Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Dyed warp experiment #3.


Dyed warp experiment #2.



Dyed warp experiment #1.




So, I took that dyed warp off my loom a couple of weeks ago, but only just got around to washing the pieces yesterday. The whole thing was a big experiment, the pattern is a variation on "Simplified Damask" out of Marguerite Porter Davison's green book and I used several different yarns in the weft -- I will reveal them in order of appearance (when they're all up #1 will be at the top, #7 at the bottom, hopefully it will be obvious)....


1. 100% cotton, recycled from a sweater -- beige
2. cotton chenille -- grey
3. rainbow-dyed wool
4. wool -- turquoise and black
5. recycled cotton (navy), linen (turquoise), bamboo (grey)
6. 100% acrylic -- beige and black
7. cotton carpet warp (plain weave) -- blue

In the end, I think I liked the plain weave best. I felt like the pattern detracted from the warp and vice versa. Now, what am I going to do with all these pieces?

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Humble Beginnings.



I don't think it's a great stretch to relate this 5th grade class photo with my dealings in the fiber and fashion realms. I won't insult anyone with that obvious explanation...and why wouldn't I share this sweater with the world?

Now, who's going to crochet me a new one?

Goodnight.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Breakfasts I Have Loved (and set my coffee on).


I am known, by many of my companions, as one who loves breakfast to a fault. Putting your most cherished event at the very beginning of the day could be viewed as a flaw, leaving you little to look forward to post-meal. Lately, I've been remedying this oversight by eating breakfast on several occasions throughout the day, regardless of the hour.

I tend to be inevitably dissatisfied, in the long run, with any work that is representational (too literal?), though that never keeps me from returning to it. This past week, I started working on these quilted coasters of those breakfast classics: the egg and the toast. They are offering up some amusement, so I'll allow this overwhelming novelty in my studio (for now). I'm gearing up for the Bloomington Handmade Market, so they'll surely make an appearance there and probably on my Etsy page in the nearer future.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Last Call For Unders.


Boy, am I burnt out on making men's underwear. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback over the years, but I just cannot muster any excitement for it these days. So, I've put up the last of what I have on Etsy (cheap) and am calling that quits for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, this also means that I will have no more real excuses for posting these great pictures of Josh and Mark (check out his excellent blog) in the laundromat. They are both real troopers, but might be sick of showing up all over the internet in their undies, anyhow.

Will Claytor took these pictures. He is the best.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Tiny Rug (Huck A Back Warp #2).


When I started getting sick of the Huck A Back, I switched to plain weave and made this tiny rug, laying in white bias tape to make the square pattern. Despite it's absurd smallness (15"x20"), I'm kind of fond of it. Perhaps, what I have pictured would be considered the back? Whatever, I think I have a preference for it. Now, what do you do with a rug of this size...?

Huck A Back Warp

Here's a random warp I pulled off the loom recently. I was just using up some white carpet warp and experimenting with a version of the Huck A Back weave structure. I ending up winding around 6 yards, but it was too narrow to do much of interest with (live and learn). One thing I found was that it was difficult to get a good selvage edge with this structure (as you can see in the picture) and if I used it for something again, I would put a bit of plain weave on either side. Nonetheless, I really liked the way it looked when woven with this dark blue cotton.

And I like the name Huck A Back.

Friday, September 3, 2010

KY Shuttle.


One of my favorite things about getting immersed in new crafts is collecting knowledge about all the trade specific tools and figuring out your own personal preferences.

I had tested out a few different shuttles belonging to other folks and I thought I had settled on my first purchase (a Leclerc slim shuttle, which I did end up getting as a second shuttle), before I came across this one at The Woolery, based out of Frankfort, KY. It is hand made out of Kentucky Maple and Walnut which, of course, sounded too promising to pass up. It has a really lovely feel on top of being beautiful, therefore, I have no regrets about dishing out a little extra cash. I don't know a thing about the company, but since I bought it from a store in Kentucky and it's made from Kentucky trees...they're from Kentucky?

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Dyeing Experiments #1 cont.

Here are some shots of the warp....


Dyeing Experiments #1





Yesterday afternoon I got to do some experiments in dyeing at a great studio in Nashville (Indiana). I will give some more info on the studio (and the super helpful/knowledgable woman who runs it) as I get more pictures together, but for now, I just really wanted to throw some pictures of my new yarn up!

It's a two-ply wool that is fairly coarse. I thought it looked kind of like a huge mess while I was painting the dye on the skein, but spun up in a ball it looks edible! I also dyed a warp, that is on my loom now, with a lot of the same colors, so we'll see what the look like when they intersect.

At this point in my weaving education everything is still a huge surprise -- a lovely feeling.