Second ourdissage des rayures - Beaming on new stripes

C'est le temps de mettre à l'épreuve l'idée d'utiliser la deuxième ensouple pour remplacer une portion des fils en cours de projet. La première chaîne colorée a été coupée et la deuxième est prête pour l'ourdissage.

It's now time to warp on new stripes and see if my idea of using the second beam for replacing sections of warp in the middle of a project works out or not. The first coloured stripes have been cut off form the beam and the new ones are ready to be beamed on. 

Je replis cinq sacs d'un kg de cailloux pour en faire des poids.

I am weighting enough pebbles to fill up 5 bags of 1kg each.

Ces sacs servent de poids pour tendre les chaînes durant l'enroulage. Un ros déposé sur la structure du métier contrôle l'espacement des fils.

The bags are used to tension the new warp stripes while being beamed. the threads are spread out by a reed sitting on the loom castle.

Une fois les chaînes enroulées, chaque nouveau fil est noué à celui qu'il remplacera.

Once beamed up, each new thread is attached to the old one being replaced.

Chaque rayure est ensuite tirée à travers les cadres et le ros puis attachée à la baguette.

Each group of threads is pulled through the lamms and the reed then tied up to the stick.

Puis le tissage peut reprendre.

Weaving can now resume.

L'idée de remplacer les rayures fonctionne mais la procédure est longue et compliquée. Je prévois la refaire encore deux autres fois durant ce projet et j'espère trouver une façon de faire plus facile.

Replacing portions of warp during a project is feasible but remains long and difficult. Another couple of stripe changes aremplanned and I hope to find an easier way.

Striped dishtowels (cont.)

Instead of leaving empty sections on the bottom warp for the stripes, I chose instead, even if I was affraid to end up with friction issues between both warps where each section crosses with the other. I wanted by doing so to avoid tension problems on the lower warp beam which holds maybe 4 to 5 longer than the top one. I also had to cut a new bunch of 60 warping sticks before starting.















Threading the heddles from two separate warps was no problem.

All looks tidy from the back. The double warp beam works as planned.















While I had planned to use 2/9 linen for both warp and weft at 24 epi, I had to switch to a 2/10 linen warp for a balanced weave. I did not want to reduce the sett and end up with narrower towels.

Striped dishtowels

This teatowel project will be the first one using the double warp beam. The upper beam will hold the couloured stripes warp and the lower one the background natural warp. I will not in this project be using a double warp beam to address an issue of  warp elasticity difference but to be able to switch stripe colours a few times throughout the whole ground warp length.

I am starting with the upper warp leaving blank sections between the stripes.














The teasels have grown quite tall in a short period of time reaching almost 5 feet high.

Location:Rigaud (Qc), Canada

Fuller's Teasel (Dipsacus sativus)

The teasels have survived our cold winter (Canada 5A Zone) under a thick cover of 1,5m (54in) of snow.

The plants are not very high but flower buds are starting to show.

I ordered the seeds two winters ago from la Hulotte French magazine and sowed them last summer.(http://lahulotte.fr/cardere_cultivee.php)

double warp beam completed

I worked almost all day yesterday completing the double warp beam.

Working on the sides, the end piece details take more time to make than the original square cut but they look prettier.

A little assembly test to make sure everything works.

How do you put this up on the loom by yourself? Awarping frame is always handy :-)

Everything seems ok.

I took everyting down and gave it a good sanding. Here I am waiting for the oil finish to dry.

In the meantime, I made a pair of locking pins for the upper warp beam.








1:30 am. Tired but happy. The double warp beam is up on the loom!

What happened since last January?

Sorry for not having updated my blog lately... just too busy I guess :-)

What happened since last January?

A new duvet cover set for one of our guest room, I made the duvet cover with the flat sheet and some corduroy fabric recycled from another bed cover. That makes a nice winter set.

Nothing to do with weaving but I was finally able to get braces. Some things in life take more time than others... priorities and budget limitation.

I also started making a second warp beam to go with the ratchet wheel I bought this winter from Dawn McCarthy for my Standard 110.

 

I also took a 6 weeks (one half day per week) tapestry course from the Centre des Textiles Contemporains de Montréal (http://www.textiles-mtl.com/en/) which I highly appreciated and recommend!

This week, I finally was able to continue working on the double warp beam project. Here we see one of the sides that will hold both pairs of back and warp beams.

And here what will become the second back beam along with the existing one.

Keeping busy, I told you!

Cheap quills and weaving

I can't say enough good about paper quills, first they're silent, second they cost almost nothing. Out of two paper grocery bags (now at 5 cents each) I obtained over 70 quills! First I cut off the bottom of the bag, then I fold it flat and cut along both edges. I then accordion fold each side according to the size of the quill I need and I cut through the layers following a circular shape (here using a Heineken coaster).

Weaving wise, I reached today the 30" mark on the second Smålandsväv runner. They need to be about 60" long each for my dining room table (The picture shows 24" but I kept weaving after taking them).

Today, I'm weaving on the second Smålandsväv runner and run out of handspun woolen weft.

So I got the roll of wool roving I got from Upper Canada Village two summers ago out and spun a full wheel bobbin. I weave it single so no need to ply. We all know about cat's interest for wool do we?

A new project, huck lace linen towels taken from May/June 2003 Handwoven magazine.

But I find them too thin so they'll be woven as table runners.

Finishing up mom's Christmas gift

I have to finish up twisting these fringes for Christmas...

Overshot & fur cushions

I brought back home my overshot class sample woven at our weaving guild. It will be a good match for this old fur coat I kept aside to make cushions.

I started by taking apart the coat.

And was surprised to find out that fur coats are in fact made out of multiple small pieces.

I am very pleased with the results :-)

Finished weaving the 2nd throw

I am finished weaving the 2nd throw. It will be mom's Christmas gift.

There is still a good amount of warp left but I chose to take it off and use it in a future tapestry project.

First Smålandsväv runner ready

My first Smålandsväv runner is ready for our Guild exposition this coming weekend.