Weave Every Day

For the umpteenth time I am implementing a NEW plan.  This one involves keeping my small rigid heddle loom continually warped and actually weaving on it EVERY day.  

My first offering involved some silk yarn which I think is gorgeous but is miserable to knit with.  It became this scarf in less than a week.  

It's actually not completely finished.  The fringe has to be twisted and the ends knotted--I really hate doing that part.  

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Then, I warped up the loom again.  This time with some wool and silk Warping the rigid heddle loom is  f a s t  but it takes up the length of the family room.  Keeping the dogs out of the yarn is the hardest part of the process.

Here is the result of the second week's work--again not completed, fringe twisting to be supplied later.  

Meanwhile . . . The larger rigid heddle has been warped too.  The weaving here is not going so rapidly.  The secret to actually getting weaving done seems to be having it in the way so I work on it a bit every time I walk by.   Kelly has NOT agreed to let me move the big floor loom downstairs though.  

BUT wAiT, that's not all . . .

The plan continues well into its THIRD week.  This warp is yarn dyed by the very talented Denise of Lost City Knits.  The colorway is called  "primitive."  The weft is Ann spun yarn (that is handspun by me).  The roving for this was purchased from Donna of The Weavery at Indian Meridian, the color is "jungle fever." (actually that might not actually be the name--that might just be what I call it).  It was handy that the colors actually went together as well as the names of the colorways.  The handspun was chain plied to keep the colors distinct.  It was a surprise to me how evenly striped the woven scarf is as a result.  It is not exactly what I expected, but it seems to work.  

 The colors are quite washed out in the photo--they border on garish in person, but I like 'em.  

I've been playing with the BIG loom too.  Warp was measured and everything looked GREAT!!!  And the threads were evenly spaced and the colors were perfect.  I didn't buy any new yarn.  This was all stuff I had squirreled away.  I had visions of the jacket to be this yarn would become.  And then . . . 

I began winding the warp and threads began popping and breaking and I grabbed the scissors and  . . . 

There you have it--six yards of warp all tangled and nesting in the trash peaceably where it belongs.  Not ALL plans work out.  

I Can Do Stuff Like THIS . . .

I now have a new laptop, one that doesn't freeze up and tell me that the program is "(not responding)" every third keystroke.  (Why the old computer put the message 'not responding' is put into parenthesis is inexplicable.)  

 And, this one lets me load photos AND actually edit them.  I don't even care that everything takes me three times longer than it should because  I don't quite "get" the MacBook yet and so far the experience of toggling my brain from the PC at work and the Mac at home has made me inept at both venues.  I don't care about that because 

I

can

do

THIS

The NEW & IMPROVED Plan

Last Saturday I attended weaving guild and was once again blown away by the creativity and productivity of the members.  As for me, I never seem to finish anything.  Oh, I visit my looms, stroke them, make plans for them, buy or spin the yarns I'll eventually use but then . . .







Yeah, that's a big blank space there.  I always seem to be doin' stuff, but never get anything done.  So, I decided I need a plan-- another plan, maybe one I'll even adhere to.   

My plan, to be revealed later herein, was inspired by the tapestry diary of Janette Meetze.  Janette weaves a little or a lot every day on a monthly diary on her tapestry loom.  Each day she weaves something symbolic of the day or what's happening in her life.  Check out the link to her blog, she does some amazing stuff.  Janette talked about how maybe we could explore the idea of a weaving diary using forms other than tapestry.  So, I got to thinking. . .

AND . . . I got to winding and warping and weaving.  I did a little something every day this week on my small Cricket rigid heddle loom.  And, today I cut this silk scarf off the loom.  

I have bins of lovely yarn, handspun and commercially spun that is just not getting used.  My plan is simple:   keep the Cricket continually warped with yarns on hand; keep the Cricket in the family room where it is easily accessible; and weave every day.  At a minimum I should be able to get a few inches done while I have my morning coffee.  Unlike my usual plans that involve big sweeping proclamations of easily derailed impossible-to-achieve intentions, this plan has a some chance of success.  

That's not all though--I have another plan too.  I'm winding a warp for the big loom to make yardage to sew a jacket and have it done by the guild meeting on September 8th, even though Sister Daughter is visiting for a week later this month and even though I work full time and even though  .  .  .