bands – Page 9 – Warped for Good

Quiet Friday: Eight-Shaft Block Twill Rugs and More

September 23, 2016September 20, 2016 Karen

The sample piece, a long rug and a short rug with string yarn, and a short rag rug. I look on these results with fondness. A challenge and a joy to weave! The two string yarn rugs will have bound hems when I get a chance to do that. I have world map fabric for the hems. The sample piece and the rag rug piece are destined to become cute bags. I have all the supplies–band loom-woven strap, and yarn to make a band loom-woven strap, lining material, and a handwoven remnant to use as inside pockets. Now, all I need is time. And we all have as much as we need of that.

In case you needed a smile today! — In case you needed a smile today. Our dear Lucia Annabella.

May you have all the time you need.

All the best to you, my dear friends,
Karen

Tools Day: Loom Bench Baskets

September 13, 2016September 12, 2016 Karen

Some accessories are so useful they simply become an extension of the loom. That’s how my loom bench baskets are for me. I automatically place an emptied shuttle there without a second thought. It’s where extra shuttles go that are waiting their turn, or extra quills that have been wound, or a few fabric strips that are set aside for one section. For anything I need to drop or pick up–the baskets are always there.

Loom bench basket holds the ski shuttles for a rosepath rag rug. — Deep basket on the bench at the baby loom (Glimakra Ideal) easily holds my ski shuttles for this rosepath rag rug.

Loom bench basket holds the 5 ski shuttles for this rosepath rag rug. — Leather strap on the basket slips over the end post of my loom bench, right by the always-handy measuring tape.

Deep basket, perfect for holding shuttles. — Basket made for this purpose, from Vavstuga.

Loom bench basket with Ikea container inserted to hold quills. — Basket at the big loom (Glimakra Standard) holds a small hanging cup I found at Ikea that is useful for holding small things, like filled and emptied quills.

Loom basket is tied to the bench with an old inkle-woven band. — Old basket I’ve had for years is put to use on the other side of the big loom bench. I tied it on with a wool inkle band I wove many years ago.

May you have what you need at your fingertips.

Happy weaving,
Karen

Skinny Inkle Band

May 6, 2016May 5, 2016 Karen

This is the narrowest inkle band I have ever made! With thirteen ends of fine 16/2 cotton, I get a very skinny ribbon. I brought my inkle loom with me to the Texas Woodcarvers Guild Spring Round-Up. This gives me something to do at the “Conversation Table” while Steve attends wood carving classes. Some ladies have their crochet, some have their knitting, and I have my inkle.

Skinny inkle band. — Inkle shuttle holds fine 16/2 cotton weft.

Farm scene relief carving. — Steve making progress with his farm scene relief carving.

The inkle loom is a conversation piece, to be sure. Inquiring people stop to look and ask questions. Many think it looks complicated. “It’s a lot simpler than carving a piece of wood,” I say with a smile.

Skinny inkle band, woven with 16/2 cotton. — Warp is close to the maximum length possible for this inkle loom. Off the loom, the band measures about 2 1/2 yards (2.25 meters).

Dime shows scale of narrow inkle band. — Finished skinny inkle band, with a dime for scale.

Seek the Lord; seek His strength. Walk in the Lord’s strength. When this is your habit, your continual mindset, life’s struggles seem less complicated. Down shed – shuttle – up shed – shuttle. Repeat. Keep going to the end.

May you have the strength you need.

Truly Yours,
Karen

Quiet Friday: Band Loom Warping and Weaving

April 22, 2016April 21, 2016 Karen

My two-treadle Glimåkra band loom is called into action. I don’t have to add hanging tabs for the towels that I am weaving on the Ideal loom. But I want to. A little band weaving here and there, and I will have this special detail ready for the towels when they come off the loom. (Watch me weave on the band loom in the video below.)

How I Warp the Band Loom:

Wind a narrow warp. Tie the lease cross. For a long warp, tie a choke tie about every meter.

Put the end loop of the warp on the warp beam tie-on bar. Insert lease sticks in the cross. Tie the sticks together; or tape them together with masking tape.

Remove tie around lease cross. Hold the warp taut with the left hand while winding on with the right hand. Insert warping slats around the beam the first time around, and then every other time around after that.

Wind on until the beginning of the warp is a few inches in front of the heddles.

Tie or tape the lease sticks to the back beam. Cut the loops at the front end of the warp.

Thread the heddles, alternating between the heddles on the right and on the left.

Hold the warp taut and depress each treadle to check for any crossed threads.

Tie the warp onto the front tie-on bar.

Tighten the tension; wind your shuttle; and weave to your heart’s content! (A short cardboard quill can be used as a shuttle.)

May you go the extra mile to add special little details.

Happy band weaving,
Karen

Almost Forgot the Hanging Tabs

January 26, 2016January 25, 2016 Karen

My band loom has been sitting idle for months with a partially-woven warp. As soon as I cut the black and white towels from the loom it occurred to me that I had not yet woven their hanging tabs. I am eager to put on a new black and white band warp to weave these towel loops; but first, I must weave off the existing band. (You originally saw this band in Weave the Portable Way.)

Glimakra two-treadle band loom. — Two treadles are used for changing the shed on this Glimåkra Band Loom. It takes practice to coordinate the actions of both hands and feet. What was awkward to learn becomes second nature through repetition.

Glimakra band loom with completed band. — This band is complete. It will go in the box I call my “band stash.” When I need a strap, ribbon, or trim for anything, I look in my band stash box to see what I can find.

What had been sitting for months is finished in a day. And the black and white warp is on the loom before day’s end. What made the difference? Why is it suddenly easy to finish something that had been lagging for months? One word. Decision. (Some of the towels on which these hanging tabs will adorn are in Quiet Friday: Thick and Thin and in Even Better After.)

Starting black and white band on band loom. — Starting the black and white band.

Simple narrow band for hanging tabs on handwoven towels. — Simple narrow band is made to coordinate with black and white handwoven towels. As with the towels, this is cottolin warp and weft.

Woven band for hanging tabs on handwoven black and white towels. Karen Isenhower — With enough woven to make hanging tabs for ten handtowels, the warp is cut and secured. The remainder of the warp will be woven off and added to the “band stash” box.

All our important actions derive from purposeful decisions. And my best decisions shape the course of my life in a positive way. You can choose the direction you travel. When you choose to walk the path of virtue, the path before you becomes more and more clear. Finding the motivation to do the right thing often comes down to making a firm decision. As a result, we are able to remove the old, and move on to weaving today’s important task.

May you make great decisions.

Motivated,
Karen