Thursday, March 20, 2008

Meanwhile, having lost my mind...

I've been reading up on weaving and looms and considering just what I want to do with the whole weaving idea, and I keep returning to one thought: This is stone-age technology. I should be able to cobble together my own stinkin' loom for less than the ridiculous prices I'm seeing on the internet and in catalogues. I could build my own freakin' draw loom for less than they're charging for these four-shaft floor looms. It's insane. So. I'm seriously thinking about building my own, at least to fool around with and decide how serious I wanna get about the whole thing.

Then, of course, the little voice at the back of my mind (you know the one) asks "Yeah, flint knapping is stone age technology too. Remember the blood loss the last time you tried THAT?"

So... we'll see what happens. Any weavers out there, if I wanna do regular tabby-weave brocade, I just need a rigid heddle loom, basic stuff, right?

Stay tuned for further insanity.

I doubt the husbeast is going to let me hammer nails into the floor... hmmm....

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Today in the mail, I got a bag of roving samples in over a dozen colors, to play with. I'd hoped to finish spinning up the LAST pile of roving I bought before it got here... so I've spent the afternoon spinning like a wild woman, working on the old stuff while drooling over the big bag of roving sitting on the dining room table.

-... -

I got the Goober some "Little People" from Fisher Price. She's thrilled.


She's making all the proper animal noises. It's very cute. We're waiting for the barn to get here - it's still in the mail.

-... -

Almost done with sleeve one of the Russian Prime. I hope to do the wrist ribbing tonight. That only took, what, a million years. Oy.

10 comments:

Bells said...

I'm assuming you're joking about the flint thing....?

Little people are great fun. My nephew bugged me all last weekend for 'stories' about his little people. Over and over and over again. He called them Blinger and Blonger. No idea why!

Liz said...

Ah, flint-knapping. My mad old primary-school history teacher used to do this with the 10-11 year olds. The amount of gore was tremendous, legendary and therefore self-perpetuating... That was 30 years ago; weirdly, teachers aren't encouraged to get kids to maim themselves and each other in the name of historical research any more... Shame, really.

Anonymous said...

Yes. There's a small loom (12 or 20") from ashford called the knitter's loom if you're looking for a wide sett tabby weave, over 12 or 20 inches. The 7.5 epi reed has larger holes for using larger yarns, too.

Unknown said...

For a second there, I thought you said you got a whole bunch of roving at the MALL and I thought, wow, that must be the best mall ever.

Alwen said...

I have one of the Schacht Spindle tapestry looms found here:
http://www.schachtspindle.com/instructions/weaving/tapestry_loominstructions.htm

If you have the patience to do the threading in separate heddle bars, you can use it as a multiple-harness loom. (Now somebody is going to ding me about harnesses vs. shafts, and I say pffffffft! in advance.)

(My big beef with my little tap. loom is, no reed to keep the threads in order. No batten. Beating by hand, bah.)

OTOH: look at the simplicity of the thing. If I could find a slots-and-dots reed to put to it, that would keep the warp in order.

Alwen said...

Doh! Of course, the question I'm failing to ask is what are you looking for as your end product?

I'm a maniac. I like to weave yardage. And I have this thing about it looking like real cloth.

Amy Lane said...

Either way, it will be fun to watch!!! Goob looks so cute...I love watching them play quietly...

roxie said...

Tabby weave brocade? You want to start with tabby weave brocade? Just what is it you want to create?

Alwen said...

Ralph Griswold started this project, digitizing various fiber documents, and it continues following his death:

http://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/

There are so many excellent things there, I don't even know where to start, but in the April 1938 "The Weaver", there's an article by Nellie Sargent Johnson called "Pick-up or Brocade Weaving on a Simple Harness Loom".

"The Weaver":
http://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/weaver.html

Vol. 1, #1, 1936 through Vol. 7, #2, 1942

The web is a dangerous place for such as I.

Louiz said...

I have a book I can post you if you want about making a loom (from scaffolding poles, but I'm sure that the principle can be followed!) Its a self sufficiency book, and actually really useful for making things!