Pick up Motifs

 

I picked up some motif charts from the "Lithuanian Sashes Book" that Grace had gifted to me.

At first I was a bit perplexed at how to go about weaving them on the 4 Shaft Dorothy LeClerc loom.

There was not instruction in the book, but there was a lot of interesting history and charts.

I wove a strip of motifs as practice or samples of how the designs would translate.  I think some of

the charts were from Kati Meek's book on "Reflections From a Flaxen Past".  Weaving was slow

going at first, and after a time, it moved along faster.

Once I understood what to do, I could simply browse the internet for charts of different motifs, and adapt them to the size that I wanted.  A pencil and some graph paper and a little math and I was having a good time.  There are many possibilities for this type of weaving.  Traditionally, the designs were woven for linens or incorporated into clothing.

When I cut it from the loom, I had a long strip that I'm not sure what to do with, so for the meantime, it is hanging in the doorway off the kitchen.  

a bit of krokbragd

 I had some wool that Greta had given me a few years ago.  It was from Sweden. I decided to warp the Dorothy Loom for a Krokbragd pattern. 

The samples were small, they were supposed to be mug rugs.

I decided to turn them into a small bag.

I stitched together the side seams with whip stitching.

I found the whip stitch to be unsightly, and decided to cover it with some fingerloop braids.

Using a 3 loop braid, I covered the seam.

The bag measures about 6 inches x 5 inches. I still have to finish the trim and add a strap.

The krokbragd is usually woven on 3 shafts, but a 4 shaft loom can accomodate the structure by

lifting shafts 2, 3 and 4 and then shaft 1&3 and then shafts 1, 2, and 4.  Lather rinse repeat!

After getting the hang of it, I decided to use up some handspun bits and that will be used for a larger bag.  There are so many different possibilities with this type of structure.

It is interesting to try different combinations of colors and number or repeats.

Three out of Four

 Thanks to Paivi Suomi over at All Fiber Arts

And Lena Shevtsova's Slavic Patterns for Beginners

I managed to try something a little different, and was successful at weaving a pick up pattern on the 4-shaft loom, using only 3 shafts.

It opens up some possibilities for other ideas and future projects and eggsperiments.

old ways

from Zem spieva - Karel Plicka (1933)

making more

Tying on to the previous warp, I wove a few more small towels with the Gebrochene Twill draft.



I changed the weft color three times.



There is still hemming to be done before they are completely finished. These are 100% cotton and should be nice and absorbent. Hemming and hawing with the idea of winding one more warp with my handspun linen, and weaving the weft with the handspun hemp in the same twill pattern. We'll see.



The wood-thrush and the eastern phoebe have arrived, with the snow buntings still hanging around. Outside, there have been repairs being made to the "grow house". Inside, seeds are germinating. And the seasons turn again.

"I have said that there was great pleasure in watching the ways in which different plants come through the ground, and February and March are the months in which that can best be seen."
- Henry N. Ellacombe

Broken Twill

I've been working on weaving Gebrochene (translated from German to mean "broken") Twill.



Present day weavers may recognize this as M's and W's. This draft was available to me from the book, "The Best of Weavers- Twill Thrills"- on loan from my friend, Judy. (thanks! Judy).



I wove this cloth on a 4 shaft loom. There were 275 ends of cotton - KnitPicks Curio - from my friend Brigitte (thanks! Brigitte).



The weave structure has a long and interesting history (some similar examples dating to circa 1500s). The complex draft requires breaks and reversals--lots of patience for dressing the loom, but the results when weaving are very satisfying! Tromp as Writ! I had help figuring out the drawdown from my friends Greta and Elaine (thanks! Greta--thanks! Elaine).

As you can see, it was a group effort..and I'm grateful for all of the help!

contrasts

The weather was crisp and clear this morning. The river water catches the sun and it shines like moonlight against the silhouettes of the trees.



We had a scant amount of snow fall overnight.



...and today the winds have caught up with us. On my way to the henhouse, I grab my earflap hat that I knit from handspun Icelandic Sheeps wool. As I slip it on my head, I think of how many years ago I made the hat, and how it has worn so well. It seems to get better with age.



The sky is bright blue, without clouds at the moment. The wind will bring them, soon enough. I walk past the old tree and wonder if some critter is asleep..curled up in one of those cozy holes in the trunk. I used to think owls slept in there. If I were an owl, I would inhabit that tree.



Glancing up in the other direction, I notice the eagle. Probably looking for breakfast. I tell him to move along, and go fish the river for his breakfast...leave my chickens alone!



Back inside the cabin, I stoke the coal-fire in the woodstove. It will be a good day to stay inside and finish up some projects...



...or maybe start a new one!

How to slow down

One of my favorite poems comes to mind as I harvest the carrots.



How to Slow Down, find a little bit of land somewhere and plant a carrot seed. Now sit down and watch it grow. When it is fully grown pull it up and eat it. – Stephen Gaskin



I grew Nantes and Danvers on the far side of the garden this year. This is the first time I've ever planted carrots as a spring crop to harvest in the fall. One long row produced about a half bushel and yielded about 12 pints. And then some. for eating fresh.

I planted another row as a fall crop that is now well underway, and should be ready to harvest by Thanksgiving.



Meanwhile, there is some weaving under way. I'm experimenting with some Afghan Hound singles that I spun from distaff to spindle. I am using the spindle as a shuttle and have not finished the yarn, rather, just started weaving straight away with it!



I realize I may regret this decision, but sometimes you just have to take your chances.

a winter weavers window

This winter, there are attempts being made to achieve the goal of weaving with my handspun linen. Samples have been woven on a 4 harness table top loom that sits in a somewhat south/west facing window. The light is at its best in the mid to late afternoon, and the room is situated on the second floor, above the woodstove. The cabin has the old "gravity feed" vents in the floor, and the warmth radiates upwards. It is a pleasent place to be during these very cold days.



From my vantage point, I see the slope of the snow covered road.



If I look through the trees, I can see the river winding its way through the valley.



There is the old maple that has been severely trimmed this past fall. It holds a bird feeder, and late in the day, the turkeys come down off the mountain to eat the seeds that the smaller birds have dropped. Turkeys are normally very shy, and it is hard to get close to them. They do not notice me looking down on them from above. It is remarkable how much their behavior is like the chickens we keep. Or maybe it is the other way around.



The warp that I have dressed the loom with, is made from commercially spun cotton. Pulling one or more strands through the dent will allow me to decide what sett I will use for the final piece. I used a handmade mini-triangle loom for a raddle, but I'm not so sure it was the best idea.



The heddles are threaded for plain or tabby weave. I must remember to take notes about what I think works well, and what does not. Surprisingly, the weave structure that happened due to a threading error, is a favorite. I am learning and enjoying the process.



My inspiration comes from these towels (shown above), work of my Grandmother's and Great Grandmother's.



As you can see, there is still much for me to learn. The weft for the samples is my handspun linen singles. The singles were spun with Z twist.



Next, I plan to try the handspun hemp singles for warp. I don't mind telling you that I feel a bit daunted by the idea.

the bandwagon

A couple of years ago, I hopped on the band-weaving bandwagon. My efforts were stymied by not having a good band lock. Since I made one a few months ago, I've been doing more weaving. It really is amazing how having the right tools for the job can make such a big difference.

Warping my Double Hole tape loom has become easier since I've enlisted the help of my husband's old wooden C-Clamps. Set up on either side of the loom, they hold it in an upright position and I can see both sides of the loom. I use my handmade threading tool to pass the warp threads through the slots and holes. Once I have it warped, I can move the C-Clamp over to the shelf near the window, and it becomes an anchor for one end of the warp.



I've been weaving with different size DMC cotton, and silk, playing around with what works best. So far, I like the results of the #5 the best.



Keeping the wpi in mind, I've been spinning my own silk to use for weaving. I hope to use it as pattern threads for the linen tapes I will make. It has taken me longer than it should to learn some of the finer details of band weaving, but it is starting to come together. This past week I tried warping for a simple back-strap loom.



It is very interesting to compare the Double Hole Rigid Heddle Loom with a Backstrap loom, and the ways that patterns are achieved. Now that I've gotten acquainted with the basic set up, I'll move onto trying to do some patterns.



From where I sit when I'm weaving, I have nice light from the window and warmth from the coal/wood stove. The view out the window lets me take notice of the slowly disappearing snowbank, and snowdrops that have started to grow. They are more like "snowdrips", as the blossom is still closed up tight against the cold. They seem to know that the temps are still too cold for the pollinators.



The chickens are very glad to find areas where the sun has melted away the snow to expose the dry dirt!



Nothing like a good dust bath after a long winter.

They dig their holes and kick the dirt up. The kick it all around and over themselves. Then they bask in the sun and dirt.



Other signs of spring I've noticed include: skunks and skunkcabbages, redwing blackbirds, and chipmunks. Still no Eastern Phoebe. We are expecting rain on Friday. They should be along soon after that.

linen on the line

There has been some tape weaving happening. I used the Double Hole Rigid Heddle Tape Loom and wove a plain weave, so I only warped one row of holes.



Last night, January's Full Wolf Moon had a frosty halo around it. The snow it predicted, happened overnight and early this morning.

My handspun/handwoven linen tapes had been set to hang on the clothesline early in the evening..and they caught the moonlight that danced and glittered over the frozen warp and weft.



I finished one tape early last week, and it had been hanging out there for a few days before the second was complete.



If you look close, you can see that one tape is already lighter than the other. I will leave them on the line for a few days. They will soften with help from the freeze and thaw of the tempertures, and they will lighten with help from the sun and the moon.



Other projects are in the works, there are clay beads for spindles gathering together in a bowl. I'm inspired by the small weights-the small clay bead shapes-and the colorful shafts that I see on the Ancient Chancay Spindles.



I won't show you the fresh white snow that falling outside the window, rather, this bold red Amryllis that blooms inside the window!