Red Table Runner

October 31, 2010 horsenettle No Comments

I just finished this very red table runner for my mom, using white crochet cotton for the warp (J.P. Coats, size 10) and warped 14" wide. I was hoping for a weft-faced project with the bright red (Sugar 'n Cream) taking center stage. However, the white does have a presence, which I didn't mind so much once it was off the loom. I like leno lace and so wove one row on either end. The ends were simply tied and trimmed.

The table runner started life as 14" wide, went down to 12" wide off the loom, and after washing, measured in at 11.5". The length shrunk from 30" long to, after washing, 27.5". So, let that be a lesson to you! Cotton shrinks, even without water.

Categories: Finished Object Glimakra Emilia Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving

Tags: glimakra emilia, loom, rigid heddle, table runner, weaving

Scarves in Trees

October 29, 2010 horsenettle No Comments

It's true. Scarves have taken to the trees, and here are the pictures to prove it!

The first, a bright orange mohair/merino scarf which was knitted on the blue Knifty Knitter loom with the garter stitch, literally jumped off the wearer's neck and wound itself around this branch.

The second, a lovely rayon multicolored woven scarf, made on the Glimakra Emilia with a 10 dent heddle, scrambled away from the person attempting to photograph it and took refuge in a nearby Elm.

Although the mohair scarf was captured and is now safely tucked into an arm of a jacket, the colorful rayon scarf is still a bit wild and will most likely be mailed out to a niece, who had recently requested a "blue, purple, red, yellow, white, and green" scarf. (Okay, there's not much blue or white, but it's close!) It is hoped she will be able to train the scarf to stay around her neck, which is where it belongs.

Categories: Finished Object Glimakra Emilia Loom Knitting Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving

Tags: glimakra emilia, knifty knitter, knitting, loom, rigid heddle, scarf, weaving

Inkle Weaving on Rigid Heddle Loom

October 27, 2010 horsenettle 2 Comments

I was convinced I could weave an inkle-type band on my Glimakra Emilia. I studied several pictures of inkle looms, and even though they aren't expensive, I still wanted to try this on my loom. So, I dug up two curtain rods, putting one in the highest heddle notch and the other underneath the bottom of the loom. If I do this again, I would spend some time searching for a better dowel or metal skewer to hold the string heddles.

I then cut and tied the string heddles, warped a very short and simple red and white warp, and started to weave. Even though I thought this would work, I didn't actually think it would work so well. The Emilia has a nice slant that made getting a wide shed easy.

After just 30 minutes of weaving, I had a slightly clunky but nicer-than-I-expected band. Next: dog leash??

Categories: Finished Object Glimakra Emilia Rigid Heddle Loom Tutorials Weaving

Tags: band, glimakra emilia, inkle, loom, rigid heddle, weaving

Weaving a Band on a Rigid Heddle Loom

October 24, 2010 horsenettle 2 Comments

I had a crazy idea to weave a band, and I considered trying my backstrap loom, but then started thinking about weaving it on my Glimakra Emilia. I used my 10 dent heddle, some worsted weight yarn, and an inkle shuttle. There were some good instructions on doing just this in both great rigid heddle books, one by Betty Linn Davenport, and one by Jane Patrick. However, both warned not to expect perfect results, primarily because the heddle spreads out the yarn too wide, and most RH looms don't like a lot of tension.

My loom has the benefit of being extremely sturdy and I really cranked up the tension in order to draw the spread out yarn down into one narrow band. I made certain to warp light colors in the slots so I could try a simple pattern. The heddle was used only to raise and lower the warp, and the inkle shuttle was used to beat the weft.

This was super fun; however, my thick-yarned band looked a little nicer on the loom than off. Whenever I wove the pattern, the edges pushed in a little. So, it's a touch wavy, but I love the rich colors. Next time I'll definitely use a finer, smoother yarn and warp a slightly wider area. (There's always a next time!)