Warping your Loom

I recently got myself a copy of the video Warping your Loom from Interweave. Madelyn van der Hoogt who is the editor of Handwoven magazine is the teacher in this video. This video was very thought out, everything is covered that you can think of in regarding warping your loom, with helpful hints and troubleshooting as well.

I highly recommend this video for all beginner and intermediate weavers alike. Who will learn how to use a warping board, sley a reed, thread the heddles, tie on the warp, wind the warp on and tie it to the fabric beam. From that point you are shown a very easy way to set the tension. For those people that warp there looms alone, this viseo is done that way. Madelyn is the only one warping the loom from begining to end.

The video also covers counting out two warp threads at one time, using a padd le or piece of ridged heddle to warp several threads at one time. Madelyn also covers not only front to back warping but back to front warping, she shows you how to count out a warp with a double cross, use a rattle and attach the warp to the warping rod.

This video is perfect for the person who has not had the advantage of taking a beginner weaving class or have a mentor in close proximity to help them out in the warping process. The cool thing about this video is the advantage of having your own private teacher in your own home. Again a highly recommended two video set for your weaving library, that at any time if you get stuck you can watch the video and have your questions answered.

Farm Show 2011

 

I wasn’t shore that I would be able to get to this years Farm Show. Tuesday night it started to snow and we were expecting up to eight inches and snow all day Wednesday. Lucky for us it stopped snowing early in the morning and the roads where clear, we had no problem with traffic either, so we where in good shape. When we got there they weren’t crowded like normal. Do keep in mind there where a lot of people who went to the farm show yesterday but not like it normally is.

They changed several things this year, there is more then one place they drop you off from the overflow parking, so you have to remember where you are dropped off. They also changed the layout of the Farm Show, they moved the butter sculpture into the main hall and moved all the fruit and vegetable entries in the main hall also. They now surround the butter sculpture. This years butter sculptor doesn't have a cow in it, which I thought was odd but still a nice sculpture.

 

 

While I was walking around and looking at the animals I almost took home an angora bunny or two. There was some sheep I’m shore would have followed me. This was the first year I got to feel merino wool on the sheep which was really cool. I also went through the got barn, which is where they have the Buffalo, Red Deer and Alpacas. There was no Buffalo this year but the Red Deer and Alpacas where there. While I was walking around looking at the goats I spied on a Mama got and her two little ones that couldn’t be more then a couple of days old. There owner either made or had made little red knitted sweaters for them, so they wouldn’t get chilled. If your thinking I was going to take them. No, I  was going to be nice and only take one of them and leave the other.

I was there for the Sheep to Shawl competition, but truth be told I can’t sit there and watch the competition I get board. So I go walk around and come back for the awards and see who the winners are. I also like to see the shawl auction. Two years ago one of the shawls went for three thousand dollars. This year there weren’t any records set but there was one shawl that went for $2200.00. The shawl was an undulating herring bone, it was gorgeous browns and a little black and white with just a stripe of red. Looking at it your mind would think Native American. I’m sorry I don’t have a picture it came out to blurry.

Of course after the shawls where auctioned, is the fleece auction, my whole reason for going to the show. They had some really nice fleeces this year, I have been trying to get a black and gray fleece for a couple of years. Last year I got my black fleece and a cow fleece (black and white in one fleece). So this year was a year for my grey fleece, I only got three fleeces this year. Since I had so many from last year and all I really wanted was a grey fleece. I do have pictures of the fleeces below for you to check out if show like. When the weather breaks I will have to get them all cleaned up.

  This fleece is a combing fleece

  

This fleece is also a combing fleece

I got my gray fleece yeah!!!

Happy New Year

 

It’s a New Year, last year I had not promised a whole lot. I don’t like to promise any thing really. I feel if it happens perfect, if not then your not hurt since I didn’t promise it to begin with. I am wrong with that, not so much the promising but not making goals for my self and trying to achieve them. I’ve been thinking about it and you need to set goals for yourself. Life always gets in the way but you still need to have realistic goals.

So this year I have some thinks I would like to make for competition for the fair. I would like to make more of my gifts, do some self studies in weaving, bobbin lace, knitting and tatting. I have some projects that I keep saying I’m going to do and just haven’t. There is also farm and gardening to plan in there as well.

This sounds like a lot but in reality it’s not, I have to work on scheduling my time properly. Not letting other things get in my way of that. Once I achieve that then we should be good to go. I of course will be planning on some fun things to do too get a break every once in a while.

So Happy New Year to everyone.