Getting cold feet!

The closer we get to the date of the weaving weekend, the more I'm starting to panic. I have checked the warping instructions so many times that I'm sure the print is wearing out. I've counted the threads, checked the threading, tied and retied to get the perfect tension but I'm still not happy.

The yarn I've chosen is a 2/6 mercerised cotton which I've dyed with procion dyes. We are using a straight threading and for plain weave I'd probably use a sett around 20 epi. The problem is that that is the recommended setting we have been given, but all the books and information seems to be suggesting that for double weave the sett should be twice that. This allows the top and bottom warps to be woven independently as separate layers, or combined in various ways.

So it seems that to get the sett for each layer at 20 epi, you need to double everything up and yet.......

Oh dear. I've asked, but everyone seems to be so far out of their comfort zone that no one seems to be able to agree on what to do.

As I have plenty of yarn I'm going to prepare another warp using double the number of threads. If it turns out that I've not got the first one right I will have time to warp up again but it will be a late night!

In the meantime, I've ordered a book on the subject by Jennifer Moore which is called "Double Weave" and if it arrives in time it may just save my bacon!

In the meantime here's a photo of a work of art made by my DH. Can't go very far wrong with a cairn!

Ready to rock

or roll!
This is the warp for the Janet Phllips workshop coming up in September.

On the loom, threaded correctly (I hope) and with a header woven. So I'm ready to go!

The yarn is 2/6 cotton and there are four colours; dark blue, light blue, light green and gold. The light blue was purchased from Oliver Twists at the Festival of Quilts earlier this month. Jean Oliver dyes all the threads and fibre they sell and their stall is always a riot of colour. They specialise in threads for embroidery, but also have lots of other yarns and fibres which can be used for felting, spinning or weaving. Sadly they don't have a website but they do go to all the major shows.

The dark blue, green and gold I dyed myself with procion dyes. The colours turned out quite well, but not exactly as I intended. The green was supposed to be a dark green, but is a lot paler than I wanted. The gold was supposed to be a rusty brown, but somewhere along the way my mix took a different turn. Still the colours will be fine for what is after all only an experimental piece.

It's been sometime since I did any weaving and now we are settled(ish) in our new home, I'm hoping to do a lot more. The Cornwall guild has a lively weaving membership and hold four weaving days a year in addition to their usual monthly meetings. Having Janet Phillips visit to give us a talk about her work and a two day workshop is really good and will give me an opportunity to talk to her about her weaving diploma course which I'm thinking of doing.

But for now, the sun is shining and this is calling!

We are so lucky to have this lovely beach less than a mile from home so later today we will be dipping our toes in the waves!

Moving on

It's a long time since I've posted but things have been moving on gradually. We were finally able to pick up the keys to our new home at the end of January and since then we have been working hard to make it habitable. At long last with the building work nearly finished and the decorating getting done we are going to be able to move in later this month. Great sighs of relief all round!

Things are looking up for me on the Spinning and Weaving front too and I am pleased to say that my decision to join the Cornwall Guild has paid off. After a shaky start I am beginning to feel that I am part of the group and am gradually getting to know everyone. There are several meetings each month, plus additional days attending local shows etc, and there is a very active weaving group which I am now part of.

This September, Janet Phillips is coming to the Guild to hold a workshop in weaving double cloth. I was fortunate to get a place on the course and am busy getting my yarn dyed and the warp made so that I am ready to go! I will be using my Harris four shaft table loom which currently has a warp on it that I started weaving over a year ago! Where does the time go?

As with many of my weaving projects, I wound the warp without checking whether I had enough heddles for the threading I was going to use. Also, the yarn was a rather soft cotton which has not stood up to the rigours of the weaving process very well! So I have decided that what I need is to learn how to actually plan and design the cloth I am going to weave making sure that the type and colour of the yarn, the sett and the threading are right. To do this, I have decided to take Janet's two year weaving course. This will be a big commitment and will mean that I will have to concentrate on that and put some of my other skills on hold for a while.

So having been a bit at sea for the last year, trying to find quilting groups, embroidery groups etc that I could join, I have come to the conclusion that I just don't need to join anything else. When we move into our lovely new home, I will have my own studio where I can set up my loom, put on some music and let the world go by. Good friends are keeping in touch by email and of course my DH is as lovely and supportive as ever.

Plus, we are within spitting distance of the sea!!!

Who could ask for more!

New friends

So, biting the bullet and stepping out of my comfort zone I decided it was time to see if I could join the Cornwall Guild of Spinners and Weavers .The website is very informative and they looked like a lively bunch, so I contacted the secretary and invited myself along to the September meeting. The second meeting was very busy and it was a bit difficult to get a seat, but once again I persevered and as I had enjoyed the meeting, I accepted the invitation to become a member.

At the meeting last Friday, Jane Deane gave us a talk about the production of silk and told us a great deal about silk worms. Then in the afternoon, she demonstrated how to spin the different silk fibres she had supplied and spent some time with us discussing how the sinning was going. Some members had not spun silk before and were given a lot of help.

How was the meeting for me? Well, another tentative start and I was not made as welcome as I would have liked. Still, at least I've made a start and perhaps it will get easier as time passes.  There are some very talented spinners and weavers and some real characters so I am looking forward to the next meeting. Billed as a weaving day, but I'm not sure what that entails. It will be good to get back to some weaving!

What a long time

it's been since I last updated this blog and what a lot has happened.
We have moved house, and said a fond farewell to Yorkshire and a wow here we are then to Cornwall! Our move did not go as smoothly as we had hoped, but after a bit of a wait we finally moved into our temporary home and started unpacking.

My spinning, knitting and weaving activities have taken rather a back seat, but I have now started spinning again and have joined the Cornwall Guild. They have two meetings each month, one held on a Friday at Probus and one on a Saturday at Chacewater. Both meetings seem to be very well attended and some members attend both.

It was just a little nerve wracking going to the first meeting because I didn't know anyone and did feel  a bit unwelcome at first, but I'm fortunate in that I can barge my way into other people's conversations so I soon felt a bit more comfortable.

It came as a bit of a surprise to find that many of the members have their own sheep and some have goats too. The animals seem to be mostly kept as pets rather than for meat or wool and there seems to be a preference for Jacobs, although one also has Rylands.

Many of the members are also accomplished weavers and that is what I want to get to grips with next so I think I will be able to get quite a bit of help.

So here we are near the sea and able to go for lovely long walks along the coast path, see lots of birds, ships and breathe the lovely sea air! So here are a few photos to whet the appetite!

A lovely place to be and lots to look forward to!

Norwegian Purl

Until now my attempts to master the continental style of knitting have not been all that successful and even with the help of Lisa who has never knitted any other way, I was finding it impossible to keep an even tension.  Then I saw an advert for an on line class which seemed to fit the bill. Anni is originally from Norway, but is now based in Cornwall and has a business selling yarns, knitting patterns and lots of other goodies.

 So I signed up for the class and now, after a bit of trial and error and a lot of practice, hey, I can do it!!!! The link to the course details are here and although the current course has ended, Anni is planning to do another one soon. The videos are fairly short, but well done and you can download them and view them as many times as you like. There is also a message board where you can post comments and ask questions.

Anni can also be contacted through Ravelry which is a free site  for knitters, crocheters and anyone interested in textiles. It is a fantastic resource for information about all aspects of knitting and spinning and there are simply hundreds of patterns that you can access and download, many of them for free.

As I will be moving away from Yorkshire very soon, it is comforting to know that I will still be able to keep in touch with friends over the Internet and exchange views and ideas even if I can't meet up face to face.

No knitting photos I'm afraid, but here's a photo of someone special who I shall miss a great deal, but who is going to teach me how to use Skype!

Going Continental

For all the years I have been knitting, I haven't really tried to master the continental way of knitting even though I'm told it's quicker and easier. So, I watched this on You Tube 

The most difficult part is holding the yarn firmly enough to make sure of an even tension, but not too firmly to stop it moving freely. Somehow, I seem to be finding it very hard to make progress, but in the true spirit of adventure I'm persevering.

So what are the advantages? Well, the garment definitely grows faster. Because the yarn is held still and isn't wrapped around the needle, your arms and shoulders don't have to move as much. This makes it easier right? So far the jury is out.

My friend Lisa, who is German and is an accomplished continental knitter has offered to give me a tutorial and in return, she would like me to show her how to knit the English way! Nowt so queer as folk!

So next post might include a photo or two! In the meantime, I'm having another try so that the DGG has a nice thick chunky sweater in time for her next lot of lambing duties next month!