Category: Glimakra Emilia

Kitchen Towels, Maybe

No Comments

image from www.flickr.com

These two kitchen towels will maybe, maybe not become kitchen towels. I like them, it's just that they're square and rather thick. Perhaps they'll make a nice kitty blanket for the summer… We'll see.

I spotted a $1 sale on Lily Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn and bought a bunch just for fun. I've never had much luck making actual household items, and so I figured even my plan of dish towels didn't work out, they'd probably be useful. 

image from www.flickr.com

I used the Glimakra Emilia and the 8 dent heddle. Just in case you're wondering, two skeins, 240 yards, is exactly the amount you need to warp 60" on this size loom with this size heddle. However, buy three! You should actually warp 70" or even a little longer to make a real towel.

For the weft I chose a striped green, extremely light. I think my camera is set to overexpose because I haven't taken a decent picture lately. They aren't quite as light as the picture shows, but the stripes are gradual. I like the variegated patterns better for towels so next time!

Off the loom, each measured 18" x 20", but then, after washing, the always-shrinking cotton ended up at 16.5" x 16". Yes, they are now shorter than wide.

This experiment led me to immediately warp the Emilia with another batch of cotton. My plan this time is for a bathmat.

Categories: Finished Object Glimakra Emilia Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving

Tags: , , , , , ,

Finally Off the Loom

No Comments

image from www.flickr.com

 

It started as spa wash cloths, and ended up as a rag and a table runner. The warp was a nice cotton/hemp blend called Hempathy, but the weft, at first, was plain hemp 100% hemp yarn. Sorry, but after just one cloth, I was ready to call it quits. It has a rustic look, which is fine, but it was dusty, and it shed bits and pieces everywhere. It's best left for a rope, or a handle, or something other than a wash cloth. Plus, it smells when it's wet, too, so don't use it for something meant to be doused in water on a regular basis. I made one loop pile cloth, then moved onto a second, which I quickly turned into a little rag, and the final two feet of warp sat on my loom for two months.

I decided to use the hemp blend for the weft, and a little pick-up stick pattern to create a small table runner. The pattern was 2 up, 2 down, and the weaving was Up + Pickup Stick, Down, Up, Down. It worked out nicely, with the warp floats creating a stripe. Hemp is nice in a blend.

Categories: Finished Object Glimakra Emilia Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving

Tags: , , ,

The Rising Cost of Emilia

2 Comments

As the value of a dollar rises and falls due to economic stress and inflation, so does the price of an imported loom. I enjoy my Glimakra Emilia, but I had to weigh the cost of the loom less than a year ago when I purchsed it. It wasn't the most expensive, it wasn't the least expensive. It was somewhere safely in the middle of similiarly-equipped rigid heddle looms. I spent $189 (USD) on the 19" loom, from a site that had it priced a bit lower than the typical $209. Today, however, I'm surprised to see the cost of it has risen $100.  It now sells at about $289.

I understand importing an item means prices will fluxuate, but I was a little sticker-shocked yesterday to note the change.

I'm very pleased with my loom, especially the construction and quality. But $100… in less than a year?

Categories: Glimakra Emilia Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving

Tags: , ,

A Challenge: Stash Weaving

No Comments

I've created a little challenge for myself — weave from my stash of yarn until all I have left are butterflies, those bits and pieces of left-over weft and warp that I wind into tiny figure eight shapes. And then weave something from the butterflies, even if it's Weave-It or Wonder Weave squares.

I never thought I had much in the way of a yarn stash, until I realized I was buying new yarn for every project and not using the yarn I had sitting around. I have plenty, let me tell you. It may not be super fancy, but there's quite a bit.

So, now my question is this: do I plan a project or go at it without any real rules, Saori-style? Do I mix and match textures, colors, and types of fiber, or shall I plan a cotton-only project, a wool scarf, an alpaca shawl? Something in me is saying to wind on the longest warp possible and then weave a very long piece of multi-colored, multi-textured cloth.

Decisions, decisions…

But first! I must finish those wash cloths that are still on my loom, two months and counting… For some reason, I'm not enjoying the hemp. I've also discovered I don't enjoy weaving anything that involves hemming off the loom. (Lazy!) I'm spoiled by making so many scarves.

Must… finish… wash cloths…

Categories: Glimakra Emilia Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving

Tags: , ,