Falling Down a Rabbit Hole

Last weekend I attended Stringtopia, where the lovely Sara Lamb was teaching all about silk. I took her Saturday class, which was about weaving with silk. If you’ve followed Sara at all, you know that she has a closet full of clothing that she has woven, and much of it also hand spun. Just being in the same room and being able to see and touch her textiles was amazing and inspirational. I hope to be her when I grow up.

Due to limited space in the historic Golden Lamb hotel where classes were held, we took turns weaving on two floor looms, each at different sets. I can now say that the first floor loom I ever wove on was Ed Franqemont’s. I find this very cool, even though I don’t know much about Ed. Mostly I was impressed at Abby’s willingness to share the loom with us…..a passing of the baton, as it were.

I was actually relieved to not have to muck about warping the Cricket I had brought. However, I had dyed some silk to be prepared for the class. This is about 1000yards of 20/2 silk. There are 3 colors in random stripes on the big bobbin….a red purple, a blue purple, and navy.

Yesterday I wound a scarf warp, designing stripes randomly as I went. According to my math, the scarf will end up about a foot wide and 70 or so inches long. We’ll see if my calculations hold up!

After a lot of walking (I have pegs, but no board…..yet. See the rabbit hole?) while listening and sometimes watching ‘Warping Well’ on DVD.  I did some tying and braiding, and had this nice little warp chain. It seems a little over stripey to me, and the gold is too bright, but I’ll reserve judgement until it is sleyed and some woven off.

No pictures on the loom yet. I’m totally crazy pants for doing a 386 end project for the first one on this loom (a Louet Kombo, on a stand, but no treadles). I’ve wound the warp on the beam (and learned that the built in raddle is worthless…I broke two ends because they got wrapped around somehow), and it is very not pretty. I have about 50 ends sleyed in the heddles, and plan do some every time I have a chance…..if I can do 50 ends twice a day, it should be done in short order. I expect the reed to sley faster, and once I’ve tied on I’ll muck about with re-beaming…..seriously, I did a terrible job of it, but we shall persevere. There’s some frustration, but I’m learning a lot.

As a result of this little class, looms have been practically throwing themselves at me.  I’m already impressed by the Cricket as far as well thought out engineering goes, and the other loom in Sara’s class was a Wolf Pup…..and I really liked it.  Schacht sure makes nice stuff.  I’d like to have a Baby Wolf, and it would fit perfectly in the studio space I have for it, but I’m going to behave and do a few projects on the Kombo.  The poor thing deserves it for being neglected for over a year.  Plus, just to make sure I’m going to stick with this weaving thing.  Watch out, Alice…..I’m falling down the rabbit hole!