first weaving post

 December 3rd 2013
Before this year I had woven mainly thicker yarns. My first project was a rug I made about 15 years ago, made on a huge floor loom borrowed from my weaver neighbor Heather McGillvray  http://heathermcgilvray.com/Site/Artist%20Statement.html 
This was made on a handmade loom with parts made from recycled lawnmower parts among other things. I bought very expensive wool knitting yarns and blended the colors on stick shuttles. I wove in plain weave or twill, I forget now, and used the Fibonacci sequence to create the pattern. The rug is still used at the bottom of the step down into our living room. 

then about 5 years ago I took a weaving class and made some Rayon Chenille scarves for everyone I knew and their relatives for Christmas. Then came the grandchildren and very little weaving took place until I found a great deal on a Schacht Mighty Wolf 8 harness (shaft) floor loom.

My Schacht Might Wolf Loom
It has 8 shafts & can weave 36 inches wide

Winding a bobbin with 8/2 tencel for the weft.

So finally in January this year, 2013, I expanded into what I felt was much finer ( thinner-- for me) yarns. I ordered some 8/2 tencel from WEBS during their sale. First up was  Spot weave from Handwoven magazine March/ April 2012. Red warp with mauve weft. 
I put some red warp on the loom and expected to make some scarves for Valentine's Day. 
I finished them and got them off the loom around the end of -----April!   Ooops. 

                  

        



                   

so I quickly put on some spring colors and chose a block twill  to do. 
I finished those in ---- August!

           

   

But then I got the bug. 
So 
I started weaving furiously getting ready for my annual fall sale Nov 16. 
I have been selling felted hats and prior to that some knitted scarves every year at the Puget sound Artists Sale. 
My unexpected surgery for a blocked kidney stone in October however, has put me further behind than I wanted to be.
This year I will have more scarves than in the past and not just chenille in Christmas colors. Here is the Blue and Teal Tencel scarf on the loom doing my first try at undulating twill using the 8/2 size tencel yarn. 
I just love watching how the pattern develops right in front of your eyes as the shuttle passes through. And how the colors blend and pop with their amazing shine continues to fascinate me.
Keeping track of treadling is really good brain work, let me tell you. 
Missing the count provides lots of experience in unweaving and reweaving.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

The weaving draft for this pattern is from handweaving.net and by changing the treadling you can get other effects. I particularly like how the one above looks like Christmas ornaments. 

http://www.handweaving.net/PatternDisplay.aspx?PatternID=61537