On My Loom Now 📸

 When I start something new, I usually weave some towels to get use to the changes. New dobby on the loom, so more towels.  

This is a 16 shaft twill and basket weave, most likely from Handweaving.net but I seem to have misplaced the number. It drove me crazy looking for threading errors! So I have declared there were none....

8 yard warp of Venne cotton and all wefts used for the 7 towels will be linen. This is 9/2 French linen from Brassards. The reverse side is darker....a mirror image.

It’s good to be weaving again, even if for short periods. If my back starts to make its presence known, I stop or move onto something else. 

The draft is nifty and I have had it in my ‘to-do’ file for a long time. There was a post it note attached with the handweaving.net number and it dropped off. I checked my copy on Fiberworks as I usually keep the number under the ‘notes and records’ and I didn’t add it….. but this would have been years ago so I’ll just have to look around on the website.

I’m also enjoying the weaving and looking at it from the view point of where to add colour in the warp next time I weave it up again. How to make the celtic knot work more ‘out there.' 

🍑 A Real Georgia Peach..... of a Towel Exchange

 We're into the dog days of summer and about to hit yet another few days of a hot spell here. The bench and planter are tucked back in the shade by our front door.   I retreat to the cool of the house. 

I have been keeping busy but not pushing myself. It is summer after all.    I've been spinning quite a bit and also just completed three scarves.   They are waiting to be photographed  and will appear next post.    There's a new 8/2 cotton warp on the Spring loom for some baby blankets, one of which is a gift and the baby is already a month old. Better get busy!

There is threading happening on the Megado for two shawls which will happen in between everything else.  Baby blankets first remember?  😊 🍼

I have a much  more open look in the studio now as the Leclerc tapestry loom has gone to a new home on Cortez Island.  This past week one of my two mannequins  went to a new home and took my serger along as well.   I have another machine so I'm still serging when necessary.    I don't need two....  

I'm selling my Majacraft Rose spinning wheel as my arthritic feet really don't like the repetitive motion, no matter how smooth it is.   The Hansen e-spinner is working out very nicely.     The paring down will continue as I divest myself of  "things that no longer give me joy".   I'm not so sure about the joy or lack there of, but it sure feels so much better to be free of stuff I walked around and ignored. 

Changing subjects..... I agreed to participate in a towel exchange this summer. It was held in honour of the memory of this man. Reverend Wayne Nicholson who was a dear friend and avid weaver.  Wayne died tragically a few years ago in a car accident.   His enthusiasm for weaving touched many lives and so his friends on line at Ravelry decided to do a towel exchange in his name. 

Wayne would have *loved* it.....

I sent a towel to Cheryl in Union Point, Georgia.   It was one of the recent herring bone twill towels, along with some interesting loose teas for sipping.   Then after a glitch with USPS, I recently got my towel from Cheryl. She sent me two towels and some tea sachets to enjoy.

One is all cotton and bright and cheerful and now in service in my kitchen. The second is a lovely 100% all linen towel.   Both are so lovely.

Its so wonderful to have a connection with another weaver despite all the miles in between. We're all cut from the same cloth really. 

😎  ⛱ ☀️ Keep cool and enjoy the last of summer!   🍹 🍦

Between Two Pages

I have been participating in the Guild of Canadian Weavers annual weaving exchange now for some years. They are quite addicting and certainly low pressure. Hostess Lynnette gives the assignment in the early spring and then have until October 1st. to turn them in, with minor postage costs. So far we have done: tea towels, card inserts, guest towels, runners and here, scarves and this year the theme is book marks. Design, weave and send in four and get four back. That's it.

I've never woven anything this small before! I dug out all my books on small drafts and weaving miniatures. Not satisfied there, I moved onto looking through my sample binders at actual woven samples for inspiration. Now I love fancy twills. Their simple threading and intricate treadling runs can produce intricate patterns that look impossibly complex. I found my friend Gudrun's draft and set to finding the right materials. I have a nice selection of 20/2 cottons but I spied a small cone of a fine  gold linen that had been absorbed into my stash from somewhere. No size is recorded and its a bit larger than 20/2. I do plan to use the McMorran balance to determine its yardage and size before I turn my project in. { Edit: I snipped away at the thread on the McMorran balance and came away with 39" which you multiply by 100 for 3900 yards per pound. Not certain which size this corresponds to but....   Anyone have an idea? Please leave a comment. }

So here's the draft again. My warp is 3 yards long, sett is 47 epi and is 2 inches in the reed. Edge threads are black 20/2 cotton and centre warp is my fine mystery linen. The linen will give a nice firm quality to the book marks.

It was wound, beamed and set into the raddle all in under an hour! What a treat!

Everything is quite compact and dense!

This is a 20 dent reed and it's sleyed 2,2,3. So all this was done in quick time.... until we get to the tie up!
I have a cranky lower back and I need a 12 treadle / 12 shaft tie up. The Louet Spring is a light loom and we 'cheat' by lifting her up onto crates:

That pile of ties is only half... the other pile is over to the left. I took a few days to get it done doing 3-4 treadles a day. One reason why I'm planning multiple projects from a tie up!

Calli held the carpet down and kept me company. There is a perfect circle of toys around the loom!

Finally I laced on to reduce loom waste and treadled the network treadling and I really like it! So tiny and compact. The pattern below is only half the bookmark and I wove another repeat, then hemstitched.

Then I wove some using the threading as my treadling (or'as drawn in' or 'tromp as writ') and I really liked this version too. During the second half of this warp, I had a linen warp thread part company. Most likely due to tension. I had a heck of a job trying to find the various ends, the heddle involved and fishing in a repair thread. It was a very tight situation and eventually it called for help from hubby and his head lamp 'cyclops' to brighten up 47 heddles crammed into one inch! We finally found it and got it squared away.

It was all woven and done in no time! I took the warp off and gently soaked in in warm sudsy water, primarily to tighten up the pattern. I left them all linked and plan to cut apart later. Linen doesn't like having its cut warp ends washed and they can get ratty.

Next, I used a rotary cutter and cutting mat for a nice clean edge.

Here's a clean edge.  I went on to cutting it shorter by half again as the fringe looked out of proportion.

So here's the final show and tell and they are ready to go on their way later this fall!  They were fun to weave up and it was a quick project. I also learned about miniature weaving and I would like to explore this in more depth at some point.

Woven network style:

Then woven as threaded, or as drawn in.... and also know as "tromp as writ" from very old drafts.

Now I have a habit of resting my shuttle on the project underway and I forgot how narrow my warp was and somehow I nudged the shuttle and it lurched sideways and it fell point first onto the top of my left foot. It HURT and it developed a large goose egg lump right away and my first  thought was "uh oh, that's gonna bruise"
That was an under statement!

First one shows the swelling and the second the lovely evolving colours!

The whole thing over the last week has turned shades of green and purple and its crept right down into my toes. I can walk okay (for the most part) but there is still a sizeable lump where it impacted and its tender to touch. I have woven with either socks in winter and bare feet in summer and been doing this since 1995 with no mishaps. I know that some weave with shoes on or slipper style shoes but I have portions of my feet that are numb (due to my back injury) so I need to really be able to feel the skinny treadles. I think I will carry on in my usual manner but be extra careful about where I place the shuttle from now on!

I have two completely naked looms! Time to get some threads moving!

Worth the Wait

A friend in Scotland surprised me in the extreme with a lovely gift! I had sent her a kitchen towel for her birthday this past November, so when I got a 'soft' package, I assumed she had sent something similar... but no....

It's this stunning 12 shaft table runner with cotton warp and soft pearly natural linen weft. Beautiful selvedges, and lovely trellis hemstitching...  its beautifully woven! I was gobsmacked!

Here's a close-up of the hemstitching and hem. This is now gracing my dining room table and already some realtors have commented on it. (More on realtors later...)

Does this pattern look a little familiar? I sent Dorothy some 12 shaft drafts so she could have some to hand to chose from for her first time using all her new shafts and treadles. I started my scarves before her runners but she finished sooner. I lost time to back pain and sciatica and waiting for a new weaving chair. But slow and steady does eventually cross the finish line!

Ta Da!  Manikin Madge is wearing the scarf that is tencel 10/2 warp and 30/2 black silk, sett 28 epi. By using black along both selvedges it throws the emphasis to the centre of the scarf. There is no doubt about it, its a busy pattern and I think the 'tone on tone' as in Dorothy's runner works nicely and having solid edges in my scarves also  takes it down a notch. Here are some 'work in progress' shots:

Here I have two of the three scarves pinned out on my foam board for fringe twisting. This was the first time I had been able to put my new twister from Leclerc to work and I must say that having a quad did make things go much faster. The fringer squeaks and sometimes binds but once you get the knack, it goes quick!

Next up, beading! I found some real nice sparkly Swarovsky beads in black, silver and a smoky gray. Each scarf was beaded at either black side with an accent in the centre. 

Click on any picture to enlarge. The hand of the two all tencel scarves was quite thick and dense, with the silk weft scarf being half their weight. All are now soft as butter after wet finishing and a good pressing. If you are new to my blog then you can find links to my older posts on fringe twisting and beading in the side bar under the heading of 'Topic Shopping'.

12 shaft gebrochene / hind und under

There are other posts related to this project but it seemed simpler to post the draft again for you. I found this draft at Handweaving.net as I quite often cruise there looking for 12 shaft drafts or something I can play with and reduce down or increase up. Great web site and a wonderful resource for weavers! 

I'm still having to be very careful with my back as at my days end, it aches. So weaving is still important but I can't weave for hours or even every day. I am also looking for ways to maximize my efforts so I had planned to wind up a warp for runners and use the same threading and tie up again. With Dorothy's runner now on my table, I can see how they will look once done! In the mean time, I have started weaving the towel warp on my big Woolhouse loom. My legs must depress down further and so pulls on lower back muscles. So short 10-15 minute periods of weaving. Hey! its all good... I'm still weaving which beats the heck out of not!

On the personal front we have been having showings of our home every other day and three in two days this past weekend. Seems the market is very active! Sadly, the offer we had on another house fell through. There were some issues that could not be seen with a casual walk through and only the house inspector could find.

So we're back to looking once more. Its a tough job as we are looking for some very specific things in a home and in a certain price range...but I'm sure there's one out there for us. So if I seem to go a little long between posts, my apologies but life is pretty darn hectic here! I'll try and post shorter notes and more often.

So Calli has been here two months now. Wonder if she likes it here?

Bruce was lucky enough to capture the tail action with his cell phone camera! 

REDUX: The Magic of Linen

July 10th, 2021

I just learned today that Linda Heinrich passed away on June 26th, 2021.  Its a sad loss for her family, her weaving friends, and also her artist friends.

You can read her obituary here

Her book is once again out of print but always treasured by weaver with a love of linen.

Susan

Edit January 11th 2011:
A note from Linda Heinrich for readers in Europe and Britain:
Susan, My sincere thanks for the tremendous coverage you've paid to my reprinted book.

Interested Europeans may wish to know that Schiffer Books are distributed in Europe by:

Bushwood Books,
6 Marksbury Avenue,
Kew Gardens, Surrey TW9 4JF England
email: [email protected]
Fax: 44 (0) 20 8392 9876
Phone: 44 (0) 20 8392 8585
Website: http://www.bushwoodbooks.co.uk/

Linda

Does this book look familiar? Many of you might have this book on your bookshelf... or in your local guild library. Many newer weavers wish they could have their own copy of the now "out of print" book, and patiently wait to borrow one from their local library or guild. Some might ask another weaver who will hopefully entrust them with a much loved copy! This book quickly became the 'authority' for all things linen, covering the history of linen in many cultures,as well as the production, spinning, dyeing and weaving of linen.

"The Magic of Linen" came about as a result of Linda Heinrich's thesis for the Guild of Canadian Weavers Test Program. Linda successfully worked her way through the progressive levels through to her culmination, the Master Weaver certification. She completed this program in 1986 with her thesis: 'A Comprehensive Study of Flax and Linen' which eventually was published as The Magic of Linen.

There have only been 30 Master Weavers produced through this program since 1947 to 2003, so this is a most special distinction.

Master Weaver Jane Evans thesis 'Tied Latvian Weaves' (1985) became 'A Joy Forever', and Master Weaver Laura Fry (1997) wrote a thesis: "Transformations: Fulling Handwoven Fabrics" which became the popular 'Magic in the Water'....... and even Mary E. Black the first Master Weaver of The Guild of Canadian Weavers in 1955 turned her thesis on Tartans into the weavers' 'bible'... '"The Key To Weaving" and later "The New Key to Weaving".

During my tenure as president (2003 - 2007), I had the pleasure of meeting several Master Weavers and learning the history of the Guild of Canadian Weavers and its Master Weaver Certification Program. The Guild and it's programs span more than 60 years.
Linda has served as the Test Program Administrator and was part of the team that revised the test questions since their original inception in the late 1940's.

Linda Heinrich is a lovely lady and one I'm happy to call a friend. She lives in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley in the city of Kelowna. When I lived in the Valley we belonged to the same guild. I took advantage of a three day study course on the properties of, and weaving with linen, with Linda. I also participated in a weekly study group on linen where she generously shared her knowledge. All the information I learned from Linda is there in her book. It also contains a wonderful compendium to refer to when considering a project with linen; from sources and resources, to dyeing linen, right down to lovely projects and their drafts. I have seen the original textiles and they are as lovely as they are pictured!

For many years Linda was asked to consider more printings but this was not to be until now.

The following picture is one of the new colour images from the new book:

Linda says: "This beautiful tapestry (yes, that's a loom) was woven by Judith Poxson Fawkes, long time Portland, Oregon weaver of linen tapestries. Google to learn more about her and her book, WEAVING A CHRONICLE. This tapestry will introduce Chapter 8, Thoughts on Design, Weave Structures and Sett."

Linda may have contacted your guild regarding this new book revision through email using the various contact listings for guilds. This is how I became aware of the new release as I'm the librarian of our local guild. She and I have been in correspondence regarding the revisions and I have a list of the changes here to share with you.

Major changes that you'll find in the new edition of "The Magic of Linen" are, among others...

• 
  
  Chapter 13, The Linen Industry Today has been entirely replaced with more current statistics, and discusses China's position in the world of linen, Egypt and its present day flax cultivation. Today's modern European linen industry, in particular, the function of the C.E.L.C. and Masters of Linen. There is additional information about Libeco-Lagae, some exceptional Belgian linen weavers, and their regard for the ecological treatment of linen from seed to dyed cloth. Ten new photos will feature the text in this chapter.
• 
  
  APPENDIX VI This new appendix relates four personal stories describing “long ago” methods of flax cultivation and processing, spinning and weaving in Austria, Poland and Ireland.
• 
  
  There is a complete revision of the Supplier's List, with websites and email addresses to make it current to 2010. Additionally listing what flax and linen related items are stocked.
• 
  
  There is a complete update of Museums and interesting places to visit that document flax and linen. There are websites and contact information (Klassbols is included. It‘s a lovely website.)
• 
  
  There are additional listings of flax and linen related publications, all since the original publication of 1992. These have been added to the list at the end of bibliography. There are approximately 11 magazines, 4 new book titles and even 3 children’s stories, all flax and linen related.
• 
  
  The revised book has approximately 20 new photographs in colour including the four looms of Oxaback, Louet, Glimakra and Toika. There are two photographs from Egypt showing flax in the field and a scutching mill and also two photographs taken in China with tank retted flax. Two new images by Judith Poxson Fakes of her beautiful linen tapestries . Some formerly black and white images have been upgraded to full colour.
• 
  
  At the end of Chapter 11: Irish Linen, a Glimpse of its History, there is an additional page and a half on the current status of the Irish Linen Guild and the linen industry.
• 
  
  While the project chapter has not been changed, it is my opinion that the wide range of linens from traditional to contemporary, will still appeal handweavers, both new and old. Swedish and Finnish weavers contributed to this chapter. Most importantly, the linen yarns used for these projects are still available. The Finnish yarns 'Helmi vuorelma Oy' are only carried by Raija's Yarns, a Canadian supplier. Weavers can still order directly from Finland with Helmi Vuorelma Oy being listed in the Supplier's list.
• 
  
  Other updates include the current varieties of linen flax seed being cultivated in Europe and in use in other countries. The status of tank retting in Belgium and the use of linseed straw in North America to name a few.

Linda wrote to me: "Thanks loads! I really appreciate your interest and support, Susan. Individuals will have to order the book through the book stores. Hopefully, there will be a whole new generation of "linen-interested" weavers."Unicorn Books will be one of the distributors and copies will appear at book stores near you or from on line from Amazon or Chapters. I know that I will be placing an order for a new copy!

So whether a newer weaver looking for a good resource on linen or an older weaver looking to update a well thumbed copy, we're all in for a treat!

You can help spread the news about this soon to be released revision by simply telling other weavers that its coming out in April, or send the link to this post to your newletter editors to share with others. Use this link here: http://weeverwoman.blogspot.com/2010/01/redux-magic-of-linen.html

I'll leave you with one more image from the newly revised "The Magic of Linen" and Linda says:

"Susan, this is an example of contemporary damask. A small photo is included at the end of Chapter 13, The Linen Industry Today. Maura Lamb of Irish Linen Stores, in Victoria, B.C. carries this popular and colorful French line. (Two new photographs of more traditional Irish damask cloths are included in the reprint.)"

Description: Siena damask, ruby. Courtesy of Le Jacquard Francais, Gerardmer, France, and Irish Linen Stores.

Patiently Waiting

You know, looms are so incredibly patient....even when you neglect them for other looms. Try that with a husband! I'm sure mine would claim 'friendly neglect' in this house due to loom affairs from time to time ... (like dinner time. :)

I started a snowflake runner project on my Louet Spring loom 'Lilibet' some time ago but it somehow stopped moving ahead about the time Lynnette came for her visit and then other stuff intervened. Well, I'm participating in the Guild of Canadian Weavers weaving exchange again this year and since Lynnette is the exchange coordinator, I wanted to have the runner ready to travel when we go to the Okanagan in early September. We'll be visiting my MIL and will most likely see the new fire damage to our old neighbourhood first hand. I'll be at Lynnette's for a few days as well and I'm sure that we can find some mischief to get into and friends to visit.

Back to the home front and the studio.... no vacation just yet....
To refresh:

• 2/16 mercerized warp in cream, sett 30 epi, using a 15 dent reed ( two per dent).
• first runner woven with 2/30 natural linen, pre-dampened pirns.
• woven with a temple to reduce draw in.
• two runners woven to approx 38" in length, plus fringe.
• third runner woven with medium grey 2/16 mercerised cotton to approx 42"
• fringe twisted, so completely reversible.
• pattern from Weavers magazine #18, page 20. Draft by J. Evans, GCW masterweaver.

Here are a couple of pictures of the linen runners on the loom.

I've done this pattern a number of times before, most notably five runners as gifts to the weavers in my old guild who lost their homes to the big inter-urban forest fire of 2003. I have noted that this has been another bad fire year and I'm weaving this pattern again. Maybe I should retire it?

This picture below shows the grey 2/16's well under way. I had just about finished the hemstitching. Not as subtle as the linen runners. (Also it is not as dark as this picture shows)

The linen runner going to the exchange was first up on the styrofoam board and the twisting went quickly. I used all three clips and made a rounder, firmer mini cord. (full how to's are here)

The grey runner is on the board now and I'm just about finished the first side. Using three at a time makes it go faster. The last linen runner will most likely wait its turn and be done after we get back from our time away.

So time to 'fess up to a failure. I tried a different weft before resorting to the grey cotton. I have some lovely 2/40 white linen from Ireland that I wanted to use as weft. I wound my pirns and dampened them a day ahead. It started so lovely! I wove for a time, then left it to make dinner. Started again the next day and had to stop to make a call. Then I noticed a line, then another where there was a visible change in not only beat but density of weft. It was nothing that laundering would fix! So I cut away about 10 inches of this lovely linen and choose the cotton instead. So, the 'Lesson Learned' : I can still use it for weft but I *must* weave the entire piece in one sitting. I put what was left of the linen into a marked bag and its now in my freezer waiting for that project. ( It better be soon as my bobbins are running low!)

Here's a close up detail of the 2/40 linen and two other pictures where if you look closely you can see the streaks:

Let's end on a happy note! Here's the finished runner for the GCW Exchange.

I'm leaving Lilibet naked (*gasp*) for now. I have a scarf warp to be wound and beamed on there next. Now I can concentrate on the balance of Elena's shawl.

Fire Snowflakes

My friend Lynnette is the weaving exchange coordinator for the Guild of Canadian Weavers and once again, the annual exchange is a go! This year I'm trying to be ahead of the game and get my warp on early. I know full well that 'stuff' happens over summer and things get delayed. One of my favourite patterns that has stood me in good stead over the years is a snowflake twill. The one I decided to use again is by Jane Evans and you can find it in Weavers magazine, issue #18 Third quarter 1992.

I wove five runners in this stunning pattern in 2003 as gifts for five guild friends who lost their homes in a terrible forest fire that ran into the neighbourshoods surround Kelowna, BC. They not only lost their homes but also their looms, stash...everything! Weavers from all over and even the USA sent them their surplus stash and equipment to get them back on their fibre feet again. I decided to help put handwovens back into their homes again by weaving a runner for each family for when they had a home and table once more. That was a terrible year for heat, tinder dry conditions and forest fires. We ourselves were on evacuation notice three times. Definitely one for the history books!

Anyhow, I digress...the exchange is quite simple. You are given the basic info: cost, planned project (plus size, pattern or other input) and then you have from March to the end of September to get it woven and sent in. This time it's weave a runner, get a runner. Size 14-16" wide by minimum 36" long. My warp is mercerised 2/16's cotton from Brassard's, sett at 30 epi and a 6 yard warp to do two runners and two smaller cloths, for a total of roughly 5 yards. The ends per inch is slightly more open than I would normally used for twills and 2/16's, but I know this sett works in this case. I have put this warp on my Louet Spring (Lilibet) and now have one runner done and the second started. Here's the warp being spread in the built in raddle:

Then here's a tidier looking warp being tightly wound on. The threading went well. This pattern and I are old friends. I swear I could recite it from memory in my sleep! No errors (nice) and then I had to get my weft ready. I decided to go with natural linen against the cream cotton for a softer look. It would also be more versatile for an exchange recipient, and the spares will make nice gifts, or even be used in our home. Now there's a good idea!

Linen can be quite wirey and spring off the bobbins or pirns. A trick I learned some time ago is to use dampened weft. There are rules though:

• if you start with damp weft, do so for the entire piece or project.
• allow to dry before being rolled up on the cloth beam (mildew is nasty)
• keep bobbins in fridge if to be used within 48 hours, and freezer if longer.
• extra bobbins can be stored, with a note to size of linen in the freezer after completion.
• use a temple to minimize draw in and advance frequently.

I tightly wind the pirns with in this case 30/2 natural linen, and then take a clean facecloth and dampen it evenly. Wrap around the pirns and then place in a zip loc bag and leave in the fridge overnight. Take out only one bobbin at a time and rewrap the others. It's surprizing how fast it dries, especially this time of year. I'm going slowly as this is a treadle as threaded pattern so there are some interesting twill progressions to pay keen attention to. I also try to stop weaving at the end of a pirn and avoid starting a new one near the day's end. I don't want to leave it there over night, or cut off to store. Here's some shots of the work under way:


I tried to get the right colours here for you but its somewhere between the two. It's subtle...

Here's another showing my hemstitching and border for the second runner. I plan to twist the fringes to a shorter 2 or 2 1/2 inches so they are reversible. I had hoped to have this finished so Lynnette could take it home with her, but not so. It will have to be mailed later...

Next post will be the placemats which are coming along albeit slowly. It's also time to start winding the warp for the shawl commission too so I'll be doing this as time permits. It will be a busy week though as Lynnette and her hubby are coming to visit. Just a lot of yapping and catching up and the only weaving will be verbal.... but lots of it! Looks like we might be going back to Salt Spring Island but this time we'll visit Treenway... silk heaven!