Jean Elizabeth Studio

Inventive Warp Winding

Posted on October 27, 2019October 4, 2021 by Jean

Christmas towels are coming soon to the shop. I’m weaving three of each style, but several are already spoken for. I wound traditional colors, but am trying different things in the weft. I have a friend that is fond of turquoise, hot pink and a little lime green. I forgot about the turquoise, but tried lime green and hot pink which are actually working (it reads purple in the picture, but trust me, it’s hot pink). It never ceases to amaze me how warp and weft colors work together.

Broken Twill – Cottolin warp – marled cotton weft – shuttle by KCL Woods

I’m still working on the forever warp of broken twill on the big Swedish girl. Found a black/grey cotton to try as a weft that looks amazing in the cloth. It actually looks like an old wool tweed jacket. It’s been fun, but after over a year of weaving the same threading, I’m really ready for that warp to be done. Time for something new on the Glimakra. I’m trying very hard to stick to a new rule for myself, I never let a loom sit empty. If I do, it’s empty for weeks. My new practice since working on opening the shop is to have a warp ready to go on it before I finish weaving the previous project, then I start getting the new project on right away.

For my weaving friends: When I wind my warps, I use a lot of different methods for holding the yarn. It all depends on what the yarn is packaged on, cones, spools, tubes or cakes.

This one works well when I’ve wound off thread to the cardboard spools that have ends on them. When I buy the bohonkin’ cones of yarn, I can buy just one and wind off on these spools so that I can wind a warp with multiple threads. Really, this is also the answer for those expensive yarns that you don’t want to buy several cones of. You can just wind them off onto these spools. I can’t stand them up on my regular spool rack that feeds off the top because the cardboard ends stop the thread from feeding off properly. The cardboard ends demand horizontal feeding, so this is my answer…. My portable “winding station” works a treat. It’s just a couple of clamps, some small dowels that will fit in the tubes and Texsolv. Works great and takes no room when stored. I will add that larger dowels add a little friction, but still allow the tubes to move freely, will add a little helpful even tension so things don’t just start free-wheeling and get out of hand when you start winding.

So what if I’m using cones you ask? Ta-da! Another multi-purpose, inexpensive tool… When doing cones, I clamp up my homemade raddle with eye hooks, line the cones up under and feed the threads up through the eye that is directly over each cone. You could do the same by just adding a few eye hooks to a small board, but I had the raddle already. I never use it as a raddle any more as I rough sley using a reed now, but I digress…. My raddle came from Peggy Osterkamp’s Special Raddle Plans.

Raddle clamped to my doorway with cones on the floor. The thread is brought directly up from the cone and then through the eyelet directly over the cone and then to the mill. The thread feed directly off the cones with no tipping this way. It’s basically a giant cone stand that stores away easily.

Winding from horizontal spools in mini crates

This is another way I do tubes of thread. To be honest, this is the way I usually do it now, but the doorway Texsolv “station” I wrote about above is always an option and some might like it better.

These mini milk crates are ‘da bomb… I love multi-purpose tools and at $1 each… it’s hard to beat. They make great spool holders for winding bobbins, warp winding from tubes or spools and they’re great for storage. Chico is making sure I’m doing things right.

The nice thing about the crates is they are easy to park on the warping mill when you are winding a bunch of colors and don’t want to cut/tie every time. I wind the thread(s) around the warping peg a couple of times and then park the crate on one the cross beam of the mill. You can park your yarns on a mill a bunch of other ways, too. In the pictures below, you can see that I’ve clamped the crate with the yarns I’m warping as is, simply clamping a crate to the mill, you can just drop the cone or tube in, you can clamp the thread directly to the mill. Lastly, I had an old warping board that I’d built in my early weaving years. It was made of parts from old loom treadles. The cones fit nicely on the dowels, but I had to add screws as posts for the tubes to sit on. This was a little heavy and I could feel it as I wound the warp, but made from a lighter wood, it was handy:

And when no one is handy when it’s time to wind the warp on, my trusty trapeze is ready to help. Everyone else seems to disappear….

Mini Crates to hold spools for bobbin winding

Towels, Weaving, Weaving Tips

I can see clearly now…

Posted on October 17, 2019October 4, 2021 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.

For my weaving friends:

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

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

Towels, Weaving, Weaving Tips

Catching Up

Posted on October 7, 2019October 4, 2021 by Jean

A great first week for the shop! So much so, I need to get busy to get stock back up. I cut the custom Three Sisters Scarves off the Baby Wolf, but there is still another scarf or cowl worth of warp to weave off there. Just need to tie back onto the front rod and get going. Here’s the glamour shots of the commissioned Three Sisters Scarves:

I wound this gorgeous warp that I’m calling, “Golden Harvest” in my favorite “winging it” Color and Weave. The first two towels were woven in teal with some orange stripes on each end and the second two are brown on the ends with orange and brown stripes in the center. I can’t tell you the joy it gives me to weave these towels. I kind of get in a rut with the 2×2 or 4×4 stripes in the weft, but I just love weaving them. They are relaxing to weave and end up being so beautiful in the end. I honestly don’t think I can go wrong no matter what color I choose for the weft.

I’m still working on the dornick twill warp on the Glimakra. I’ve woven some yardage with a linen blend yarn that will be suitable for pillows or tote bags. I got bored with that so am weaving a few more towels like I did on the last warp that I tied this one on to. They are simple weaving, but have that farmhouse looks that’s so popular right now.

For the Weavers out there, I wanted to point out a little tip that’s helpful to me. When I’m doing hems on towels, I like to either use up leftover bobbins or I’ll do a different pattern like in the twill above. You’ll notice it’s a point twill treadling at the bottom part of the photo. That’s my hem. It makes it very easy when pressing the hems before sewing to see what’s what. In my color and weave towels like below, the different colored hems add interest and make it very clear when the fold line is for the hem. It’s a nice way to use up odds and ends of bobbins as long as I have enough for each end.

Another little tip is when I’m hand-hemming as I am with this custom table runner, I use Burt’s Bees lip balm to condition my thread. I always have a tube in my little hemming box and it works well. I just place the thread on top of the balm with my thumb lightly on top of the thread. Then I pull the thread through a couple of times and it’s nicely conditioned. If I don’t do this I get snarls and knots all through it.

Burt’s Bees Lip Balm makes a great thread conditioner.

Weaving, Weaving Tips

It costs how much?!

Posted on September 23, 2019October 4, 2021 by Jean

Since the shop is opening next week, I thought this was a good time for this subject. Something a lot of weavers struggle with is pricing. It may be a shock to some, but I thought if I share what it takes to weave a piece of cloth, pricing would be better understood. If I could weave and give everything away, I would. I wish I could, but it’s an expensive hobby. The equipment is very expensive, the education can be expensive and the threads and yarn are a lot more than you’d think, especially since I’m using high quality thread and a lot of hand-dyed warps (the threads that go on the loom). Then there’s time and skill. Like software engineering or plumbing, it’s a skill and that skill took time and practice to learn. That alone deserves compensation. It amazes me when someone will spend $100 on a mass produced shirt because it has a certain name or emblem on the chest, but they think a handwoven scarf should be $25 because it’s “hand made.” Especially when using hand dyed warps or silk, the yarn to weave the scarf cost more than that. A couple of years ago I documented the steps involved in weaving some towels to show just how much work is involved. These are the Dorothy Towels that I wove in March 2017. This is a fairly simple project, but you can see how much work it takes from planning to towel.

First, the planning…. I believe that if I’m going to put this much time into hand weaving cloth, I’m going to use the highest quality thread I can. These threads are Egyptian cotton milled in Sweden by a company called Bockens. The colors are glorious and light-fast and the thread is top quality. It produces wonderful thirsty towels. Tracy Kaestner (Lone Star Loom Room) and I chose these colors together.

Doing a wrap sample to see how the colors will work. This only gives you an idea. Once you introduce the weft (the thread on the shuttle that you weave with) it can completely change the look.

Then I enter the draft into my computer program so that I can play with the design and colors.

fiberworks — Image from my weaving program called Fiberworks

I then wind the warp. The warp are the threads that go on the loom. The warping mill keeps all those threads in order. The pattern calls for a 13-yard warp for 12 towels. I wound 14 yards. It’s more work to get the project on the loom than it is to actually weave, so I always put a longer warp on. I’d have gone longer if I had more of the required thread. Like most weaving tools, the warping mill is an expensive piece of equipment, but worth every cent for the wear and tear it saves my body. Kind of mind boggling that my fingers touch every single thread several times, but in winding the warp, my fingers touch every single inch of every single thread. This is 491 threads that are 14 yards long… kinda cool….

Threads are measured and wound on warping mill to keep in order.

The threads are drawn through the reed so the project will be the desired width. This is called rough sleying. I’ll do it again later at a finer rate that sets how many threads I want per inch. The two sticks (lease sticks) running through the threads at the top of the photo are what keep the “cross” (between the sticks) and keep the threads in order, which is imperative to the process. I formed the cross while winding the warp on my mill. Should have taken a picture of that, but didn’t think of it at the time.

Winding on to the back beam… I warp back to front unless I’m using a hand dyed warp, then I warp front to back so I can design at the reed. I usually have a “volunteer” to hold the warp, but I used books to weight it this time. Keeping tension on the warp is what makes it behave. If you get tangles in a 14-yard length of 491 threads… that’s a huge waste of money. Thread is expensive. It’s also a giant headache and kind of ruins the calming effect weaving has on me. 😉 A round of sticks are inserted every fourth round on the back beam so that the threads don’t bite into each other causing tension problems when you weave.

Threading time… I used to dread this step as a beginner. I’ve learned some tips and gained a lot of confidence over the years. The biggest breakthrough was that it doesn’t have to be done all at once. I usually finish in a couple of sittings, but there have been times when life was busy that it took several days to get the threading done in bits and pieces. This warp had 491 threads and a more difficult threading sequence than some. Per the draft (pattern), the threads are threaded through the eyes of the heddles. On this loom I have Texsolv heddles. I don’t need a hook to thread and I enjoy these much more than the metal heddles I have on one of my smaller looms. Another tip I’ve learned is to check and recheck my threading every couple of inches worth of thread or after so many repeats. I still find errors now and then when I start weaving, but I usually catch them before it’s a big deal.

Now it’s time to sley the reed for the final time. I know. It sounds funny. Perhaps some medieval weaver likened dressing the loom to fighting a dragon. It’s not as awful as it sounds. It’s actually kind of relaxing unless you make a mistake that you don’t catch before you start weaving. The reed holds the cloth at the desired width and the threads at the desired threads per inch to have an even cloth. This is a 12 dent reed. I’m placing two threads in every slot, which puts them at the required 24 threads per inch. Pretty standard sett for the size of cotton I’m using in a twill draft. The two white threads on the far left are just temporarily holding the reed steady on that end while I work my way across from right to left.

I learned this method of tying on at Vävstuga, the Swedish Weaving School in Massachusetts. I thought I loved it at first, but it was puppy love and we’ve since broken up. I’m going steady with my old way of lashing on (those medieval weavers sure were brutal…). It’s my favorite and I like to give things a try, but lashing on saves thread and it’s just easier to get even tension and get going… at least for me. Every weaver has their reasons and their favorites. This is lashing on. It’s quick, easy and saves thread:

You might think we’re ready to start weaving now. Nope. Not quite yet.

Now we have to set the pattern to the treadles so the pattern will magically appear as you treadle and weave. When I first bought this loom I nearly threw my back out trying to do this. Seriously. It was a lot of climbing under the loom in unpleasant positions tweaking and tweaking until I finally got it right. I have since changed the way I have this loom and the smaller loom from Finland set up. I can make all the changes on top (where the black and white beads are) instead of underneath the treadles. SO. Much. Easier. For any Weavers with a countermarch loom, if you’re interested in what I did, all the deets are here on my Ravelry page. It’s been a while since I did it, so you’re really going to have to rely on what I wrote and the videos I did.

Now we check to make sure we have a clean, open shed … and we do! Actually, the top isn’t great, but I only worry about the bottom. It needs to be flat so the shuttle can glide across without getting caught up or picking up the wrong threads. I do a little happy dance in my head when the shed is clean on the first look.

This is a beautiful site. A clean, open shed.

And finally the fun begins. The actual weaving is actually the shortest part of the process. If I change the way the treadles are tied up, I can change the patterns. I’ve worked all this out previously in my computer program. I can also change it just by treadling a different way.

So there you have it…. a lot goes into a piece of woven cloth. What seems tedious to some is very calming to my OCD mind. And pulling that cloth off the beam at the end of a warp is so satisfying to me.

If only it ended when I pulled the cloth off the loom. There’s still plenty to be done. It all needs to be finished. Everything gets washed, either by hand or in the machine, depending on the fabric. Everything gets pressed. Scarves get fringes twisted. My towels, for now at least, all have a little handwoven tab added to the hem. I weave these on small inkle looms when we’re traveling or I just need to keep my hands busy.

And finally… there’s the photography and admin work of getting it all posted online. Truth be told, this probably takes me longer than all the rest of it. It’s a lot of work, but I love it all. Okay… I’m lying. I don’t love the ironing part. 😉

Towels, Weaving, Weaving Tips

Naughty Knots

Posted on September 20, 2019October 5, 2021 by Jean

I took eight autumnal color and weave towels off the Liisa loom last night. They are amazing and will be in the shop when it opens. The warp is cottolin (50/50 linen/cotton) and the weft is cotton bouclé. The bouclé adds beautiful texture and absorbency. The colors are so rich and make me think how beautiful they would be lining a basket of bread on the Thanksgiving table. I found the perfect band in my basket of handwoven inkle bands for the hanging tabs, a little extra somethin’ that I like to add to my towels.

When I’m winding a warp there are knots in the thread sometimes. If I come to them near an end of the warp, I cut the threads (all of them) and pull the knot past the cut end, then re-tie as if I was tying a new color into the warp. If I come to the knot in the middle of the warp, well… that’s a whole other story. I tried pooling all the threads on the floor once and getting the knot out … let’s just say it was a mess. I leave them now. They are MUCH easier to fix on the loom.

There are a zillion ways to do this, but this is the way I do it most of the time. I watch for the knots as I advance my warp. That’s easy to do on the Glimakra and the Toika, because I actually have to be at the back of the loom to release the brake. I “time” it so that I can fix the knot in between towels (or whatever the project is). In this case, the knot was in front of the reed when it was time to fix it. I cut the thread at the knot and tie on a new end from the yarn source.

I leave the tube at the front of the loom and pull the thread back through the reed and heddle towards the back of the loom. I make it long enough so there is plenty of slack. I go back to the front of the loom and cut the thread off the tube and tie a knot right at the fell line. Remember… this is between towels, so the new knot won’t show in the finished product.

Then I go to the back of the loom, gather up the excess and clamp it in a pair of hemostats to hang off the back of the loom. The hemostat adds the perfect weight for tension and holds the threads together well.

You can see that I add a lot of thread, so it’s hanging almost to the floor. It has to be hanging over the back beam so it can keep the tension on the thread with the weight.

Tee pin used to anchor thread at fell line

I keep an eye on it and as soon as the original warp thread is long enough to make it to the fell line in a new towel, I remove the hemostat, pull the thread back through to the front, tie at the fell line between projects, making sure the tension is about the same as the rest of the warp and then I’m ready to go. This is one of those things that takes much longer to explain it than it does to do it. I’d say it’s maybe a couple of minutes total. Obviously, this only works if you’re in between projects on the loom. If a thread breaks in the middle of a project, instead of tying at the fell line, I place a T pin parallel to the fell line and wrap the old and new threads around that.

A treasure basket of bands. I love to add a hanging tab to the hems of my towels and there’s almost always the perfect one waiting for me in this basket.

Warping, Weaving

Lazy or Efficient? You be the judge

Posted on September 9, 2019October 5, 2021 by Jean

At the end of a weaving project, when there’s still some warp left on the loom, I pull cones of yarn from my stash and weave with them to see what kind of fabric I’ll get. At the end of the table runners I cut off the big loom a couple of weeks ago, I tried a mill end that had been on the shelves for a while. It’s a gorgeous linen blend and I thought it would make great yardage for tote bags. Any weaver will tell you that the cloth isn’t finished until it’s been wet finished (washed). It still amazes me the change in fabric from off the loom to after it’s wet finished. It can go from cardboard to cloth with magnificent hand and drape. This fabric couldn’t have surprised me more. It’s way too luscious for a tote bag. I wish I had more of the linen blend weft because I’d weave yardage for a jacket or skirt. Instead, I’ll have to settle for throw pillows. I just tied another very long warp on that loom to weave off the three cones of that linen blend. There will be plenty of warp left to weave some thicker cotton for tote bags and probably still more left for towels. This threading has been on that loom for almost a year now. After this, it’s time for something new, but it’s worked hard for me… table runners, place mats, pillows, totes, towels and blankets.

For my weaving friends: I’m lazy… or efficient… you be the judge. If there’s a shortcut, I’ll find it. I have a love/hate relationship with winding warps. If I’m winging it and creating color changes at the mill, I love it. If I’m winding for a specific project, especially one color warps for dyeing… not so much. Over the years I’ve changed the way I wind a warp more times than I can count. I have a plethora of DIY threading stations and I change them up depending on my mood (pic above) or the type of bobbin or cone the yarn is on. I try new things as I hear about them on the weaving forums or as I learn them in workshops. Some stick, some don’t. I really want to love winding with the tubes vertically because it’s so simple to switch them out of the holder. I get a lot of twist when I do that though. My warps beam smoother if I wind the tubes from a horizontal position, so that’s usually what I do. There are a lot of ways to do everything. I say that the way that works for you is the right way. If you paint or knit or weave, there will be people that tell you, “Oh… that’s not the the correct way…” I’ve heard it plenty myself. If you end up with a painting, a sweater, or a stable piece of cloth that you are happy with, then you’ve done it right.

I never got the hang of a warping paddle. To be honest, I didn’t try that hard because what I do works for me. I almost always wind with at least two threads in the cross. Most of the time I have four. Sometimes I feel reckless and go with six, but 2-4 is my comfort zone. I just hold them together and get them on the mill winding all four together into the cross. I’ve done this hundreds of times and have never had a problem, but I’m still told it’s not the right way to do it.

I also don’t use a guide string…. I can hear the gasps from here. lol. They get in my way and I always end up forgetting about them and tying them into the warp before pulling it off the loom anyway and then I’m lost for winding subsequent bouts for that warp. I came up with my “connect the dots” method. I painter’s tape on the uprights of my mill. When I wound a warp, I would mark the length along it’s path on the uprights and then when I wanted another warp that length, I’d just connect the “dots.” Again… I’ve done this I don’t know how many times, but it’s A LOT and I have never had a problem. Here you can see a warp wound this way… two halves wound separately (I only wind 8-10″ worth of warp per bout) and they are exactly the same length:

Click on the pic for close up. You can see my connect the dot painter’s tape in this picture as well.

Recently I started using the following method more: I know my mill is 30″ across. I figure out how many times 30″ goes into whatever length I want and I count sides as I wind. So… say I want a 10-yard warp… 10×36 = 360/ 30 = 12 sides. I usually add one more side for safety sake. Better too long than too short and it gives me sampling room at the beginning or a warp or play room at the end…. So I need 13 sides. I don’t count the first bit from the cross pegs to the first upright. That is an automatic 22″ on my mill. I count that as my built in my loom waste. So, I start the cross, go to the first upright and then start counting as I pull the yarn at a slight angle upwards across to each upright after that until I hit seven. I add the path to the painter’s tape so it’s there next time I want that length. Lazy or efficient… I don’t know, but it works for me. I’ll just let that sit for a while before I confuse you more with how I usually wind my towel/blanket warps double the length I need, with a cross on each end and fold them in the middle. Man, does that speed things up. Especially if you’re winding symmetrical stripes. 🙂

Weaving

What I’m working on

Posted on September 3, 2019October 5, 2021 by Jean

I’m working hard on the shop. There is SO much to learn in the website admin world. I feel like I’m crawling, but I’ll get there. I’ve given myself a deadline of October 1st to have the shop up. Knowing my competitive spirit, I may just get it done early now that I’ve announced it to the world….

I thought I’d share some of my equipment. Weaving is a big hobby. Big on funds and big on space, but also really big on it’s rewards. If you’d have told me five years ago that I would have three floor looms one day, I’d never have believed it. It gives me the freedom to do different types of projects at once and to weave on something while I’m planning the next project. It took me a while to find my perfect looms. I’ve had several others that I’ve sold off, but I finally found my perfect three. The little cherry loom was a gift from Dan for my 50th. It is the easiest to set up and the cherry wood has deepened beautifully with age. The idea was to have a loom for workshops, but I’m so fearful of messing up the wood that it never leaves the house. I fell in love with the Glimåkra looms from Sweden at Homestead Heritage and never thought I’d be able to have one until I found one for a steal. We had to drive 12 hours each way to Omaha to pick her up, but she was worth every mile. And the newest girl to the herd is the 1987 era Toika Liisa from Finland (via Ohio). I’ve had her for a couple of years now and she might be my favorite.

Schacht Baby Wolf in cherry from Boulder, CO

I also have a little travel loom that I can do scarves on when we’re camping or on a road trip. I have a stand for her as well and it all fits easily in an Ikea bag, even with a project on it.

Then there’s all the various sized band and inkle looms for band weaving. And when I really want to get rustic, there’s the backstrap loom. I have one I built myself and one I bought in Guatemala a couple of years ago.

My Glimåkra warping mill lives in a corner of our bedroom. It’s HUGE. It’s about six and a half feet tall by two and a half feet across (10 feet around). This was a giant splurge, but the difference it makes in winding a warp is huge. I generally wind at least 14 yard warps and it’s so much faster and easier on my body with the mill. It’s the tall one in the photo.

Then there’s the threads and yarn, books and small tools…. Like an artist who paints, you can’t expect a weaver to only have one color, texture or size of medium on hand to create. All of those boxes and baskets are filled with yarn and tools. I’ll be honest, it’s rarely this tidy, but this isn’t even all of it. There are bags of warps waiting to be dyed and bags of warps that I’ve dyed waiting to get on the looms. Most of my cottons are in the living room in the workstation near the big loom. This little cart moves from loom to loom as I need it. It’s rarely this tidy either. 🙂

Weaving, Workshops

Fiber Crafts at Homestead Heritage

Posted on August 30, 2019October 5, 2021 by Jean

Homestead Heritage Fiber Crafts — Fiber Crafts Building at Homestead Heritage

I love this place and everyone there. If you’re ever going through Waco, be sure to stop by Homestead Heritage and say hello to my friends. There’s something for everyone. It can get busy on Saturdays (they aren’t open on Sunday), especially if the weather is nice. It’s a little over an hour from me, so I don’t get to go near as often as I’d like, but I do try to get up there as often as I can. There’s a lot to see, so plan a day with the family. Definitely make time to walk around and check it all out and don’t miss having a meal at the Cafe… again… it can get busy…. My tip is to go check into the Cafe first and get your name on the list, then walk around and they’ll let you know when your table is ready. Or… order it to go if it’s a nice day and eat outside at one of the picnic tables.

I love going up there to weave for workshops and during their Weaving Extravaganza. If you ever wanted to try your hand at weaving, this is your chance. A couple of times a year they have several looms set up with various projects. I promise, there is always at least a couple that a beginner who’s never touched a shuttle can accomplish. There’s a set price for 1/2 day or full day, depending on your project and then you pay for the materials.

Come with me back to February 2015 when I attended my second workshop with Joanne Hall there. So much fun to weave projects that I might not have tried otherwise and trying fibers I might not have done on my own (like tow linen which is the shorter flax fibers).

Joanne Hall 2015 Class at Homestead Heritage

1. Boundweave – Thought I’d get a whole wall hanging done. Bahaha. Very time consuming. I’ll sew this little band onto a denim tote… someday….
2. Small wool runner with linen warp in rosepath threading.
3. Daldrall (Swedish Overshot) table square – probably my favorite.
4. Swiss Dot napkins in fine 16/2 cotton. Fun, quick and easy
5. Twill towel in 16/2 cotton. Another quick and easy one.
6. Tow linen tote. First time weaving with this type of linen. It made a great tote bag.
7. Rag rug in Swedish Rosepath. This was an all-dayer, but loved doing it. It’s a pretty good size rug. About 2 ft x 3 ft. Totally not my colors, but I waited til the end to choose my fabrics and the pickens were slim.
8. Linen guest towel (pictured below).

My first workshop with Joanne was in October 2013. It was the Swedish Art Weaves Class. The looms were threaded 1234. Treadles 3 and 4 were tied up for plain weave while 1 and 2 were tied up for dukagang (my favorite of the weaves we tried). On the back are (from the top) Halvkrabba, Tapestry (this was the hardest for me), Dukagang, Monk’s Belt, and Krabba. The little strip of “rick rack” is Krabba. I have yet to sew this into the bag that I planned. The stripes will be the back of the bag. I was trying to use up my wool. I’m going to inkle weave the sides and strap to put it together. The wool is Faro from Sweden and beautiful stuff to work with.

Here are a few other things I’ve woven up at Homestead:

Uncategorized

Hello World!

Posted on August 23, 2019October 5, 2021 by Jean

Hello World and welcome to my very own website!! The shop isn’t quite ready yet, but hoping to have it filled with lots of handwoven lovelies by October 1st.

This has been quite the learning experience, but I’m just about there. I don’t want to open the shop until I can fill it up, but I wanted to have my blog available, so here we are.

I’ve transferred over all my old blog posts and will fill in the blank spot since I haven’t blogged much over the last ten years.

Dyeing

Dyeing in the Texas Sun… yes you read that right…. ;-)

Posted on August 14, 2017June 10, 2022 by Jean

The blanket I wove at Vavstuga Basics and a 4×4 dyeing technique explained by Catherine Marchant at Curious Mondo was my inspiration to dye a bunch of worsted weight wool yarn I’ve had in my stash since we lived in Germany over 12 years ago. I have 12 skeins of it. I broke eight up in half to do the 4×4 dyeing technique and I have the other four skeins outside soaking up the Texas sun as I type.

For the 4×4 dyeing I split up eight 100 gram skeins, they should each be 50 grams, but the skeins were all short of 100 grams. One was as low as 88 grams! Since I’ll never reproduce this exactly again, I just pretended they were all 50 grams for the sake of my math phobic brain.

In the video, Catherine measured dye using teaspoon measurements to dye 1 ounce skeins. I used my 1% dye stock solutions and 50 gram skeins. I dyed all 16 skeins first in Lichen Green. I dyed four skeins using 5ml, four skeins using 15ml, four using 30ml and four using 70ml of lichen 1% dye stock solution. I processed until the dye was exhausted (water was clear). I spun the excess water out and made four piles of the skeins, one of each DOS in each pile, so there were four piles with four of shades in each pile (I wish I’d taken a picture). Then I did the same process and dyed each pile in midnight blue in the same amounts that I did with the lichen. I love the effect! It will be perfect for the shading in the blanket.

I took 2 pounds of purple wool yarn from my stash that is a little heavier worsted weight, almost aran, and overdyed it in midnight blue for the weft. It came out very bright and I was looking for something earthier to go with the 4×4 skeins, so I overdyed with a little chocolate brown. The jury is still out. I still think it’s too bright and I might just order something to use as weft.

As I was doing the purple to blue yarn it occurred to me that my kitchen was getting very hot. I looked outside my garden covered in shade cloth to protect it from our very hot August Texas sun and smacked myself on the head. It was only 9:00 am, so I had all day for it to cook in the sun. I hauled both steamer pans full of water and yarn out to the yard, covered them with large black plastic garbage bags and went back inside to tend to other things. By 2pm, the dye was exhausted and the water was clear!!! While I was at it I put some Targhee roving in the other steamer and used lichen, purple and yellow, then I over dyed with more purple to tone down the yellow. This sheds a whole new light on dyeing in bulk for me because if there’s one thing we have here in Central Texas, it’s plenty of sunshine!

This leads me to the last four skeins of the yarn that I used in the 4×4. I decided I could use them as a semi solid strip in the blanket, so I put them out in one of the pans about a half an hour ago after soaking for about a half an hour. I’m doing a guestimate measurement to get a nice greenish blue with the same two colors I used in the 4×4. Odds are it will match one of the colors I dyed in the 4×4, but that’s okay. I’m excited to see how long it takes for the dye to exhaust.

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