Monday, August 25, 2008

When the Stars Align

Sometimes things just fall into place. I know there is preparation: you have to be ready, you have to be willing to listen, you have to be somewhat open minded.

These are hard things to align, I'm sure the stars help out. I'm also lucky (born in the Year of the Rabbit).

Just as I am finishing up a manuscript on beginning weaving, Schacht has come up with a new student loom:

silk pile blogA August 08

This is my first handspun silk knotted pile sample on the Cricket. I am trying out the loom to see if it will be suitable for us to use this coming October at SOAR.

It is. We will.

It's a very small loom (11" x 18") and very sturdy. See those side pieces? Solid wood, strong enough to hold up under the tension required for these projects. It is small enough to work on in my lap, so it can be used semi-upright, a much more comfortable position to weave knotted pile than horizontal.

We get to be among the first to use it, and I am quite sure people will be just as impressed as I am. I'll report back in November!

Here's another view, with a bit of measurement to show the scale:
silk pile blogB Aug 08

We will be switching looms for the cut pile class at SOAR this Fall. Thanks to Interweave for letting me change this particular horse midstream. Thanks to everyone who is willing to experiment, adjust and try a new way. Thanks to manufacturers for coming up with new products with just the right features, size, and strengths as if they were made just for me.

I can't believe how lucky I am to have everything drop into my lap so easily.

9 Comments:

Blogger Alyclepal said...

I guess my question is is it more of a loom for samples? Any ideas on how much warp it'll hold? Thanks, Alyclepal

10:16 AM  
Blogger Peg in South Carolina said...

My rigid heddle loom (a Beka)ozlhis designed to lean against a table or windowsill and rest on my lap. I always liked the intimacy and comfort of that.

5:44 PM  
Blogger bibliotecaria said...

On a totally unrelated subject: I found in your archives a statement that you use corrugated cardboard as a warp separator. I've seen that suggested before, but don't know where to get it. What source did you use to buy it? A shipping store? An office store? A party supplies store? Some other place entirely? I'm not quite happy with what I'm using now.

Feel free to share it in a post. I'm sure others might like to know.

6:32 AM  
Blogger Marie said...

Oh how I would have loved to take that class with you, Sara.

7:38 AM  
Blogger Charlene said...

Luck? Isn't it more personal than that? Isn't this your birthday week?

10:53 AM  
Blogger Paper Tiger said...

Fortune favors the prepared mind. :)

11:34 AM  
Blogger Birdsong said...

It is lovely to see a resurgence in weaving equipment to entice a new generation.

2:54 PM  
Blogger Deanna said...

How different does it feel to work with the warp horizontal rather than vertical with the copper pipe looms? What's the tension mechanism - ratchet and pawl? Wood?

Very cute loom, cute name, too. :-)

8:30 AM  
Blogger claudia said...

Lucky rabbit, indeed.

7:14 AM  

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