“She had an unequalled gift… of squeezing big mistakes into small opportunities.” – Henry James
Sunday, April 17, 2022
April / Easter Weaving
I wanted to weave a short table runner with Spring / Easter colors, but also attempt a fairly complex pattern using overshot and pickup techniques. I started with some nice Easter-y pastel colors (the first photo), but was not happy with how the pattern was showing up. I wanted it to be a bit more bold. So, I switched to a deep lilac color (probably deeper than any real lilac), and while the pattern shows better, I don't think it is as Easter-y in color scheme. Oh well.
The original color scheme. The colors here are a bit off because of poor white balance in the photo.
The finished runner. It is about 30" long.
Posted under: Weaving • by Rick on 04/17/2022 at 01:09 PM
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Wednesday, March 09, 2022
Weave for the Month
I've started a new "thing" with my weaving: a decorative table runner or centerpiece for each month of the year. For the first two projects, I used a technique called Crazy Overshot. This allows me to create very complex patterns on my rigid heddle loom. However, it is time consuming.
For February, I did a Heart Sampler and then hung it on the wall:
It is nice. I learned a lot and will likely do another one that will look a bit more refined.
For March, I chose a pattern that would normally take a 16-shaft loom with 16 treddles, and did a "cloverleaf" design that I found at handweaver.net. I am really proud of this work. While very complex and time consuming, it was also very "zen" to do and I got it done by weaving a couple of hours a day over three days.
This is the "front" of the weaving:
And, this is the backside:
It is abut 20" long, so not really a runner, but more of a centerpiece for our table when we have corned beef and cabbage with friends on St Patrick's day.
I think for April I'll do a "dreaming of spring" inspired piece, probably a bit abstract, but with spring colors. We'll see. Stay tuned!
Posted under: Weaving • by Rick on 03/09/2022 at 03:24 PM
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Saturday, February 26, 2022
A New Weaving Technique
Some time ago I posted about a table runner I'd woven on Facebook, but did not capture it here. So, I'm finally catching up on that.
This is a table runner woven using 1-1/4" wide strips of quilting fabric (from a "jelly roll") as the weft. It was inspired by a pattern from Lois Weaver on Etsy. Lois is pretty well known as a pattern designer in the weaving world. I was initially disappointed in the abrupt color changes and did not think it was going to work very well. I almost abandoned the project--but, carried on.
It ended up looking pretty good and will make a good table runner for festive occasions, I think.
Inspired by this, I decided to use the same technique to do a couple of placemats for the motorhome, using colors that would blend with the decor. They turned out to be a bit long, but that is fine with me.
They are pretty rustic, especially at the edges, but working with that fabric as weft is challenging.
Posted under: Weaving • by Rick on 02/26/2022 at 07:04 AM
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Thursday, February 17, 2022
A Leno Shrug
I had plenty of the silk noil left over from weaving the Infinity Cowl (twice), so decided to try a new technique and pattern. This is a shrug done using 2x2 leno. Leno is a weaving pattern where you cross over some warp threads and then pass the weft through that cross to create a very open lacy texture. The "2x2" means that I'm picking up 2 warp threads and passing them over 2 adjacent warp threads to create the pattern. I could just as well do 1x1 or 1x2, etc. I think the 2x2 creates just the right weight and look for this shrug.
The Leno Weaving Technique
This idea came from "The Weaver's Idea Book" by Jane Patrick. The book holds a huge amount of information on technique and is a great place to get inspiration.
I think the shrug looks better when it is on Lynne as opposed to a hangar, but these are the only photos I have. It can be worn two ways, with the buttons on the shoulder or on the front.
Buttons on the Front
Buttons on the Shoulder
Posted under: Weaving • by Rick on 02/17/2022 at 07:06 AM
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Monday, February 07, 2022
“Infinity” Cowl
My most recent weaving project (that is completed) was an "Infinity" Cowl from a kit by Gist Yarn. It is woven using relatively fine silk noil. Every 3 inches in the weft, I placed a 1/2-inch strip of cardboard in the shed to create open space in the fabric. That open space can then be used as button holes, allowing one to create a huge number of different looks for the cowl. (Probably not an "infinite" number--but a whole bunch.)
This was meant to be a Christmas gift for Lynne, but got delayed until I was physically able to weave again.
I actually made two of these. The first was too short. The instructions were contradictory. They said to do 12 repeats of the pattern, yet weave for 50 inches. Well, 12 repeats did not add up to 50 inches and that was the instruction I followed on the first cowl. One thing about Gist Yarn's kits is they often send much more yarn that is required for the pattern. So, I had enough left to try again, this time going to 50 inches, which was 14 repeats. (I still have enough of the silk yard left to do a "shrug" which I'm currently working on.)
Here are some photos of a few ways the cowl can be styled.
Posted under: Weaving • by Rick on 02/07/2022 at 03:40 PM
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