Tag: sample

Puckered Sample

Karen

Will these long floats do what I hope they will do? I have puckered scarves in mind. Soft 8/2 cotton in shades of green. We do not often know, really know, how things will turn out. With weaving, I can sample first. That little piece of trial and error is not wasted threads. It enables me to weave the remainder with confidence. Without a sample, especially with a new technique, or an untested idea, my hope for a good outcome is guesswork, with no real substance.

Sample of lace weave with warp floats - before washing and drying.
How will this sample behave through the washer and dryer? Will I get the results I’m after?
Sample for weaving a puckered scarf.
Yes, looks like a puckered scarf to me. It feels soft, too.

In some ways, my faith is like that sample. Faith is strength through storms; and I’m facing one of those storms today. I don’t know how things will turn out, but because of the One who has gone before me, my hope has substance. It’s as if my Lord has woven a sample for me to see, to trust in His care.

Wet finished sample compared with lace weave scarf on the loom.
Sample piece gives a preview of what the end result will be like. The cloth on the loom looks and feels rigid and unbending, but the finished sample cloth reveals a surprising texture that has the feel of movement and freedom.

My soul is preserved through faith, taking me to the front line in the battle, with courage. And so, I continue weaving with hope, having an imperfect glimpse of what the finished fabric will be.

May you see hope as you weather the storms.

With faith,
Karen

Quiet Friday: Double-Width Blanket Progress

Karen

Do you ever feel like you are just not making progress? Stopping bad habits and starting good ones can feel like that. Or, what about that craft project you meant to finish before Thanksgiving? The loom is one place where progress is visible. You can’t fool yourself; the cloth beam shows you how far you have progressed. I find it encouraging to see the fabric that has been woven. What starts with an idea shows up as cloth.

Blanket idea with eleven colors of wool.
It all started with an idea and eleven colors of wool.

As we settle into the very end of this year, we know that time keeps rolling on. The warp keeps advancing. This is a great time to look at the cloth beam of our life and see the progress. Like this blanket, much has been accomplished, but there’s more work ahead before it is time to cut it from the loom.

Bottom layer of double weave blanket is spread on the loom.
Bottom layer is spread on the loom.
Upper layer of double weave is spread on the loom.
Upper layer is spread on the loom; and the two layers are combined on the back tie-on bar. Two sets of lease sticks keep all the ends in order.
Beaming on double weave blanket with warping trapeze.
Beaming on two warps at once. After removing the choke ties, I beamed on with the warping trapeze, slowly and carefully. I stopped every few inches to check everything, to make sure nothing was getting hung up anywhere.
Threading heddles for multi-color wool blanket.
Threading heddles.
Sampling helps determine optimum weft colors.
Sampling helps determine weft colors, as well as checking the sett and weft density.
Warp ends ready to tie onto front tie-on bar.
Sample is cut off and warp ends are tied in bundles, ready to re-tie to front tie-on bar.
Wool Blanket sample piece after wet finishing and brushing.
Sample piece, after wet finishing, air drying, and brushing.
Fringe, twisted on the loom, at the beginning of the wool blanket. Follow progress.
Fringe, twisted on the loom, goes over the breast beam as the body of the blanket is being woven.
Pics show double weave blanket progress on the loom.
Progress is revealed. The beginning blanket fringe has reached the cloth beam! The fold edge of the blanket is in view.
Dusk dims, yet enriches, the colors. Karen Isenhower
Dusk dims the colors, yet enriches them at the same time.
Hand-carved Nativity on handwoven bound rosepath. The Isenhowers.
Glad-hearted Christmas to all! The camel is this year’s new figure in the hand-carved Nativity by Steve Isenhower. Bound rosepath provides the backdrop.

May you enjoy reflecting on the progress you have made this year.

Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year,
Karen

Tools Day: Tapestry Weaving in Flight

Karen

This is how a weaver enjoys a long haul flight. I keep my hands busy. A direct flight from Houston to Tokyo takes about fourteen hours. And then five more hours to Manila. Add layover time, and you have almost a full day of travel. I have been wanting to try the exercises in Kathe Todd-Hooker‘s Tapestry 101. So that is how I spent my travel time to and from The Philippines on our recent visit there. I followed advice I received from Teresa Loveless when I was at Weaving Southwest in New Mexico, to warp my little tapestry loom at a sett of 8 epi, using rug wool for weft. The coarse sett made the weaving easy to see and work with, even in the dim lighting of the airplane. (This is in contrast to last year’s travel tapestry using embroidery floss.) I kept the samplers small, so I could finish by the end of the trip. I ended up with two mini samplers.

Traveling with portable tapestry loom.
Ready to travel with all tapestry weaving supplies in a soft bag that is easy to slip into my flight carry on bag.

Tools:
– Travel-size tapestry loom (with tensioning device, and counter sunk rare earth magnets for holding tapestry needle)
– Warp thread (12/6 cotton seine twine), wound on a couple five-inch quills
– Wool rug yarn assortment (Jason Collingwood Rug Wool, and Borgs 25/1 Mattgarn), wound on five-inch quills
– Blunt tapestry needles (have extras in case you drop one in the dark)
– Travel snips (make sure they meet TSA regulations) on a neck strap (hand woven, of course)
– Clip-on book light (with paper napkin or thin cloth to diffuse the light, and extra batteries)
– Tape measure
– Small clips (you never know when you might need one, like to clip a napkin over the book light)
– Sewing thread and sewing needle (for stitching slits, which I did not do)
– Tapestry resource book (like Tapestry 101, by Kathe Todd-Hooker)
– Bag to hold everything (and a couple small pouches within to keep things organized)

Mini tapestry sampler.
First mini sampler was almost finished by the time we arrived in Manila.
Green tea cake roll in Tokyo.
Green tea cake roll was a yummy snack at Narita International Airport in Tokyo on the trip home. Maybe this should be a future color scheme for a weaving project?
Weaving on the airplane.
Weaving in the dark. The Starbucks napkin that I saved from Houston came in handy as a light diffuser around the too-bright reading light when other passengers were sleeping.
Mini tapestry sampler.
Second mini sampler was almost finished by the time we arrived back home in Houston.
Mini tapestry samplers.
Mini tapestry samplers show a compact view of the passage of time.

May you find something for your hands to do.

Merry Weaving,
Karen

Quiet Friday: Blanket Sample Thanksgiving

Karen

This warp for the double-width wool blanket is taking some down time while I complete a finishing sample. The five-fold purpose of the sample is to 1) check the sett and 2) the weft density, and 3) to examine the fold to see if I need more, or less, weft at the turn, and 4) to test the wet-finishing process, and 5) to see the effect of brushing the finished piece.  I am thankful for family, friends, fellowship, and finishing. (Thankful for blog friend Marie for first suggesting a finish sample.) I hope you, friend, get to have time with the ones you love, and have some down time to enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving!

Just cut off sample for finishing. Wool double weave blanket.
Sample piece is cut from the loom. Warp will be tied back on to the front tie-on bar.
One side of the double weave sample.
One half of the double-width blanket sample. The fold is at the yellow.
Other side of double weave sample.
Other side of the double-width sample. The fold is at the yellow.
Double weave fold revealed in sample piece.
Blanket fold revealed. Weaving double width means you only see one half until it is cut from the loom.
Double width sample washed and air dried.
Wet Finishing. Sample has been washed and dried. Washed on delicate cycle in washing machine for 3 minutes, no spin cycle. Air dried flat.
Double weave fold in sample after wet finishing.
Examining the fold after wet finishing. Also, notice the improved weft density in the final segment (brown weft at the bottom), when I applied a lighter beat.
Double width blanket sample after being washed. Karen Isenhower
Blanket finishing sample.
Blanket sample - brushed.
Blanket sample brushed on one side, using a stiff dog brush.
Comparing brushed and not brushed sides of sample.
Compare the brushed top side on the left to the unbrushed bottom side on the right.
Brushed double weave blanket sample. Karen Isenhower
Brushed double weave finishing sample. Hmm… Could this be my new Christmas tree skirt?

May your family and friends experience your thankfulness.

Thankful for you,
Karen

The Weft Question

Karen

I keep wondering about the weft that I forgot to purchase for this blanket. The heddles are threaded and the reed is sleyed; everything is ready…except the weft. As it turns out, I am glad I Forgot the Weft, because now I can try different options on the actual warp before committing to one single color.

Threading heddles for double weave wool blanket.
Ends are grouped into bundles of 32 threads each at the back beam. Pre-counting into groups helps prevent threading errors. Each heddle holds two threads. As a group of ends are threaded, I re-check the threading, and then tie the bundle into a slip knot.
Two set of lease sticks for double weave blanket.
Two sets of lease sticks, secured at the back beam, keep the two double weave layers separate and in order. The reed is cradled in place horizontally in front of the shafts for easy sleying, four ends per dent.

I am testing eight of the eleven warp colors, plus one more that I had in my stash. Nine colors. Think of it as nine questions. This one? This one? This one?… I am looking for weft that compliments the warp all the way across, showing off the warp gradation that spans both layers of the double weave. When the weft is woven in, rather than just held up for comparison, I find the answer unfolding before my eyes.

Double weave, finding the right weft.
Barely an inch of each color, but it is enough for a favorite to stand out for me.

Questions are good. Be ready to ask genuine questions about life. Genuine, like weaving the threads, rather than simply laying threads on the surface for consideration. The Lord specifically answers a seeking heart. In this journey of discovery, the answers unfold. Those looking for truth will find it.

Which weft color would you choose (last picture, options 1 – 9, left to right)? The weft is doubled, so you can choose one color, or two colors combined. (I will reveal my choice later. The yarn arrived today!)
Leave your answer in the comments.

May you be asked good questions.

Discovering,
Karen