Day 315: With September Morn falling smack on Labor Day this year, it was obvious that I wasn't going to be able to celebrate it in the usual fashion, so I did the next best thing: I bought myself a small present. I've been intrigued by tape looms for some time, but was having trouble justifying yet another way to weave bands. Unassailable logic prevailed in the form of "how can I call myself a weaver if I haven't at least tried the method?" This cute modern version of an 18th Century tape loom arrived yesterday. Like many things which are constructed with the bare minimum of functionality in mind, it has its foibles. Winding on the warp was tricky, to say the least. The warp beam only locks into place at one spot, and I found myself wishing I was an octopus with one hand to remove the stopper peg, one to keep tension on the warp, one to keep the warp from unwinding, and two more so I could knot the next colour to the one being discontinued. I'm sure I'll work out a better system after a few more tries! I found it easiest to use a backstrap to hold the woven end, but this meant that I was weaving in much the same way I'd weave on an inkle loom with one hand pushing down or lifting up the warp, as opposed to the proper way to use a tape loom, which is to lift or pull down on the finished tape. Again, an extra set of hands would have been helpful. I doubt I'll do much serious weaving on it, but at least I've learned something new.
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