Houndstooth, an adventure

Thursday night I decided to make a scarf.  It was late and I should have been asleep but I really needed to make something.  So I got out the loom and started to figure out how much yarn I would need to make a scarf 6 by 72 inches.  Going into the craft room I found a skein of black and orange yarn just sitting there, great contrast for a houndstooth scarf.!  So I started measuring out 24 six yard pieces, 12 of each color.  Finding the center of the heddle I started warping the loom alternating the colors and making sure the right side started with black.  It took two hours to measure and warp the loom.  I was so tired I should have stopped there but I wanted to see the pattern and make sure I had it right.  So I started it weave and realised that my smallest shuttle was 21 inches.  Definite over kill for a six inch scarf.  So Lee made me two twelve inch shuttles from an old broken yard stick!  I then started to weave the pattern two rows black and then two rows of orange.  But something was wrong!  In basic  weaving there are three setting, up, down and neutral.  I couldn't find down!  It had been a while since I used this loom but I didn't remember have trouble with down before.  So I made my own down with a shed stick and started to weave.  After 90 minutes I had gotten quite a lot done.  So I went to bed.

Friday morning I was more coherent and realised what was wrong with the down.  I wasn't putting the heddle into the right slot.  Now I felt really stupid!  For non-weavers what I was doing was like driving a car and when I wanted to go into reverse I had set the car in neutral and got out and pushed!  I must have been very tired.  Friday was spent weaving more slowly because of all the aches cause Thursday night.  It took a total of 5.5 hours in total to make the scarf.  Here are some pictures.

Lots of fun!  But I need to rest!  Hopefully I will be able to start another scarf soon!

Adventures in Weaving on a rigid heddle loom

Blogging doesn't really seem to be my thing.  How do you know what others will find interesting enough to read.  Finally I seem to have found something to blog about that is rather a unique hobby.  Two weeks ago I purchased a rigid heddle loom.  There doesn't seem to be a lot on the internet about this type of loom.  So I want and hope to share my adventures in weaving.

I purchased an Ashford rigid heddle loom from The Village Spinning and Weaving shop in Solvang CA, http://www.villagespinweave.com/  Our craft group has been going there for several years and they have always been so kind and helpful to us.  So after a little research on looms I called them up and they had everything I wanted in stock and even put the loom together for me.  The reason I finally decided on the Ashford was the company's reputation and that the loom came in a 32 inch wide weaving area.  So off we went to Solvang to buy a loom and eat pastry!  I can't express the excitement of finally owning a loom, it had been 40 years since I first used a loom.  Since then it has been a nagging desire to get my own loom to use whenever I wanted, it was an incredible high!  I was like a kid getting their first bike.  I also purchased an amazing book, The Weaver's Idea Book, creative cloth on a rigid heddle loom.  It isn't a beginners book.  It shows how using different combinations of color in the warp and weft produce patterns.  The book also shows how to use a double heddle and how to warp it!  So armed with very little beginner information, I've jumped in with both feet.  It is going to be an amazing adventure and I hope I will be able to help other beginning weavers.