It's time for another weaving project, don't you think?
There's a long story about the process of getting this warp onto my loom, but I'll sum it up by telling you that I put this warp on twice and that I always learn a lot by making mistakes. And I'll definitely never make the mistake of not putting a layer of something between rotations of warp threads.
Weaving is an opportunity for all sorts of "McGuyvering" -- to separate the warp threads on the warp beam, I bought 12 foot of clear vinyl floor runner from the Home Depot and trimmed about 2 inches from the edge so that it spanned the entire width of my loom. An unanticipated benefit is that I can take the unwound part and pull it over the top of the loom so that it has a cover.
But, enough with the strange little details. What am I actually warping my loom for.
Dishtowels.
I would almost never consider knitting up dishtowels (not because I have any issue with the idea of knitting dishtowels or wash cloths, but because it takes a long time and I like to use my knitting time in other ways), but weaving is another story entirely. I purchased some Sugar and Cream in what I thought were springy colors and designed a warp that I thought would be fun to work with from the perspective of playing with plaids. And then I got to warping. The towels are destined to be 14 inches wide and roughly 28 inches long, but I think the lengths are going to end up somewhat variable, because while I started out thinking I was going to make 4 towels that were exactly the same, I ended up deciding (after making the first one), that life is too short and that I wanted to play more with my loom, so I'm using them all as an opportunity to sample color and weave effects.
Of course, every project is an opportunity to play with my camera.
One thing I learned in my weaving class that I thought I would share is this tip: start your weaving after you've rolled your warp knots past the front beam and have all the warp threads lying flat on that front beam. This will start everything off levelly and help you identify tension problems..
All ready to go! That header is a little wonky, but all headers are for is to spread out the warp threads evenly and to give you a level place to start from. Full steam ahead for dishtowels!
There's a long story about the process of getting this warp onto my loom, but I'll sum it up by telling you that I put this warp on twice and that I always learn a lot by making mistakes. And I'll definitely never make the mistake of not putting a layer of something between rotations of warp threads.
Weaving is an opportunity for all sorts of "McGuyvering" -- to separate the warp threads on the warp beam, I bought 12 foot of clear vinyl floor runner from the Home Depot and trimmed about 2 inches from the edge so that it spanned the entire width of my loom. An unanticipated benefit is that I can take the unwound part and pull it over the top of the loom so that it has a cover. But, enough with the strange little details. What am I actually warping my loom for.
Dishtowels.
I would almost never consider knitting up dishtowels (not because I have any issue with the idea of knitting dishtowels or wash cloths, but because it takes a long time and I like to use my knitting time in other ways), but weaving is another story entirely. I purchased some Sugar and Cream in what I thought were springy colors and designed a warp that I thought would be fun to work with from the perspective of playing with plaids. And then I got to warping. The towels are destined to be 14 inches wide and roughly 28 inches long, but I think the lengths are going to end up somewhat variable, because while I started out thinking I was going to make 4 towels that were exactly the same, I ended up deciding (after making the first one), that life is too short and that I wanted to play more with my loom, so I'm using them all as an opportunity to sample color and weave effects.
Of course, every project is an opportunity to play with my camera.One thing I learned in my weaving class that I thought I would share is this tip: start your weaving after you've rolled your warp knots past the front beam and have all the warp threads lying flat on that front beam. This will start everything off levelly and help you identify tension problems..
All ready to go! That header is a little wonky, but all headers are for is to spread out the warp threads evenly and to give you a level place to start from. Full steam ahead for dishtowels!
Looking forward to hearing your tips and tricks on this project! I've been wanting to make kitchen towels for ages, but I'm sure my knitter's loom is too narrow. I might have to warp up some kitchen cotton I have laying around and make some little washcloths to get a taste for it. Do you like working with the cotton?
Wow, I hadn't thought of making dishtowels. I want to start weaving so that may be where I start.
Thanks!
Must resist. You are certainly doing much to add to the appeal of weaving. I am learning so much by following what you are doing.
i'm so eager to see the towel progress! you've got me seriously considering a flip loom.....
I signed up for a weaving class--so I'm noting every word and tip you say!
You and I got looms at about the same time and it's been fun watching your experiments! I just finished some plain weave towels in variegated Sugar 'n Cream and I'm hoping to warp with some Lion Cotton today.
I'm looking forward to a day or a couple of evenings where I can block out time for my first warping. It sounds like even for a small item that it is time consuming enough that I want to have a good chunk of time to do it in.