Yeah, I know I missed last week. These pictures were actually all taken, well, most of them, last week, but I didn't have the mental energy to explain them and then the next thing I knew it was...like Friday.
It's quarter after ten and I once again don't feel like I can give this post the energy it needs, but I'm going to try to hit the high spots so I have a record of at least some of how this project has progressed. This is the Elizabeth shawl. Finally.
After stewing and stewing on how much of each color I wanted to use and how I wanted to use the colors, I finally decided to just figure out the percentages of the colors as they came off the wheel. I don't remember now how I separated out the colors before combing and spinning, hence the importance of documentation (head smack).
I like how Betsy appears to be studying the loom (the Big Mac) in front of her. She's probably amazed at the dishtowel mess on there. I'll be weaving the shawl on the Baby Mac for just that reason.
I'm not going to address how the warping board also appears to be appalled at the dish towel mess in front of it.
Normally I wouldn't have left each color on as I wound the warp, but I wanted to see all the colors together in case it told me something about the mix aka something else to stew about...which I did for about a week and then finally decided to just go with it by the math and how it turned out was how it was supposed to turn out.
But yes, still stewing.
I sleyed the reed using the 'by the book' maths to determine which size reed I should use...and didn't like it. Thought it was too crowded.
So I pulled out the little Dorothy table loom and wove a sample...like I should have from the very beginning. I threaded it looser, did a right and left twill, thought maybe I should double check the denim twills and found that actually jean denim is not a 2/2 twill, but a 3/1 twill for heavy denim and 2/1 twill for lighter weight fabric.
I sampled the 3/1 and hated it and then thought what the heck and pulled the last half of the sample out and re-threaded it for a 2/1 twill and really liked that. Sorry to not explain that more for non-weavers, but it's now 10:40 and I'm tired :-o. Here's a good simple explanation.
I also had a great plan to take pictures of 20 and the Sock Monkey doing all this since they tend to be the ones to fix most of my yarn problems...and forgot. It would have been really cute. Sigh... Edited to add the next morning - Oh wait! I did take a picture of them studying the Baby Mac at least :-).
My next dilemma was the orange. I'd originally planned to just use that for the hem stitching, but stewed on that for awhile and decided (after it was threaded and wound on of course) that I wanted it to run up both edges as well, like the side seams of blue jeans.
I stewed on how to make that work without un-doing anything, started putting the hemstitching in and didn't like it so took it out, pulled one of the four hand woven (with a needle, long story) picks of the plain weave edge to make it three to match the three shafts I was using (don't ask me why I thought that was important), got the side orange set up and started weaving and after about three inches I decided I did want the hem stitching after all and put that back in. Yes, I'm exhausting even myself at this point.
I'm a little worried that the fabric is too "sleazy" but it was sleazy on the sample as well and it fulled nicely so I'm [weaving] on with confidence... I'm about halfway through.
As far as books....yeesh...I've hit some duds lately. Well, duds really isn't the right word. My most recent book, The One and Only Ivan was very well rated and I guess most folks really enjoyed it, but even though I had to assume the ending was going to be happy, I really struggled getting to that ending having to listen to and be reminded of what people do to animals.
Speaking of animal books, after I raced through all of the Tiffany Aching books last year I listened to The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents. Terry Pratchett was just an incredible story teller. I have listened to these six books several times now and each time I catch something new and brilliant that I'd missed before. These I can highly recommend!
Joining in with Ginny for the...
9 comments:
Oh, this is so much fun! I really cannot wait to see the finished shawl, both as it comes off the loom and after it has been fulled. Make sure you measure it before fulling because I want to know your shrinkage ratio.
Will do! I don't tend to get as much shrinkage with Jacob as others breeds, but luckily this yarn is pretty "sticky" so I think it will full okay.
Totally with you on the dithering...... There are so many choices, always..... Actually *picking* something and moving on can be really hard! For me this is not as much perfectionism as it is waffling between coices.
With you also on dud books. I won't read books that include abuse of children or animals. I really prefer books where only bad people have bad things happen to them.... I have closed so many books and sent them back to the library in the last few years. My standards are strict and idiosyncratic.... Many books that please others leave me cold. Last night I took up Daughter of Time again. I haven't read that one in a while.....
As I am overwhelmed by all you need to know to weave I will simply appreciate all your critter consultants especially the beautiful Betsy.
I hope you had a good night's sleep.
Ah, so much prep work! You are much more dutiful than I ever will be, and your results will be so much prettier!
I think Betsy wants you to weave some of her fur into the finished object. Calico = very attractive color combination ;)
All the weaving is over my head so will spare you any comments on that. (But thank you for all the pictures.)
Terry Pratchett was one of a kind and I love reading and rereading his work. My favorites are the Night Watch books.
So interesting, Your pictures are so clear. thanks
We visited the Lowell, Mass weaving mills last spring, it was unreal.
I have to agree with "I Need Orange" - I simply refuse to read books that include certain topics. I hear it on the news, it comes up in conversations, I do not need to immerse myself in that kind of darkness - especially since reading can make my imagination go into overdrive.
However (perhaps rather strangely) I do love murder mysteries. yeah, I know, go figure.
Not sure if they are available as "listening" books, but if you'd like to try them, Louise Penny has a wonderful series of books featuring Chief Inspector Gamache. They are not especially gory, the characters are amazing, the themes are deep, there is much thinking involved. Just a wonderful Canadian author writing about a lovely little village in Quebec near the Vermont border.
Not sure I could wrap my brain around the weaving - but I'd love to wrap myself with a shawl like that. Can't wait to see the beautiful finished garment.
Chris S in Canada
Winter Weaving Workshop: the online version
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