Life is Good!

Life is good and then you weave and it gets better.  I am learning more about all the creative ways there are to weave and I want to jump right in and try them.  I saw a you tube video the other day that made sense of card weaving (Card Weaving-How the Cards Turn) and I am finding a serious attraction towards a certain inkle loom.

My 7' shawl is almost done and I want to fringe it with thin leather strips and some kind of roughed up bead.  It will be a shawl that oozes rustic, bumpy warmth that has no room for delicacy.  It will go over the shoulders of lumberjacks and herders of sheep at the day's end.

My Hazel Rose Mini Looms

     I love my Hazel Rose Looms and have referenced them a lot so far in my blog posts to date.   Here is a photo of my loom "stash":

     I liked the idea of having a triangle, a square and a diamond shape that are all the same size so I can sew or crochet my woven swatches together in a number of different ways and they would all fit.  So I bought the 3 1/2" diamond in walnut and the 3 1/2" Mini Weaver set that includes a triangle and a square, in maple.

    When I received them I was really impressed with the quality!  They are like a work of art and very sturdy.  Then I got a little full of myself and bought the 2" square multi loom in cherry wood and haven't looked back! (I guess they are sort of like potato chips...)

Here is a link:  Hazel Rose Looms

Embroidery Floss on a 2" Hazel Rose loom

I used 3 colors of embroidery floss on a Hazel Rose 2" mini loom.  It turned out fab!

Newest Triloom Project

I love the texture of recycled yarn!  This came from a man's XL 100% wool sweater, which gave me over 1,200 yards of yarn!  

Here is the pattern.  The black yarn is some extra Lambs Pride Worsted 100% wool, about the same width as the recycled wool.  This yarn likes to stick together a lot so I use a 15" dowel rod to separate the yarn on each pass, before I drag the yarn over to the other side.  It works well.

WEAVE-IT (or Hazel Rose) 2" mini loom: 12 steps to Success

The 12 STEP PROGRAM

This is a Hazel Rose 2" square mini loom.  Directions are the same for a weave-it loom.   Videos go too fast for me.   I needed a reference that was clear, that I could look at until I got it right.  This is what I came up with.   (The brass button on the lower left corner of this loom is your reference point.  I will not turn the loom until step 8.  If you do not have a Hazel Rose loom, mark the proper corner of the one you do have, by looking at the nails in the picture below.)

STEP 1:  Start with a slip knot over the 2nd and 3rd nails in from the corner on each end.  Follow the yarn as shown.  This will be the first layer of three total.  I would call this the warp because it runs top to bottom.

STEP 2:  Now you will create your second layer.  I would call this the weft because it runs left to right.

STEP 3:  Finish the 2nd layer as shown.

STEP 4:  Go around the 3 nails in the upper left corner and come around to the bottom as in the photo above.  You are starting your 3rd and final layer, which I would call the 2nd warp layer.

STEP 5:  notice how the yarn follows a slightly different path this time.  Make it look like the photo above.

STEP 6:  The raised yarn is what your 3rd and final layer should look like when you are done.  Take your time and look closely at what nails the yarn goes around.  You are now done creating the warp and the weft.  It is time to weave!

STEP 7:  Wrap your yarn around the outside of the mini loom 4 times.  This will give you enough yarn to complete the weaving with.

STEP 8:  Thread your needle.   Notice I turned the loom one quarter turn clockwise.   The brass button reference point is now on the upper left corner for this and the next step.

Step 9:   Use your needle to go OVER the first loop on the outside of the nails as shown in the photo above.  You will always start with the needle going OVER the yarn, then under and repeat to the end.  If you are having trouble, raise the yarn warp and wefts up a little from the wood so it is easier to maneuver the needle.

STEP 10:  The first pass is done, here is what the 2nd pass will look like.  Continue on until you get to the end.  Be sure to weave that last run, even though it is a tight fit.  See below in step 11.

STEP 11:  The last weaving pass and what it will look like.  It is a tight fit, but if you don't complete this step, the whole thing will come undone when you take it off the nails.

STEP 12:  Raise the yarn up to the top of the nails on all sides.  Carefully remove the yarn from each nail with the end of the needle or your fingers.  Once the first few come off, the rest is easy to remove.

ALL DONE!  Weave in the ends and trim.  You can make all kinds of things with these squares. My first project with them will be a baby blanket.  Will post when finished.

My Workspace: 7' Triangle Loom

This is a 7' triangle or tri-loom for making shawls.   Right now I do work with it where it is on the wall, until I get an easel built that will allow me to work anywhere with it.  My yarn for the current project stays under the bench until I need it.  I get the best light by opening the front door!  Some stats:  it has 684 nails that were drilled and pounded in my yours truly.   Supply cost to make this loom was only $30!

My first project, using Lambs Pride mercerized cotton.  A friend said she wanted one for her wall, thinking it was art!   This type of weaving creates its own warp as you go.  The above progress took about 2 hours.  The whole shawl took around 10-11 hours.  It is made with one continuous piece of yarn (until I changed colors, of course).   To make one shawl on this loom requires approx. 580 yards of yarn.

The colors are lovely and this was a fun first project.  When I took this off the loom however, the holes between the weaving did not close up and the warps and wefts slide all over the place.  Since it is mercerized, the yarn won't shrink enough to fix even after washing and drying.  Upon reflection, I needed a thicker more stretchy yarn.   Looking forward to the next project after a valuable lesson learned!

Cardboard Loom Weaving II

Some recycled yarn from an old sweater...

...made this beautiful woven, felted bag.  

This was made with a homemade 12" x 12" cardboard loom.  

It shrunk by about 30 percent.

Cardboard Loom Weaving I

One of my first weaving experiences was cardboard weaving.  I got the idea from Sarah Swift's book, "Kids Weaving".  This is an iphone case.  I  used a piece of 7 x 9" cardboard and Brown Sheep Lambs Pride Worsted Wool.  It felts up great, as the photo above shows.  I love the brilliant colors.