Ronda (no "h")

I'm trying to wrap my head around threading a double heddle while leaving my loom in the stand. The last double heddle set up I did, I placed everything on the table for threading and let my back heddle just "rest" while threading the front.

Two small bundles of natural BFL yarn. The smallest is 3 inches long and 1 inch wide, done on the drop spindle. The larger one is 4 inches long and 2 inches wide, done on a spinning machine. Neither bundle is very neatly spun.

I played with both a drop spindle and a wheel today.

There are some crafts you just get. There are some you don't get that aren't worth it to you. And then there are some you know will take work, and you're willing to do it.

Spinning feels like the third category.

#spinning #fiberfestival

I'm looking into this one. I just keep thinking there has to be a tool to help.

Two gnomes, crafted by needle felting, sit on a car's dashboard. One gnome is about 4 inches tall, with a blue, green, and white swirled hat, blue body, and grey curly hair and beard. The other gnome is about 6 inches tall, with a brown body, a moss green hat with blue polka dots, and mixed white and grey hair. Neither gnome is particularly polished, but both are cute at least to their creator.

Local fiber festival this weekend, about 45 minutes from my house. They had a few classes starting yesterday...

Behold, my first attempt at needle felting! (I'm happy to report that I will NOT be hoarding supplies for this craft, even though fun.)

#fiberfestival #wool #needlefelting #gnomelife

Love the colors!

Oh, interesting! My loom currently has a few string heddles that I've been trying to figure out how they were made...and this looks like the answer.

That looks handy enough to save the paperclip!

An orange cat with her back paws on the front roller of a rigid heddle loom, and her front paws slowly sinking to the floor as the throw her mom keeps draped under the loom slides away from her weight.

This did not go how she expected...

(2 seconds later and it was all on the floor - the cat, the heddle, and the throw.)

#rigidheddle #cats

This fascinated me with my first twill pattern on my rigid heddle as well. It's a lot more obvious once it's wet finished, though. Love the coloring!

Every single step is a math involved change with this, lol. I've not even messed with the amount of yarn that will be needed yet!

A printed weaving draft with new numbers scribbled on for repeats and total ends. Not shown is the translation from 4 shafts to 8 shafts.

Surely there's a better way than this? Also, why do so many of my interests involve math??

Adding width and length to a pattern that is more than just repeating blocks with this one. My other project I'm adjusting from 30/2 to 8/2 (2/2/3 to 2/2/2 in the reed).

#weaving #mathincrafts

When the hemstitching becomes a feature rather than a chore! Lovely.

... I didn't know they could do that.

I hate projects that drag because you don't personally care for them.

Definitely looks cat approved!

Same - I loved that I could use my loom to do it, but found myself wanting to set up for my next project while my current one was still on the loom. Also, I love that this means I don't have to drag my loom all over my house for the various different needs.

I just did that - stand alone warping board - to stop the flipping with my Ashford RHL. I highly recommend!

A hint that was given to me - you can use the pegs and an old/cheap picture/art frame to make your own if you want. (Although I got an inexpensive vertical one as my first.)

Rigid Heddle loom, warped with a mix of mohair and silk in navy, ice blue, quince, and dove blue. (Knitting for Olive) Two inches of warp remains behind the heddle. The weaving ends 4 inches in front of the heddle.

This project was sidelined when the Great Restoration began. After receiving the incorrect width of steel cable for the third time, I went back to something I could control. This will come off the loom tonight.

Also, for a slap dash direct warping job, I'll take that!

#weaving #rigidheddle

Look at those selvadges!

A cherry 8 harness counterbalance loom with no warp on it, as seen from the front.

An angled view of the 8 harness cherry counterbalance loom

2 weeks later, and she's all back together! Cleaned, waxed, metal bits de-rusted and then sealed, new aprons, new brake, old cords replaced with texsolv. Building a raddle and installing the new brake tomorrow, and then I'll take her for a test drive.

#weaving #multishaft

I'll give it a test run like this. I've dismantled this loom so many times while restoring it, what's one more time.

Front cloth beam with a tan apron rolled on it. The beams received a good cleaning and waxing, then I made new aprons for then. The metal bars have been de-rusted, sanded, and clear coated.

Does over vs. under matter for aprons, as long as it advances in the correct direction? I attached this one first and then realized they typically go under. I can't just flip it without drilling new holes on the beams ends.

#weaving #multishaft

I also found this one.

I've been missing it as well! I thought at first everyone was busy with things other than weaving right now.

Love the color scheme!

Warp beam and warp beam with aprons still wound on. The brake hub has been detached from the warp beam.

Do I take the aprons off the beams and clean/feed them as well? Frame, treadles, lams, and horses done. Harnesses, back frame, and beater bar today.

Brake hub/cable conversion kit arrives tomorrow... so now is the time to decide. All goes well, and warping on Wednesday!

#weaving #mutlishaft

An orange cats plays with a yellow tailor's measuring tape.

I believe I've lost this tape measure. Gone, gone, gone.

#cats

Water canning is super easy. Pressure cooking canning still scares the begeezus out of me.

In this case the seller is selling her mother's old equipment, because she's not interested in yarn-related activities. (She also lives on the other side of the country - her in-laws are storing the pieces about 1.5 hours from me.)

I'm at this weird crossroads where I've learned that GOOD equipment does make a difference when first learning something...and worrying I'm being a snob when my initial inclination is to say no, just because of the lack of grace or aesthetic appeal of this wheel.