So, as luck would have it, I'm short on space, cash, and time but managed to bring another loom into my life. I have a wee loom addiction and have now added another large loom (this one a floor loom) to my repertoire. I started weaving on rigid heddle looms and have gradually worked my way up to "real" looms. This isn't intended to be pejorative. There are some amazing rigid heddle weavers out there but I found that I was always having trouble with tension - especially because when I warp a loom I want yardage! I'd warp too long of a warp for the loom to keep good tension. Don't have a clue about what I'm talking about? Rigid heddle looms are a simple loom - two shafts, and direct warpabe, and easy and fun to use. But like I said, they also have challenges. Here's a good video showing the use of a rh loom. So while these looms are fun and great for those of us in small houses, I am really interested in weaving more complex patterns with out the fiddliness of doing that on a rh loom as well as yardage. I had always convinced myself that I sucked at warping from a board and, much like I do with math, made it this overly complex process that seemed too daunting to be achievable. Well recently a friend of mine was selling her tabletop loom and I thought "now or never". I have had a few tabletops pass through my hands. I buy them with good intentions and move them on. This time, this one stayed, got warped, and woven on. And, the warping was so easy, I now use a warping board to warp my rh loom rather than taking up all of the useable space in the house haha. And, I did find the tension a bit more even. So the other day, I'm on fb and there's an ad - estate sale, floor loom. I'd seen the previous ad - way overpriced but this one was literally down the road from my friend's house so nice and close, someone I kind of knew, and not too high a price. I went to look at it and it seemed all of the pieces were there. I thought it was a LeClerc (as many looms in Canada are) but the assembly isn't quite right. So now I have this puzzle: that requires re-assembly.
Fortunately, the folks on Ravelry, particularly Warped Weavers, have been awesome. I'm hoping that I'll have it set up this weekend when the Woodsman and the Young Man can assist. Until then, it's back to work and dreaming of weaving. I love to weave but I haven't ever quite figured out warping properly. So, I give you the rigid heddle loom. I both love it (simple, quick, relatively small) and hate it (mostly for tension issues) but overall, would recommend one for anyone just starting out. Interested in buying one? My friend Mel has a yarn shop with an online store selling these babies coming soon. For right now, if you're in Canada, you can email her to get one. In my usual fashion, I threw a warp on with no real plan and then realized the yarn I wanted to weave (but hadn't thought about) would be the wrong weight. So, I quickly spun a better weight up (you know you're an addict when...). Anyway, I'm super happy with it so far. Yep, there is some unevenness and wibblywobbly to it but whatever. It will look great when it's cut off and finished.
I have a problem with extremism. It's probably not the kind of extremism that you're thinking, really, especially given the media these days. No, my extremism is a different sort - I get extremely into whatever thing it is I'm into. My latest thing but, one I haven't been able to shake (ok, I don't really want to) are slow textiles. Slow textiles are ones that you're willing to wait for. They're hand made in some way and usually in some slow, low impact way. I'm a bit obsessed with natural dyes right now, to the point where I was COMPLETELY rejecting acid dyes. I even declined to teach an acid dye class. And then the irony of it all hit me. I wear regular clothes. Sure, I try to wear low impact, reused, reclaimed, homemade clothes and I definitely but truthfully, I have a closet full regular old clothes. And so does Wendell Berry. How is that relevant you ask? Well, as you already know, I might really admire him And I think we'd all agree his commitment to the health of the environment is beyond reproach and, as I was wrestling with this whole thing (how can I make and dye ALL of my own clothes and still do everything else I need to do in a day? Oh, and not look or smell overly historical) and there's Wendell Berry, sitting there in what appears to be a handknit sweater vest and a regular pair of pants and shirt. Regular, likely bought at the store. You know, maybe even made with some super toxic crap somewhere along the supply chain. I literally sat there staring at the screen. I wasn't really listening to the very important message, I was checking out his clothes. Now while it's possible he or someone close to him made all of that, I think it's improbable. Even some serious hardcores, like Norm Kennedy: But even Norm Kennedy, who does make some of his own clothes from his own washed, spun, woven, naturally dyed fabrics doesn't wear ONLY things he made himself. Sometimes, what happens for me is that I can't do the thing 100% and it gets me a wee bit hopeless about it. And then I just kind of abandon it. Well, I still feel strongly about the impact of the textile industry, and I would definitely like to be part of the solution but I also am realizing that I don't have to do ALL THE THINGS to help. Maybe that could be one of the commitments I make to myself for 2016? Less extremism? can I do it without being extreme? Hmmm.... Weaving with Freyja the dog cat in is always an interesting adventure. Fortunately, my healing up dog is always happy to guard the loom. Here's the work in progress - the warp is a random cone of something that feels like it's got mohair in it. The weft is a random assortment of handspun. The finished cloth
|
AuthorI'm a 40-something writer and smallholder living in the wilds of BC with my family, our small herd of Nigerian Dwarf Goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, and cats. Archives
August 2017
Categories
All
|