Another Great Place to Be

More to follow...

Floating Selvedges

For the first 20 years, I never added a floating selvedge. I don't remember what finally got me to give it a try. Once I did, though, I have never looked back---although I have tried several different variations on the theme. Currently, this is what I do, but this is not to say that my method is set in stone.

I won't go into all the different variations, but now I wind an end that is the same yarn as the warp and double it. The color I select is the color I will use for my weft (if I know what color that will be). If I don't know what color I am going to use for the weft, then I match to the warp (especially if the warp is a different color on each edge). I wrap the double end around any handy cone of yarn (leaving a couple yards), and place the cone on the floor in the appropriate place. I take the loose end, bring it through the loom next to the last (or first) warp end (but not putting it through a heddle. You can see in the picture below, I skip one dent (I have skipped 2 dents in the past, but currently I am playing around with a single skipped dent), and tie the end onto the bar with the other warp ends.


Once the floating selvedge is secured in the front, I clip weights (which are easy to adjust as I weave) to selvedge thread in the back. The red weight is 6 oz. The orange one weighs less, so I added the ever popular film can with pennies to equal 6 oz.


Presto, you are ready to go!

Jury duty is over.

You can see that I am already weaving. Pictures will arrive later.

A Wonderful Place to Be

I do love being at this point in a project---on the verge---so full of possibilities.

I have jury duty tomorrow morning (very early), so I have to retire early now and not weave tomorrow day.

Wound Back and Through the Heddles

I'll get some pictures with better light so you can see the lovely pastel BAMBU 7.


I can't wait to see what the wide planet stripes look like woven.


I am actually through the reed, but I will wait until daylight to take anymore pictures.

The Start of An Exciting New Kit

Irene, of Cotton Clouds, suggested a Color Horoscope Weaving Baby Blanket Kit in a soft pastel palette, so I decided to give it try.

After much back and forth we settled on these colors:

R #919 carnation

RO #493 coral

O #159 conch

YO #048 honey

Y #875 buttercup

YG #300 willow

G #883 cilantro

T #106 aruba

B #799 sky

I #199 light lavender

P #444 crocus

RP #620 raspberry

I think we substituted something else close for "sky", but I can't put my hands on that just now.

The next question I had to answer is how to make a horoscope weaving that would equal 18" sett at 20 epi (and 15" sett at 24 epi) to come out to be 36" wide. The obvious answer would be to go around the horoscope twice, but Irene asked for another solution. I decided to try making each of the 10 planets a 1" stripe (making the width 28"). Then I will add a 4" solid colored (well, in this case "pearl") border making 36" on the loom.

I am really curious to see how this is going to look.

Amazing Memphis

I am sure this was my best Color Horoscope Weaving workshop ever. I know I say that every time, but they just keep getting better. I believe having students come to class with their looms all warped and ready to go is the best way. Since the workshop was postponed at the last minute from November (when I got the flu), it really gave everyone plenty of time to get ready.

I don't know why I didn't take pictures of the students at work. I just took a close-up picture of their weaving. When I returned home, I had to play around with the images and came up with this---a virtual Memphis class quilt.


And Kaaren even finished her weaving in time for me to actually take one picture of a student.


Everything they say about Southern Hospitality is true. The biggest surprise for me was that the workshop actually took place in Mississippi. I would have gotten low marks in geography. It did make me feel a little better when everybody I asked in Seattle "What state borders Tennessee to the South?" nobody knew the right answer. (grin) I also liked the fact that when it rained, nobody blamed me as if I brought rain with me from the Northwest.

The only slight glitch is the baggage inspectors busted the zipper on my (used to be) trusty workshop suitcase. I won't be able to use it again. But everything else was perfect.

Moving Forward

It seems as if this new decade is moving very rapidly. The workshop in Memphis, postponed because I got the flu, is happening this weekend. I fly out on Friday morning. Lists are being made along with all the last minute scrambling.

Here is another picture of the Birthday Mitzvah actually hanging on the wall, it's new home. The thicker bars are 1" wide (forgot to measure, but it must be 22"-24" wide).

Imagine my surprise to discover this bamboo/ un-knitted cashmere shawl actually looks Guatemalan. The dark ikat along the edges is another weaving. I just happened to be hanging there.

I am donating this shawl to the YWCA RAGS Guild of Tacoma for their annual show and sale. More to follow on this.
In fact I shipped it off today. (and checked it off my list)

The gaps in my blogging this past six months can't be retrieved. Once I stop moving forward, inertia seems to seep into the blogging part of my brain. Hopefully I will be able to get back on track. Everything seems to be shifting, and things I felt sure of no longer seem so.