Weaving Wonderings

A few weeks ago I visited Traditional Arts Today in Ferdinand, where I have so far attended 2 weaving classes that were fantastic. They teach all sorts of things and have a lovely shop featuring unique pieces by local artists - if you're ever in the area, do stop by. I spoke with the woman who owns some of the floor looms, asking how to adjust the front apron rod on my 4 harness loom, because it's different than my rigid heddle or tablet looms. The 4-harness has one long cord that laces through the rod, zig-zagging across the length (you can see the cord at the top of the loom as it leans against the wall), whereas my other looms have multiple cords that tie on individually. I thought perhaps the rod not being perfectly straight was the cause of my tension issues when I warped the loom for mug rugs after taking the 4-harness class at TAT and learning about twill. The woman showed me (on one of her floor looms) that I need to not be afraid to tug on it back & forth to straighten it, and while I'd be hesitant to tug much on one of my smaller looms, the 4-harness Louet (W70) is heavy, so is unlikely to slide around without significant effort.

After orientation at the main office at my new job, I visited Tabby Tree Weaver in Fishers. It's a beautiful shop with fantastic lighting. I meandered for quite awhile, finally selecting some coned cotton in a few sizes and colors, a few back issues of Handwoven and Spin-Off, and a copy of Learning to Weave by Deborah Chandler, which I've heard great things about, and was specifically recommended by Sandi (TTW owner) for learning more about 4-harness weaving. While I was inside another customer was having some yarns wound into cakes for an upcoming project, so Sandi used her electric winder, rather than hand cranking them all.

Serendipitously, Nomad Yarns was visiting for the first time - Indiana has a traveling yarn truck! I'd heard about Nomad previously and was excited to see that the truck visit coincided with my schedule. I had a lovely time chatting about yarns, spinning, weaving, and crochet with Sandi inside TTW and in the truck with Erica. Erica told me about the transition from a brick & mortar location to a mobile shop, which has pros & cons (one of the most significant challenges is that currently Erica is the only driver of the truck and she's on the road quite a bit!) I mentioned spinning with my Electric Eel Nano and bought a braid of Frabjous Fibers from Nomad to feed my Nano (I've previously spun a braid of their BFL, which was scrumptious, and I adore their colorways).

I haven't warped either of the looms yet, instead I've dabbled with some crochet, but haven't settled on a next project. Work is having a holiday party and I considered making my contribution for the gift exchange, but after talking with a couple friends about my concerns, decided to purchase something instead - I recently discovered that TJ Maxx carries some lovely wool & wool-blend scarves at a price I can afford in addition to the plethora of acrylic & polyester, so I've scooped up a few in different patterns & styles for myself (which I've been enjoying wearing to work and elsewhere) and an Italian wool scarf woven in shades of grey that I hope will be liked for the gift exchange. I often have a difficult time thinking of appropriate gifts for friends & family, let alone picking something out for a random person.

These are in progress shots of the mug rug I made on the 4-harness after my class. I started with cardboard strips, but decided to switch to scrap fabric.