Third Time is a Charm
I'm weaving the third band, the first two of which I described here.
I spun new yarn from a mohair/Lincoln blend and dyed it:
(sorry about the askew nature of the photo: I'll try to take photos square to the grid next time. I hope it doesn't give you vertigo!)
The band is weaving up well, the size and handle is fine, and I like the more complex pattern. I can't tell about the colors just now: the woven bag has been rolled up the back of the loom (as the weaving progresses, the woven part rolls up behind the loom) and is inaccessible for a while. But the colors seem *good enough*.
Here's a comparison of the three attempts:
On the left, the first band, woven with the pile yarn re-spun, and using itself as weft. The middle one was with a finer weft: ok, but not quite what I wanted: too rustic. The third band, still on the loom, is clearly more appropriate.
I do have a few tricks when using tightly twisted yarn in a very sturdy (read tightly tensioned) warp:
First is the C-clamp. If the loom is anchored, I can pull the tension tighter on the warp, and in this case the tighter the tension, the easier it is to pop the sheds.
I can also lean back with more body weight, to help me press in the weft (and yes, I do).
The second tip:
I drilled (yes! gasp!) a hole in the beautiful shuttle made by Rod Stevens of Woodchuck Woodworks (no web presence but available at Carolina Homespun, and Woody is at many fiber festivals throughout the year. I highly recommend his work).
Anyway, yes, the hole helps: I thread the weft through, and then when (not if!) I drop the shuttle, the whole mess doesn't unwind. The weft is high twist yarn too, so it wants to snake off the shuttle, but the hole captures it.
And last: look who is blogging! Welcome Bren.
I spun new yarn from a mohair/Lincoln blend and dyed it:
(sorry about the askew nature of the photo: I'll try to take photos square to the grid next time. I hope it doesn't give you vertigo!)
The band is weaving up well, the size and handle is fine, and I like the more complex pattern. I can't tell about the colors just now: the woven bag has been rolled up the back of the loom (as the weaving progresses, the woven part rolls up behind the loom) and is inaccessible for a while. But the colors seem *good enough*.
Here's a comparison of the three attempts:
On the left, the first band, woven with the pile yarn re-spun, and using itself as weft. The middle one was with a finer weft: ok, but not quite what I wanted: too rustic. The third band, still on the loom, is clearly more appropriate.
I do have a few tricks when using tightly twisted yarn in a very sturdy (read tightly tensioned) warp:
First is the C-clamp. If the loom is anchored, I can pull the tension tighter on the warp, and in this case the tighter the tension, the easier it is to pop the sheds.
I can also lean back with more body weight, to help me press in the weft (and yes, I do).
The second tip:
I drilled (yes! gasp!) a hole in the beautiful shuttle made by Rod Stevens of Woodchuck Woodworks (no web presence but available at Carolina Homespun, and Woody is at many fiber festivals throughout the year. I highly recommend his work).
Anyway, yes, the hole helps: I thread the weft through, and then when (not if!) I drop the shuttle, the whole mess doesn't unwind. The weft is high twist yarn too, so it wants to snake off the shuttle, but the hole captures it.
And last: look who is blogging! Welcome Bren.
posted by Sara at 7:05 AM
3 Comments:
Not much of a weaver, even back in the day, but I can see the steady refinement in your three pieces! Very nice color choices. See ya tomorrow.
Maybe I need to clamp my loom down too, as I haven't been getting very satisfying results. I like this one - hope it works well with the bag for you.
YES!!! Sara hits it out of the park again.
I really really like the added complexity, the more centered design, the orange speckles, the clean lines in the white parts, the proportion of the rays, and especially the crossing of the two V points. Are you pleased with the slim blue line? I suppose you can always embelliish it later if you want. I like the way the slimness of it delineates and makes the rest of the pattern jump to the fore. --syl
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