A Fiber Arts Studio | Weaving & Knitting | Teacher & Purveyor
Today the weaving students returned with their woven scarves. I showed them how to finish the scarves and make the big cut to take them off the looms. Then the fringe was tied and evenly trimmed. Check out the great scarves and the variety of colors! Thanks Shirley, Nicole, Susan and Jean! I had a great time teaching you!
I had a class of 4 beginning weavers today at Silk Road Textiles learning to warp and weave on Cricket Rigid Heddle Looms. I like to keep my classes small so that I can keep up with everyone and try to catch any big mistake shortly after it is made when it is usually easier to fix. We use the simple method of direct warping, and within an hour and a half, all were sitting down with their warped looms, ready to weave. They wove for a bit with my guidance, learned to measure picks for a balanced weave, then I sent them all home with my looms and instructions on what to do when they need to wind more weft yarn on the shuttle. Since the yarn we are using is a long color changing yarn, care must be taken when winding shuttles to maintain the color sequence of the yarn. They will return on Friday ready to cut the scarves off the looms and learn to tie the fringe. I think they all enjoyed learning to weave as much I enjoyed teaching them. Have a group of friends who want to learn? Contact me and we can set up a session!
We have about 8 inches of snow on the ground here and its still coming down. Today is about 40 degrees warmer than the -12° we started out with yesterday, so really, it’s not so bad. I have a beer braised brisket in the oven, a nice chardonnay chilling in the refrigerator and soft, chunky, luxurious kettle-dyed, merino wool to knit with so I am happy as a clam. I also sat down and ordered a bunch more of this yarn online in about 4 different colorways that can warm you and brighten your day. Every time I wear mine, people want one. I’ll post when I have some for sale.
I have been having quite a busy month teaching classes at Silk Road Textiles and at the WGGC. This post is to show is the work of some of my students in progress.
This is from my houndstooth scarf class at Silk Road Textiles. I forgot to take other pictures, but there were four in the class. Some of the other color combinations were light and dark brown and blue and black.
One of my favorite combinations is a purple green,
or red and black
Next is a set of photos from my class on faux ikat. In this class we use handpainted yarns that are dyed in a particular way. These yarns have to be dyed across the skein or “palindrome dyed” where the dyer paints the yarn across the oval of the skein.
I show them how to make the colors “pool” for a faux ikat effect in their scarves. You have to be willing to work with the yarn and let it determine the length of the scarf.
A newly developed class is now scheduled for March at Silk Road Textiles. This new shape is a circular (sort of) scarf that has a V-shaped edge created by weaving the fringe from the beginning of the scarf into the end. There are a few tricky bits, but I have some great tips to make it easier. You must have had prior rigid heddle weaving experience or a class before taking this one. Fortunately, we have just added new beginning classes to the schedule at Silk Road Textiles in addition to the one I am teaching at the Art Barn in Mariemont. If you are interested in learning how to weave, check them out!