Looms Day 2015

Here's my contribution to Meg's Day in the Life of Looms 2015.  So what’s happening with my looms today? Some good, some not so good and some just plain embarrassing.

The good is a painted Tencel warp in a 4 shaft twill variation,on Rasma, my 4 shaft direct tie up Druva loom from the mid 1970s.  It looks a lot like the US Dorset looms, I suspect a common ancestor somewhere.

The warp is a scarf length in blues. greens and aquas, just my sort of colours.  I had to try a few wefts before I found one which worked.  The Ming Tencel was just too ‘Ming’, the Caribbean 10/2 cotton was probably better left in the Caribbean despite being close to the warp colours but, like Goldilocks and the 3 bears, the Greyed Teal Tencel was ‘just right’.

It was different enough from the warp to show up but close enough to blend the colours together.  I can’t wait to finish it.

The 8 shaft Toika Lisa, also from the 1970s and known as Iris after the previous owner, looks as though it is tied up and ready to go – it is, and has been like this since early October. 

It’s the second half of the merino/silk/cashmere warp I wrote about here.  Nothing like having to photograph your loom to bring on a bout of studio tidying so it’s all clean and tidy out in the garage and no excuses for not finishing this warp apart from that Tencel warp which just keeps calling.

My 8 shaft Noble table loom, probably from the 1980s, is naked but this isn’t really an issue.  I use it mostly for workshops and for projects where I need more treadles than I have on the floor loom.  None of that is happening at the moment so it’s just waiting its turn.

And the plain embarrassing – in 2010 we had Jason Collingwood come and teach a rug weaving workshop at our guild.  I dusted off my very first loom, a 4 shaft table loom purchased well used when the guild moved premises in 1985, and did the workshop. 

I confess the warp is still on the loom and I still haven’t finished it.

Do I sense a New Year’s resolution here?

Happy New Year, Happy Looms Day - may your weaving this year be everything you expected

Helen