The next project is a set of eight napkins. I started with a design and then altered it a little bit to come up with eight variations. This project shows how you can make small changes and have several patterns that are close without being exactly alike. Diversified Plain Weave is also reversible so I could weave these eight designs again and hem them with the reverse side as the front to create a set of sixteen napkins. Color changes are another way to add uniqueness to a set of napkins.
Here is one of the napkins in the set:
A closer view:
Four of the napkins in the set:
The other four napkins:
I promised pictures of the projects I submitted for my COE (Certificate of Excellence in Handweaving). The first one is a table runner.
I used this piece to demonstrate the effect the color of the warp has on the cloth.
Some of you know that I have been working on my Certificate of Excellence in Handweaving. I passed Level I in 2006 and this fall I submitted my Specialized Study for evaluation to complete Level II. Yesterday I found out that my Specialized Study passed and I really have achieved my goal of earning my Certificate of Excellence in Handweaving.
I am so excited and relieved. The study was mailed off the first of September but the evaluation did not take place until the week of October 20. Even though I knew when the evaluation would happen, as the days and weeks went by I found my confidence level slipping and my apprehension growing.
One of the hardest parts of working on my study and having the blog was the fact that I felt I should not share my work until after it had passed the evaluation process. The applicant’s names are not on any of the work so the evaluators have no idea who’s work they are examining. Knowing the way the process works, I decided not to publicize what I was working on in case on of the evaluators happened upon my blog. That is a big reason my blog has been so neglected. Most of the exciting things I would have loved to share the last two years were about my certificate work.
For those of you wondering what my study was all about, it was titled “Multi-Harness Diversified Plain Weave.” I explored the effect of color and tie-up modifications on three 16 harness designs. The completed study contained 90 samples, 100 written pages, and four final projects. I’ll post some pictures soon, but for now I just want to shout, “I DID IT!!!!!!”
I also want to thank everyone for their support, encouragement, and crossed fingers. You have helped more than you will ever know. Thank you!
Actually most of us know it as the back beam. But yes, a while back I once again missed the back beam in the warping process. You would think after 10 years of weaving I would know the correct path the warp must travel to properly warp my loom. I do have an “excuse”!! This was the first warp I put on the loom using the newly installed second warp beam. Everything was just a bit different and this threw me.
I had decided to put on a few short warps to check out the breaking system and see if the second beam would work. Luckily I had picked a group of scarves to be the first project because they are not too wide and they are easy to warp and weave.
Of course a mistake like “missing the bar” is not caught until the loom is completely warped and you start to weave. The small shed is your first clue that something is not right. As you are sitting at the loom bench you start checking the possible reasons the shed is so small and finally you get the back beam. Oops, the yarn is supposed to go over it, not miss it all together! (One of the functions of the back beam is to hold the warp at the proper height on the loom so you get a good opening so you can easily pass the shuttle back while weaving.)
Many looms have removable back beams. It is fairly easy to loosen the warp, unbolt the beam, and then put it back on the loom after you have slipped it under the warp. Unfortunately, the older AVL loom I have is not one of those looms. Yes, I can remove the bars used as the back beam on this loom. But it is not an easy task and it would take a couple of people to do it.
The next option would be to un-thread the loom I just spend a few hours setting up. That didn’t sound like a lot of fun, nor did pulling the warp forward, untying it from the back of the loom, retying it after passing it over the back beam and then winding the warp back on the back beam.
So instead I decided to create another back beam. First I found a short metal bar and wrapped yarn around each end because I wanted to make sure I had a gap between it and the back beam. I then tied it securely to the beam after positioning the warp so it would go over it. The warp was higher than it was before, but still not at the proper height. So I tied the bar a second time to the other bar at the back of the loom. Older AVL’s may not be easy to take apart, but they do give you a lot to work with. 
From what I hear, AVL has changed the way the bars are secured at the back of the loom so this is not a problem on the newer looms.
With the warp now raised to the right position at the back of the loom I was able to weave the scarves without further problems. So the next time you goof up when warping your loom, take a few minutes and you might come up with an easier solution than starting over.
Yesterday I moved all my domains and websites to new servers. I was not happy with customer support at my original server and became even more unhappy when I tried to just move my domains to a neutral location. It was amazing how service went downhill when I made a small change. I was actually shocked!
Anyway, I spent two days working on this and it seems everything is up and running. My main concern is if people are able to find this blog via any feeds and rss means they have been using. (I’m not sure of the proper terms.) So if you have a way that you are notified of new posts to my blog, I would really appreciate hearing from you if your feed service worked. You can leave a comment or just drop me an e-mail at vila@handwoven-thoughts.com.
One fatality of the move was the theme for the blog. I ended up looking for a new one and I think I like the new look. Let me know what you think.
I am not really fond of change and I am very hopeful my change did not disrupt anything. I will be so happy to get away from the computer tomorrow and back to my loom. Oh wait, it has a computer hooked up to it too. :-/
So you have figured out how to warp your loom and want to weave something simple. For years A Handweaver’s Pattern Book, by Marguerite Porter Davison, has been a must have book for any weaving library. It is full of four harness patterns to pick from. There is a lot of variety in weave structures and honesty it could take a lifetime to weave all the patterns found in this book. I would go into more detail, but unfortunately I loaned out my copy and it never found it’s way back to me. I will probably replace it since I do teach weaving locally and it is a very good resource for weaving students.
Recently another four harness pattern book was released. It is The Handweaver’s Pattern Directory, by Anne Dixon. Being the bookaholic that I am, I decided to order it to see what it offered. I am very happy with my purchase. The front of the book is full of basic information. The color pictures make it easy to see what the woven cloth will look like and they also give ideas for combing colors in weaving projects.
I have been weaving for a while and this book contains some simple patterns that I have not seen and would love to do. That says a lot about this book. I started with a four harness loom and within six months I had to move up to eight harnesses. The Handweaver’s Pattern Directory will lure me back to the simple patterns from time to time.
Many of the techniques required in the Certificate of Excellence for Handweaving, Level l are touched upon in this beautiful little book.
These are just a couple of good books I think every weaver should have in their weaving library.
I feel like shouting from the roof tops, but since the evaluations are anonymous I’ll just whisper it here instead. This week I finished my COE work and mailed it off for the evaluation process.
After working on the COE for the last year, and it consuming my life for the last few months, it feels strange not to have that deadline looming over me. I actually slept in this morning and it was bliss to putter around the house on a day off. I worked on several things today and felt good about starting to get my house back in order.
I would have loved to blog about the COE, but it didn’t feel right the way the judging is done. Once the outcome of the evaluation is announced, I will share some photos and some of the things I learned in my study. Until then, I’m looking forward to working on my website again and adding posts here on a regular basis. Tomorrow I get to can tomatoes and if I’m really efficient I might make it back to my loom for a bit of weaving — with no deadline!!
Does it happen to you? The last few times I have had an “issue” with one of my looms, it happens on Friday. I will be weaving away, trying to meet one deadline or another, and something goes wrong.
Last time a cable broke on my Folding Dobby AVL loom. A broken cable is not the end of the world. But why does it have to happen Friday afternoon? If I don’t get my order for a new one in that day, I have to wait till Monday. It sets the final repair back farther. Did I say “final” repair. Yes, I did. I can never wait for the cable to come before I start weaving again, so I end up jerry-rigging a cord to get the loom back in production. Not pretty, but is works. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m going to be able to sneak a warp of baby blankets in between weaving for my Certificate of Excellence in Handweaving. I’m excited! It is not often I can do custom work. But in July I can weave baby blankets to order. Well, they will have to fit into the patterns I can do on this warp, but customers can pick the pattern and color combination they want.
These baby blankets will be handwoven from 100% cotton. They are soft, comfortable and safe for the baby, no fringe to get in the way. The size will be about 36″ x 45″ and that makes them useful wherever they go. Plenty of room to lay the baby on the floor with a few toys and large enough to wrap him up in for months. They are big enough to cover a toddler for a nap. Read the rest of this entry »
The very first book I would recommend for a new weaver is “Learning to Weave” by Deborah Chandler. This book starts with and introduction into looms and weaving equipment. It gives enough information to help with the purchase of the first loom and the basic equipment needed to start weaving.
It quickly moves into the process of “warping” a loom. For those of you who are not familiar with this weaving term, it means setting the loom up with the threads attached to the loom and held under tension during weaving. The pictures are clear and the step-by-step instructions are easy to follow.
After the loom is warped, there are many important things to learn. This book will answer most of the questions that arise and assist a new weaver in understanding the weaving process. It describes the basics of thread interlacement in weaving, how to plan a project, and how to read a draft. A draft is the pattern a weaver follows to set up the loom and weave a specific pattern. Some basic weave structures are discussed and the back of the book has some great information charts. I have been weaving for more than ten years and this is still the reference book I use as I am researching a new project.
So if you have just started weaving or think weaving may interest you, this is the first book I would recommend. This is the book I use as a text book when I give weaving lessons.
