Wif 'n Proof Software

The shadow weave scarf that I just finished made me realize I needed a good way for following complex treadling sequences.  The treadling followed 76 picks before repeating and with such a subtle pattern, it was not easily apparent when I had made a mistake.  I have been looking at weaving software for a few months, trying to decide if I needed it and if I do, which one to buy.  Since software runs $150-300 and I am only an occasional weaver, I want to make the right choice.  Wif 'n Proof, caught my eye, because it was only $20.  However, it is not a full featured drafting program, but instead a program that can be used on a tablet, IPad, or smartphone for treadling sequence.  You can download drafts into the program or enter the information directly and then just weave along and hit the button to show what the next treadling sequence is.  It's available from Sandoz Software on versions from phones to tablets and I use it on my Color Nook.

Shadow Weave Scarf

I just finished two scarves woven in a Shadow Weave.  I have never woven this pattern before and the warping and the weaving was very complex to complete.  The draft calls for weaving 76 rows before the pattern repeats, so it took some concentration.  That is probably the main reason that it took over a month to get it off the loom.  The other reason is that is is woven with two very fine yarns with a sett of 20 epi.  The yarns are a vaiegated bamboo and tencel, which gives it a very drapey quality.The pattern comes from Handwoven, January/February 2012.  Handwoven's instructions provide an 8 shaft draft and a 4 shaft draft.  Using my 4 harness loom, the pattern was not nearly as evident as in the photos in the magazine.  Higher contrast between the yarns should help.  The scarf is finished with a twisted fringe using the LeClerc fringe twister.

Date Finished  May 2012

Loom   Newcomb

Weave Structure  Shadow Weave

Reed  12 sleyed to 20 epi

Warp Fiber  Bambu 7, Rhubarb Patch
                     8/2 Tencel, Eggplant

Count  8/2

Source   Cotton Clouds

Warp Width in Reed  8"

Ends  157

Length  73"

Weft Fiber  same as warp

Count  19 ppi

Beat 50/50                    

Size

Notes  Cotton Cloud kit did not have enough of either yarns,  and I had to order more.

Cheaper Kitchen Towels

My Mother and Gary's Mother would be proud.  I am keeping up both families' thrifty Scottish traditions, as well as following the environmental mantra of Reduce, Re-use, Recycle.   I just finished three kitchen towels on the rigid heddle loom in yellow, green and blue.  The yarn for these towels came from thrift store cotton sweaters that I have unraveled.  Each sweater costs a mere 50 cents and probably generates 8 oz of cotton yarn.  If I were to purchase the cotton, it would run $15 for 8 oz.   The yarn from these three sweaters could probably make 10 towels.  The only other kitchen towels that I have made were during my weaving week at John C Campbell Folk School.  If I add up the tuition, the travel and meals for the week, those towels probably cost about $300 each.   Next up will be towels in Duke blue with a little Carolina blue accent.

I had some help in "frogging" (highly technical term for unraveling) the sweaters from Gary, Peggy and even Emma.  The biggest issue with frogging is the mess that it leaves behind on me, the rugs, the couch.  The other benefit, other than cheap yarn, is that it also makes weaving a little more portable.  I can always carry around a sweater to unravel even though I can't carry a loom.

Date Finished      June 1, 2012

Loom                  Rigid Heddle

Weave Structure  Plain

Reed     12 dent

Warp     Fiber  Cotton

              Count

              Color   Yellow and Green

              Source    Thrift Store Sweaters

Warp     Width in Reed   18"

              Ends  216

              Length   2 1/2 yds

Weft      Fiber   Cotton
              Count

              Color  Yellow, Green and Blue
              Mfr

              Source   Thrift Store Sweaters

Beat                       50/50                     

Size  on loom 18 x 25, finished 15 1/2 x 22

Notes

Potholder Looms

I have tried to entice some friends into weaving and haven't had much success to date.  So who better to turn into a little weaver, but Emma.  I have been waiting for the right time to buy a potholder loom, remember those from girl scouts, summer camp or Sunday School.  Yep, they still make the looms and the loops that you weave with.  At 5, she is still a little young, but she likes to pick out the colors and she can put the loops on the loom in one direction.  She can't quite get the coordination to interlace the second set of loops.  But she likes making designs and she loves to give away the finished product - both good starts.

The week at John C Campbell

Spending a week at John C Campbell Folk School was great fun and helpful to me in understanding techniques of weaving and building and correcting on the skills that I have.  There were 9 of us in the class with an instructor,Susan Morgan Leveille and her assistant Christie Rogers, so lots of one-on-one assistance in making sure the process I use, will get the desired results.

Lori and Janet sleying the reed

One of the things that I did not know till I got to class was Susan's family history is deep in weaving in Western North Carolina.  Lucy Morgan, Susan's Aunt was the founder of the Penland School of Crafts  and Susan learned to weave at the age of 9 from her aunt, Lucy Morgan.  In class she brought drafting notes and samples from Penland in the 40's, some of which I used during the week.

The week was designed to focus on Scandinavian kitchen textiles, towels, hot mats, table runners in a variety of weaving patterns.  I used rosepath, but others in the class used Monk's Belt, Krogsbrad, Halvdral, and twill.  Most of us were weaving with 8/2 cotton and the supply of yarn at John C Campbell allowed for lots of variety in the projects contemplated during the week.  The other benefit of the week was the library - a wealth of weaving books to spend time pouring over during the session.

Our photos of the week are here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/thomson.pat/JohnCCampbell?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJLg0LjC4MCx-QE&feat=directlink

Susan brought in some of her textiles to help inspire us.  Most of us made kitchen towels, two or three during the week.  I joked that the cost of the two towels I made was about $300 a piece.  Some of the class came from Seattle, upstate New York, Illinois and so their towels might have cost about $1000 each.

My $300 kitchen towel in Carhartt brown

The weaving studio also gave me access to 30 looms, from 5-6 different manufacturers, to see what I liked in different looms and what I might like to modify on my loom or what features I'd like to have on the next loom.  I spent most of the week at a Schacht Baby Wolf, a loom I thought I might like to buy.  After the week was over I decided it was just too small, I was sitting too low at it and felt like my knees were up around my ears.  I still think that I might like a Macomber or a Leclerc and definitely want at least an 8 harness loom.  The other need is one that does not require the skills of a contortionist to warp.

Weaving Class Projects

Gary spent the week in a woodturning class and also thoroughly enjoyed it.

Phil Colson - woodturning instructor

During the week, there were 15 different sessions going on with a Scandinavian theme, including knitting, ceramics, wood carving, enameling, blacksmithing.  My favorite was the needle felting class that made incredible creations by the first day. Friday afternoon, all of the classes got to show off their stuff and it was great fun looking at the production during the week.

Weaving at John C Campbell Folk School

I am an entirely self taught weaver, picking up techniques by reading books (old school) and by watching youtube videos (new school).  I am sure that many of my techniques are not the "proper" or the most efficient way to weave.  Because of these deficiencies, I have decided to go to school, John C Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, to study weaving for a week.  It may be too late to teach me the right way, but at least I can see what the options are for good weaving techniques.

My primary loom has a sectional warp beam and because of that, I have never warped from front to back.  This is a skill I would like to master for a number of reasons.  With the Newcomb, I have to climb into the middle of the loom to sley the heddles.  It's not a pretty picture and as I get older and wider, this is not the easiest thing to accomplish.  In addition, the table loom does not have a sectional warp beam and so it should be warped from the front to the back using lease sticks.  I don't even have lease sticks and I wouldn't know where to put them if I had them.  I can imagine Gary telling where to stick them....

My other motivation for learning from a pro is to get over my hesitation about weaving fine cloth and complex patterns.  I gravitate to 8-12 epi, quicker to get the project on the loom and quicker to begin the weaving.

The course will cover Swedish textiles, so designs typically set at 24 epi.  My other interest is Krokgbrad weaving, which is not set as finely, but can produce some interesting detail on warp faced fabric.

Krokbragd almost looks like a Fair Isle pattern for weavers.

Gary is going to JCC as well to study woodturning.  Once again he has been turning for a while, but it's entirely self taught.  We won't stay on campus, but about 45 minutes away at Lake Burton.  Close enough that we can still participate in the evening activities, and yes that means dancing.  I just haven't told him yet.

Reversible Rug

This is another project from Interweave Publications Design Collection 19- all about rags.  Rugs seems to be the project that I gravitate to most frequently, utilitarian, sturdy, forgiving of mistakes.  This project is woven in a double weave, weaving two layers of fabric at the same time.  The fabric on the top layer can be a completely different color from what is being woven on the bottom layer and if you get tired of the colors on the top, just flip it over.  It should also result in a very thick rug, since it is made up of two layers.

The first step in this project was accumulating wool clothing to cut up for the weft.  I decided one layer would be red wool and all shades of black and white tweed.  The second layer would be plain black and the same black and white tweeds and plaids.  I accumulated probably 20 items of clothing before beginning to cut.  I used a rotary cutter on a quilting mat and the cutting went fairly quickly.  Cutting up the slacks, jackets, skirts seemed to be such a waste, but it came from the thrift store and already had a good life.  I am just repurposing it for it's second life.

The project was sleyed 1-3-2-3 and the 4th harness was not used at all.  I think there is probably an easier way to sley this on all 4 harnesses, but I couldn't figure it out, even after reading Black (New Key to Weaving) and Collingwood's rug book.  Next time I will probably use cotton carpet warp, since this wool was fairly expensive and is fairly small part of what is seen.



I used the standard tie-up and the following treadling:

From the right
Red tones - 1(lifts 1 and 3)
Black tones - 3 (lifts 3)

From the left
Red tones - 5  (lifts 2 and 3)
Black tones - 2 (lifts 2)


Date Finished  March, 2012

Loom  Newcomb

Weave Structure  double weave

Reed  8 epi, 4 epi  per layer

Warp     Fiber  Navajo wool warp, single ply

              Count  190 yds per tube

              Color  natural

              Mfr  Davidson

              Source  Earthguild

Warp     Width in Reed  31"

              Ends  252

              Length  3 yds, used 5 tubes

Weft      Fiber  wool rags, cut in 1" to 2" strips

              Count

              Color  black, black and white tweeds and  plaids on one side and red and black and white tweeds and  plaids on the other side

              Mfr

              Source  Thrift Store

Beat                       Weft Faced
Size

Notes