Dyeing, knitting, weaving

 Like most people’s lives in December, mine has been busy. Here are a few highlights.

I helped out at the Weaving Center, providing an extra pair of hands for a talented felter and teacher who taught 8 teenagers to felt a little bag. So creative!

I knit 2 hats for my grandson. He requested the one on the right, identical to one I’d made for his little brother last year. I made the one on the left in his school colors, which he’s definitely into. I don’t know if that one will fit or if I’ll need to remake it in a larger size. I found the pattern on the internet, but didn’t mark it and can’t find it now.

I decided at the last minute to dye some socks for my 2 grandnephews. I had 3 pair that I thought would fit them, so used 1 method I knew would work and tried 2 others. First up is the known method – tying in marbles with little rubber bands.

Then the pair that didn’t work as well – but I know how to make it work next time.

One side of these socks look cool, but the ‘inside’ didn’t get any dye. Next time the rubber should be clamped onto both sides of the socks.

The 3rd pair was also successful. First I mildly scrunched them on a length of PVC pipe. I knew from experience that too much scrunching on the PVC would leave too much white on the socks.

After the mild scrunching I wrapped them in rubberized shelf liner, then tied it on with some rubber bands.

I like the results of this experiment.

Those socks got mailed out yesterday.

Now I’m working on a modified circle shawl. I used an online random stripe generator, going through at least a dozen variations produced, and warped with 8 colors of 8/2 unmercerized cotton. I’m using an interesting flecked wool for the weft. We see how it all works.

I also hand painted a bunch of 8/2 tencel, preparing for a series I’ve mentally planned in black and white. This dyeing has also been a learning experience...the black hasn’t always behaved well, even though I actually did dye samples (regular readers will know I almost never sample).

I’ve also added more time learning dances with the ROC City Line Dance Express group. Those women are GOOD! And make me feel good, even though it takes me LOTS of practice with YouTube videos to learn the steps.

For the next few days I’ll be cleaning, wrapping gifts, and otherwise preparing for the holiday. I may be able to fit in some more time at the loom on that striped warp...or maybe not.

December 20th, 2017 | 

Startiing strong

October started really strong for meeting my 6-7 finished pieces per month. That’s mostly true because I don’t count scarves as done until they are fringed and wet finished. The 3 scarves I’ll show you were off the loom at the end of September, but not fringed or wet finished till early October. Way to start!

I had a dark royal purple warp on the loom, threaded for a complex twill. First I used a green that is almost chartreuse, longing f that iridescence that comes with complementary – or in this case split complementary colors. I much prefer the side that’s more purple.

I auditioned a salmon weft for the second scarf, again going for that split complementary color, but really hated it. So I used a very pale blue-green. I was tired of the treadling pattern for the first scarf, so changed it for the second. My overall reaction? Meh. It’s okay.

I really wanted something that would send me for the third. I tried out a few things and settled on a gold silk that I’d immersion dyed a few years ago with natural dyes. It’s a bit thicker than the 20/2 of the warp, so the hand isn’t quite as nice, but I really like the colors. I also changed the treadling pattern again, and this one is my favorite weave pattern as well as favorite color combo.

Since October was starting off so strong with numbers, I wanted to spend a bit of time in my basement, hand painting some warps. I did three warps, and decided in advance that I’d (a) make decisions in advance, (b) take better notes, and (c) not use u any leftover dyes, mixing up new so I knew what I’d get.

First up is 5/2 bamboo. I dyed in a blue->green->blue->purple pattern, using a 3% dye solution. I also immersion dyed 2 skeins for weft. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough containers to give them each a vat with sufficient space, and then I was so involved in the hand painting that I failed to stir them. So the skeins aren’t a good solid color. That’s fine for warp use for a future project, but not the weft for this one. Live and learn, as usual.

Next I painted some 10/2 tencel. This time I used a red->orange->yellow->orange pattern to my painting, and a 2% dye solution (These colors aren’t particularly accurate, but the best I could do.)

The third warp is also 10/2 tencel. This time it’s a 1% solution, in red->orange->yellow->green->blue->purple that then doubles back on itself, going purple->blue->green, and so on. In an ideal world I would have had just one ROYGBV run per scarf, but I couldn’t exactly make that work in my calculations, so I think each scarf with probably be more like 1-1/3 of that rainbow. I hope looks okay woven. I also hope that the patch of white, where I obviously failed to saturate the yarn with color, doesn’t land in the middle of a scarf. I can wish that it’ll be where I would normally cut for fringes, and just cut it out. A girl can hope, right?

While I was waiting for the yarns to batch and dry, a process that takes a few days, I decided to put on a warp for some towels. Although they don’t sell particularly well in my booth at shows, towels tend to sell at the Weavers’ Guild Holiday Sale, and I don’ have very many. I opted for more bumberet.

I learned in the process that I prefer it when I have more of the predominating color, in this case intended to be blue or green. The towels, which won’t count toward my monthly goal, are in the finishing process, so you’ll see them later.

I’m always eager to see how my hand painted warps turn out in the weaving, so am looking forward to that adventure. Oh, yeah. Meanwhile I also made some Christmas gifts. In my canner. No peeks at what’s inside!

October 14th, 2017 | 

Making presents - and progress

We had our first Christmas celebration yesterday. Included were my two kids, son-in-law, grandson, both sisters, brother-in-law, niece, nephew, my nephew’s new fiance. It was a wonderful afternoon. The only thing that could have made it better was severa more hours. I most certainly did not have enough time to visit with my niece, nephew, or to-be niece-in-law. And it will unfortunately be many months before we’re all together again.

Since we did Christmas yesterday, I can now show you my latest weaving efforts. I made everyone bookmarks, but not my ordinary bookmarks, which are woven using a 5/2 cotton warp and similar sized wefts, all woven on four shafts. I like them, but wanted something more special for Christmas gifts. So I went to Carol Strickler’s A Weaver’s Book of 8 Shaft Patterns and decided on several of the border patterns on pages 31-33. I made a few minor modifications to make sure that the back wouldn have floats more than 7 threads long, preferably 5, since the purpose was bookmarks. I needed to make 9 in all; 6 for yesterday and 3 for presents yet-to-be-given (to people who don’t read my blog, so no present-spoilers here), plus 1 extra just in case. Firs a shot of all 10.

I threaded the Mac in a simple rosepath design – 4 repeats – using 12/2 cotton sett at 36 ends per inch. Each of the designs used a different tie-up, so several trips under the loom.

Now for some close ups.
First I wove some snowflakes.

My oldest sister, who used to knit lots of mittens, often using a traditional snowflake design, got the dark blue one of these. Then I wove a design that looked to me like a Star of David while in draft form, but more like a flower in real life.

The new fiance got the light wedgewood blue bookmark. Next I wove some trees. I really like these lovely evergreens.

For obvious reasons, I made them both a nice rich green. My brother-in-law, who spends hours outdoors each day, got one of these.

Then I tried another tree. It’s okay, but in comparison to the first one, not a winner.

I’m using this as my extra.
So I moved onto a more warm-weather design, weaving some butterflies.

My niece, who lives in South Carolina and has more summer than the rest of us, got a butterfly. For my last design I made flowers.

My other sister got the flowers. She’s got a lovely flower garden.

While I was weaving the bookmarks my son stopped by for a few hours (his purpose is still a secret). Being ever helpful, he graciously assisted me in replacing the cords on my Missouri loom.

I am SO glad I had his help. It took the two of us about an hour and a half, and would have taken me more than twice that long alone.

Once all the cables were hooked to the levers, we tested it all out, and everything seems to work smoothly.

The next day I stopped at JoAnn Fabrics and bought some webbing to make the missing apron straps. Today I got them sewn to length and stapled in place on both the front & back beams.

Over the next few days I hope to have the time to put on a short warp and test it out. Will the reed, which my son sandblasted to remove the rust and I subsequently sprayed with clear rustoleum in an attempt to make smoother, be sufficient or will it abrade the threads? Have I sufficiently cleaned the heddles (not rusty) by blowing them with compressed air, or do I need to individually wipe each one? Will the brakes hold, the levers work smoothly, the shed be clean? Only time will tell.

I’m still working on needed modifications to be able to hook up the treadles. I need the loom to be functioning, at least as a table loom, by mid-January, when I’ll be away from home for a week.

Just a few more days & I’ll spend more time with family on Christmas Eve & Christmas day. Yippee!! Wishing you a wonderful Christmas, too!!

December 21st, 2012 | Tags: bookmarks, Christmas, Missouri loom | Category: Life - As I See It, Weaving | Edit this post 1 comment to Making presents – and progress

New Year Loom « Weaving A Gem Of A Life

January 1, 2013 at 10:27 am · Reply · Edit

[...] Macomber (above) still has leftover cotton on it from my special bookmarks woven as Christmas presents. Plus the back beam is a great place to hold many things, from my ball [...]

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