Off and on the looms...

The overshot fabric is finally off the loom.   I'm certain that it must have some sort of cat attractant woven into the fabric as there always seems to be at least 1 cat perched on it at any time.  The piece is 5 yards long, with a width of 16 inches, with a pattern width of 14 inches.   It's very pretty fabric and I don't know whether I like the front or the back better.   It's a bit on the heavy side, like an upholstery fabric.

I actually considered putting the inkle project on the big loom, but decided against it for 2 reasons.  First, the amount of loom waste which I'd not accounted for when I was dyeing the yarns and second, I really wanted to try to figure out this inkle loom.  It's so pretty and it looks exactly like it should be fully functional, so I was wondering what I was doing wrong.   I changed up the heddles a bit, but the string, while better than the last attempt,  isn't quite as sturdy and slippery as I'd like.   They are a bit sticky.   I still think the heddles are just a bit too long.  This means they migrate down towards the front peg, making for a very small working shed and small weaving area.  Still, it's weaving a fairly nice band.   My selvedges are awful, because not only was I trying a few different ways of sitting/standing/holding the loom etc, but the cats (mainly Dion) decided that it was a "purrrfect" toy, with all those strings.  So I was also combating little paws and curious noses much of the time. 

I broke a shuttle.   I actually liked using this one as the thread didn't slide off quite as automatically as the one I am using now.   But the depression in the centre is just too thin and the wood feels light, like cedar, so while pretty, also not very strong.  It broke when it was about 1/2 loaded with thread and what a mess that was.   I'm not certain if gluing it together would make it useful again, or just lead to another tangle of threads when it broke again.

Well, listening to a little Trampled by Turtles should cheer things up!

Playing with Overshot

The rest of the 4/8 rug warp has been sitting on the loom waiting for inspiration.   I'd started another rug, but although they are quite fast to weave, there is all that cutting into strips and then making sure the weft is beaten down really well.   I'd put a fairly high price on the Shaker Rug, but it sold.  With all the spinning required for the specifically plied yarns, as well as the fabric strips, they are a fair bit of work.   If I'd known it would sell, I would have made another couple.  However I'd already rethreaded the heddles for an overshot project since there isn't a huge market for rag rugs.   Even using recycled materials for the weft, I can't compete with imports or even some of the guilds who, we were told, charge dramatically less than we do, so that our prices were too high.   I was told they sell tea towels for $9 and Queen size coverlets for $125, with the implication that so should we.

So, I'd rethreaded for an overshot patter from Davison's Green book - snowballs I think it's called.  The warp is handpainted in a variety of colours.   The tabby weft, could either have been white or dark.  I had some purple, which made the colours pop quite nicely.   I thought with the dark tabby weft and the bright colours, that white would pull things together.  I was very wrong with that.  The first sample with white wool was too thin.   I thought then that the white was too light, but I tried a slightly thicker white wool, which was also too thin.    I was at a store which sells regular old knitting yarns and picked up a jumbo ball of black acrylic worsted weight, to see what that would look like.    It was perfect - except of course it was cheap acrylic yarn - but it looks and feels right.

There are a couple of issues that I noticed after I'd gotten a good sized sample woven.   I'd neglected to reverse the selvedge border threading, so they are both facing the same direction.  As well, I'd neglected to consider that little connecting block and should have either eliminated it at the end or added it at the beginning of the pattern threads.    However, it is pretty stunning regardless of those errors.    I'm not sure what I'll do with this.  I have tons of warp left.   There are two different treadlings suggested for this threading.    If I weave it all off,  will either have lots of yardage or need to weave specific lengths for specific projects.    I'm just not sure what those would be.  The floats are just a little long to be really durable.  It is pretty though.