Finding Weaving

Kind of like finding Nemo, but not quite. In between helping with household chores and child care, and going along to gym class and back and forth to school, there's been a small garden project (2 tomatoes, 2 cucumbers, 2 basil), a major puzzle project, clothesline that keeps breaking and is on the weekend list for replacement, vehicle repairs. You know, life, in all it's wonderful complications, and, though I've said this before, in a constant state of busy with two little boys in the mix.

Finding weaving in all this just kind of happens here and there. This time it happened with a book I checked out for the boys on silkworms. I think it is called "The Story of the Silkworm" but wouldn't swear to it. It has great photos, and yesterday Calvin told me they have two silkworm cocoons in their classroom, along with several butterfly cocoons and are watching them hatch out, which is very cool.

The photo in the book of a woman weaving silk, though, caught my attention.





Do you see how she has her warp secured? Not wrapped around the back beam at all, it's been brought up over a high cross beam at the back, and tied onto a high cross beam in the front. And would you look at the length of it in that bag? Jimminy Christmas! And I have to be so careful winding on a few yards to be sure my tension is even. And I'll keep being so careful - I know what happens when I'm not.

But still, her mastery of tension leaves me humbled. I think each time she advances the warp, she has to untie, advance, re-tension, re-tie. And I bet she does it in a jiffy, while thinking what she's going to make for supper.

I'm such a novice.

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A beginning

I will be away from my loom for the next year, while I'm helping family out with some medical issues. Before I left home, though, I did get the Swedish Lace woven off. I knew better than to leave a project midway for a year and hope to have any idea where I was when I get back.

This was to be blouse fabric - natural 20/2 crossed in red 20/2- and, of course, once it was off, I cannot imagine it in a blouse. Here are the two sides of the fabric:
This shows the weft as the horizontal stripes in the blocks:





This shows the warp as the vertical stripes in the blocks:





I like the warp in the vertical stripes best, but still, blouse? Can't see it. I don't any any idea what I'll do with this fabric, but I have about 5 yards of it.

I crossed the remainder of the warp with 20/2 natural, thinking I could make some curtains out of it.

Here are two shots:
First, with horizontal stripes:





And then, the opposite side, showing vertical stripes:





It wet finished beautifully, with the full value of the fabric coming out in the hard press and both pieces have a lovely, light and airy hand. I like this fabric a lot.

I may make curtains out of the second piece. It would be pretty for something wearable (probably not a blouse), but not sure what. It's really more suited to table linens/curtains usage, I think.

I did tie the threading so I can come back and throw on another 20/2 warp in this pattern if I decide I want to. Good to keep your options open.

I have weaving books with me, and am transposing threadings and treadlings to number charts. And, of course, there are patterns and weaving all over the place if I but look for them.

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