Serinde lives up to her name update 27 Aug 2024

[poppy]

I am following your progress with interest

[karen4bells]

An amazing piece of art in the making. I envy you your patience Serinde.

I absolutely agree!!! Simply amazing!!

[Serinde]

That is awesome! And I think I know that tabby weaving. That is what one does with single color. You just throw the shuttle in, pull it out and hit with that big item. And then you push the shuttle from the other end, pull it out from the other and hit again. I know it sounds odd, but anyone who has done weaving knows what I am talking about.

Yes, basically. In the case of a peg loom, it's more round and round and round and round and back around.... Scooching it down with your fingers and counting passes. Very, very quick. Of course, you can do anything on a peg loom that you can do on a tapestry loom set up, it's just you can't get a very fine fabric at the end. My smallest peg is 6mm, so the weft bundle has to be about that thickness. Super chunky yarn does the trick for something like a pram blanket. And it seems that the cheaper the yarn (and easier to wash for new parents), the more jolly the colours. Win!

[Mabel Figworthy]

I'm not a weaver myself, and have only ever seen it done on a loom, so I'm a bit mystified with how it works on pegs
On a loom, half the threads (in the case of simple one-over-one-under weaving) are lifted at any one time to allow the shuttle to go through, is that right? How would that work on the peg loom - do you just manually manipulate the thread through while all the weft threads are at the same level? (In other words, does your hand go up and down and up and down as it passes through?)

[Serinde]

Mabel, what you are describing is called a shed. Weaving on a loom for fabric has things called heddles (sometimes lots of them) that you manipulate in various ways to create the design. The weft is loaded onto shuttles and these "boats" are sent back and forth across the warp threads, making the design. Looms like this also have beater bars to snug the new thread up to the previously woven piece.

There isn't a shed on a peg loom, and this means there are other interesting constraints. Tapestry weaving generally has a couple of rules to help weavers stay in the correct shed -- to do with different coloured yarns, for example, "meeting and retreating" or being at the opposite ends of the loom at all times. The reason I count passes (one way across the loom and one way back) is to keep an idea of where I am in the process. If you look up at the start of this thread to the piece I did last year, you'll see that I occasionally lost track of my overs and unders using two different colours! Actually, I was trying to run before I could walk. (As you do.) And eccentric weft is very "now" apparently.

What you do on a peg loom is just build up the weaving, from bottom to top, pausing only to move it down the pegs onto the warp. If you are interested, I can't recommend Noreen Crone-Findlay's videos enough. They tend to be long, but very thorough. She does wonderful things with pegs.

[tiffstitch]

I don't understand anything you wrote in your last post Serinde, but great colours and glad it's going so quickly for you.

[Serinde]

And here is the completed -- but not entirely finished -- pram blanket. I have finished the edge with double Damascus knots and the bound it in the same yarn as the blanket itself. Which is a pity, as the edge was rather lovely, but the wrong colour, of course, being the warp threads. It needs to be steamed and blocked, and then I can give it to the parents.

[rcperryls]

Love it!!!

Carole

[Mabel Figworthy]

beautiful!
If the edge was lovely in itself, what made it"wrong"? (I'm still a bit hazy about warps and wefts, but my guess is that the threads you were weaving around were a different colour from the "working thread"?)

[Squirrel]

Totally amazing Serinde.

[Lulu22]

Congratulations on your totally amazing pram blanket Serinde

My son bought home a very basic weaving kit from Junior School a couple of years ago to be completed at home, he really does not like any Art and Craft activities, so I felt I was duty bound to help, I usually help out a little bit with homework but I took that one on for myself

[Serinde]

Interesting... I know boys with exactly the same views who have taken to weaving. Perhaps tapestry weaving isn't his thing, but I bet if you put a proper 4-shaft loom in front of him -- it's mechanical and has levers to shift and everything! -- he couldn't resist because it makes "things" not "pictures"?

But in any case, weaving is a wonderful thing to learn to do. (Warping up big, proper looms... well... scary stuff.)

[Serinde]

If the edge was lovely in itself, what made it"wrong"? (I'm still a bit hazy about warps and wefts, but my guess is that the threads you were weaving around were a different colour from the "working thread"?)

Exactly, Mabel. A double Damascus edge appears to be a double series of half hitch knots: you proceed in a particular way from one side to the other, then turn the piece over and do the same thing again. The result is a very pleasing almost knitted effect which forms a flat edge (you sort of have to keep in mind all the time you are dealing with a 3D piece which has depth). Problem was, the lovely edge was very light in colour (golden, almost). Hence the binding with the main colour of the blanket, which looks fine, too. I hope to get to the steaming and etc today...

[kingfisher68(2)]

WOW, lovely colours & weaving. A beautiful creation Serinde

[curly sue]

Lovely weaving, Serinde! This past year I have done some very simple weaving from watching videos. The type using card board to weave phone pouches etc. I started out weaving with sz 10 crochet thread wrapped on a cd jewel case. I did the weaving with a tapestry needle. That was just to get the feel of it. Then I bought a super simple loom at Hobby Lobby maybe 7"x9") and have made a couple of pieces. It is so relaxing! Dh made me a simple wooden frame loom which I would like to try place mat size weaving on. I haven't used it yet.

[Serinde]

Cardboard looms are a great place to start -- and it's possible to make some pretty impressive and useful items with one. I've seen kitchen floor rugs made on a cardboard loom from fabric, for instance.

I have a guilty secret... I enjoy working with a weaving needle, too. And I haven't done anything big enough to qualify for bobbins yet. A 7x9 loom will make lovely little things, and crochet cotton is certainly strong enough for warping that. What weft did you use? I have skeins and skeins of Anchor tapestry wool, which I love using for small pieces. (It's so well behaved and there is such a selection of colours.) Also (if your warping is on the high side -- lots of warp to the inch) ＃5 and ＃3 pearl cottons.

It's funny how sometimes weavers will get all excited about weaving with "anything" like plastic, and then get prissy about tapestry wool and -- worst -- needles!!

[Serinde]

Now here is a cowl made on a peg loom, from a design by Noreen Crone-Findlay from her new book Peg Looms and Weaving Sticks. I used slightly different yarn, although the same weights and materials (Aran weight warp in grey and an acrylic chunky for the weft). My plan is to make another one, not quite so wide and perhaps a touch longer. But not bad for a first attempt.

[rcperryls]

I would say significantly better than

not bad for a first attempt.

I love the colors too!

Carole

[Nicola Main]

This is gorgeous and the colours are amazing

[tiffstitch]

Lovely! Gorgeous colour choice.