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Stitching & Crafting Room:  Any weavers out there?  |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 21 2004 : 12:36:32 PM
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 I found a tabletop loom at a yard sale last month and have finally found that a nearby neighbor also has one. Tomorrow I am taking my loom over to her house and learning how to thread the warp. Can't wait. I checked out a book from the library but it is not clear enough and after talking to Reta my neighbor I found out that it is really a 2 person job so she said after she teaches me we can assist eachother with this project. Sounds like fun to me. She said she always has to wait for her sister to visit before she can get hers done, now she can get it done sooner. The only weaving I have ever done before was without a loom or on one of those little square looms you use to make pot holders.
Any of you do weaving? What do you weave?
Share photos if you can.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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ElizArtist
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Elizabeth
Newbury Park
California
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - Oct 22 2004 : 10:36:33 AM
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Hi Eileen,
I'm a weaver & spinner & knitter. You should be able to warp a loom easily enough with one person. I do it on big looms all the time. But it is fun to have the company. You should check out your local guild the website for HGA is http://www.weavespindye.org they have lists of all member guilds in the country and reps. I learned to weave by myself using Deborah Chandler's book learning to weave, but I really started learning a lot through my guild. It would have been so much easier to have the guild in the first place. Also, there are tons of shops to get books info supplies online. I like Woodland Woolworks in Oregon, Village Spinning and Weaving in Solvang, CA, Yarn Barn in Kansas. Another good source would be to pick up a copy of Handwoven magazine at the book store, it's great as are all interweave press books and magazines.
What do I weave? All kinds of things, I weave dishtowels, yardage for clothes, I want to try weaving a rug, but my looms aren't really strong enough so I'll have a loose rug, I've got some chinelle scarves on one of the looms right now for gifts, and a shadow weave sampler on the other one. How many harnesses does your table top loom have? What kind of loom is it?
Weaving is very fun, you will love it! Or at least I do! I am asking my husband for a digital camera for Christmas until then maybe I can figure out how to do it with the scanner.
Happy Weaving!
Elizabeth
joyously dancing through life |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Oct 22 2004 : 1:00:07 PM
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Elizabeth, My sister has a large wooden loom she bought 20 years ago. It has missing parts. Do you know where she can get parts for it? The Yarn Barn is in Lawrence, Kansas and we both have been there. It is awesome. The University of Kansas is there and has wonderful textile and art classes. I live 2 hours from there. Have you ever visited there? I have made potholders and dish towells but would love to use my sister's loom to expand my horizons.
Time Flies |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Oct 22 2004 : 1:48:37 PM
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Just got back from Retas. We had a good time. She showed me what parts are missing on my loom, simple enough to replace and we cleaned it up. It is a home made table top loom proboably made from an instruction sheet for carpenters in the 30's with 4 harnesses? It has string heddles. One of the missing parts is the supports for the bottom of the heddles which by the look of it were probably dowel as are the tops, and a sort of bracing for the castle. There are no levers for the heddles so must have been manually raised and lowered.
Any way I have been invited to the next meeting on Tuesday along with my hubby. I guess all of this group bring their husbands some of whom weave or spin or both and all help with repair or upkeep on the looms. I think Rodney will enjoy this group. He grew up with a loom similar to the one I got and learned to weave on it although it has been a lot of years since he did any weaving.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Oct 22 2004 : 1:55:51 PM
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Lucky you Eileen! Sounds like fun and bringing the hubby along! Wish I could get my guy to do stuff like that. He'd rather be on his tractor. Maybe someday I'll make a farmgirl outta him! Ha!
Time Flies |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Oct 22 2004 : 2:22:49 PM
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I am afraid I can't take the credit for making a farm girl outta him. His grandma had a lot to do with it. Nothing to do on those cold winter days except get into mischief as a boy after the chores were done.It seems all the men in that family also do some of the Womanly things like crochet or weave. I have a very colorful afgahn that my husband wove the verigated wool squares for on a 4 inch square loom made out of lumber and nails and then crochet together! He used to build models as well and also learned to take apart and repair the family radio much to his mothers surprise, especially when he took it apart the first time without her permission. He grew up to become an electrical engineer and retired to go back to being a farmer.
He is some sort of a wonderful Man.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Oct 22 2004 : 2:40:53 PM
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He sounds like a keeper Eileen! Those guys are the best kind. I will have to say that my guy actually sews! I was ill with both pregnancies and to cheer me up he sewed a maternity jumper for me! No kidding! He went out and picked out the fabric and pattern and stiched it up on my Singer. He grew up with 5 sisters who were excellent seamstress and in 4-H. He was the oldest son with 2 younger brothers. I love him for his feminine side as much as the masculine.
Time Flies |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Oct 22 2004 : 4:21:59 PM
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I have a small navajo loom and and always have a project going on it. Havn't touched it all summer though....need to get to that some day soon. I use mostly my homespun yarn. I have a small tote bag in the works now to hold my weaving tools. It will hang on the side of the loom. I love how it looks in progress. I have a couple really neat old wooden tools (a weighted comb and a beater thing..gosh my mind isn't working today and I can't think what it is called) that I love the feel of. I always have my next project planned..it will be a pillow in fall colors. I can't make anything big with this loom though..only projects about 14 " wide, so I will someday want to get a bigger loom. I do a little weaving with a small wooden frame loom too. Would love to someday get a really neat loom and weave coverlets or something...that would be awesome.
I taught my two oldest boys basic sewing and they always made their own marble bags and like that. They both say it has helped them as adults. I can't imagine my husband sewing..that is great...what a wonderful thing to cheer you up with Jenny!!!
Jenny in Utah
Bloom where you are planted! |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Oct 22 2004 : 7:28:47 PM
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Jenny, Being new to weaving how does a navaho loom differ from another kind of loom? Sounds like something wonderful?
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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Kim
True Blue Farmgirl
146 Posts
Kim
Pflugerville
Texas
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - Oct 22 2004 : 11:04:36 PM
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Jenny,
I think that's great that your husband made a jumper for you! My dad taught himself to sew and (with some help from my step mother) and makes himself pull on cottn pant. Like a cross between sweatpants and pajama bottoms. The girls at the Buffalo Wings place love them!
farmgirl@heart
Be at peace with yourself and the rest will follow |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Oct 23 2004 : 6:43:22 PM
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I spent the better part of today loving life back into the old loom. As I worked with it making parts to replace the missing ones I got the sense that this loom was made by either a young man in woodshop for his mother as a gift or by a young husband with not to much carpentry experience however I could feel a lot of love went into its creation. It is simple and made of pine not hardwood. The pieces are all hand cut with a hand saw and just slightly out of square. The wood is dimensional lumber that would have to be made before all lumber was standardised and smaller than the stated dimentions. Its dimentions are actually on the mark so I know it is very old. As I cleaned up the wood and put a coat of bees wax on everything I could see and feel the marks of much use. I could almost hear singing as I was rubbing the wood. I think I have found a treasure.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Oct 23 2004 : 11:01:38 PM
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A navajo loom is upright and can be all different sizes. The one I have would no doubt be a learning size..maybe for a child. It is hand made of pine.The "real" big ones are many times made of tree branches. It is sort of like a tapestry loom, but warped very very differently..no fringe on the ends...you have to really beat it down hard and it is difficult to get those last few rows in...I guess you would have to see a picture..I think it is very neat. I am at least 1/4 Cherokee..get it from both sides..and am naturally very interested in native american stuff..but the weaving is what I have connected most to. My mom decorates her whole house with "cowboy" and Indian type stuff..lots of weavings, kachina dolls, stuff like that.(mixed with western stuff) I don't do that..just connect more in my own way I guess. You sit on the floor in front of a navajo loom to weave and that is comfortable for me (most days..haha) just seems like you are "right there" not on a chair where you just get up and leave it ...it is part of the room, part of your day.
Jenny in Utah
Bloom where you are planted! |
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ElizArtist
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Elizabeth
Newbury Park
California
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - Oct 24 2004 : 10:38:05 AM
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Hi everyone!
Meadowlark Jenny- If you need to get a loom fixed or parts rebuilt I would definitely contact the Yarn Barn in Lawrence Kansas. They are very helpful and friendly and I'm sure they could send you to someone who could help, and lucky you they are local! I live far away so I've only met them at Southern California conference. Also, I recommend you take a look at Handwoven, there are lots of advertisements in there that may help you find someone. You may need to take detailed pictures of the loom to send to the repair person so they can get an idea of what it needs. If there was a way to post pictures on this site I could take a look and see what may be missing. I'm sure Aunt Jenny would know too.
On Navajo looms, they are wonderful, I have a small one too. I took a class from Pearl Sunrise and bought a loom from her husband. They are very spiritual and do ceremonies with the whole weaving process. It's amazing to get a chance to watch someone like her weave her hands are so beautiful and graceful as they move over the loom. Her husband told us a story at the class of a friend of his who took down a couple of telephone poles on the Res to build his wife a really BIG loom for her rugs. Amazing! But Navajo weaving is slow for me, I like to use the floor looms. I'm really on this kick of making clothes so I'm trying to weave lots and lots of yardage.
Aunt Jenny, I'm trying to finish a Navajo piece and I'm wondering at what point do you change from using the battens and beaters to the tapestry needles? I have about 2" between the top and bottom.
Eileen, your husband sounds wonderful! And I'm glad you are enjoying your loom!
One more thing I wanted to share since weavers and spinners are intimately connected! I just bought a new spinning wheel (used) and it's my dream wheel, a Jensen saxony production wheel. I can't believe I'm so lucky, a friend was selling hers and I happened to take my husband with me to the guild meeting yesterday and he ok'd me buying the wheel! I would never have made such and extravagant purchase without his input, but I know I keep this wheel with me forever. It is made out of solid cherry wood and the wheel is 30" so when I spin Robert has to look through the wheel to see me instead of over it. I'm just so excited I wanted to share that with you all. Here is a website www.bountyfulspinweave.com/saxony.htm with a picture of the smaller Jensen saxony if you want to see it. I don't mean to gush about this I'm just so amazed that dreams come true!
elizabeth
joyously dancing through life |
Edited by - ElizArtist on Oct 24 2004 10:40:12 AM |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Oct 24 2004 : 9:28:21 PM
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I usually switch over to tapestry needles only when I have to, since it is harder for me to beat it down, so I guess abut an inch or two from the end. (top) I have a narrow batten that I use up to that point, when the big one (that is worn and smooth..I LOVE it) is too big. Your new spinning wheel is wonderful I bet!!! I can't imagine life without mine!!
Jenny in Utah
Bloom where you are planted! |
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Sandra
Farmgirl in Training
16 Posts
Sandra
Tazewell
VA
USA
16 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2004 : 08:24:46 AM
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Hi all...my floor loom is a WPA (Work Project Administration) loom made in the mid 1930's. It's a small loom but does more than my knowledge allows <g>. I prefer using my tri-looms or Navajo loom, especially the tri because it's quicker & I can work up shawls, afghans more quickly.
I knit more than weave because knitting is so portable but love it all.
Sandra @ http://www.thistlecovefarm.com...a grasp on the past & a hold on the future... |
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teresa
Farmgirl in Training
17 Posts
teresa
marysville
wa
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - Oct 21 2005 : 8:32:14 PM
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Hi to all! Just visiting this site for the first time and was interested in the conversation. My husband brought home a big loom for me awhile back and it's been sitting in the garage ever since. It's quite big, made of wood with strings or something and extra parts. His co-worker got an inheritence and bought herself a new one and gave him hers because he'd told her once that I was interested in spinning. I know nothing about this loom except it looks intimidating! Any feed back would be great! Thanks...
Teresa
The best is yet to come! |
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KarenP
True Blue Farmgirl
666 Posts
Karen
Chippewa Falls
Wisconsin
USA
666 Posts |
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mustbeteatime
Farmgirl in Training
39 Posts
Colette
MN
USA
39 Posts |
Posted - Oct 22 2005 : 08:22:47 AM
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Aunt Jenny - I took weaving classes in college and our first project was to build a Navajo loom and weave a tapestry. My instructor, although having studied weaving with the Navajo, could not figure out how to start/end without fringe. Do you know of a book or website that show pictures of how to do it they way you describe? I don't have room to get out my large loom and haven't weaved in years - but still am curious about this. I did pick up a small tabletop loom (no harnesses, only simple weaving) at a yard sale last year that I thought I would set up this winter and see if the kids enjoy it.
Enjoy the good things in life - especially when there is time for tea! |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Oct 22 2005 : 7:54:45 PM
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I have several books...let me see.... I will have to look at them to get the titles correct..and they show all of it step by step..warping, ending it and all. I will get the titles for you.
Jenny in Utah
Put all your eggs in one basket..and then watch that basket!! Mark Twain |
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teresa
Farmgirl in Training
17 Posts
teresa
marysville
wa
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - Oct 23 2005 : 09:11:32 AM
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Thank you so much for the information! Sounds like a lot of fun...hope to get started soon.!
terea
The best is yet to come! |
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mustbeteatime
Farmgirl in Training
39 Posts
Colette
MN
USA
39 Posts |
Posted - Oct 24 2005 : 9:38:48 PM
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Thanks Jenny. I have a small Navajo loom, maybe I'll get it out this winter to see if I can figure it out. No rush, because that is a BIG maybe... so many things I want to do and so many started projects... :) -Colette
Enjoy the good things in life - especially when there is time for tea! |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2005 : 4:35:46 PM
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Hi Girls and you guys out there too,
I just finished weaving my first project and I did it from the first yarn that I spun myself! I am so excited. It was fun fun fun!!! After I finished the weaving I put in in the wash machine on hand wash to balance the texture and felt it a little to make it work out really well for a purse. Here is a link to some of the photos.
http://www.snapfish.com/share/p=436251132950682136/l=68496548/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
If you do not have a snap fish account you will need to set yourself up with one. It is really easy and free. Just click where it says "Wait I don't have a snapfish account"
I lined it with an old piece of linen that had been started as a table runner but never finished and I found it at a thrift store. The linen is wonderful and worked out great for a lining.
Eileen
Songbird; singing joy to the earth |
Edited by - Eileen on Nov 25 2005 4:39:57 PM |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2005 : 6:58:16 PM
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Eileen..it is gorgeous...great job!! Makes me want to get back to my loom again..have neglected it all fall~~ and won't get to it much now I guess until after Christmas. I wish there were twice as many hours in the day!!
I love the natural colors!!
Jenny in Utah
It's astonishing how short a time it takes for very wonderful things to happen...Frances Burnette |
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KarenP
True Blue Farmgirl
666 Posts
Karen
Chippewa Falls
Wisconsin
USA
666 Posts |
Posted - Nov 26 2005 : 03:36:53 AM
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Eileen,
It's beautiful!
I think you'll be hooked too.
Isn't it amazing how fast it does go after you have warped the loom?
KarenP
"Purest Spring Water in the World" |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Nov 26 2005 : 5:51:00 PM
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It was so much fun! You are right it did go very fast once I had the loom warped. I have already warped it again to make one for my daughter as a gift. I have about 12 more skeins of my own hand spun and am thinking about using what is left after this project to try my hand at a vest. OHHHHH the endless possibilities!
Ohhh and it would be ever so good to be able to work round the clock without needing to sleep or do any of the necessary other things. I suppose my joy will eventually get tamed down a bit but the thrill is sooo good!
Eileen
Songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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dgarnera
Farmgirl in Training
45 Posts
Debra
Pine Grove
CA
USA
45 Posts |
Posted - Dec 13 2005 : 07:59:45 AM
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Eileen, how fun to have found a table loom at a yard sale. My mom found me a Leclerc Dorothy Table loom at a thrift store. It needs some repair..When I get it repaired I plan on warping it for dish towels. I also have a floor loom that I just got warped for the first time- on my own. I have a scarf going. Well only a few rows.. I got it warped and have been busy since but I plan on weaving some today. It is a gift for my mil so I need to get to work. I am also a spinner.. I look forward to using my handspun in my weaving. I have a 8ft triangle loom being made- to weave shawls on. That should be coming next month. I better get life organized so I can keep up with my weaving, knitting, crochet... and I want to do some embroidery. Not enough hours in the day.
Blessings, debra
Joyful momma of 5 plus 1 in the oven.. |
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Stitching & Crafting Room: Any weavers out there? |
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Any weavers out there?
