I slipped off to the canyon
and with me I brought:
books,
food,
yarn
a spindle,
a very old dog,
and a pocket knife.
and with me I brought:
books,
food,
yarn
a spindle,
a very old dog,
and a pocket knife.
Watson-Guptill Publications, New York 1975
In the decrepit orchard I found some straitish apple branches.
In a drawer I found some chute cord.
On the way to the outhouse I found a rattlesnake basking in the yarrow.
This last is neither unusual nor an essential part of this story,
but it did serve as a reminder to watch my step--
and to start weaving inside where I could keep my eyes on the task at hand,
rather than outside among the sun soaked grasses.
In a drawer I found some chute cord.
On the way to the outhouse I found a rattlesnake basking in the yarrow.
This last is neither unusual nor an essential part of this story,
but it did serve as a reminder to watch my step--
and to start weaving inside where I could keep my eyes on the task at hand,
rather than outside among the sun soaked grasses.
Warp:4 ply Debouillet hand spun knitting yarn (very bouncy) sett at approx 8 epi
I'd not woven on a backstrap loom before,
but since tapestry is what I know best,
II started with that.
but since tapestry is what I know best,
II started with that.
Weft: 4 ply Debouillet hand spun knitting yarn (still very bouncy) and 3 ply spindle spun grey Cormo knitting yarn dyed purple with indigo and cochineal. Also bouncy.
The new position
(horizontal instead of vertical warp
and sitting on the floor leaning against the backstrap),
was astonishingly comfortable--
so pleasant that when the first warp was done,
I put on another.
(horizontal instead of vertical warp
and sitting on the floor leaning against the backstrap),
was astonishingly comfortable--
so pleasant that when the first warp was done,
I put on another.
warp: 3 ply Brown Sheep Naturespun Fingering dyed with indigo and walnut. sett: approx 9 epi
Finer yarn and a closer sett led to a tidy surface.
My ever-so-slightly increased proficiency led to straighter selvedges.
My ever-so-slightly increased proficiency led to straighter selvedges.
weft: assorted hand spun and commercial knitting yarns, 2 and 3 ply, somewhere between fingering and sport weight. In general not as bouncy as the first sample.
Soon, however, I wanted to see what else this amazing little loom could do.
I turned it around,
shoved the warp closer together,
and tried a balanced plain weave.
shoved the warp closer together,
and tried a balanced plain weave.
Adding string heddles was helpful
Turns out I'm better at keeping my beat even
and my selvedges straight
with a weft faced structure.
and my selvedges straight
with a weft faced structure.
warp and weft-Brown Sheep Naturespun Fingering dyed with walnut and indigo. Approx 20 epi.
No surprise there -- I haven't woven a balanced plain weave in over 20 years.
A little more practice time is definitely in order.
warp and weft: singles merino, hand spun and bequeathed to me by my dear friend Nancie who left this world in March 2015.
A few days ago, Summer Larson just wrote a thought provoking blog post about time.
"How," she asks, "will you spend yours?"
"How," she asks, "will you spend yours?"
Making cloth, methinks.
Making cloth.
Making cloth.
