Indholdsfortegnelse for September - October 2017 i Handwoven

It’s not a secret that I love weaving, and in my opinion, it is the best craft out there. I thought it would be fun to share my top ten reasons why weaving is the best craft: 1) Weaving produces a wearable or otherwise usable object. 2) Weaving has history: There are pieces of weaving in museums. There are famous people who are known for their weaving such as Mary Meigs Atwater, Anni Albers, and Mary Black. Weaving is important in American history dating back to the colonial era, and before that if you are talking about Native American weaving. 3) Some weaving takes planning, which requires concentration. This might seem counterintuitive for relaxation, but you can lose yourself planning a project. 4) Some weaving is simple but uses just…

Throughout time, weavers have used cloth as a form of communication. Originally, cloth might have told you about a person’s status, where they were from, and where they fit in the community. Today, weavers continue to tell stories with their cloth about themselves and the world around them. Communication Happens, a new show at the Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia, celebrates the many ways cloth is used to communicate. The show, which opens on October 3 and runs through November 5, will feature pieces that use sewing, weaving, sashiko (a Japanese technique for surface embellishment), and much more. One of the weavers highlighted in the show is Larry Novak, a member of the cooperative gallery. Novak, who is also a mathematician and computer scientist, did his weaving training…

In 2016, the UCLA Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, California, invited me to assemble a vintage four-shaft counterbalance loom, design an original textile, and give weaving demonstrations as part of the traveling exhibit Leap Before You Look: Black Mountain College 1933–1957. The loom had been used at the Black Mountain College weaving workshop established and run by Anni Albers. My introduction to this very special Shuttle-Craft Practical Loom was seeing it in pieces on the floor of the museum. Th is storied loom is in the collection of the Black Mountain College Museum and Arts Center, and prior to the exhibit, had been beautifully restored by Mikkel Hansen, a retired architect and avid weaver who lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The loom was sent from the Institute of Contemporary…

I’m often asked, “What’s the best loom to buy?” My answer? “It depends.” I know this makes everyone crazy, but choosing the best loom for you depends on many factors. Weavers tend to fall into two categories: technical weavers who love to play with weave structures and color/texture weavers who love to play with color and different yarns more than with weave structures. As Madelyn van der Hoogt says, “Color/texture weavers collect yarn. Technical weavers collect yarn and looms.” Personally, I’m a technical weaver. I own two floor looms (a big four-shaft jack loom and a twelve-shaft countermarch with drawloom attachment) and two rigid-heddle looms. I’d like an eight-shaft loom, but I don’t have studio space. I’m trying to convince my husband that the weaving studio should swap space with…

COMPACT TABLE LOOM Louet has a new twist for rigid-heddle weavers. Erica is a new compact table loom with a 30 cm (11¾") weaving width and 2 shafts. The loom has more possibilities and is easier to operate than a traditional rigid-heddle loom. We have also created the possibility to expand Erica to 3 or 4 shafts making it an even more interesting alternative. Erica comes complete with a reed (40/10), 200 Texsolv heddles (150 mm), and a built-in raddle. Erica will be available from a Louet retailer online or near you in the fall of 2017. Check our retailer spotlight page at www.louet.com/page/retailerspot to find a weaving store to order from. Make it your own with Louet North America. WWW.LOUET.COM/ERICA.COM SPECIFICATIONS Folded size: 55 × 48 × 16 cm…

About two years ago, I bought a computercontrolled twenty-four-shaft dobby loom. I was interested in weaving more complex patterns such as those found in network draft ing, and because I am a weave structure junkie, it seemed the best way to take my weaving to a new level. At the time, I thought it would be the beginning of solely weaving projects that used more than eight shaft s. It turns out that I also love the dobby loom for complex and long treadlings on threadings of four to eight shaft s. I even love it for treadlings that might be considered simple but can trip you up if you don’t stay focused. I oft en find that when treadling a pattern such as rosepath or a point twill, I…

Figure 1 shows a draft for two blocks of Atwater-Bronson lace. Notice that plain weave (pw) on this threading is woven by raising shaft 1 vs the remaining shaft s (2-3-4). Vertical stripes of plain weave can be produced between blocks of lace by alternating shaft s 1 and 2 in the threading. To weave lace in a block requires six picks. Examine Treadling a. Weft floats are produced in Block A by leaving shaft 3 down for the second and fourth picks. Because in Block B, both shaft s 2 and 4 are raised in the second and fourth picks, Block B weaves plain weave. In Treadling b, shaft 4 is down and shaft 3 is raised. Block B therefore shows weft floats in the second and fourth picks…

Have you ever needed a quick gift at the last minute? Or do you have a bunch of little bits of yarn in your stash or a single skein of a fabulous yarn you're just dying to show off ? Either way, this is a great project to weave a quick and easy hat on your rigid-heddle loom. Th is project is very flexible so you can be creative. It can highlight that special skein of yarn or use up scraps of yarn that were just too pretty to throw away. You can use any size heddle that works with your warp yarn, or use a variable-dent heddle to create different spacing in the warp yarns: I used the new Kromski with a variable-dent heddle to create my own warp-spacing…

I love plain weave, I love household textiles, and I love color, so why has rep weave been so rarely seen on my looms? There are a few possible reasons. Two of the reasons go hand in hand; it is both yarn and heddle intensive. Finally, although rep is a fairly simple structure, there are a few tricks that need to be learned and deployed to make it successful. I approached this project as a learning opportunity with fabulous resources available from weavers like Lucienne Coifman and Rosalie Neilson (rep magicians) to help me prepare. I began with a few pluses on my side. I love dressing my looms, so threading close to 900 ends was a pleasure I looked forward to. Secondly, I have a wide Toika loom that…

My warp-faced bands were woven using basic pick-up skills and feature one of the motifs that young girls in the central Bolivian highlands learn when taking their first steps in weaving. My Bolivian weaving friends call this simple pattern the “S,” but I love to play with it: weaving it as individual units, linking those units into continuous patterns, flipping the motif vertically and horizontally, staggering it in two columns, or doubling it. Try your own variations—it is fun to see how much can be done with just this one simple motif! These patterns are woven in what is known as a complementary-warp structure, meaning that there are two sets of warp yarns of different colors that float on opposite faces of the fabric. The structure produces a band with…

COLORADO Bountiful Your Weaving Specialists since 1988. Schacht, Louet, Ashford, Leclerc, Harrisville, Glimakra, Cranbrook Looms, and small looms. Friendly, knowledgeable advice. Amazing customer service. Call or visit website. (877) 586-9332 www.bountifulspinweave.com FLORIDA Pam Pawl Handwoven Textiles - Dunedin Six-week classes in beginner through advanced floor-loom weaving. Dealer for Schacht looms, Glimakra, and Harrisville accessories. Weaving yarns by the ounce or cone. (215) 483-7157 www.pampawltextiles.com INDIANA Weavers Loft - Guilford Barb Gallagher teaches classes in beginning weaving, tapestry, and rigid heddle. We are dealers for Schacht, Ashford, Leclerc, Glimakra, Mirrix, and everything else for weaving. (812) 576-3904 www.weaversloft.com KANSAS Yarn Barn of Kansas - Lawrence Looking for advice on equipment? We weave daily using the brands we sell: Schacht, Louet, Ashford, Glimakra, Leclerc, Kromski, Harrisville, and Mirrix. (800) 468-0035 www.yarnbarn-ks.com KENTUCKY…

A letter and your reply in the January 2017 issue, about tie-ups and double treadling, reminded me of the scarcity of accessible, detailed, and accurate information on counterbalance looms. As a counterbalance loom weaver and appreciative Handwoven reader for over thirty years, I’m accustomed to the dominance of jack looms and the inevitable abbreviation of references to counterbalance/sinking-shed technology. My reading of handweaving literature over the years has also revealed a great deal of misinformation, conflicting opinions, and confusing terminology. Your reply to the letter left the query about counterbalanced tie-ups hanging, understandably since both projects in question were for more than four shafts, but that omission was not explained. If these projects had been fourshaft, a direct tie-up (each shaft tied to only one treadle) would allow any combination…

IKAT DEMONSTRA TIONS The Textile Museum’s traveling exhibit Colors of the Oasis: Central Asian Ikats came to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. While it was on display, the Contemporary Handweavers of Houston guild was asked to demonstrate ikat weaving at the front of the exhibit during spring break week. Guild member Connie Elliott wound and dyed the warp and made the explanation cards. Various members volunteered to weave each day and explain the process. —Mary Welch Tintes Naturales Guild Challenge Each May, the members of the Syracuse Weavers Guild in New York celebrate the end of the guild year with a potluck luncheon and dish towel exchange. Th is past May, the towel exchange was made more interesting by making it the year’s guild challenge project. The guild subsidized…

The other day, I went with a friend to look for a new car and was reminded that nonweavers and nonspinners have a totally different list of needs and desires for their new cars. GPS navigation is normal these days and self-parking is a really cool feature. Heated seats are something I love on cold mornings in Pennsylvania—they also come in handy when keeping a cheesesteak sub hot on the way home from the pizza shop. If you are reading this article, I already have a pretty good idea who you are, and how you shop for a vehicle. First you look through the window to see the interior, then you kick the tires, and decide if the color fits your personality. Now for the most important part and the…

Frequently I recommend that new weavers put on a long warp for tea towels and practice the physical skills involved in weaving—from winding a long, wide warp to beaming the warp and then weaving, which includes shuttle-handling skills and developing a consistent beat. With plain weave, inconsistencies show very quickly, allowing the weaver to adjust his or her weaving technique. For this project, I wound a warp of 12 yards, which yielded ten towels. For weft yarns, I used cotton slub, cottolin, a hemp/cotton blend, and cotton bouclé. I find that changing the weft makes weaving a long warp more interesting and adds the challenge of changing the beat to match the weft . For instance, I found I needed to soft en my beat for the bouclé to leave…

To make a textile special, I like to weave in texture. On a rigid-heddle loom, this means creating warp or weft floats using pick-up sticks to manipulate the warp threads. On a multishaft loom, the threading and treadling create warp and weft floats. For this scarf, I challenged myself to design a textured fabric that could be made on either an Ashford rigid-heddle or multishaft loom. The rigid-heddle project came first and was a fairly straightforward pattern using pick-up sticks. Th reading the loom using the direct warping method was quick. The weaving, too, was fairly quick. For me the most time-consuming part of the process was inserting and then reinserting the second pick-up stick to weave Block B of the pattern. For the multishaft loom version, I used the…

For this lacy but warm shawl, I chose Borgs Swedish Mora wool as the perfect complement to Swedish lace woven on a Swedish loom. For a lightweight shawl such as this, it worked very well. Mora is a fine worsted processed yarn with a long staple and firm twist. It has a soft luster and a nice hand and tends not to felt. Although it is fine, it is also strong and works equally well in the warp as in the weft . To accentuate the columns of Swedish lace, I used one color in the warp and a similar but slightly darker color for the weft . 1 Wind a warp of 334 ends 3 yd long. Use your preferred method for warping, and thread following the draft in…

ULTIMATE SETT CONTROL Some thought it nearly impossible for the Kromskis to create a weaving accessory that would live up to the Kromski Harp Forte rigid-heddle loom, known for its beauty and loads of features (such as the built-in warping board, durable metal and magnetic tensioning system, and ability to fold in half while dressed with a project for easier portability). Yet once again they have delivered! The Weaver’s Choice heddle is the newest optional accessory for Kromski looms. This unique version of a variable-dent heddle gives complete artistic control by allowing the weaver to choose a different dent size for every single piece of the heddle. Unlike other manufacturers’ heddles, which confine the weaver to a predetermined section of dent sizes, the Weaver’s Choice can have a single 12-dent…

WEBS is your premier source for all things weaving! No matter what you’re looking for, whether it’s a loom, accessories, or yarn, we have it. You’ll find looms to suit all your needs, from the Toika computer-assisted loom to the Schacht Flip rigid-heddle loom and everything in between. In addition to our looms, you’ll love our weaving yarns! You can even save up to 25% off your yarn purchase every day with our discount! No coupon code required. WWW.YARN.COM WEAVE WITH EASE ARTIST’S NOTE: Weaving rep on my Toika offers many advantages. Because it is a countermarch, the closely sett warp is separated by its simultaneous pulling up and pulling down action. The depth of the loom allows plenty of space behind the heddles, which also helps the warp threads…

Color! It’s what I love most about weaving. Color challenges, intrigues, and inspires me. Of all the workshops I teach, the one I love most is about color. Each participant starts with a warp of five colors (no two warps are alike), and it is always exciting to see what transpires. I choose my palettes from images of artwork, fabric, photographs, and hand-dyed yarn. Training your eye to accurately see color in images is good exercise for discerning undertones and subtle variations in yarn. Th at said, if you would like help choosing colors, or if you just want to be inspired, the Internet is a wonderful source for color palette ideas. On Pinterest, do a search for “Design Seeds” or “Color Palette Boards,” and you’ll be rewarded with a…

The Handweavers Guild of America (HGA) announces that Master Spinner Pat Maley will serve as mentor for the 2017 Certificate of Excellence (COE) in Handspinning. Pat received her Level II Master Spinner certification in 2003 and has served as a COE examiner. The next examination will be hosted by the Eugene Weavers’ Guild in Eugene, Oregon, in fall 2017. The COE is a self-directed study program administered by HGA. The program offers certification in weaving, spinning, dyeing, and basketry. In seeking certification, participants produce sam- ples to be evaluated by an examination team. Candidates who pass Level I demonstrate proficiency in technical skills, design principles, and knowledge of materials and equipment. Level II is an in-depth study in a specialized area of the applicant’s choice. Along with working with a…

Shortly before I retired after a twenty year career as a judge, I learned to weave. A neighbor with a floor loom who knew of my interest encouraged me to take a class and gifted me with her Schacht shuttle when she moved away from San Antonio. It was an effective nudge. As my retirement date neared, I enrolled in a beginning weaving class in the Fiber Arts Department at Southwest School of Art. There my experience with Schacht looms was launched as new students at SSA begin their instruction on Schacht Wolf Pups, all generously donated by members of the San Antonio weaving community. Instruction from great teachers and the opportunity to work on solid equipment produced an eager learner. I was smitten. I must have shared my excitement…

HANDWOVEN HOME: TECHNIQUES, TIPS & PROJECTS FOR THE RIGID-HEDDLE LOOM Liz Gipson FORT COLLINS, COLORADO: INTERWEAVE. 2017, PAPERBACK, $26.99, ISBN 978-1632503381. When weaving expert Liz Gipson moved into a new house on New Year ’s Day in 2015, she found herself with a lot of space to fill and a lot of inspiration to fill it. The new home was a blank canvas, and her new goal was to have a handwoven item of her own creation in every room. She also recognized the benefit of having goods she made for herself; no towel is too long when you choose its dimensions, and you can choose just the right colors to match the scheme of any room. In Handwoven Home, her newest book, you will learn how to make what…

I try to make handwoven items for wedding gift s, which meant I was busy in 2016 with four weddings in one year. The last wedding was my nephew’s on New Year’s Eve. I didn’t know the bride well, so I asked about her favorite home décor colors and her decorating style. The answer was pastels and mid-century modern. I don’t work with pastels oft en, which presented a challenge, but I do love mid-century modern design. By Googling “mid-century modern color palette,” I found a pastel palette to work with and chose a geometric design to give the towels a mid-century modern feel. I named them David’s Towels aft er the loom I wove them on, Louet’s David. Th ink David and Goliath: a little loom with a big…

LOOMS TO GROW WITH It’s probable you are going to have your loom for a long time, so why not pick a sturdy one that will work for many projects and styles as you grow as a weaver and designer? Although Leclerc has been making looms for more than 140 years, we continue to innovate and modify our looms to meet the needs of modern weavers. We offers a full range of table and floor looms made from kiln-dried maple, lacquered to allow the beautiful wood grain to show through. Leclerc looms come in many widths to fit your studio, lifestyle, and weaving style. To further shrink the footprint, the floor looms can be folded even when warped. Besides harness looms, we also offer rigid-heddle inkle looms, and tapestry looms…

LOOMS FOR EVERY LIFESTYLE Innovative, dependable, and very user-friendly, Ashford Handicrafts offers looms for every lifestyle. New weaver? The simple weaving frame, inkle looms, and the SampleIt Loom make learning a joy. On the go? Take a Knitters Loom and choose from 12", 20", or 28" weaving widths—or try the 8-shaft Katie loom! Exploring weave structures? Ashford table looms are available in 16", 24", and 32" with 4 or 8 shafts and in 24" with 16 shafts. Jumping in with both feet? Ashford’s Jack Loom is sturdy and dependable. All Ashford looms have great sheds, smooth lever action, dependable tensioning, and minimal loom waste. Grab a shuttle and let the fun begin! WWW.FOXGLOVEFIBER.COM WWW.ASHFORD.CO.NZ EDITOR’S NOTE: Ashford has looms for every weaver, whether you love the ease of rigid-heddle weaving,…

Upstairs apartment? No problem. Meet the Julia by Glimakra, where traditional Swedish weaving meets the requirements of a modern weaver. The Julia is so quiet your weaving will not disturb apartment neighbors or housemates. It is built of Swedish pine and uses Texsolv heddles and cordage. The Julia has a footprint of 32" by 32" and fits through a standard doorway without any disassembly. At only 54" tall and 33" wide at the beater, the Julia is perfect for those with limited space. The Julia is a 4-shaft , 6-treadle or 8-shaft , 8-treadle countermarch loom, and has a weaving width of 27". It weaves smoothly and treadles lightly, and the new heavier beater allows for a solid beat without great effort. It’s a loom for all your weaving needs.…

Make a statement with this striking slip-on cuff bracelet. Th is is a great way to practice your tapestry techniques on a simple frame loom. Because the bracelet requires a minimal amount of yarn, you will have lots more for future projects! I love making wearable pieces, and I try to put meaning into everything I make. Th at means that wearing my handmade work makes me feel as though I’m taking a talisman with me wherever I go. For this project, I chose Juniper Moon Farm Zooey DK for its strength, durability, and comfort, but also because it has lovely textural variations that give the bracelet a rustic, handspun feel. Follow the provided pattern using my color selections or individualize the design using any of the other beautiful colors…

High in the central Bolivian highlands, my weaving teacher, Maxima, sits with three teenagers, guiding them as they take their first steps in weaving. In these small mountain communities, youngsters no longer learn to spin and weave at five and six years of age. Teenagers look to big towns and cities for higher education and work. Because weaving is associated with poverty, many men in the community discourage their wives and daughters from being involved in the craft . These three teenagers have decided that learning to weave is precisely how they want to spend their summer holidays, and I find it wonderful. Maxima and I met several years ago when I was searching for a weaver to teach me the bandweaving style used in the remote rural communities of…

COTTON FLEECE THE YARN: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece; 215 yd/3.5 oz skein, 980 yd/lb; 80% cotton/20% merino wool. Cotton Fleece is put up in a pull skein. It is a three-step cabled yarn meaning that it is four plies, each made up of three plies that, in turn, are made up of two plies. It is a soft, lofty yarn. Because of the softness, I took extra care while threading to prevent my hook from splitting the plies. Point Twill SAMPLE YARNS: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece (warp colors Chocolate Diamond, Salmon Berry Red, Tropical Coral, October Leaf, Wild Orange, Gold Dust; weft color Peridot). For my first sample, I arranged several colors in the warp, grading from dark to light in a 6-shaft point-twill threading, and used a tie-up that…

The Structo Manufacturing Company of Freeport, Illinois, began making two-shaft metal toy looms in 1921. By 1930, production had shifted to a standard metal 8-inch-wide four-shaft loom called the 240 because it had sixty heddles on each of its four shafts. The Structo 240 was a staple in many weavers’ collections for decades. The Structo Artcraft 240 loom works well for sampling with a minimum of loom waste. With the current push toward small portable looms, this loom remains popular today and is a regular item on eBay and in guild equipment sales. In 1947, the Structo 240 sold for $18.75. Currently, Structo 240 looms regularly sell for $200 or more depending on their condition. In 1972, the Dick Blick Company purchased the manufacturing rights for the Structo loom and…