So I have woven my very first (tiny) piece of fabric.
I actually made cloth you guys[1]! O.O 😀
It’s this tiny little 6×8 (or so) bit of weaving, which is about what you can get on this width of a loom (apparently), but it will be turned into a clutch-purse, possibly for my sister-in-law. (A few years ago, I used the same yarn to knit her husband (my wife’s brother) a neck-warmer for when he goes skiing, so I thought it might work to do something with matching yarn for her).
The loom, itself, is still full of warping – I’ve just run out of weft yarn. But I’ve got a few different half-used skeins of purple wool, so I think I’ll just start up a new piece on the same warping (leaving a good four inches or so between the first and the second peice to make the binding-off a LOT easier).
This picture was taken last night, when I’d only done a couple of inches of weaving. You can see that I’m usin a large, metal ruler for a shuttle (the real shutting being In Use at the moment), but it’s working okay.
Yes, that Boroslava, the wood-burning (not presently useable) parlour stove that you can see in the background.
Things I’ve Learned:
1) You see the WEFT thread a lot more than the WARP thread, so if you’re weaving in order to use up odds and ends of yarn? Use the not-so-matched stuff or the less-pretty stuff (by your own definition) for the warping. I does show up. Keep that in mind. Just not as much and the weft.
2) The MasterWeaver loom is the kind where you rest the Breast Bar (the bar that’s closest to you) on your knees. At first, I totally thought I was supposed to weave with the loom hanging virtically from its stand (woops) which is really, REALLY difficult and uncomfortable. this works a billion times better, and I’m quite happy with it.
3) When warping the loom: Start AND finish the warping at the bottom (breast bar) of the loom. This way your tie-off points (see #4 as well) will be as FAR AWAY from where you start your weaving (and, therefore, from the heddles[2]), which means you won’t have to navigate knots part-way through your weave. Woops. Learn from my mistakes, folks. 😉
4) I’m still not sure what to do about tying off the beginning and end of my continuous warp thread. Right now, I’m making due by tying them to the adjacent warp-threads and hoping I can sort out how to get them through the heddles and into the weave without all that much trouble. Wish me luck! O.O
Anyway, that’s where things are at with the loom. Wish me luck with my continued efforts! 😀
TTFN,
Meliad the Birch Maiden.
[1] My lovely wife was watching me weaving this morning and commented. “Plus you can make your own string!… You’re this close to owning your own goat, aren’t you?”
Yeah. Pygora Goats are looking better and better every day. (Wonder if I could re-cross them with Icelandics for added milk, eventual meat, and some interesting fibre characteristics. Hm…).
[2] That’s that plastic, accordion-looking part in the pictures.
Urban Meliad 