The Saxon Hood Project continues

I'm still winding the warp.  Sigh..   It's been busy around here and I've been in a bit of a panic because I need to make 15 savoury pies for Saturday.  I decided to make them fresh.  They'll taste much better that way, plus I absolutely do not have freezer space for 15 pies right now.   The course - level 2 starts on Sunday, so I'm trying to pack for that as well. 

So the warp winding is going slowly.   I'm half way through the S twist threads right now.    I wound off all the Z twist threads and sleyed the reed, leaving spaces for the S twist threads.   I'm sleying the S twist threads as I wind off each bundle of warp threads.   At slightly over 700 threads, I think threading the heddles will be a long job.   I wonder how many Star Trek movies I have handy to watch or rather listen to while I thread heddles?

There is enough yardage for 2 hoods.   One will be warped  Z,S alternating every 10 threads  and the weft will be Z, S alternating every 10 threads in a broken chevron twill or herringbone.   The second will use the same warp but I may do the whole weft as Z twist.  Both arrangements of Z and S twist yarns have been found.  I haven't decided for certain on the second yet, but it might be interesting to see the difference.  

At anyrate, I was trying to figure out how to keep my Z and S warp threads identified while weaving.  I have 2 boat shuttles but they are the exact same.   If I were to make a treadling error or start to day dream while weaving and lose conscious track of what I was doing - sometimes the hands and feet just keep going and when I wake up, it's like OMG - where am I in the pattern.. most disconcerting, or if someone should talk at me while I'm weaving, I'd not easily be able to tell the threads apart.  In reality, the only difference between the two threads is the twist and not discernibly different unless using a magnifier.

Top shuttle is a Leclerc, bottom one is the new Walnut shuttle

When visiting a friend, the one with the woodworker husband, I saw handmade shuttles sitting on the table.  Handmade boat shuttles in pretty, pretty woods.   There were 3 or 4 different ones and a couple I liked a little better than this beauty but I felt they were a tad too similar for me to tell them apart while I'm not paying attention.  This walnut one will be easy to keep track of.   It uses these very cool earth magnets to hold down the bobbin rod.  I can't wait to try it! 

Just before I left he handed me one of the new items he just made; shawl pins.  It's lovely.  He finishes his wood so nicely.   You just want to keep petting it, it's so soft and smooth.