Monday, July 7, 2014

In Which I Learn ALL the Fiber Crafts

Rob says I've become obsessed.  I prefer to think of it as having found something I enjoy and having fun with it.

Before I decided to learn to spin, I was contemplating learning to weave.  My yarn stash was growing and I thought that weaving would be another way to use up some of it.  I did some weaving on a floor loom when I was a kid at Camp Yonahlossee (now Yonahlossee Resort) and my mother still has the pillow I made, and I think a place mat my sister made as well.  But that was the extent of my experience. I was debating getting a floor loom, but decided I didn't really have the floor space, and then I ultimately decided that learning to spin was what I wanted to do next.

Fast forward about a year, and now that I'm spinning and creating even more yarn, the urge to weave returned.  I decided to go the cheaper and smaller route to begin with, so a couple of weeks ago I bought a 15" Schacht Cricket rigid heddle loom.  I finally got around to warping it and figuring out how to use it, and here's what I've done so far.




I started with a simple scarf project in the book that came with the loom, and using the yarn that came with the loom as well.  It's a good thing, because what you can't see in that picture is how horrible the majority of my edges are and the 4 or 5 places where I missed a thread or two when running the shuttle through the warp.  You might be able to tell where I'm not quite even all the time either, but that's what practice is for I suppose.


 This is a small loom, so I may still want a floor loom eventually, but for now I think I'll have fun making scarves, maybe some coasters, and who knows, maybe even some place mats, a la Camp Yonahlossee.

And there are still more fiber crafts to conquer....bobbin lace anyone?

2 comments:

  1. I love these colors, and it looks like you're doing a great job. What a wonderful thing to be learning, along with spinning. It's so great to keep the old crafts alive; there's nothing like something handmade. I'm just a beginning crocheter thus far, but that's more than I used to think I could do, so who knows?

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  2. I crochet as well. It's just a matter of finding something you want to do & you can do it. Thanks for the comment.

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