Experimental bell pull

November 30, 2011

I decided to see if I could weave with my separated shoulder.  SO I warped up a thin band and although it cost me dearly in pain, I have created a little bell pull.  It is cute for what it is and I gifted it for a Thanksgiving present.

It say's "HO HO HO", but it is tiny and I am not sure if you can see it at all.

Several things came out of this one...first it is definitely too painful on my shoulder to weave...the doctor said it would bother me for 2 or 3 months...WTH?

So for now I need to find another artistic outlet.  I am soooo bored, and even more broke than usual as I couldn't work for 3 weeks.  Maybe my creativity is just broken.

Please understand I get a little better each day and I am back at work.  Impossible to work with a sling on though, and so the pain is ridiculous after my shift.  So I am not sure just what I will be doing.  Stayed tuned folks, changes coming, same bat time, same bat channel!

Bell pull

November 30, 2011

I got my shelf that my x made me forever ago up in my room, along with the boat shuttle candle sticks Ms. Carol gave me forever ago.  I love it!  All things woven, including my pine needle baskets!  The one with the buttons is my first ever weaving.  It used to be framed, but the frame died so I used leave it laying around so I can look at it.

On to the current piece...red and green for the Facebook Color Challenge group project.  A new color challenge is posted every two weeks, when I decided to try and see if my arm would let me weave again, it was a red and green challenge.  So I got out all of my scraps of red and green and this is what I came up with.  It is warp face double weave and waaayyyyyyy too narrow.  But I needed something easy and mindless.  I am thinking it may turn into a bell pull when it grows up.  Maybe.  

Oh yeah, and I gave Max's son his skull band and it now resides happily around the neck of his favorite stuffed animal.  Makes me proud, he sleeps with that silly dog every night of his little life.  But I digress.

I decided to try some lettering on this piece as it is kind of narrow for motif.  I used the Bedouin star for a Christmas star and then did one of my little 'wingin it designs' of a Christmas tree.  The letter is "Ho Ho Ho" of course.  Short and sweet.  Here is what I have so far.

It is only 15 warps wide total...small.  Maybe a little over a half an inch.  The bells I bought are a little large...not sure what I will do with it in the end.  

Stay tuned.

Northwest Inkle Looms

November 22, 2011

Today is the first day of starting up my blog again after my car accident and short hiatus.  I will be posting on Wednesday's only for a little while, with maybe a few scattered in between as I feel the need.

To start with, I think you all know that I have recently been forced to move for the second time in 3 mnths.  It really sucked, but I am no pretty much getting settled in...again.  However, per usual, I was having an extremely difficult time figuring out where to hook up my backstrap.  The room I am in is extremely small this time and this was making me very sure my trash picked weaving table wasn't going to fit.

So I decided to try out an Inkle loom and see if this would eliminate this problem from here on out.  I went on line and did some research.  I decided I wanted a full size loom, not an inklette.  I also decided I wanted one with two sides, one of which would be removable for warping.  This research lead me to a site for the Northwest Loom company in Wyoming.  Beautiful handcrafted looms very reasonably priced.  So I went ahead and ordered one.

There was a little confusion on delivery, since I was new to the neighborhood, through no particular person's fault, but it came to me the day after I got into the car accident.  It is/was a beautiful piece with a free belt shuttle as well.  Oak is my favorite wood and it was crafted beautifully. 

I have been in a sling, but did manage to warp it up with my roommate's help for a set of shoe string's for her.  Home Depot orange, ecru and gold (I still have to get aglets for the ends).  Very narrow, plain weave.  The loom was about 34" long though, making it necessary to have a table at the far end to rest it on.  I had thought I would rest it on the floor at the other end from me, thus no need for another table.  I have seen others do Inkle weaving this way, but for me it was a uncomfortable, and it had nothing to do with the car accident, it just felt awkward.

So in rearranging the furniture in my room for the 15th time I finally hit on an arrangement that allowed my weaving table to come into the room.  OMG, what a homecoming.  It was like slipping on my favorite slouch clothes when I sat up to that backstrap loom.  I knew in that moment that Inkle weaving was not for me.  No matter how lovely the loom.  So it has been returned to Wyoming with my most sincere regrets to Mr. Tony.

I put on a practice warp for the backstrap, a little red and green piece for the Facebook Color Challenge group and started up  (more about the actual weaving soon).  Now to get rid of the bulky and ugly tool box.  There is a drawer in my trash picked table...so I brainstormed and came up with what I now call a "Weaving Station".  I laid a handwoven piece in the bottom of the drawer and placed all of my necessary tools in the drawer.  Everything from a mirror for double weave, to my notebook.  Then I took a Russell Stover candy tin my friend Max gave me and put the tools necessary for the actual weaving, pulled my computer chair u next to the recliner as a table, and placed the tin there.  PERFECT!

First we see the tin with the immediately needed tools ready at the hand next to me.  They are sitting on the computer chair which of course has wheels and I can position anyplace needed with one hand.

Here you can see the drawer with my other tools in it.  You can also see the backstrap loom, it is behind the c clamps.

Love this!  I need to trash pick more often.  My roommate and I are even thinking about painting the table with acrylic pain, maybe a woods scene.

And here you can see it being used! 

So for now I am set up again...until another (God forbid) move.  Can't weave for more than a few minutes at this point, because of my shoulder.  The car was t boned on my door.  So the right arm (I was a passenger) is very sore, we removed the staples on Saturday the 20, boy am I glad those things are out.  But I still have alot of pain due to the separation in the shoulder, but hopefully I will be o.k. in the long run.  

Stay tuned friends and I will be letting you know how this little Christmas band turns out.  

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!