Italian Silk To Begin the New Year

 I did manage to get another loom dressed in time for the New Year.

This is the little Leclerc Dorothy 4 harness table loom dressed in pure Italian silk for a Pinwheel pattern. It will be a learning experience for me, for sure. I'm not really sure how to "properly" carry the yarns up the selvedge. I'm also not sure if I should have done the beginning hemstitching in black, before throwing the first few picks of the pattern in white? I kind of wish now that I had, though I'm not taking it out now.

One Neck Kink Later

 I managed to get the 6 metre, 480 thread warp onto the Woolhouse Tools Carolyn yesterday, but it was quite the undertaking and resulted in a sore neck.

Did I learn my lesson? Nope. I'm back at it again today, planning, winding, threading, sleying, beaming, and tying on another warp (if all goes well!). This time it will be a smaller project. Just a scarf for the wee little Leclerc Dorothy loom.

New Starts for the New Year

I'm attempting to get all my looms dressed in time to ring in the New Year. I have some vague recollection that a dressed loom is supposed to be symbolic of great potential for the new year -- 'er somethin'. Maybe I made that up? Anyway, sounds good to me.

First up is the Saori loom, now dressed in a multi-textural warp in natural colours. No specific end product in mind, just "yardage" to tame the overflowing stash box of natural coloured yarn bits and bobs.

Next up is the larger of my two Inkle looms. I have warped it for a white/black/grey-silver band that I'll use a portion of for my growing collection of interchangeable bands for my medical alert information tag.

Now being wound for my Woolhouse Tools Carolyn is an 8/2 cotton warp for dish towels. These will be woven in a 2x2 twill. They are another stash buster project, this time using up small amounts of various blue cottons.

If I somehow find the time between now and the New Year I'd like to also put a short warp on my wee little Windhaven Ukulele inkle loom. Maybe a tubular band of some sort? The little Dorothy could use a scarf warp too. We'll see how far I get. Not much time left in 2022!

One Warp, Three Scarves

I have completely finished all three scarves woven on the Tencel/cotton warp I purchased from a fellow guild member. I wove all three scarves in the same 2x2 twill, but gave each a different weft.

Weaving with the little Dorothy was a delight once I switched out the standard lever system for the much quieter and easier to use wooden levers and Texsolve cord system. 

A New (To Me) Loom

Not too long ago I was fortunate enough to pick up a used Leclerc Dorothy loom for a good price. Unfortunately It was missing its reed, which is a costly and absolutely necessary piece. I was lucky that the local guild had a used reed on hand that they were willing to sell to me at a fraction of its cost if purchased new.

My next improvement to the loom was to change out the notoriously noisy side lever system of the Dorothy to a wooden lever system with texsolve cords. The loom is not just way quieter, it is also much easier and less fatiguing to use.

Then, at the next guild meeting, Betty, a fellow guild member, had a lovely 6 yard warp for sale. I had been looking for an appropriate project for the new little loom so I snapped it up. This is the first of 3 scarves that can be woven on the warp. Thanks Betty!