Opalessence Fiber Studio: Fiber Arts - Hand weaving, dying yarn and fiber - wool, tencel, bamboo, Spinning yarn. We specialize in weaving. Sharing how to, time saving ideas, tricks and more.
Contact us to learn weaving basics, learn a new weave structure, warp a loom, or learn to spin. We teach classes on Zoom or in the studio. Negotiate the hours that fit your schedule and the amount you can spend.
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Most weaving patterns are read in the same way. If you are using a 4 shaft loom - You can look at a pattern the threading is across the top this shows how you thread the heddles. There is another section that shows you how to tie up the treadles, on the top to the right. Down the side is how you treadle or if you have a table loom what levers to pull.
I have been super lucky! I grew up in NH and always known about Harrisville. In fact, I went to preschool in Harrisville! I lived in Maryland as a young adult, and found a lap loom from Harrisville for 19.99! What a great deal! I also recently (2019 maybe) found a table Harrisville loom probably around $20-$25 at a local discount fabric shop. In 2014 I moved back to NH. I have not gotten to work with them yet. I'm still unpacking from the last move.❤❤❤
Hi Margery, yes I thread my reed flat as well. So very much easier to see. Currently threading a 15 dent reed with 8/4 cotton. Thanks so much for all you share!
Wow! Wow ! Wow! Takes my breath away. How long a warp did you use, and how much time to do all that? Truly beautiful and inspiring! Lovely work. Thanks for sharing.
I know. had to speed it up to fit the parameters. will be posting the actual speed on my FB facebook.com/Opalessence.Studio/ and the finished towels are in my shop. maverickson.etsy.com/
Most instructions suggest 1 cup per gallon for dying fabric. I use about 1 cup per 2 gallons of water to soak yarn. I soak cotton and linen blends for 24 hours and massage the yarn to make sure it is all wet. I don't always weigh the yarn...just make sure it is covered with water. I can also reuse the water if I have any left.
I think this is what you are looking for. The loop is called a lark's head knot. Here is one sight that shows you. macrameforbeginners.com/knot-guide-larks-head-knot-tutorial/
Without seeing the tying on process, I don't understand why you had to cut the finished cloth off the loom. Why couldn't you keep the finished fabric on and still pull the warp and rewind it? 💕🌞🌵😷
Good question. Since the warp slipped off the paper, if I had kept weaving when I reached the problem wind on the tension along the edge of the fabric would have been a problem. It probably be too loose. I could have kept weaving…and deal with it when it happened. Instead I decided to fix it ahead of time.
@@MargeryErickson , but wouldn't it be easier to treat when you got there? I watched your video on broken warp threads and that procedure seems a lot easier. Or instead of cutting your fabric off, couldn't you pull the warp off of the back roller bar (like you showed in this video) adjust those one or two warp threads as you are rolling back onto the back roller bar (like you showed in this video) and pull up any excess thread and weave the ends in later? However, cutting the fabric means I can to start using my fabric sooner, but doesn't cutting also means there is more waste than I calculated? What if my project doesn't allow for waste? How would adjust the couple of warp threads if you didn't have any allowance for a second tie on? 💕🌞🌵😷
I had something like this happen in the past and did not know it happened until I was weaving along and the selvage on the one side was giving me problems. The tension was too tight. It was a mess. This time I decided to be proactive and not take any chances. Yes there was more loom waste. If. you don't have extra yarn you may need to add/tie on yarn to the shorter selvage yarn and then weigh them over the back beam. Looking for a solution is a good idea. There is usually a way. Or you woven project becomes something else. Been there!
@@MargeryErickson , oooooh! Thank you soooo much for your reply... because I was thinking the opposite... that there would be extra warp on that selvage. Now I understand. 💕🌞🌵😷 (For anyone else reading this comment, I watched her video about fixing a broken warp thread and she thoroughly shows and explains this tying on and hanging the warp in the back of the loom that she mentions in the comment above.)
Great points. I continue to hear the $100/shaft price myth 2 years later. I actually replied to a reddit post repeating this myth with a lot of the exact points you make in this video. Regarding number of shafts, you can always use fewer shafts in a given project. Generally (except models like the Schacht 4Now4Later) a given loom can't be expanded, so if you ever want to do more complex weaves, you would need to buy a new loom (or trade up) if you decide you want to do patterns requiring more shafts. With regard to weaving width, you can always do doubleweave to increase the weaving width, but that basically divides the effective number of shafts in half with respect to patterns. The price you pay for a used loom can be heavily dependent on location. Floor looms are generally very heavy, so a private seller isn't going to ship, which means local pickup. Thus if the area doesn't have a weaving community, demand may be low, which drives price down.
True not all looms are created equal. The loom I am using is a Baby Wolf. I can't remove the beams either. Luckily the width from the beam to the heddles is not very far.
this is going to sound wishywashy, but for me it depends on which loom I am using. With my floor looms, I like to lay the reed flat, and with my table looms, I like to sley my reed leaving it in the beater.
