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!