Rising To The Challenge

Day 86: I have to admit that when I warped Pippin with sewing thread, I wasn't quite sure that I hadn't bitten off more than I cared to chew. Fact of the matter is, I am enjoying weaving with fine thread so much that I will warp Jutta with it as soon as I have finished her current band. Sewing thread coupled with 10/2 cotton yields a finished product similar in appearance and feel to commercial trims, a weight and flexibility which would be entirely acceptable to apply to a sweater or other garment such as a nightgown or blouse. Admittedly, the weaving would go faster if I was working on a band loom where the sheds are controlled by my feet. On Pippin, the roller at the top of the castle is turned by hand to change the shed. But then, what's the hurry? Weaving should be an eminently pleasurable and relaxing exercise, not something to rush through.

New Year's Weave

Day 79: Happy New Year's Weave! This demented little project is something I've thought about doing for a long time, i.e., making a band using sewing thread for the ground. The red pattern threads and white border are 10/2 cotton (single), and I chose to hang it on Pippin because I'd just taken a band off her. Jutta, my Leksand loom, would probably have served this exercise better. The distance between the heddles and Pippin's breast beam makes picking up the pattern threads in this method rather awkward since they are suspended between the upper and lower layers. I could have used a different system, specifically threading them through heddles rather than between them, but besides utilizing sewing thread, I also wanted to test the method. Some of you will spot the pitfall in the scientific protocol here: never change more than one variable in an experiment. "Eh," I said as I was pulling threads through heddles, "what's the worst that can happen? So maybe I have to cut it off and try again. It's just sewing thread." Now that I've confessed, I have to say that it's working out okay, not perfectly, but okay. I simply have to be a little more careful that I am picking up the proper threads from the free-floating layer.