Thursday, May 28, 2009

Going to the Folk School for a Weekend Class

I'm so excited to be going to the mountains and to the John C. Campbell Folk School outside Murphy, NC if only for the weekend. The class is on dyeing cotton, rayon or linen yarns, space-dyed, ikat style and solids with teacher Kathrin Weber Scott. She has been a full-time, self-employed dyer and weaver since 1980. I'm taking different size cottons and some bamboo since I have about 20 lbs of white bamboo. Maybe I'll look for some different colors to overdye. I'll take pictures to post!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Purple Scarves on the Loom

I had a few minutes to wind a warp one day, then wind onto the loom and thread the next day. For warp I used three fine threads twisted together in different purples. I wound some flake cotton with some tencel too but that just wouldn't wind on so I gave up and will use that for warp. I have a couple of pictures if I can figure out how to post those. I don't think I wove many scarves last year so I'm having to totally restock for this fall. So far I've done a series of five brown scarves 8" x 70" plus fringe and four tencel scarves 6" x 70", in blue/purple/mineral green/rust on a varigated warp with all of those colors. I really liked the green one and usually green wouldn't be my pick. We worked on the Weavebird this morning, re-doing some of the threading, then fired her up and "tried" to weave. I had get my trusty mechanic down here and he finally figured out that some of the cords were twisted in the mechanism and thinks He will have to tear it apart and re-do them. What time frame that will get done in is anyone's guess. It's a good thing I have other looms to work on. I have a placemat/tablerunner warp on the Schacht 46" and have woven 4 blue placemats and 4 purple ones for an order. Now I'm doing a black and white table runner. It's a pattern I've never done before, called "Upholstery from Finland" out of the Davidson book. I really like the pattern, it can either be done in blocks or stripes. I have done both and like the stripes best, especially since they are easier to do, I don't have to remember so many treadlings. Well I'll sign off for now, and see if I can put pictures up of the purple warp, first purple scarf on the loom and the black and white runner on the loom.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

The Beginnings of My Blog

To introduce myself, I am one of two weavers of Kindred Spirit Weavers. I am going to attempt to keep a record of my weaving life on this blog. I have been a fiberholic for as long as I can remember, back to the days of making potholders about age 8, taught myself to knit about age 10, then sewing which I am not fond of but had 8 years of in 4-H, embroidery,traditional rug hooking, then weaving, my passion since 1983. I am pretty much self taught which means I only know one way of doing some parts of the weaving process which isn't always the most efficient way so it's a good thing I don't have to depend on weaving to make a living. I recently acquired a Weavebird computerized loom which is going to require that I learn some new techniques in warping and threading but will give me a whole new world of pattern weaving. Up to this point I have used more color and texture than patterns so I am looking forward a whole new learning experience. Recently I took a 2 day class with Laura Fry, a wonderful Canadian weaver learning different weave structures, and am going to John C. Campbell Folk School for a weekend class by Kathrin Weber Scott on Dyeing cotton the end of this month. This year is one of new friends, new ideas, learning new techniques and now blogging. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?