Warp Core Breach

Ok, maybe not a full on breach, but I've got some warp problems on my second weaving piece.

I'm not sure what is going on here.... it's not supposed to be all crisscrossed like this behind the reed.

 And it's not supposed to be in three layers in front of the reed like this. I will be reaching out for the collective wisdom of weavers on the web to figure out what's going on.

But the actual weaving is going well.  This yarn is a sport-weight soy silk, so while it's still a bit thin for the reed, it's working fine.

And yeah, purple again.  I'm not sure how I ended up with so much purple in my stash.

Oh what a tangled web we weave...

when first we practice to... uh... weave.


Here's my first woven project.  I learned quite a bit, which is just a nice way to say that I messed up a lot.

There's not a ton that you can do wrong basic weaving, I mean it's just sending the shuttle full of yarn back and forth.  But the edges get wonky if you're not careful, and I tried to get fancy tying off the fringe and it looks a bit sloppy.  I also misjudged how long to make the warp (vertical) yarns because I hadn't factored in how much would be needed to tie the yarn onto the loom but which wouldn't actually become part of the weaving.

The biggest issue I had was that I used the wrong sized yarn for the reed that came with my loom.  The reed is the wood & plastic thing in the middle that the warp yarn goes through.  Reeds are spaced wider for thicker yarns and narrower for thinner yarns.  Since the spaces on my reed were bigger than needed for the lace-weight yarn I used, it ended up being a very loose, drape-y weave.  Which isn't necessarily a problem.  But it's one of those things that is supposed to be a choice and not an accident.  Which it was. ;)

Oh well. I've already got another project on the loom and hopefully it will turn out a bit better.

New Toy!

As if I didn't have enough projects in the works already, I bought myself a new toy - an Ashford 16" Rigid Heddle Loom.

It comes unfinished and un-assembled, so I get a bonus project of getting to pick out a stain, and put it all together.  I say this with all sincerity... I love putting stuff together!

First-up, staining with a "Colonial Maple" color.  It was a bit cold outside, so I skipped the second coat.  But considering it will only be used inside, I think that's sufficient.

Next, assembly.  Easy-peasy.

But then comes the tough part... actually 'warping' the loom - putting the yarn through all the little slots on the reed.

It took about two hours to warp the loom.  I actually gave up before I'd threaded each slot.  I figured it was wide enough for a first scarf.

Once I had warped the loom I was off and weaving.  The actual mechanics are pretty straight forward, and I watched a you-tube video to get a couple hints.  It's still very much a first project... the sides are sloppy and I've discovered that the reed I'm using is too big for the weight of yarn I chose so it's going to be a bit loosely woven when all is said and done.  But that won't necessarily be a bad thing... we'll just have to wait and see.