Towels, Weaving, Weaving Tips

I can see clearly now…

Posted on by Jean

I finished weaving the towels I started in the last post. They are gorgeous. I am totally digging this whole boucle thing. It adds a lot of beautiful texture and heft to the towels without making them overly heavy. I should be taking them off the loom today and getting them hemmed this weekend. I’m just weaving up the last bits of old warps that I’d tied onto. There’s a lot of memories as I advance the warp.

  • Dusty plum and gold boucle towels
  • Purple and gold stripe boucle towels

For my weaving friends:

Glimakra with LED light strips added

I love this lighting that I added to my Glimakra and Toika looms a few years ago. Fantastic light, zero heat, inexpensive and they are still putting out plenty of light. I bought a piece of corner trim from the hardware store and a couple of L brackets. The lights are 1/4″ sticky backed tape and I ran them down the length of the trim and then gave a soft twist like a ribbon to run it back the other way. This way I had two rows of lights. I used command strips to attach the L brackets to the loom and to attach the trim with the lights to the L brackets. It gives off fantastic light and you can’t get much cheaper. The best part is that it looks like a part of the loom. I’m sure on other looms you can just stick the lights to a part of the castle. This is the light set I used:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MHLIFO8

Lights Splitter
Splitter

With this splitter I now have the strip on the countermarch and the doubled one on the trim across the front connected together. Perfection. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G6G5DJ0

Here’s a video I shot when I first put them on the Toika.

I have since added an on/off switch so I don’t have to plug/unplug them. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FT4RBBM/ref

  • Plenty of light
  • Before splitter was added
  • Folded end of light strip
  • Command strip to hold L bracket and cord holder
Jean

A handwoven cloth is a very special thing. This ancient art has provided basic clothing, kept our babies warm, decorated our homes, and added fun accessories to our fashions. It never ceases to amaze me the beauty that comes from some thread and imagination. My fingers touch every inch of every thread at least five times before I even begin to weave. This the warp, the threads that are put on the loom. The thread I weave with, that is wound on a shuttle, is the weft. Once the piece is off the loom, it still needs to be wet finished: washed, pressed, and hemmed or fringed. Believe it or not, the actual weaving of the item is the shortest of all the steps unless it's a very complex pattern. I use only the best quality threads and yarns. I'm a firm believer that if you're going to take the time to do something by hand, do it with the best you can find.