Cloth No.1

Published on by Jen6 Comments

This morning early, I was impatient for the light to come, giving the muse a rest, and the loom too. Nothing is distorted or broken in the weave, after-all. It went through wash and dry, and a ritual of steam pressing — it is more than fine, it survived my incessant nervous worry as I wove through the last many days, and my misunderstanding of the warp is now an embarrassment, but essential part of the lesson, because really, in the end there is no sacrifice, it is a perfect piece of cloth.

Warp and weft together leave their home, are cut off the loom as if saying goodbye to their birthplace, for a marriage in a journey together for the life of the cloth. Purifying their bond in the water, for wet finishing is when the fibers bloom, the tension evens out, the blatant flaws heal and become only subtle scars. The loom is silent for a short while, and the cloth is folded and stashed away, along with its own potential, as it was meant to be.

♣   Weaving Notes  ♣

  • Yarn: 20/2 mercerized perle cotton, 8400yds / 1 lb, Maurice Brassard, in colors Beige (P-2), Natural (P-100), Turquoise (P-401), Rose (P-145), and Flax (P-5104).
  • Loom: Ashford Brooklyn 4-shaft Table Loom, straight draw threading for plain weave, lifting pairs of odds & evens (1&3, and 2&4)
  • Warping method:  Tested an easy direct warp method, back to front; double threading from back apron rod through heddles and reed, then to peg. Wound on to back beam and finally tied off on to front for weaving.
  • Number of warp ends: Warped in couplets of 20/2, each couplet counts as 1 end. 380 plus 2 extra at each selvedge = 384 ends
  • Reed: 16 dent reed, 2 ends in each dent and 2 ends in each heddle.
  • Width in reed: forgot to measure.
  • Sett on loom: 20epi
  • Selvedges: 4 extra ends at each selvedge and used a temple to keep width in reed.
  • Sett after finishing: Warp 24 epi, and weft 12 ppi.
  • Color Pattern Warp: { 8 ends beige, [4 ends turquoise, 16 ends beige]x8, 4 ends turquoise, 16 ends rose}, 4 ends Flax, mirror reverse { … }.
  • Pattern Weft: No pattern, just one color, Natural (P-100), used shuttle.
  • Finished: 1/4 inch turned hem, then washed and dried in machine, then steam pressed, measuring 80″ long and 14″ wide, and weighs 128g. 
  • Yardage:  Total yardage used for finished piece = 2370y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.

Invincible Spring

Published on by Jen5 Comments

It is the emissary of spring when the wild fruit trees first bloom.

I witnessed the first tiny leaves of the Black Oak, nearly a month early, emerging next to a leaf from last Autumn that was too reluctant to fall.

On the first day of February, I heard what I thought was a deafening sound of cicadas, but learned it is the Pacific Chorus Frogs, and they haven’t stopped since, as if something ominous began that day and continues.

Out walking in the wild, on a trail near my house, I am reminded that in the absence of distractions, I begin to feel peaceful renewal . . . because in the dispassion of winter, I discovered within me an Invincible Spring.

Juno feels it too.

Four Shafts

Published on by Jen3 Comments

I have been craving weaving yards and yards of narrow width, fine cloth, on just a simple little table loom like this, my new Brooklyn four-shaft loom. Using the finest weight cotton and linen threads that I can find, higher epi (ends per inch) should not be so overwhelming with only 16 inches weaving width, shoulder width, therefore it is very ergonomic and a great way to weave longer pieces. I like to stand while I weave, so I have set up the Brooklyn on my loft table which is also my desk, sharing space with everything else, and I can take breaks often to weave a few inches here and there. Just having it there with a long warp waiting, is so inviting. I started weaving my first project, with a hybrid direct warp method, using only the number of heddles for 20epi that the loom comes with, and next time I will add heddles and weave 40 epi. Even though the inexpensive Brooklyn comes unfinished, I waxed all of the pieces before assembling, and I don’t even mind that the sides are plywood, I wanted a little loom just like this one on which to learn to weave ultra fine — at my own pace.

Another Nine Days (Shawl No.2)

Published on by Jen2 Comments

It is just another one of those striking coincidences, that the days it took me to warp, weave, finish, and photograph Shawl No.2 is precisely the same number of days as Shawl No.1. Despite my best efforts to relax and enjoy the process, I began to focus on speeding up my technique, spending less time fussing at the selvedges, and worked at a frantic pace , and now my whole body is sore, and my arm feels like it is going to fall out of its socket. Abelene models the shawl in a most regal way and was compassionate and quiet today, although she did tell me what great work the wind did for the photos!

♣   Weaving Notes  ♣

I wanted to try big blocks of color this time, decided to weave the full length of the warp, not trying to enforce full repeats, so there is a little strip of gold at the end, giving beautiful asymmetry, and a unique folksy touch.

  • Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud lace weight, 440 y = 50g, in Lydia (rust red), Zadie (gold), Willoughby (warm light grey), and Arabella (dark green).
  • Loom: Ashford 32″ rigid heddle loom
  • Warping method:  Easy direct warp method for rigid heddle, 1 end in hole and 1 end in slot.
  • Number of warp ends: 472
  • Reed: 15 dent rigid heddle reed.
  • Width in reed: 30.5″
  • Selvedges: I added 4 extra ends to each of the selvedges, as they tend to get pulled in, and I used a temple.
  • Sett after finishing: Warp 16 epi, and weft 16 ppi.
  • Color Pattern Warp: 118 ends each of Lydia, Zadie, Willoughby, and Arabella, approx 7.5″ blocks.
  • Color Pattern Weft: Same sequence as warp, weaving each color in blocks, but ended in a little strip bit of gold for a folksy touch.
  • Finished: 3″ hand-twisted fringe, then washed and air-dried hanging, and lightly steam pressed. Measures 96″ long (not including fringe) and 29″ wide, and weighs 275g — approx 68g of each color.
  • Yardage:  Total yardage used for finished piece = 2422y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.

Nine Days (Shawl No.1)

Published on by Jen2 Comments

Hi, its me Abelene,

Nine days ago the newest member of the crew arrived, the Ashford 32″ Rigid Heddle Loom, and Jen waxed the pieces and put them together.  She then spent seven days weaving an impressively voluminous alpaca shawl. Today, the fringes were hand-twisted, shawl washed and quickly dried in the cold winter breeze, loose ends trimmed and lightly steamed. Finally, the excitement began when Jen brought me out of the closet to model this beautiful piece of weaving . . . the shawl makes me feel sophisticated, moody, and quite elegant with the color rich weaving wrapped around me, like I could live forever in this moment! Jen has got much more alpaca, so there’s hope this winter will find more shawls coming into view.

Ta ta, Abelene & The Crew

♣   Weaving Notes  ♣

Note from Jen:  Woven in the same lovely alpaca that I have been for many months now, but the weaving width is double of that in the scarf series, and therefore a full sized shawl, at 29 x 84 inches.  I have a lot of ideas for this loom, and I mustn’t be in a rush, but let the hours and days, weeks and months pass by at their own pace; with the awe of a child and the patience of an old woman. Adding to my collection of rigid heddle looms, was inevitable, it was time for this loom, and I know I’ll weave on it a lot! Now, for the tech stuff . . .

  • Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud lace weight, 440 y = 50g, in Amos (green), Lydia (rust red), and Zadie (gold).
  • Loom: Ashford 32″ rigid heddle loom
  • Warping method:  Easy direct warp method for rigid heddle, 1 end in hole and 1 end in slot.
  • Number of warp ends: 472
  • Reed: 15 dent rigid heddle reed.
  • Width in reed: 30.5″
  • Selvedges: I added 4 extra ends to each of the selvedges, as they tend to get pulled in, and I used a temple.
  • Sett after finishing: Warp 16 epi, and weft 16 ppi.
  • Color Pattern Warp: [52 ends Zadie, 52 Amos, 52 Lydia] x 3
  • Color Pattern Weft: Same sequence as warp, weaving each color in blocks.
  • Finished: 3″ hand-twisted fringe, then washed and air-dried hanging, and lightly steam pressed. Measures 84″ long (not including fringe) and 29″ wide, and weighs 241g — approx 80g of each color.
  • Yardage:  Total yardage used for finished piece = 2120y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.