Outdoor Cushions Finally Woven

 I have been planning these cushions for at least 2 years but life got in the way. I was determined to weave them this year and now they are finally finished. I am extremely happy with how they have turned out. 

I put on enough warp for 6 of them. I knew from my last cushions that the 5/2 cotton i have been using shrinks by about 3 inches after hot washing and running the fabric through the dryer, so I added about 2 more inches to my warp calculations .

The pattern that I picked is from somewhere on Pinterest and looked very busy on Paper but I put it into the iWeaveIt app and played around with the colours that i would be using and it ended up looking really nice. I chose Black and brown with a black weft.

Once again i used woven interfacing on the back of my fabric and finished with an invisible zip .

Here is my lovely new cushions.

Project notes

5/2 Mercerised Cotton.

22 in wide in reed

440 ends

20 ends per inch

4 Meter warp

Finished size before washing 19 1/2 inches

After washing 18 1/2

A Closeup of the design below.

2 special cushions for my newly renovated home

 I chose to do these cushions in a 4 shaft diamond design from the handweavers pattern directory book. I love how they turned out in 5/2 mercerised cotton. I used a woven interfacing on the back of the woven fabric to give it a nice stable finish. 

Lovely and plump and very soft to touch. What i was not happy with . was Ashfords cotton especially the white having so many knots in it . That really annoys me because i am having to cut so much length out of my thread that i have paid dearly for. The softness of the finished fabric on the other hand is beautiful. 

Here they are all finished, plump and sitting proud. This lounge isn’t the colour that i was making the cushions for, its for my upcoming lounge after our very long reno that is now completed.

Kitchen Towels completed

 I got 8 kitchen towels out of this warp. I love the way they turned out. Here they are in all their glory.

I used 8 different drafts in a straight 8 design and its so lovely to sample all the different drafts that this simple weaving produces on eight shafts. They were all made in 10/2 mercerised cotton and are very absorbent.

New Kitchen Towels project on Ashford Jack Loom

Straight Eights Draft from Ashfords Website.

I am documenting this project on my Ashford Jack Loom Page.

I love this draft. Update on my jack loom page.

Weaving Summer and Winter Sheep

I found some time ago a summer and winter sheep pattern with inlay on weave away's blog. I believe it is from an old handwoven magazine and I don't have any copies so no instructions for me to go by. Handwoven’s magazine is not easy to get your hands on in Australia but you can get digital copies. 


 I have been wanting to try this technique out simply because I hadn't done it before.
I took a look at the draft again that was on her blog and started to plan. It has 12 treadles, nope I didn't have 12 treadles so I used my table loom .
Next step turn it into a lift plan, again something I had done before but it wasn't difficult at all. There is always a solution to a problem.


My table loom is an 8 shaft jack table loom , levers that raise the shafts , and I think it was made by a manual arts school down in N.S.W.
I have since seen one since on Gumtree called a Pagett loom which looks exactly the same as mine, but can't find any information on that.

 The built in removable raddle on the back beam.

 The levers are in the centre
and hanging shafts with springs on the bottom of every shaft 1 either side of each shaft.

It has metal heddle rods and metal heddles.
It has a 12 dent reed.















Okay I have enough shafts and I only have to worry about which shaft has to be lifted. So all is good there.
I put the draft into a weaving app but had trouble making it into a lift plan. I also tried the demo version of fibreworks and still it wasn't what I was after. So out with the pens and did it by hand.
I also drew up the threading plan for 1 whole repeat, counted how many heddles would be needed on each shaft and made sure i had enough and thankfully i did.

Okay onto the warping I used Bendigo 2 ply Classic Wool at a sett of 15 ends per inch. I wanted it to be about 27 inches wide . I used a sett of 1-1-1-2 in the 12 dent reed.

I haven't worked with this wool before but am finding it sheds a lot. I wonder if this is what other people have found. It feels great whilst weaving and I haven't had any snapping at all.

Loom warped, heddles threaded lots of threading errors later, I proceeded to weave.

What the! 

First row of sheep back to front. Second row upside down but now changed to weaving on the right side so I can see them.

Where are the sheep ,oh thats right they are on the back side of my weaving, damn. Okay I want to see what I am weaving so back to the drawing board not only was I weaving them not facing me but those little sheep were upside down. Hence the original pink lift plan numbers changed to green

and finally here they are all in order right side up, on the right side of the fabric. Now they look really good.

A couple of skipped warps I see take more care is the message for me.

This is a fun pattern and rewarding to watch weave on my loom.
What I am going to make out of this fabric I have no idea at this point. Update i still have made nothing out of this fabric yet. I wonder what i could make and for what purpose would it end up being for.

Stash Reduction of Crochet Cotton

I wanted to use quite a few crochet cotton 4 ply up as I have so many, so decided to just weave in a rainbow warp . I had some leftover christmas metallic cotton as well so doubled that up with my normal weft and wove away. Here is the result of that crazy weaving just for the sake of it.

I think I will make a tote bag for my sample-it loom or a bid tote bag for me. 

I wove this on my 32 inch Ashford Rigid heddle loom and used 2 x 10 dent heddles to double the sett.  It actually is really soft and has heaps of body.

Hearts baby blanket -Second Project Finished

I finished this at the beginning of the year but have had simply no time to post about it. I also forgot to take photo's myself when it was freshly pressed and ready to give.
My niece kindly sent me photo's of my baby blanket after it had been used and thats great..

I am extremely happy with the end result and once again the 10/2 cotton wove up beautifully and has a great drape to it.

Here it was on the loom and on my god what a bloody mess. I had  tension and  my count was out but only a few but enough to throw everything into chaos for me. I just couldn't stand it and had to rewind so to speak and god what a pain after threading 8 shafts and the tangles. I have never touched my hair and wondered why, why, oh why so much but once I slapped myself a few times and settled down it became quite apparent only you can fix this and I did.  It definitely was operator error and thats as simple as it was, I just wish the fix was as simple as me arriving at that epiphany.  It really was in simple terms are you kidding me.
I can't believe I am soooooooo human as to make such a stupid mistake but anyway.
This is the mess.

 before and after the mess

I also noticed that my beat on a part of it was not as consistent something I will have to keep an eye on and that really bothered me but once again that was noticed once off the loom and washed and I even considered not giving it because it was not good enough to be giving as a present for a new born child to carry on into their adult hood. I mean this is a legacy gift  to my godchild for her child, it really had to be perfect but alas I am not perfect it turns out. Oh what a surprise!!!!!!

The end of the warp just before cutting off

It was worth all the drama

Yes and what a relief.  Actually I really enjoyed weaving this 8 shaft 10 treadle pattern for the first time in my life.  My selvages were even as well as my width throughout. I used my glimakra raddle as I found it was very helpful in maintaining my width , as it was the full width of this loom, as well as using  my form of a measuring tape for the stripes.
I ended up getting enough for 2 baby blankets out of this warp . I really was so happy with the finished result and so was my niece which ultimately was the best feeling in the world . It has been used over and over and I have been told another child didn't want to hand it back stating that it felt so cuddly and she wanted it and cried. Oh the poor sweetie if only i had known????

Done and delivered and now I am stagnating. What to produce next. Thought more tea towels , i really am in need or maybe something I have never done like krokbragd on my table loom or the sheep draft I have so longed to do. I don't know I am having a weaving blank big time with too many life drama's in the background. Centre myself is my motto at the moment.

Blanket Finished.

The Finished Blanket

I didn't  have any joined together problems but quite a few skipped . No matter how careful you are with sticky wool you have to be more careful. I think it will work out better on the big floor loom now that I understand the principle behind it a bit better. I wanted short fringing and so twisted as usual and then soaked in hot water and then gently washed in a wool cycle then I cut the fringing down and got rid of the knots. It is holding the twist. 

 I love it to death. It is warm comfortable and just pretty.

Anyway here it is 

Double Width blanket on Rigid Heddle Loom

I am trying Double Wide Weaving out on my 80 cm Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom.

Project from Ashfords Wheels and Looms Magazine- Double Delight.
It is so pretty and unusual using novelty yarn and wool I thought i would it a go.

I didn't find it hard to understand how to thread the 2 heddles up at all. I found the instructions from Ashfords Wheels Mag really good, especially about threading the double heddle.

So here are a few things that I have discovered whilst trialling this new to me weave structure before attempting it on the Ashford Jack Floor Loom.

• Firstly each shed has its place in the structure and now I fully understand what shed is doing what function.
• That sheds 2 and 3 have 3 threads on top every time and sheds 1 and 4 have only 1 thread. Am I right in thinking these are the plain weave sheds?

Here are some pictures

Above sheds 1 and 4. One thread from a slot and one shed from a hole- This is why I think these are the plain weave sheds.
And below shed 2 and 3 with 3 ends ( 1thread in the hole and 2 in the slot.)

A good way to check for errors when clearing the shed in readiness to throw your weaving sword.

 Can you see the error in the above photo. 3 threads coming out of the slot. It should be 1 thread in a hole and 2 in the slot. No no no that could cause drama so double check every pick.

and how to double check that impending error. Double weave double width is slow going on the rigid heddle but a great project to fully understand the structure and what it entails. I am really enjoying the simplified use of the rigid heddle. Quicker to warp and start the weaving process.

Here is shed 1-  front heddle up, back in neutral

Here is Shed 2- back heddle in down position and front heddle in neutral position

  

Shed 3- Both heddles in neutral position and pick up stick B forward and on edge

Shed 4- Both heddles in neutral position and pick up stick A forward and on edge

I have tied the pick up sticks thats what the red cotton is for so they won't slide out.

I am also very conscience on my selvages especially on the fold. I am sure it won't be perfect first time round but it at first you don't succeed try , try again. Nothing ventured nothing gained.
If anyone is reading this except for myself I really hope my trials with double width weaving may be a little helpful.

Washing Merino Fleece

Here are a few photo's of my merino fleece being washed.
I bought this fleece of gumtree here in Australia a couple of years ago and a white fleece as well.
I thought I would have a break from Alpaca for a while and try my hand at merino as it is so readily available here.
Well this one is very fine and doesn't seem to have a long staple i think it is about 6-7cm long if that.,
but i give everything a go once. I decided to just wash it in cold soaks for a start and it was very greasy, not smelly, just greasy.

 Above was the 2nd tap water soak. Below is the 3rd. I was soaking for about 30 mins at a time.

 My makeshift table to pour the fleece onto. Omg this is back breaking work. I should have done it in smaller portions.

 The fleece drying in my little shed.

 Nope still doesn't feel like i want to comb and spin this , so I will use tantech's wool scour.

 This is after I used Wool Scour. It has come up beautiful . So soft.  Below is the staple length 10cm

 Look at this crimp. It is so fine it feels like silk in your hand whilst spinning it.

Here is the white merino fleece. I should probably scour this as well. I can't remember but i think i have already washed this batch when i first got it but its very hard to comb

and finally after combing and seeing such waste i made some felted dryer balls.