Loomy Tunes

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Moving on Up & Pretty Things

You may recall that not long ago we had a huge batch of new students come all at once. Well, quite a few of them are ready to learn about the world and wonders of floor looms. Some of our floor looms are ready for new projects and the weavers who have been using them will be gone for a month or two in the near future. So today I got several pictures of floor loom warping basics. (Oh, and we started two new students this week as well!)
Next comes a picture of Carol and one of the new students with some of the "older students" in the game of "What happens next?".
Linda is working on a bamboo warp from one of our hand dying sessions last year. Mark and Patty are coming to the end of their warps!
Now for Show and Tell, Shannon made the rounds of the room today while she was on a Facetime call with her tiny granddaughter and all of the warps and skeins from dye day were put on display. Also Patty brought in some of the skeins of linen yarn that she had dyed that day.
John Paul brought in some mug rugs he had woven using Krokbrag and clasp weft techniques and I brought in a roll of placemats and runners that I wove from a roll of strips that a weaver long ago had lovingly pieced together and then left behind. I picked it up here at the Center when a weaver's estate was brought in ages ago! So many different colors and fabrics were in that roll, I will never be able to replicate it.
Jenny made a rug out of corespun alpaca, there is a super cool pattern on the edging, and Patty made "Friendship" towels out of 8/4 cotton in many different colors.
Samantha brought in some beautiful ethnic fabric from Thailand, we always love to see these glimpses into other cultures.
Shannon brought in a computer bag from a singles placemat that Pat had given her and then she opened a small tub that she had brought in. Inside the tub were a couple of dresses and a coat that her Mother had made her daughter. They were heavily smocked and beautifully sewn! My pictures do not do them justice!
Finally, Mark made a scarf for his Son out of his favorite colors.
That is all for this week, we have some empty looms to dress in the coming weeks, stay tuned! Tina, for all

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Dye Day Update

I have some pictures from Thursday and Friday last week. Carol told me that there were 6 warps and 7 skeins of yarn for weft dyed for the Tuesday Weavers. There were several that brought their own projects to dye, and there were many there to help out and learn the process. The names I got were: Mark, Jenny, Barbara, and several of the new weavers came out to play with color as well. Dana and Patty helped do a Tie dye class for kids one of the days.
Today, Lou Ann was busy rinsing and spin drying the skeins and warps, we really love the spin dryer! Next week I hope to have some pictures of the dry skeins.
Pat cut her warp off of the barn loom today, I think I count 4 rugs! (Didn't she just put that warp on the loom!)
Jenny cut her rug warp off as well! Liz is working on er textured towels and John Paul and Mark are up to something in their corner of the Studio!
For show and tell I have a picture of John Paul holding a stick shuttle that he made and Mark has another baby blanket to add to his stash.
That it for today, until next week this is Tina, for all!

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Thick Weft

There are several projects in the Studio that call for thick wefts. Thick of course is a relative term, I suppose I mean weft that is far thicker than the warp. John Paul is weaving rugs with strips of floral fabric. Jenny is weaving rugs with strips of T-shirt material.
Pat is using Blue Jean fabric strips for her rugs, and Liz used fabric strips for the placemates she finished and cut off today.
There are several new warps on the looms, Carolyn has a new warp on the loom, as does Shirley and Joycelyn. There are probably a few more, but I didn't get pictures of them.
While all of that is going on Karin is loading the shelves of 8/4 with the new cones that came in this week.
After lunch it is time for Show and Tell! Charlotte brought in some of her masterpieces today, I added a close up of the table runner she wove with lots of different thick wefts.
Betsy finished several more baby blankets, I think she said she had 9 so far, and I brought in a skein of handspun Yak/Silk, I had bought the fiber in 2018 and just now got the nerve up to try it!
Susan and Carolyn brought in the first projects that they had ever woven, you can see how thrilled they were!
Peggy brought in some scarves she made with the last bit of yarn she had from "Sharons stash", and Mark showed us some towels that he wove, one with a 10 dent reed on the left and one with the 12 dent reed on the right. You can see the pattern much more clearly with the closer sett.
That is all I have for you today, see you next week! As always, Tina, for all!