No spots

Armed with the advice of clever friends (thank you Marianne and  Helen, who has altogether far more important things to worry about right now....) I repaired the broken warp thread.  Actually, I took the weaving right out, went right back to the start and tied in a new thread, because I hadn't got very far.  I started again, more loosely this time, and established more of a rhythm though I really need to sort out my posture before my back breaks!

Clearly things are meant to be looser.  I've relaxed and allowed it to take its own shape, which sadly means there are no longer spots forming in the pattern.  But the resultant weave is more regular (except for the odd blip like in the photo) and in working like this, I now realise how far I was forcing this when I began.

I also notice that the edges are straighter than they were - and remembered Miss Lin's stern face because I had a tendency to pull it too tight when I was there, too.

Yet another lesson learned - my goodness, this will look good on the CPD* record?!

* Continuing Professional Development, of which I am obliged to do ten hours per year.  Half of it must be professional training and the other half can be subject-specific, like this.  I've counted three hours of crochet classes so far and will count two hours of learning to weave.  Add that to the fifteen hours of professional training done so far this academic year and I think I'm out of the woods, don't you?

small disaster, no-one hurt

Can anyone advise how to repair a broken warp, especially one which has broken right down there, just half an inch away from the weaving?

You recall how I was keeping everything "nice and tight"?  Another lesson learned.

walk? run?

Of course, having spent a day learning to weave in Laos, I am something of an expert already - not!  But it was enough to whet my appetite and on my birthday last October I was very lucky to receive an Ashford Knitters Loom.  A little different from the one in Luang Prabang but nevertheless, the principles are the same.

First task was to get it warped, which I knew from speaking to weavers, is a time consuming and potentially challenging process.  Armed with the instruction manual, I set 32 warp threads in navy blue linen I'd bought in Sweden. I'd faced the usual dilemma: As a beginner, should I use waste yarn from my stash which would be no loss if it ended up a mess, or good, purpose-selected yarn which I'd be thrilled to see made up?  Of course I went for the latter, following my own recommendations which I offer to beginners - use the best you have.

The instructions were clear and easy to follow but without the benefit of experience, I was unsure how crucial it was to keep everything tight and neat.  I kept it tight and neat just in case, therefore.

A couple of hours later, I began to weave.  I used the yarn bought in Tokyo - a silk linen mix with a lovely grey-blue-black random pattern on a cream base.  I immediately realised my first mistake: the reed is rather too coarse for the weight of yarn I'm using - never mind.  Let's call it a "design choice".  I tried really hard to keep up some kind of rhythm, trying to remember the economical movements taught to me by Miss Lin.  There, when I threw the shuttle through back to front, I  had a tap on the wrist and a stern face to remind me for next time.  Sitting here at home, I found it hard to work at any pace at all but stumbled through the first few rows one at a time.  Clearly, some practice is needed.

But, you know, I'm quite pleased with my first efforts and l-o-v-e the "pattern" which is appearing there in the weave.  At the moment, I'm undecided how tightly to beat the threads down; how open to leave the resultant fabric, but so early in the process it can easily be adjusted.

I suppose that, whatever I choose to do, it will be fine as long as it's consistent - which this clearly is not.  Yet.

I'll have that sorted tomorrow!

Packing up, going home, putting it all away again

For days, we've enjoyed a great working space to ourselves.  A place were we could enjoy sharing our ideas, offer to show each other something new and generally have fun together.  Almost every flat surface was covered with interesting and colourful ingredients, machinery and tools and the room buzzed with life and activity from breakfast time until late into the night or, sometimes, early the next morning. 

Occasionally there was music: Motown, Janis Joplin, Bach...we have eclectic tastes!

But all good things come to an end and this morning, in the space of an hour or two, our lively, inspiring room was returned to a plain old vanilla studio.

Cars were packed and we were all away, most with far longer journeys than me.

Did we leave anything behind?

What to do next?

No shortage of ideas.

No shortage of enthusiasm.

Gill Thomas | Post a Comment | Share Article

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