Newly warped

Here's today's prep for the four selvedge weaving which will use some of the dyed thread.

Paperclips to hold the warp rather than a removable jig, after a morning yesterday of total failing too sad to recount. Involving the total explosion of a fully warped jig just at the moment of installing it in the loom, ready to get to the supplemental warps.

I did rescue the warp thread, and you see it here in use, warped up with fifty clips top and bottom. Yesterday I decided to quit while I was behind.

Today is another day, another chance. Fifty clips across approximately three inches, will probably  widen a little when I  get it organized, about 16 epi, that's like stitches per inch.

I'm not on the loom I intended, since if I can't get the jig working I need either longer Velcro bands to secure the warp rods, here knitting needles, or shorter sides on the loom, which I can do but not this morning. So this is a set of stretchers.

There's always a way to get there, even if it's not the one you first thought of!

Happy Earth Day! My bit toward caring for the planet

My own little contribution to caring for the earth, here's the dyeing all done for now. All done with plants, nuts and vegetables.

Black walnuts, yellow and red onions, spinach, turmeric, iris.

Ready for action as soon as the loom is jig-ready.

Dyeing at Easter

Happy Easter to you if you celebrate it, and since chez boud today is about working, Handsome Son being at work, we'll celebrate tomorrow when he's free.

So today I'm dyeing a lot of  white warping thread, and emptying the freezer at the same time.

So far I've used red onion, spinach, yellow onion, black walnut and iris. Still simmering are black walnut, spinach and yellow onion.

 

Seen on left is some of the iris, then the next four are gradations of the red onion. 

The iris is the liquid from the papermaking  vat left from making iris paper after all the paper pulp was used up, and it works as dye, too. This was one of those frugal ideas I get. Also lazy, since this way there's no need to make the dye all over again.

I did the red onion over several hours, giving different hanks a progressively longer dyeing time, to get a gradation.

 It's very subtle, but in use I think it will be effective. And I am eager to weave with all this thread, very different from my homespun yarn and the embroidery floss I've been working in up to now.

Dyeing for future weaving

I have some colored warping yarn on order, but  meanwhile I thought I'd like to try dyeing some of the current white warping thread with some of the dyes in the freezer.

So I wound off several hanks of thread, tied them with leashes, as I did with the handspun yarn, and they're now simmering in washing soda to clean them ready to dye, while the red onion dye thaws. Pink thread should result from this enterprise.

I had to search for the washing soda, which I'd hidden behind the dyeing materials so my cleaners don't enthusiastically use it, not realizing it's raw material for art.

I wound the hanks  around clamps 18" apart, so they can work as 36" lengths for card weaving, or longer for tapestry.

I'd already done the precooking of dinner for Easter, just in case Handsome Son isn't working and we can celebrate tomorrow.

So the decks, and the time, are clear for dyeing. High time I used those supplies in the freezer. Because sooner or later I need to defrost it, before the farm market season gets under way.

Two tiny tapestries done

I'll take them off the loom tomorrow and steam them before figuring out a presentation, probably a box frame. Each is 5 in x 2.5.

Quite happy with the technical improvement I'm getting.

No titles yet. If you have ideas, please speak up.

Today's card weaving

As you see, I chronicle my learning curve, complete with bloopers, this being a full transparency blog.

Art is about learning, and I think it's fair to show it in progress, not just hide the struggles and hair tearing, and just show the best. Exhibits are for showing your best, but studio posts are about the hard bits.

The last card weaving was a struggle. As you saw from the wobbly product. The current one has mysteries in it, but is a big improvement.

Yesterday involved hours of getting the cards wrongly threaded, dealing with several rats nests of  consequences, and being so worried that I might be losing my ability to do this at all, that at least I hadn't set fire to a cathedral was a thought that crossed my mind. I can say that, now that we know it's fixable. The cathedral, that is. My card weaving still a maybe.

Anyway I started all over this morning from scratch, rethreaded,  and it went very much better. As you see.

I tried a numbering idea, thanks to Mittens, after a turn, thimble on numeral one, then pass, beat. Until the four numerals were covered with thimbles,  then move the thimbles over,  ready to the other turn column, and go from there.  Again a four forward, four back pattern till I get the hang of it.

I probably still made a few slips on turning, because the design changes twice! But I still think it's pretty creditable. It's my own design, and turns out to have two sides, great surprise.

At this point, the bookmark is my learning mechanism, enough warp to contend with for now.  Plenty of scope for improvement.

The tiny tapestries are moving on nicely, two floors down from the card weaving maelstrom. So there's that. And I have a grest design ideas for my next four selvedge tapestry, so I have to get on with that improved jig.

Aside from that, Mrs Lincoln, nothing going on in the studio.

Tablet weaving done for now

So I had a great learning experience, producing this wobbly item.

All the snags I ran into related to warp tension. Except for the ones relating to remembering which way I'm turning cards. The latter has to do with my slowness as a beginner. By the time I pass the shuttle, beat down, and remember the little loop at the end of the pass, I forget whether I turn forward or back.

Hence the thimbles and card marked with directions. I was trying to do four forward, four back, turns, that is.  I have to come up with a better solution, since I started forgetting which thimble I last moved! Transferring rather than solving the issue. I noticed the problem abated a bit as I progressed. It's like learning to read knitting, seeing what part of the pattern you're at.

I also realized that I have to keep telling myself which is forward, which is back. That's probably just me, since I have the same issue with clocks forward and back, and scheduling. If you move the meeting back, do you mean earlier or later?

I learned useful skills in the course of getting things wrong, such as how to unweave a few passes, how to untie the warp ends to relieve twisting that builds up and stops the action.

Tapestry is much simpler in some ways.

All in all, a lot of learning, also some fun.

Now the cards are back in the box, tools ready for the next try.

State of the Studio speech

Current tapestry moving along. Still working on the jig for the four selvedge loom,  friend with drill with large bits standing by, card weaving at action stations

Here's the threading under way. Eight cards, four threaded S, four threaded Z.

Sort of loom set up.

Ready to go. Simple pattern, and I marked the AB, that's the top, edge so I can tell when I'm  back to the start position.

So far so good, aside from a few hitches, such as miscounting the warps and needing to cut and add more.

I got great tips, though, such as using c clamps to wind the warp around, positioned to give the length I wanted.

And I fiddled around for ages before I hit on the set-up you see once the actual weaving gets under way.

I improvised a shuttle from a chunk of wood I found among my tools. And made a lazy Kate from a stout little cardboard box, knew there was a reason I kept it. At some point I'll add in dowels to slide the thread supply on, but it worked okay anyway, fed out the white thread nicely without letting it take off and roll downstairs.

Thread is cotton warp thread, and crochet cotton. For once my warps will show.

Quite a good morning morning's work, all in all. Learned a few things, improvised a few things, so we'll see if it works or is just another adventure to chalk up to experience.

Yet another adventure in view

Just got a Rebecca Mezoff email, I'm on her mailing list, about card weaving... I tried this a while back, made my own cards, studied how to mark them, had a good time setting up.

Then my back objected to being used as a tensioning device. And I had a thing with my shoulder, different cause.

So my tablet weaving went on hold. But now I think I can take another try.

I found my box of cards, and realized  I had managed a couple of wobbly samples, seen here, not using a pattern, just playing around to get the feel of using the cards.

The scissor fob used 12 cards and fine crochet thread, very brave. I just now pulled out eight cards for my upcoming try.  When I get some yarn.

I think I can try a pattern next, and maybe build a sort of inkle loom from pvc pipe..just to save my back.

Some people tension the warp between  their big toe and their waist.  Some people are more adept than this weaver. This weaver needs a loom.

First of the pair completed

This is 5 x 2.75 in. It will stay on the loom until the second one is completed.

I'll use it as a reference, since the other one is related, and they'll eventually be presented together.

I can see improvements, and places where I need more experience. But all in all, this is pretty good.

I like working on this loom. And I have more ideas all the time on what to do next. How unusual..

Meanwhile, back at the Hokett

This is where we are today.

Really enjoying plying and mixing threads for different shading effects. Painting with thread

Trip to see historic needlework at Monmouth County NJ Historical Association

Go here and see how we spent our Saturday afternoon!

Tapestry freed from loom

Finished the current four selvedge piece, and cut it off the loom. I steamed and pressed it, and it's resting. I think the fibers have to recover from being under tension. Well, don't we all.

Whole piece

Bit closer in

Exciting empty loom, ready for its next adventure.

I'm now two floors down, and forgot to measure, but I think the tapestry is 8×4 ins.

This was a learning curve and I now know a lot more about doing this. I have to do an improved jig, for one thing. But the tensioning mechanism is fine.

Meanwhile I've pulled colors for the two pieces to be worked on the Hokett loom. Not four selvedge this time. And not handspun, but embroidery floss. Shading will be a thing here.

Plainsboro artists meeting and critique, April 2019

P at an E, Part the Second

So the opening was all kinds of fun.

Jeanne, haven't seen her in a couple of years, reminded me we must get together for plein air work again this year. She's great company as well as a very good artist.

And Lucia, one of the jurors, came over to tell me she was a drawing student of mine years ago, and has made walnut ink ever since I talked about it. With great art success. Showed me wonderful ink drawings on her phone. Clearly one of the students who was already accomplished before I met her.

She also offered me raw fleece from her newly shorn sheep, which I will be very happy to accept for processing, then spinning and dyeing. And invited me to a regular painting group.

And introduced me to a couple of young women who are Olympic fencers.

And the award I won will pay for the Hokett loom and the entry fee to the show. It's all good.

The loom, by the way, is signed by Jim Hokett, and the mysterious BEM inscription means bird's eye maple.

Handsome Son came to dinner, pronounced the food good, and talked about what electronic gizmo he's currently building from scratch. Endlessly inventive.

A five star day.

Back in the studio this morning, more progress

I also tidied up a bit, things having got hectic lately

Pictures at an exhibition, Preserve style

Yesterday's opening was fun in many ways, about which I'll blather on in another post. But here are the pix I promised.

Two from your humble blogger, upper one a painting and silk layered drawing, cicadas and wildflowers

Friends Jackie and Stefi, S and I  used to collaborate as Unified Field, loyally admiring

And a nice award for this one, a monotype of the beech wood at the Preserve

Friends Terry, Joelle, Aarti, Evie, posing in front of their work

My other two

Jeanne, another friend, two of her collage works

Artist friend,not showing this time, and daughter

Not present at the opening, but Ellen's exciting work was.

Many more works, but so busy chatting, didn't get pix of all 66 entries.

Nice party, great atmosphere, and read on, there's more!