

What I am after in these groups is technique information.  Design, warping, creative ideas...these are what rock my world.  Some of these groups are very technical, for those who love that I am happy they have also found a place to gather.  It's just not necessarily my thing.  I like to think outside the box.  Like taking a little picture of a design and playing with it until it is distinctly my own.  I am getting better at it each time too.  I simply could not have achieved such goals without these groups and the lovely participants.  They are warm, considerate and sharing with the time and ideas.

So now it is my turn.  I recently participated in a Weave A Long in the backstrap group on Ravelry, of course Laverne Waddington is the moderator.  I learned so much and had waaayyyyy too much fun as well.  Alas though, all good things must come to an end, as will the WAL in the backstrap group.  March 6th to be exact.  Wiggles and I really hated to see it end...So I got an idea.  

Why can't I form my own WAL.  Not in the same group though as that is not my place.  I certainly didn't want to step on anyone else's toes.  So I started to thinking...maybe I could start up some sort of participation on my blog.  Couldn't figure out how to get a proper 'widget' that would allow people to post in MY blog.  Only I can do that I guess.  Then I started looking around in Ravelry again and discovered that the INKLE group had all but died out.  It needed a jump start.

Since the weave structure is the same as what is usually produced on a backstrap loom, I thought maybe I have enough knowledge to get us going.  SO I DID!

We are having a WAL and you are cordially invited.  Everyone, every skill level.  No big monies to spend, no complicated weave techniques (unless you want to), just alot of like minded people practicing and trying to perfect whatever it is that they feel they need to work on.

Below are my guide lines.  Come join  us.  Ravelry is free!  All you have to do is join.  Then you can come out to play with us!  If not with us, maybe you are only interested in knitting, LOTS of groups for that too.  I am sure they have KNIT A LONGS!  

Stop procrastinating and step outside of your comfort zone.  I did! and I was welcomed with open arms by all.  I would not have cared if only 1 other person wanted to participate.  That is one more person that I can relate to, help or get help from.  You scratch my back and I will scratch yours kind of thing.

Take a look.

I have suggested an all around Weave A Long. All skill levels, all kinds of inkle/warpface weaving.

I would like it to start on March 1st.

1. We would all use cotton.
   
2. I would like to shoot for at least 3 in. width if your loom
   will accommodate, if it won’t do 3 in. just try to go wider than your comfort zone.
   
3. I would like for everyone to try to make a longer length than they have in the past.  Maybe max your loom.
   
4. Any technique you want to do is okay. From plain weave to very complicated. I know several, I don’t have a day job and I am very glad to help in any way I can.
   

Suggestions:

a.  Plain weave
    b.  double weave
    c.  you could do soumak, picots, stripes, 

or  combs.
    d.  You can do inlay, I have tried it and understand the theory, 

even though I wasn't so good at it.
    e.  plain weave is beautiful with crisp cotton yarns.
    f.   Or maybe you just want to work on your salvages and warping techniques. 

We might have suggestions for that also.

I think it will allow us to discover some new techniques, some new yarns and weights. Find out where they are available and their price range. If you want to we can even assemble a little bag, cell ph cover, i pad case. Something that could be made from the strip with simple hand stitching.

I would love to have all of you participate that can. Please let me know. If you need to contact me I am at pandulaarts@yahoo.com. If you want to see the little pouch’s look on my blog at http://pandulaartscreations.blogspot.com/ . You can see pictures of them and a few of my beginner pieces along the right hand side.

DON’T FORGET TO POST LOTS OF PICTURES GIRLS AND BOYS!

Also I am thinking we will end this one on April 15th…unless we are just having too much fun!