New weaving and windows (the ones in the wall not on my computer)

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I’m not the most enthuastic housekeeper but have never minded dish washing. As a youngster I never minded dishes because no one else in the family wanted to do them and so I was pretty much left to my own devices when my hands were in a sink. I would keep a notebook on the window sill and scribble ideas as they came to me. Some 40+ years later I still find dishwashing – particularly with a window to look out – is oddly relaxing.

 I also like a window in view where I’m weaving or painting.

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This piece is really smaller then it might look here. These are being woven on my Mountain Loom table loom. (picture also, window behind.) It’s one of those 12” sampler looms which are nice for working out ideas. 

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The warp is wool and the weft if Bartlett yarns, 2 ply, black and while.

Some years ago I was lucky enough to take a workshop from Michael Rohde and later a HGA Learning Exchange (#27) that he evaluated. I’m revisiting the patters from that workshop. Boundweave, weft-face rug weaves.  (See HGA magazine “Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot”, Summer 2000, p.40–43 for LE#27.)

 

 

Loom upgrade continued (fixing the floating harness problem)

Since the “loom upgrade” or adding the 4 extra harnesses to my LeClerc Minerva I’ve run into what I’ve seen described as a common problem with jack looms and 6+ harnesses – the floating harnesses. The LeClerc site suggested adding weights. Wandering around my local hardware store I found something that seems to work. I’m not sure what they are or are actually for but now are loom harness weights.

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So far this seems to be solving the problem. I don’t know if anyone else has had any experience with this? Solved in any other manner?

Loom Upgrade: 4 to 8

My floor loom is a LeClerc ‘Minerva’, 23” weaving width, folding jack loom. It’s a ‘4–now-4–later’ model that allows you to add an additional 4 harnesses.

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Because I’m interested in doubleweave I had always planned to add the extra set. Last summer I finally ordered the upgrade kit. (I guess you’d call this an upgrade kit, weaving being the ansestor of computers and all that…)

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Before and after pics. 4 to 8 harnesses, 6 to 10 treddles.

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Early on I found that with the extra harnesses (this is specific to jack looms as I understand the issue) – 6 or more, there is sometimes a problem with floating harnesses. Fortunately the LeClerc site describes the problem and makes helpful suggestions. Rummaging around at the local hardware store turned up something that I could use to add weight to the harnesses. So far this seems to be solving the problem.

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Here’s my first attempt with an 8–harness twill. Pattern: Reversing Point Twill by Kris Bruland,
downloaded from the Weaving Draft Archive at (
www.handweaving.net), Draft #102
for 8 Shafts, 8 Treadles. (Someone correct me if I’m wrong but aren’t shafts and harnesses interchangeable terms?)

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