Watch out on Project One

Some of us have been working ahead. The problems I've heard so far...

1. It's not clear that "plain weave" and "tabby" are the same weave structure = a simple interlacement of over 1-under 1. You get that by alternating the activation of shafts 1 & 3, and 2 & 4. On some of the bookmarks, we need to do a plain weave (tabby) shot between each shot of the thicker yarns. Be sure to ask someone to demo that on Saturday.

2. The diagram on p. 55 makes you assume that you pass 2 yarns through the edge slots of your reed when you first put the yarn through the reed. But Mr. A has you put each yarn in a separate slot until the very end, tying onto the cloth beam. At that point you move the edge yarns inward 1 slot, so there are 2 yarns in the edge slots. Be sure to ask about this Saturday too.

Any more problems you can warn us about?

Eager Weavers

Here's the crew at the first meeting. Ann is the photographer. We'll have to get her in a group shot at the next meeting.

First Meeting: What a Crew!

We found out that we are mostly inexperienced weavers at our first meeting January 18, 2009. But we’re a jolly, risk-taking group. It could be the blind leading the blind except for a handful of mentors who are willing to take our hand and reassure us that we can do this.

Lois J brought her finished projects from a couple decades ago. The colors, textures, hand of the fabrics helped to imagine what yarns and colors we might want for our own projects. Dianna C explained the yarn requirements. With such small amounts of some of the yarns, many of us are hunting up our own yarns. If you want to be part of an order, contact Dianna or Cheryl.

How do you get individual help? We decided that it’s up to each of us to “reply to all” on the emails with a request for a “Warping Party” at your house or with the description of your problem that several could reply to. That’s assuming you can’t wait until the next meeting. Or ask on this blog so the answer will be shared with us all.
Next meeting: Saturday, Jan. 31, 1-3p at the Children’s Garden, Richland, WA.
Bring: Your B&W stripe designs (Assignment 2, p. 39.)
A table loom if you are using one for Project 1, or if you can loan one for the meeting.
Your warp yarns for Project 1.
A couple shuttles if you are warping your own table loom.
Your Handweaving with R& R notebook.

We hope to walk through most of Project 1 before we are on our own. We’ll see the favorite warping methods of our mentors. We will each get to warp part of a table loom. We’ll wind bobbins, and compare how those with experience throw their shuttles and move the beater.

Kathy K has a great way to learn this new vocabulary. She wrote each part of the loom onto a card and taped it to the corresponding part of her loom. Maybe some of us can compose some crossword puzzles using the vocabulary words. (In all your spare time.) It’s elementary school all over again, but we are beginners.

Dorothy's Test Photo

Thanks, Dorothy, for helping to test the blog. Now you need to comment to fill in the details. Where and when were you on this camel? And did you bring home any fiber to spin? Or a woven camel blanket? Just click on comments (in blue underlined letters below this post) and type in your notes.

Photo Test

Let's see if we can download this photo from the Saturday Garden Party. The more distant faces are out of focus...that's my fault, not your computer. This is how your photo of your weaving progress could look.