First Ashford Project
Cotton yarn and a pattern from Anne Dixon’s four harness book. I had to get used to the plastic pawls and ratchets but they hold fine. So far, I love this project!
Cotton yarn and a pattern from Anne Dixon’s four harness book. I had to get used to the plastic pawls and ratchets but they hold fine. So far, I love this project!
That warp that had the snapping problem (individual strands of Noro sock yarn are delicate!) was transferred in a big clump from the Ashford table loom to my trusty Glimakra Emilia rigid heddle loom. The only thing that didn't go wrong was that I was smart enough to tie a knot at the top so I knew just where to put a warp stick. That's all that I did right. đŸ™‚ But leave it to good ol' Emilia to take a mess and make it work out (knock on wood). Even though the warp is still a mess with tangled threads, I simply wound it on very gently and threaded each slot and hole with two strands using the 8 dent heddle. If one strand breaks, I'm still good to go. I'm using a pattern stick to create some warp floats. I think it shows off the pretty Noro colors a bit more than plain weave.
The weft is black crochet cotton, very thin and strong. I decided to use one of my slim poke shuttles, and it's working out great. Because it's small and nothing catches on it, it's perfect for a sticky warp. So far, I really love how this is turning out. But I would not recommend using Noro sock yarn as a warp unless you know what you're getting into.
I had a tiny bit of Noro sock yarn left, and I also had this little cotton warp ready to go, so I spent about an hour or two putting on the warp in a rosepath-type of pattern, and then weaving a short piece of fabric. It's very pretty. I think something like this could turn into a nice purse if I had the sewing skills.
This cute little wooden frame loom jumped into my hands this weekend. How could I pass it up? It was only $3. However, once I warped it and started a tiny project–the loom measures just 6″ x 7″–I found it less than cute to use. The warp strands need to be very tight or the heddle, which rocks back and forth to create a shed, slips right off. It’s very tiny but not as useable as one would hope.