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Weaving Holiday

1/29/2019

 
Picture
Nope -- not the burn carbon,
catch a cold on the airplane
on the way to someplace else
kind of holiday.

That sun is shining
​into my very own studio.
Picture
Though  I did go somewhere --
me and my big black rubber boots
strolled through the slush
to The Yarn Underground (my local yarn store),
where I was dazzled by the abundance 
and walked home with 
8 skeins of Harrisville flywheel yarn.

 So did you know about this?
That you can buy yarn that has
already been carded and spun?
It's a little weird.
But AMAZING. 

(One of the great things about spending most of my time in the studio
is that am a cheap date -- dazzled and overwhelmed by
the local downtown shops.
Of course I'm also dazzled by dead leaves 
which is slightly less helpful to the local economy....).
Picture
But no matter how you look at it,
this feels like a mighty quick turnaround--
from a mad desire
​ for a long, dark grey Sarah-Dippity skirt,
to yarn in hand.
(if not exactly fast fashion, at least less glacial than my usual approach).
Picture
Backstrap loom parts.
Said mad desire was initially generated
by a vision of the thing I wanted to wear that day,
the realization that I had the knowledge and technology to make it,
and a teensy bit of project envy generated by
 slipping Backstrap Dialogues zines into envelopes 
and mailing them to Sweden and Germany, Califorina and Kentucky
as Sarah-Dippity instructions are downloaded
to computers around the world.
Picture
At any rate, it felt (and still feels), rather marvelous
to take a mid winter break from my cellulosic adventures,
and start winding a warp almost before 
shucking off the rubber boots.

Alas, my starry-eyed haste
also led to a teensy bit of
of a miscalculation --
this mill spun yarn is NOT
​ as much like mine as I thought.
Picture
I stormed about a bit and felt like an idiot
for making assumptions, 
and for not weaving a sample --
or at least doing a yarn wrap.
But drawing this comic gave me an idea
(you might note that the little "but maybe if..." thought bubble
was written in with a different pen),
so I clipped together a ten dent rigid heddle 
from four Schacht Variable Dent Rigid Heddle sections, 
scribbled a new sketch for the skirt
and away I went.
(10 epi vs 12 epi  meant weaving two narrower swaths of cloth since I did not want to buy more equipment, which leads to the skirt being made of  four or maybe five 8" wide panels instead of three 12" ones-- though I don't have to decide for sure till later since the design is flexible and the final
shaping and fitting is in the knitting).
Picture
The broken threader was another bummer,
but this paper clip worked just fine-- 
​indeed, maybe better than the diz threader
I've been using for the last couple of years.
​Golly, I love makeshift solutions.  
​And I really love this loom.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
The last few inches of the first warp
turned into cloth
​ just before I started to write this morning.
And there's a good chance
I'll start winding the second warp 
shortly after I hit "post."
Picture
Perhaps  next week I'll be knitting the skirt wedges
and my holiday will be done.
zoom zoom zoom!
But so restful.

And then back to real life.
​
If that is what this is.
Picture

Ann Durham
1/29/2019 12:25:40 pm

Weave structure? Looks like houndstooth.

Sarah
1/29/2019 04:26:44 pm

Houndstooth it is!

Jodi link
1/29/2019 12:27:17 pm

So does the color pattern happen because of the color variations in the yarn? Is the sideways yarn the same as the up and down yarn? (technical terms, I know :D)

Sarah
1/29/2019 04:28:03 pm

The pattern comes from the order of the yarns — two light grey strands, two dark grey strands in both directions (warp and weft).
It’s called Houndstooth!

Noël Nicholls
1/29/2019 12:43:37 pm

Love the colours in the yarn and your improvisational creativity. A lot of smiles on my face this morning.😀

Nancy Kramer
1/29/2019 12:55:58 pm

OMG! I'm wearing the same tights! I live in Gudrun's tights. Your cloth is beautiful and I love the subtle sounds on your video. Enjoy your holiday.

Carol
1/29/2019 01:10:56 pm

looking forward to seeing the finished project. The original Sarah-Dippity is sweet, but I need a long skirt to cover my upper legs and hips.

Lotus Baker
1/29/2019 01:11:18 pm

Thanks for this, I have been thinking about a longer version of the skirt. Will also have to think of a wider one, more panels! I love the download and the Dialogues I just got! Have a good holiday!

Merna
1/29/2019 02:40:42 pm

So fun to watch your process and results, Sarah! But wouldn’t resleying the same warp from 12epi to 10epi give you a wider, not narrower panel?

Sarah
1/29/2019 04:36:13 pm

In a sense it did give me a wider warp, in that I split the original in half and wove two narrow ones (or rather, wove one and am now in the process of weaving the second), since I don’t have a 10 dent rigid heddle as wide as my 12”. Had to wind a few more ends to make the second warp as wide as the first, but it was close!

jess link
1/29/2019 02:51:37 pm

Oooh I love it. The skirt, the weaving, the pants, and the sweater. Thank you for this post! <3

Rebecca Mezoff link
1/29/2019 03:59:42 pm

Brilliant. Can't wait to see the skirt.

Kate link
1/30/2019 08:12:59 am

Lovely! I am dreaming of a stay-cation in my studio. We are moving soon, so currently it's getting packed, but I'll have a much better spot for it in the new house, so I'm doing a lot of daydreaming and diagram sketches of my future space. You know, "productivity."

Mariellen
1/30/2019 04:40:55 pm

I love!!! the way you make things that you need. Clips on rigid heddle pieces to make a longer heddle, knitting needles for a cross. Great!

Tracy Hudson link
1/31/2019 02:20:17 pm

I want a long, gray one TOO!!!
I've been dreaming of weaving skirt fabric, and I downloaded your pattern the minute I saw it, so I am now bouncing in my seat until I get home late Sunday night and can start making a warp.
I can absolutely relate to the mad desire for a certain garment because I want to wear it TODAY.
Need to plan my studio staycation....

Eileen VanBronkhorst
1/31/2019 04:44:12 pm

Excited to see what becomes!! Question - what are the black clips on the heddle for? I see you have them on the top and the bottom od the heddle while warping and while weaving.

Sarah
2/3/2019 06:53:20 am

The rigid heddle is not one solid thing, but four 2 1/2” wide sections of variable dent heddle held together with tongue depressor, rubber band and binder clips. Not fancy, but it allows me to make the rigid heddle the width of the warp even if it is very narrow, and with a backstrap loom that is super helpful. It’s not ideal but actually works astonishingly well.

Barbara l. Nelson
2/8/2019 01:31:41 pm

What is the advantage of using a heddle over string heddles? Luv those cartoons 🤠

Sarah
2/10/2019 10:30:08 am

Hi Barbara — I find that the rigid heddle makes it easier to keep my sett consistent, especially when weaving with a fairly open sett, or at least aiming for a balanced structure. The string heddles appeal to me aesthetically, as I can make them from stuff I already have, and in my experience are fabulous for backstrap tapestry and warp faced work. Indeed It took me a while to be willing to try the rigid heddle as I liked the string ones so well, but now I’m happy to have a choice depending on the cloth I want to make.


Comments are closed.
    Picture

    ​Sarah C Swett 
    tells stories
    with
    ​ and about

     hand spun yarn. 


    Picture
    Click for info on
    my four selvedge
    warping class
    with
    ​ Rebecca Mezoff  
    fringeless


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