Weaverly

Closing In

As walking out in public becomes more and more fraught, I find myself spending more hours at the loom and at the computer. That's not the best thing for my physical body, but I do enjoy the extra time with the threads. You know what I mean. I know you do.

I won't show you a picture of what's on the loom, because it hasn't changed much from the previous post. 

Then again, maybe I will! It's my blog. I can change my mind and I make the rules here.

So here's what's on my loom:

Shadow weave. I fiddled with the draft for so long, and when it was as good as I could get it, turns out it is almost exactly the same as one of Marion Powell's. This book is a treasure. My copy is old, well worn, and falling apart. 

Shadow weave makes me wonder about adding end-and-end color alternation to some of my amalgamation drafts, so here's an experiment from this morning (click to enlarge):

Compare it with the structure-only version of the same draft.

Well, I feel better already. Happy weaving, folks. Be kind to each other.

On Our Way

With the weather a bit flippy these days, I was lucky to get in a walk this morning. 

Afterwards I finished the threading and sleying of the shadow weave warp, and was delighted to finish without apparent errors. A sight to delight a weaver's heart: tied on and ready to weave.

The first few picks. Shadow weave in wool and silk. 

Picking Up Loose Threads

You may remember the samples of silk & wool shadow weave from a few weeks back (I barely remember them, it's been so long!). With other things on my mind, they've been sadly neglected. But this morning I took the plunge and picked up the loose threads and shouldered my weapons, and all that, and reconnected with the silk & wool.

The black silk was a gift, and I wasn't sure if I had enough, so I got out my old McMorran yarn balance and figured out approximately what I had, and it appears that there's plenty, so I'm forging ahead. If it turns out that I've miscalculated, you'll probably hear the screams all the way over there (wherever you are). Off to the warping board. Wish me luck.

Byways

Weaving activity is at a temporary standstill, but sewing goes on bigtime. I've developed a new relationship with linen fabric, and find that it is a joy to sew and an even bigger joy to wear.

There are new challenges to meet, such as neck gussets on this historical frontier shirt. This pattern is not for sissies!

Weaving has gone underground but is still very much alive in my head. I try to do a daily draft just to keep my skills sharp.

And of course I love my morning walks. Still avoiding the Swamp Rabbit Trail because of the crowds of (largely unmasked) bikers and walkers, but there is good opportunity for walks on the neighborhood streets. 

Just finished reading a lovely book, Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen, by Mary Norris. Hilarious and very moving.

Retrieving a UFO

This particular UFO has been sitting around for about two years. It started as a narrow cotton warp intended for using up odd half-filled bobbins of cotton yarns in the weft. I wove stripes in hit-or-miss order, whatever color came to hand, in plain weave and the occasional overshot accent. I ended up with several yards of this stuff after it came off the loom and went through the washer. Time to take it off the shelf.

First I cleaned and oiled the sewing machine. 

Then I cut the fabric into shorter pieces.

Then I sewed them together to make a wider fabric. 

And finally I cut out a simple shirt pattern. There was not much left after cutting!

I used a piece of linen for a neck facing.

The actual sewing didn't take very long. Just two pieces plus facing. 

Finished. What do you think?

Please hold the comments about my selfie technique.

 

Life in the Slow Lane

Job One for today, after the morning walk, was to clean and oil my sewing machine. This dear machine, acquired in 1972, has been a loyal workhorse and friend. I haven't looked in her innards since our move, and it was definitely time. I am embarrassed. She was full of lint and never complained.

I gave her a good brushing out and vacuuming, and a few drops of oil. I put in a new needle. Now she's so happy she almost sings!

Such a coincidence: a package of linen arrived. I zigzagged the ends and put all the pieces in the washing machine to preshrink. What gorgeousness. All ready to go.

As I now limit my weaving & sewing to 1/2 hour at a time, there is plenty of opportunity for reading on the back porch.

Just finished reading The Other Bennet Sister, by Janice Hadlow. Jane Austen fans will enjoy this reimagining of the story of Mary, the middle sister in the Bennet family, the plain, bookish, and nerdy one. The book is faithful to the spirit of the original Pride and Prejudice, but gives a contemporary twist to the Mary's character and struggles. A very satisfying read, although a bit on the longish side. I loved the sly references to P&P. 

More images of the home front—here is afternoon sun in the breakfast room:

—and of course today's stint at the loom.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and be safe.
 

Red Pants

There is a house I pass every morning, and occasionally the clothes are out on the line to dry. Today the red pants caught my eye. Now I want my own pair of red pants. I can't put that thought out of my mind! I've been working on drafting a pants pattern, but I've had to put the project on hold for various reasons. It's always good to have a "someday" project ready & waiting. That's my someday project. Red pants.