LOOM!

Yes, I have a loom. A full size sits on the floor kind of loom. It has a 45inch weaving width, 4 harnesses and is counterbalance. LeClerc made. I was looking on craigslist and found it. My parents and boyfriend both offered to pitch in as an early birthday present. I'm so happy. It's beautiful. I looked at it for a day too afraid to touch it because I still couldn't believe that it was mine. Finally I got the courage to sit down at it. I've never sat down at a loom so large before. I felt incredibly small. But I knew it was time to at least begin. I secured the treadles to the harnesses and then began the warping process.

This ended up being the largest warp I have ever done. White with an off-center pink stripe. I'm hoping to make a few rag rugs on it. I cut up some old t-shirts and rolled them into proper looking balls. I wove that into a mini rug and ran out of t-shirt yarn. So I cut it down. I didn't have anything else that matched. I then took some fabric and wove a long rug that reminds me of a garden.

Craftster

I decided to browse the Craftster fiber page today. Since the semester is winding down I have a bit more down time than usual. I noticed a comment on one of my pages and wanted to see what it said. I guess won a "Craftster Best of 2011" award for one of my weaving pieces. Which is super exciting! Out of all the fiber posts that year one of mine was chosen as one of the top four. I'm pretty proud of that. :) Its also really inspiring. Especially since I'm unable to weave at the moment, with my loom in Arizona. So once I can get to my loom this summer, I plan to weave once again.


I'm a Craftster Best of 2011 Winner!  

Two Weeks Into the Spring Semester.

Well, I did it. I moved 1000 miles (more) away to go to school. The most heartbreaking thing was leaving my cat and my loom behind. But, they are both with my parents. So I know they will be in good care. But I still miss them. I did bring my drop spindles, knitting needles, and yarn. So I am not without my fiber goods. I'm in my second week of school. Ironically I was unable to get into a fiber class. So I'll have to wait until next semester. I'll keep myself busy with spinning and knitting. I could set up a tiny loom if I get stir crazy.

But so far so good. The weather is cold, and beautiful. The campus is lovely and my classes are pretty interesting so far. I hope my education will provide me with a boost out in the job world. I'll keep going for now.

Applying For Fiber Programs

In early October I began sending out applications to Universities for a Bachelors in Fiber Arts or Textiles. Whichever it fell under for that particular school. I chose three, that were boyfriend adjacent and in the mid-east of the country. I'm tired of the heat. I've received acceptance letters from all three. I spoke to my weaving instructor at Pima for advice on selecting a school, and which one would most likely be the best fit for me. I'm excited to be able to pursue my love of fibers and learn more. It seems like it will be a great opportunity for me.

Hope Springs Eternal For Fall Weather

My color choices this time certainly reflect my desire for leaves changing, and a chill in the air. Since I live in Tucson, Arizona I have a bit of a wait for fall weather. I went to the local yarn store instead of purchasing things online (it ended up being far more expensive this way). So it isn't something I'll be able to do again anytime soon. However, I wanted to do one really nice piece with really nice materials this semester, so I guess this is it. I hadn't intended on it though. I had a beautiful scarf in mind, but these colors are not that scarf. So I need to come up with a different idea here. My next scarf will follow my intended design. I just wanted to share the colors I came up with.

Diamonds and Cloth

My first project is almost completed. I used the Handweaver's Pattern Dictionary and it was so very helpful. Learning to read the weave pattern in and of itself was interesting. I had to get help with that honestly. I was initially just looking at the images and picking the weave pictured apart to figure out how to do it. This project was done with a weave from the book, and a lot of David Bowie tunes. Entirely of cotton. I used seven different colors. It vaguely resembles plaid, but I wouldn't say it is.

It was intended to be a wrap but having neglected to account for my chest in the measurements, that is no longer the case. I plan to take it in on Monday and ask my instructor for some advice. She might be able to help me get it to still become a wrap of some sort.

At any rate, here is the process itself, in some poor quality pictures.

Independent Fibers

Over the summer I can to the realization that I wanted to pursue my love of fibers for a career. So I've start applying for schools and signed up to take Independent Fibers this semester. With my other classes and work, Independent Fibers seemed like the best way to go.

I decided that I need to experiment with color. I usually do blocks of bright colors. No fading, just one color, then another and I feel the need to branch out and try other things. I'm afraid to get too comfortable doing that all the time. I won't grow. I also purchased a book, The Handweaver's Pattern Dictionary, by Anne Dixon. It's pretty amazing. This is all done with a four shaft loom. I had no idea there were even so matter patterns. So I want to experiment with different patterns and colors. Then taking my weaving and making it into practical things, purses, little bags, wraps, towels. Anything really. I'm hoping I'll be good enough to be able to do this for a living.