Mission Accomplished

Finallly!

Even Nola approves! She will get her own blanket shortly.

Progress Report on the Blanket

I can't believe how long I am taking over this! However, I am pleased with the results from the loom and now I have to make a good job of getting it all together. As with most crafts, the preparation and the finishing take more time than the actual craft. 
Here are the two finished fabrics.

Hand finishing begins with joining the panels together. This is done with a flat stitch, like sewing up knitting. Handling the bulk while working takes a bit of getting used to, but it's a warm job!

Even though the flat seams were unobtrusive I had decided to cover them with either a hand-made braid or stitching of some sort. There was a lot of trial and error before I settled on a lace technique to make a simple braid using some very fine shiny mercerised cotton I had in my stash. When I say very fine . . . I had to quadruple it in order to get the weight I wanted. Making it was quick compared with other lace but it needed two looong lengths so took a few days. 

On the reverse I wanted to finish the seams with feather stitching as a little nod to my late mother, Natasha's great-grandmother. She came from Dorset in England where Dorset Feather Stitch originated and she used it proudly in her own craft projects . . . so there is a little generational interest here.

The Better the Days the Better the Deed

Off the loom on Good Friday

Very gently machine washed on delicate setting, dried flat. 

Inspected and stray threads trimmed. No steaming or ironing. It did have ten minutes in the tumble drier on low but I was afraid to give it any more than that. It perhaps could do with a bit more fulling but I will think about that for a while. I may even wash it again. Alpaca does not full or shrink as much as wool.

A very satisfactory Easter even if it was under lock-down. I will take a break now, make a few adjustments to the loom where I had a breakage of one of the main cords. Then I will be ready to do it all over again. The middle panel will be wider but only half the length because there is only one.

The End is in Sight

Rolling along

Rolling on to the front

and off the back

The Weft

This must be the time to have a look at the yarns.

First the warp. This is the cone after winding the first warp. It's good to know there is plenty on there for the second warp . . . the one for the centre panel.

The same as for the warp, there are two threads together in the weft. The darker one is labelled 60% alpaca with some other fibres in there I can't identify because of the language. The light one I thought was mohair but who knows? I won't know what is in these yarns till I find someone who can read Chinese.

It may seem strange using such contrasting colours together but neither on their own are quite right and this is what my sampling told me. . . see, it is useful to sample. Using three different shades together delivers a brighter and more interesting colour than one bland colour throughout so I am pleased with the result.

It does mean a little more prep, winding the two threads together, but that can be done during TV time or in a coffee break. This is how I stopped the balls rolling around the furniture.

Now that one large ball has been woven up (approx 1.3metres) I can do the maths and work out that I have plenty of yarn to complete the project. I was fairly confident, but it is nice to have mathematical proof.

Weaving

I have some lovely ski shuttles but they never seem to work for me. I thought this might be the time for them . . . but no, not for this job. They catch on the warp too much . . . probably because of the way I hold them. I think my arms are not long enough.

Tried and true . . . out comes the stick shuttle. 

The first half metre is done!

Tying Up

Finally . . . sleyed the reed correctly

and lashed the warp on to the front stick. . . my preferred way to tie the warp on with minimum waste

Last task is to re-tie the pedals according to the pattern I have chosen. Yes, I can still get in there but I fear the day may be coming when I can no longer get out!

Sleying

Precision required for this job, though this time it needs just one double thread through each dent in the reed - easy (or is it?)

My trusty hook is the best tool for this job. If I drop it I can't find it easily because it is the same colour as the vinyl on the floor..

I had to back-track a few times because I did make a couple of mistakes. Hopefully I have it right now so will soon be throwing the shuttle.

Threading the Heddles

The cross, decently and in order

This is where I sit. There is just enough room.

I use my fingers to thread the heddle eyes. With a bit of practice it is much quicker and less cumbersome than using a hook.

I can't take a photo with both hands in the shot but I'm sure you get the picture

As always, keeping a bit of tension on keeps everything in order.

All done.

If any new weavers are following this you may be surprised that I thread the heddles first and then sley the reed separately as you may have been taught to use a long hook and do it in one operation. My loom is longer from front to back than most, with more space both in front of and behind the heddles. I work on my own and I just can't reach to thread the heddle and reed in one operation. I also find it less confusing to do one task at a time.

Beaming the warp

End of the warp spread across the raddle on the back beam.

And the rest spread across the floor

These handy fishing weights are like a spare pair of hands for me at this stage.

They hold the warp under tension while I wind it on

Rolling on with protection between layers. I love big posters, especially laminated ones.

Bit by bit the choke ties are discarded and the warp is wound on. Finally it reaches the cross at the other end of the warp.

The Warp

Four warps ready to beam. I don't chain them when I am going to use them straight away. Note the choke ties; they are fabric strips sold for use in the garden, easy to tie and untie.

I wish you could feel this lovely stuff. Note the shoe lace tie - perfect for the job. In the 1970s in Auckland we could buy a big bag of shoelaces from the factory for 50c. I still have a lot of them. 

Home Detention

Oh dear, I should remember to call it self isolation . . . though for me it is no hardship. It is more like retreating to the back of my cave and shutting the world out . . . suits me fine. Thank you so much to the several under-70s who have offered to fetch and carry for me if required. So far I'm fine and quite content.

This enforced staying home is working for me as I have just launched into a major weaving project and I am looking forward to being able to concentrate on it.  I am making a LARGE "Dream Blanket" for my favourite (and only) grand-daughter. Usually I don't post about my projects until they are finished but this time I thought I would post a blow-by-blow commentary as I go. That way, Natasha, who lives in Perth, can check up on progress if she wants to. It might make a long boring series of posts of no interest to anyone but a weaver, but I will start it and see how it goes.

For once I started by making some samples . . . something I encourage others to do but seldom take my own advice, but I really wasn't sure where to start. Natasha had picked the silvery grey colours and I had accumulated what I hoped were plenty of gorgeous yarns.

Decisions made, calculations and paper-work done, here is the beginning of the first warp. The blanket will be in three panels and this warp is for the two outside ones. The third panel will be in the middle, a bit wider and in a different pattern. More of that later.  The warp is a beautiful soft alpaca, very fine so I am using it double. Over the first two days I made four warps of 148 ends each, so 592 ends in total, each 7 yards long. You can do the maths if you want to; I am just happy to report that I did not find one knot or break in the whole process. Thank you Adobe!

I will leave this now and post regular reports as things happen.