Nelda's Tablecloth Band

Day 44: This band was designed to go around the border of a crackle-weave tablecloth. There are over two dozen individual motifs which appear somewhat randomly along its 26-foot length, each spaced by a repeating design. Mixed motifs are found in some Scandinavian trims, and the element of chaos just seemed to appeal to me. I warped Nelda (my Glimakra band loom) with what I thought was plenty of extra length, and partway through the weaving process, I said to myself, "Maybe there will be enough to put over the seams where I've sewed the panels together."** Wouldn't you know it? I'm about a foot short. At this point, I have three choices: leave the seams exposed (not really an option I'm considering), re-warp Nelda with enough to make five more feet of the same trim, or warp her with enough to make 11 feet of a different, narrower band to cover the two seams. I'll have to give this a chunk of think. Right now, I'm pretty tired of working on this particular project.

**That's a painful admission: I did not care for the way the tablecloth panels joined. I should have broken the tablecloth draft at a different point for the selvedges.

Her Last Project

Day 147: I am a bit ashamed to admit that I never named this loom, and now with the red crackle-weave Scandinavian tablecloth and green centerpiece off the rollers, she is naked before me for the last time. I did not know that looms asked for names when she came into my life some twenty or so years ago, a gift from a stranger who knew me solely from having come to one of my yard sales. I brought her home in pieces, many pieces, with no clear knowledge of how they went together, but by the end of the following day and after several trips to the hardware store, she was ready for her first warp. I do not recall what I wove first on this grand old lady, but she has served me well, never empty for more than 48 hours. She has her foibles, as do we all, but nothing major, nothing to impinge on our relationship. I know I will miss her when she leaves, because soon she is slated to take up residence with a friend and his husband. I sincerely hope they amend my dereliction of duty by giving her a proper name.

Comparative Working Distance

Day 141: Someone asked how Max's effective working distance compared to my old loom, so this morning, I did a test. I knew Max gave me more space, but I wasn't sure how much, although I did feel that it was a little bit more than my repaired shoulder could handle easily. Still, in the name of science, I thought (with a snicker) that I could "take it to the max" just this once. Normally, I wouldn't have pushed quite so far. As you can see, Max could feasibly give me ten inches before I had to advance the warp as compared to six inches on the old loom, but I am more comfortable with nine inches. Even at that, it represents substantially fewer times that I have to get up from the bench. And yes, I have to get up. My arms aren't long enough to control the brake and the roller at the same time.

Spacers And Chasers

Day 138: This one is going to be fun! Many historic/traditional Scandinavian bands were made with multiple patterns occurring in the same piece, sometimes without repeating at all. I wanted to make a trim for the outer edges of the "Scandinavian Favourite" crackle-weave tablecloth and decided to put my own twist on the principle by using identical spacers in between short motifs. Since my initial plan for a holiday tablecloth turned into the King's Flower coverlet, I also chose to incorporate some green into this band to give it Christmas-y feel. I have warped thirty feet and will be using both traditional and original motifs in as many variations as I can manage with 11 pattern threads. I'm calling it "Spacers and Chasers."