I am going like gangbusters with the fiber arts, right now. I found some crochet cotton in my stash, warped with the white, and used some multicolored for the weft and made a few dishclothes. During that weaving, I discovered how to tighten up the edges, so the end of the weaving is the best part, but it is all useable.
Showing the warp. You can also see a warp thread that is tighter than the rest. That thread had a knot in it from manufacturing. While I was winding the warp, I just forced it through the heddle, but didn’t realize how it would affect the weaving. So, when I got to it during the weaving process, I had to stop, force it through the heddle, again, and weave without using the heddle/beater until I was past the knot. I used a comb and it was not as neat and tight as the rest of the weaving. LOL! I am always learning something the hard way. After I got the knot taken care of, that thread was stretched all out of whack, so I had to put a weight on it to keep it tight until I finished. The weight was more than I needed, so that is what you see.Nice tight edge. Not perfect, but so much better.You can see some of the loosey-goosey edges that have already been wrapped on the beam.Getting ready to take it off the loom.Yay! It looks good, considering.After putting through the washer and dryer it tightened up and softened up. I love it! To cut it apart, I sewed a very short zigzag stitch on my machine and then cut right next to the seam. I don’t care much for fringe and to turn over a hem would be much too bulky. I love it just the way it is. I don’t know what I want to do with that long piece. I may cut it up into dishcloths, too.A lucet which I found while tidying up the studio. This is a tool used for making strong cord out of any thread. They come in various sizes from teeny-tiny to big enough for a large rope. When I found it, I took a short piece of purple yarn and tried to remember how to use it. You can see that at first it is loose while I am trying to get the rhythm. Then, at the end, I got it.Ready, with some misgivings, to try to spin cotton on Clara The Faithful Spinning Wheel.Well, that thread doesn’t look half bad.It works! I don’t know why I had such a hard time before, but it works this time. Part of it may be that I have little to no tension. Before, I had the tension set as for wool and the cotton would not stay in my hand, let alone actually set a twist. Now, I have plenty of time to get some twist into the yarn before feeding it onto the spool. It is so soft and silky. Beautiful!I got my order of warp yarns and started warping the loom, again. I am going to try to make dish towels. I was very ambitious and warped across the whole loom. Whew! I think I took on a little more than I can handle, with the warping. I have a feeling it will be a circus when I get back to it.
Below are some more paintings for sale. Varnished and ready. They are all 8×10 oils paintings offered at $100 each.
She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces through the room,
She saw the water-lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She looked down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror cracked from side to side;
'The curse is come upon me', cried
The Lady of Shalott.
-- Alfred, Lord Tennyson
exists to create art which reflects the beauty and the glory of God, to use art to comfort and encourage people, and to inspire others to pursue the arts. 