Weaving

Stats for Pink and Yellow Sleeveless Jacket.

2 skeins Sea Silk, 70% Silk and 30% Seacell (r) from "Hand Maiden fine yarn". It's a hand dyed yarn from Canada. Color Melon.
2 skeins 60/2 Silk from RedFish DyeWorks. It's a hand dyed yarn from right here in my backyard. Color YO1b.

I used my 36" Schacht Floor Loom, threaded in a point twill. I used only 4 of the harnesses and tied 1 harness to 1 treadle.

Wove 25" wide at 15 epi. Warp was 2 1/2 yards long. This loom has a waste of 20 inches.

The whole project went very quickly. The Sea Silk is very soft spun so it needs to be handled gently. The yarn label says hand wash only.

I'm not in a sewing mood so I will start another warp.

Weaving

No threading errors.  I always hemstitch, even if it's fabric, to make finishing easier.

Everything is going smoothly

Close-up - I'm weaving with a gold 60/2 silk.

Finished - This is a warp for a short jacket, only took a couple hours to weave it off.

Cut it off.

The is the "right" side of the fabric.  I wove the fabric facing down so I didn't have to lift as many sheds. This photo is closer to the real color, it's amazing how the color changes when it is away from my cherry loom.

I will wet finish the fabric and post the stats next week.

Weaving

Little extra time today so I tied on. Ready to Rock and Roll.  My cherry loom makes this pink and golden warp look orange.

Trails - Camarillo, CA

Had a great show in Camarillo. In previous years this Guild show was held at Studio Channel Islands on the USC Campus. They had to move as the school need the space.  Camarillo invited all the artist to come to their old town area where there was a vacant elementary school. The city fixed it up and used another building across the street for a Gallery. The whole set up is great.
Today was the "Camarillo Shindig".  Farmer's Market, Art for Kids, a really big air show, the artist's open studio, live music, and for those who eat meat, a bar-b-q.  Plus the Ventura Spinners and Weavers Guild's annual sale - where we were.  There were many more people than ever for this show because of everything else going on.
I have a month off until the show in Tehachapi.

Weaving

No weaving today.  My part is finished for the show tomorrow.  Just have to get up at 5:am and no walk. I don't like having to drive without my morning walk.

Weaving

I'm glad it's Thursday again, but it has been so hot and humid that I don't think I had the energy to do anything except thread my loom. Slowly.

I'm threaded and knots are tied.  This is a very nice yarn but you cannot handle it too much as it is loosely spun and pills easily.

All wound on.  To me this is the most important part of dressing the loom.

  I'm ready to tie the front knots and lash on.

I might not get to weave tomorrow as RedFish will be in Camarillo Saturday for the Ventura Spinning and Weaving Guild's annual Harvest Festival and Sale.  Packing to do and lunch to make.                                                                                                                                                      

Weaving

Stayed up way too late last night watching the meteor shower. It was the best one I have ever seen.

I didn't get to my studio until after 2:00, but I am sleyed and started going through the heddles.

Weaving

This was the first Thursday of my weaving Thursdays and Fridays for the next 5 months. I did do a few loads of wash as the machines are in the studio but on the whole I got a lot done.

Decided to used some of the yarns that I have picked up at Conventions to make some new selling clothes. I cannot resist beautiful hand-dyed yarns and don't feel guilty buying them if they are something we don't dye.  This one is from Hand Maiden out of Canada, it's 70% silk and 30% seacell.  Seacell is a yarn made from shells, mostly clam and shrimp.  Surprisingly it's very soft. They call the color melon, one skein is a soft pink and golden yellow, the other a darker pink and a deeper golden yellow.

I have done my math and measured the warp, I'm ready to slay the reed in the morning after my walk.  I'm going to alternate light and dark and weave with RedFish 60/2 in a golden yellow.

Life

I have decided my house needs some order, that even made me laugh. I have attacked the kitchen, cleaning out cupboards, shelves and drawers.  I'm tossing everything with gluten and dairy, also things that the date has expired, those little circles do pop up. I'm going to keep going until the house is spotless. I will weave on Thursday and Friday.

It was so beautiful this morning on my walk.

Trail home from Convergence

After Convergence, which was totally exhausting, we were supposed to backpack into Bandalier for 3 days of R&R. This little trip was called off as it had rained daily the whole time we were in Albuquerque and it's too dangerous to be in the wilderness with lightening, rain, flash floods, etc.  Besides who wants R&R in wet camping gear.
We decided to play tourist and see a few things we have by-passed as we are always in a hurry.

Meteor Crater - I have been to see the crater many, many, many years ago. Gary and I took his boys to see it. We drove up to it, climbed down in it, spent the whole day there and had a great time. This time there was an enormous building, you buy a ticket - 15 bucks - climb up 3 flights of stairs, go on a quarter mile "tour" with a guide, warning you to stay together and on the path. You do get to stay a half hour for your 15 bucks.  Woo-Hoo!  It is amazing but 15 bucks?

The Painted Desert - This was my 13th visit to the Painted Desert. It rained right before we arrived and it was unbelievably beautiful.  I have yet to take a picture that does it justice. I just can't drive down 40 without popping in.

This was my first visit to the London Bridge. I know it's silly but walking over it and imagining the countless people in history to do the same made me wonder how England could let such a treasure go.

Having Convergence in a city I love was a great treat, can't wait to find out where the next one will be.

Chinese Braid Embroidery/Goldwork Embroidery

The new weights were way too heavy, back to the drawing board.

Chinese Braid Embroidery/Goldwork Embroidery

Back from Convergence, slept several days, now I'm ready to start doing stuff.

When I first started doing Chinese Braiding, I used a pillow and some bolts, very unsatisfactory. Then a braiding stand was made out of a stool and a rag shuttle and used bobbin lace bobbins, better but still unsatisfactory.

These are the bobbin lace bobbins with washers for weights but the bobbins are made to have the thread slide. When braiding the thread is stationary until you move it.  Also the washers kept cutting the ties and they were noisy.

I purchased these from "The Lacemaker"  I just love her shop, it has everything for making every type of lace and she knows how to do them all.

Tonight I'm going to fill these new bobbins and start a braid so I can get on with the embroidery part.

Trails - Albuquerque

The trail has lead home again. Most of the time I had no internet, the rest of the time I was too tired to blog. I will post pictures in little bunches.