Weaverly

A Departure and a New Beginning

The hemp/linen towels were washed, dried, and hemmed. Click to enlarge & see the pattern a little more clearly.

A few days later, the loom they were woven on found a new owner. 

The Octado is carried out to the waiting truck.

This dear loom has served me well over many years, and now is going to a good home with a new weaver. Happy weaving, Linda!

A Puddle of Cloth, and Some Other Pleasures

A cone of hemp yarn was almost—almost—enough to weave off the end of a cotton & linen warp. To eke out the little bit of warp left, I started using up partially filled bobbins of this and that. Cotton, cotton blends:

—and some fine yarns used double in this very useful (but heavy) shuttle:

The entire warp has been cut off, the colored parts separated from the natural parts, all raw ends secured before washing. There is a nice 4-yard length of the part with hemp weft. I threw it on the floor in a puddle to catch some of the shadows. It still has a lot of body and stiffness, which will change after it's washed.If you click to enlarge, you might see the amalgamated weave pattern, subtle but definitely there.

The absolute highlight of the week was the final rigid heddle class at OLLI, with much hilarity and celebration. This intrepid group of new and not-so-new weavers honed their skills and forged new links of friendship. 

In the book department, I have a recommendation for you: The Library Book by Susan Orlean. It is a fascinating read on many levels: part mystery, part social commentary, part bibliophily. I truly couldn't put this one down. About the Los Angeles library fire of 1986 and much more.

Welcome, Sweet Spring

On my walk today. This needs no words.

Now to the annals of the laundry room.  The most recent batch of samples has been washed, dried, and steam pressed. 16/2 cottolin, designed with the technique of amalgamation, a close cousin of network drafting. There's more information about amalgamation in my book Network Drafting: an Introduction (see sidebar).

Click on any of these to enlarge.

I hope Spring is beautiful where you are, or will be soon.