A New Band

Late last December I dressed three of my looms to "start the New Year off right" without naked looms. Then the looms sat, mostly untouched. Well, I finally have the smallest of the projects finished. It's just an Inkle band, but it is one I do have a purpose for.

Years ago I bought myself a medical alert bracelet that you can buy interchangeable bracelets for. They are expensive, so right from the start I was determined to make my own. Initially I tried making beaded bracelets, but they had a tendency to break and, with that, came the risk of losing them. 

I then tried making decorative Inkle band bracelets for it, and that was far more successful. I have quite a collection of them now, and often make them so that they coordinate with items in my wardrobe.

This is the newest bracelet and it's made from that recently finished Inkle band. I often get questions from Inkle weaving enthusiasts wanting new and creative uses for their beautiful bands, so I'll answer them here.

The findings I finish the bands with are available through Etsy, and if you are lucky, sometimes you can find them at local beading supply stores. The ends that finish the band are called "ribbon ends" and I connect those to the lobster claw clasps with split rings.

The tools I use are flat round pliers that I use to get a good grip on the split ring when I am turning it to feed it onto the ribbon ends and lobster claws, flat round nylon jaw jewelry pliers which I use to close the ribbon ends without damaging them, and split ring pliers used for opening the split rings. Those last pliers are less expensive if you pick them up from a fishing supply store. 

To prevent the cut Inkle band from fraying and possibly pulling out of the end findings, I use a good glue that works for joining porous and non-porous materials before I pinch those end findings closed.

My personal preference is to aim for a fit that is close enough that it doesn't move around on my arm, but long enough that it is still easy enough to do up.

In case you're curious, I wear a medic alert bracelet any time I leave the house because I have a couple of severe allergies, one of which would be unexpected by the medical community and could be life threatening if I was unconscious and could not warn them.

Bouncing Around Between Hobbies

Yesterday I managed to work on two different knitting projects. I also got a good start on an involved bag sewing pattern, and I spent some time weaving at one of the looms. It was a good day. I'm bouncing around from one hobby to another, not because of a lack of attention, but to reduce muscle strain from spending too long doing any one particular thing. 

It was nice to get a bit of weaving done. It's been awhile!

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.

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!

Moving Day

Today was moving day ----

Well, it was for the Saori CH60 anyway. My tiny little weaving room has been terribly overcrowded ever since the Woolhouse Tools Carolyn and the Leclerc Dorothy moved in. Tired of barely having room to turn around, let alone actually weave, I moved the Saori to an unused corner of the living room today.

On the loom is a warp made from a "grab bag" from a former guild members estate. The guild challenged us to use these yarns to create something and to have it ready in time for the Christmas Luncheon which is only one month from now. 

These are the yarns I received. Most are handspun. I think one is a commercially spun yarn, perhaps dyed by the former guild member.

Rooting through my own stash I found little bits n bobs of yarns I can use with the ones from the grab bag. Most notably is the multicoloured handspun one. I think it will be a good colour inspiration for choosing further yarns for both warp and weft. 

In other news, I spent ALL of October working exclusively on a Mystery Knitalong that has now come to an end. Wow! Big project. LOTS of knitting! I'll tell you more about that once I have a few modelled pictures.

 

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. 

Another New-to-Me Loom

 Yet another loom has followed me home.

This time it's a 4 shaft Carolyn by Woolhouse Tools. I once had an 8-shaft version of this model but sold it. I loved that loom, but 8 shafts were a bit much for my limited short term memory to cope with and the loom wasn't getting much use. I had also been having a real struggle warping that loom --- any loom for that matter. I had not yet committed the process to memory and had to follow along, step by step with a book.

Since selling the 8-shaft Carolyn I have woven a lot on the 2-shaft Saori loom that replaced it, gradually becoming more familiar and comfortable with the whole process of warping a loom. I have also acquired several Saori tools that make warping a loom much easier and more ergonomic as was proven while I warped the *other* new loom, the Leclerc Dorothy I introduced in an earlier post. 

In celebration of this most recent addition I treated it to a moisturizing rub down with Howard's Feed and Wax. 

As always, any links in my posts are there solely for your convenience. I receive no kickbacks for your "clicks". 

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!

Yubinuki and Temari

 This is not my work, these were gifts from a very talented friend and fellow guild member, but I wanted to show you. Aren't they beautiful?

The spheres are Japanese Temari balls. They are balls of thread wound and needle woven into intricate patterns. They were traditionally a gift given to children on New Years Day but have become a collectable art form.

The beautifully patterned rings displayed on the fingers of the hand mannequin are decorative Yubinuki, a traditional Japanese paper and silk thimble-ring worn on the middle finger and used during stitching or embroidery to push the needle.

Denim Statement Piece

Here's another pendant made using the basic ideas gleaned during the "Make a Statement" multi-media course presented online by Gwenn Lafleur. This particular one is my version of the "medicine bag". It forms a pocket for whatever special trinkets a person might wish to carry. 

I made the base of mine from an Inkle band that had been woven on my Saori CH60 floor loom for another purpose, but it turned out too wide. I repurposed it, and through some folding, fashioned it into an open pocket on the back. To form a "bezel" for the top of the pendant I folded the fabric over a plastic straw creating a reinforced casing. A tubular Inkle band, created on my Windhaven Ukulele Inkle Loom, passes through the straw in the casing. 

Both Inkle bands made use of weaving cotton given to me by a friend when she was moving to a new community. I believe it was originally part of the stash of another mutual friend and former guild member. In fact, all components of the pendant have special meaning to me.

All three of the buttons used came from a huge button jar that originally belonged to my grandmother and was handed down to my mother, and now to me. The buttons themselves may or may not be old since each of us has added to the collection over the years.

The pale blue lace surrounding the stacked buttons is a scrap leftover from making tiny doll clothing, another hobby of mine.

The frayed denim at the bottom edge is the hem of a discarded pair of my husband's jeans.

The large silver beads along the top, just below the casing, are from a broken necklace. Those beads are nestled into a small piece of tatting that I did years ago while learning shuttle tatting.

The thin blue fabric with white polka dots in the upper right corner is an ancient old, completely worn to tatters, handkerchief that belonged to my husband and perhaps might have originally been my dad's?

The little silver dragonfly was a gift from a friend that knows I have a special affection for dragonflies.

The small dark blue beads scattered beside the dragonfly are leftovers from an intricate beaded shawl that took many months to knit.

Arching down the left side is a piece of an heirloom crocheted doily. It was stained and there were holes in it so it had just been tucked away, unused. I'm hoping this use is more honoring of the original craftswoman.

The embroidery embellishing the fabric that runs diagonally across the middle of the piece was done using floss inherited from my mother.

I'm very pleased with this pendant. I think I'll wear it a lot, denim being such a wardrobe staple. 

The 7th York Pinafore

Yet another York Pinafore, my seventh! What can I say -- with the forgiving fit and large pockets they are *that* comfortable and practical to wear.

I also wove a detachable Inkle band that matches for my medical information tag.

For anyone interested in weaving Inkle bands here is the pattern I created using the generator at raktres.net

Put To Good Use

At the end of this month the Chilliwack Spinners and Weavers Guild is saying goodbye to two valued members. Both ladies are moving to new communities where they will be closer to family members. We will miss them here, but wish them well in their new adventures.

As always seems to happen with a move, some downsizing and purging is done. I was the recipient of one departing member's destashing of some cotton yarns. I'll put them to good use! I made the above fringed cowl using a lovely cotton/linen yarn that was part of that destashing. It was put up on bulky large core cardboard tubes and I felt the best way to store that was to not store it at all, but to use it immediately.

I'm going through the smaller remnants of cotton with a similar thought, making up mixed colour warps to empty as many of the cardboard cores as I can. The first warp is for a run of plain weave towels in colours I'd not likely want to use for clothing.

I also pulled a few colours that happen to coordinate well with the floral print of pinafore I sometimes wear. This Inkle band will be made into another interchangeable band for my medical information tag.

Thank you ladies for the time you've spent with the guild and the service and friendship you have provided. You shall be missed.

Monsoon Calamity Indulgence

I was given a lovely gift of a huge 1050 yard cake of MonsoonCalamity gradient yarn in the "I Must Be Crazy" colourway. It's a fingering weight yarn made up of 4 finer strands held together. The colour changes gradually throughout the ball.

As soon as my loom was free I wound a warp to coordinate with it.

I put a few stripes of the gradient yarn into the warp and then for the remainder of the warp I chose mercerized cottons that harmonized with it.

The warp was then woven with the lovely gifted yarn as weft, keeping the colour gradient in order.

Final result after wet finishing is 16" wide x 4.72 yards in length. Or in metric terms it is 41cm in width and 4.32 metres in length.

I haven't decided yet what to make with the finished yardage. I think ti could be lovely clothing of some sort. It's soft, has great drape, and washes up beautifully by machine.

Joyful Stitching

Turns out painting is not where I will find my JOY, and that's okay as I have plenty of other hobbies that bring me joy and more than fill my available time.

One such hobby is hand embroidery, in particular freeform "Stitch Meditations" like the medallion above. Another hobby I love is weaving in its many forms. The cord for my pendant is a tubular Inkle band I made specifically to use this way. 

Another hobby that I really enjoy is sewing. Yes, this is yet another of the York Pinafores. I think I have six now. I am a woman who not too long ago said I would never wear a dress again. The pinafores are just that easy to make and comfortable to wear and honestly, I don't think of them as a dress, but more of a butt cover when wearing leggings. 

The painting? No, you won't be seeing any more of that. It's a wonderful course, especially for free, but I had a bit of an epiphany yesterday. I don't like painting! I don't like getting dirty. I don't like having to clean up the mess afterwards (and whoooo boy do I make a mess!). All in all, with only one life to live, I'd rather spend my time doing any one of my other numerous hobbies.

101 Sheep

Having missed out on 2 big fibre related events, and more cancellations coming in yet because of the mandated social distancing, I decided to buy an online course to learn "Turned Krokbragd on an Inkle". I'm very pleased with the course. I was not only guided step by step through the setting up and weaving of an interesting technique, but I also picked up several tips that will be helpful weaving any sort of bands.

I'm pleased about that, since I've been on a bit of a band weaving kick lately. Here's some of the regular, plain weave bands I've woven lately. These were all woven on the wee "Ukulele" I purchased from Windhaven Fiber and Tools. Windhaven makes such great Inkle looms and tools that they have a hard time keeping up to demand! They are well worth the wait.

I had to drag out an older, clunkier Ashford inkle to learn the Turned Krokbragd on though. There isn't enough room up front on mini Inkles to work around the supplemental heddles that must be used for the technique. 

The sheep band, done in "Rainbow" brand 8/4 cotton, is about 1" in width and I finished with 101 sheep. Not sure what I'll use this band for. It was just for practice. The narrower, 15mm bands I'm weaving on my Windhaven Ukulele will be used to make bracelet attachments that will hold my medic alert information.

And Now the Reverse

Another table runner, this time with the colours reversed. 

2 ply handspun Sarepta Brown cotton for the main weaving, 2 ply handspun Acala White cotton for the stripes. A small portion at each end done with singles to make hemming less bulky. 

Am I the Only One?

If schools were run to suit my learning style every student would have the option to be in distance education, learning in the quiet of their own home from well prepared lessons and at their own pace. By my early thirties I knew that lectures, live demonstrations, and group settings are not my best way to learn something. In fact, in a typical classroom setting I find it very difficult to learn at all! I am an introvert and the stimulus of all that is going on around me is overwhelming and distracting.

I realize I am the odd duck here. It seems most people like to be shown how to do things and rarely learn from a text book. I was the kid that took the textbook home, did my homework, and went back to school the next day finally understanding what the teacher was getting on about.

When the guild announced a workshop day to learn to make a fully lined, zippered boxy bag and supplied the link to the tutorial so that interested people could bring needed supplies, you know what I did? I went ahead, jumped the gun, and made the bag at my own pace and with no distractions. 

I made my boxy bag with an exterior of handwoven fabric, the warp being a hand dyed (not by me) tencel and the weft being my own handspun wool yarn. The finished bag is not absolutely perfect, but I'm pleased with it.

I'll still show up at the workshop, but now I can relax because I've done my homework. 

Red and White

I work a little, now and then, on the red and white weaving I dressed the loom with on New Years Eve. Progress is slow since I'm not really drawn to this one, or to weaving at all at the moment.

I dutifully go in and put in some time when I can though. This warp ticks so many boxes off of a "to do" list that I just can't completely neglect it.

This warp serves several purposes:

 +For the Chilliwack Spinners and Weavers Guild year end challenge to create a project in the colours of the flag of the country of our origin. In my case that would be red and white, for Canada, since I was born here as were my parents and 2 of my grandparents.

+To have the loom “dressed” with a new warp to greet the new year.

+To meet a guild challenge to create something to donate to guild sales to go toward the guild budget.

+To make Christmas stockings to sell next Christmas.

+To use up some of my extensive stash of “odds ‘n’ sods” of this and that and not much of any one thing.

+To use the red handspun I spun at a Canada Day celebration/demonstration two years ago.