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.

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.

Solo Warping-Weaving on the ashford jack floor loom second project

I have decided to weave a baby blanket or wrap.
I am using 10/2 mercerised cotton for the warp and weft as our summers are very hot here in Australia.
I have put some notes down on my Ashford Floor Loom page about the project.
What I am wanting to document here is some helpful things that I have read recently about solo warping.
The actual article pdf is free to download and is called Warping the loom alone by Teresa Folts and David Mathieson. It is a revelation and is 48 pages long of the most helpful information I have come across. It just makes perfect sense to me.
Here is a little something about the solo warping using a door knob that we all have access to in our homes and some very strong cord called the tension cord.

The weaver stands to the side to wind that warp on and holds the tension cord firm as you wind on.
You have to line your centre of your loom up with the door knob and the warp that is on the loom for it to be a success the article suggest. I admit I only found this article this morning after I struggled with this warp.
The photo below another tip given for threading the heddles. I call it organising yourself.

This is the back of my loom and the groups of 28 ends on my cross sticks.

 This is a pic of heddles I have threaded so far with half bow knots tied after 28 ends have been threaded. I always do that step , so thats no revelation.

This is the step that I found really helpful. Counting out the amount of heddles needed for those 28 ends and then slipping your warp that has 28 ends after those heddles, so you've only got a thin amount of heddles in between those warp ends and the cross stick. The article states that done in this way  any threading errors will be confined to those 28 ends anywhere on the warp. It reduces those threading errors. I loved the article it is so helpful

This is looking from the back of the loom again. Notice only a few heddles to see around and once you have run out of heddles and ends you know you have done the threading right and you can move on to the next 28 ends.

Still at the back of the loom I tied my bundles into epi  and they stay neatly out of the way until i need them.

I have yet to try the tension cord solo warping yet but i will definitely be trying it as I don't want anymore large object in my room and I can't see myself screwing anything to my ceiling such as a warping valet.
Hopefully if anyone other than myself is reading my blog this may help you solo warp as well.
Okay back to threading the heddles.