Tapestry Weaving

Weaving in your home pants... all in the video

Weaving in your home pants... all in the video

I really love teaching my online classes. When I started the project to create online tapestry classes about four years ago now, I thought I'd like it, but I didn't really know. There was so much to learn! Technology is a constant struggle and I feel like I learn a new piece of software every day. But it is so worth it. Because tech is getting easier for me and the students alike and so we can have online classes.

I have really enjoyed seeing what the Color Gradation Techniques class has come up with over the last few months. I put together this video with some of their work. 

Not good at knots?

Not good at knots?

 

I do often hear students say they're not good with knots. Fortunately in tapestry weaving, you really only need to know a couple. One is a plain old square knot, sometimes done with an extra twist (surgeon's throw), and the other is the double half-hitch. Unless you are weaving on a floor loom and tying on a new warp, you can probably get way with only using these two knots for your whole tapestry weaving career.

I have had several online students tell me they are struggling with saggy edge warps this week, so I made this little video showing how to do a double half-hitch knot to end your warp. This knot is one that slides and you can tighten your warp up really nicely and it will stay.

Magpie Woodworks' Maggie forks

Magpie Woodworks' Maggie forks

I love special weaving tools. Weaving is centered around use of the hands and having tools that are highly functional and also beautiful is such a joy.

I have used a lot of different tapestry forks over the years, but one of my very favorites is made by John Jenkins of Magpie Woodworks. I've been using his forks since my friend and tapestry colleague Lyn Hart told me about them perhaps a decade ago. I pulled out my collection just to see how many I have now. I believe the answer is six which seems rather a treasure trove of these tapestry forks considering you will probably have to wait to get yours. John can only make so many of them at a time! 

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The things I learned today... including the secret of weaving progress

,
The things I learned today... including the secret of weaving progress

You can hold off on the stash intervention. I found my knitting. I can't believe I hadn't knitted anything for a month and a half and what's more, hadn't even thought of looking for the project in that time.

But I did find it tucked into the back of one of the living room bookcases on top of the maps. Just hiding innocently in the back dark corner. I think I need a nice big knitting basket that lives permanently next to my "spot" on the couch.

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And the last thing I learned today? If you sit at the loom and weave for 6 hours, you get a lot woven. I am so thrilled at my progress today and hope to repeat it over Labor Day weekend three times. I might even get the first two panels off the loom if I do that. I was spurred to this feat by a course I had to watch and the fact that the rest of my computer workload was put-off-able for the time being.

The Hokett loom weaving that wasn't

The Hokett loom weaving that wasn't

I had grand plans yesterday. It was a beautiful day in Fort Collins--mid-80s and sunny. We are trying to go hiking on Sundays and it seemed the perfect day to do so. I love to hike high until the snow flies, so we headed up to a trailhead I had been at just a few days earlier with a friend from Michigan.

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I had packed my loom and some handspun hoping to get a few needed photos, but alas, this was all I could manage. The loom has naught but warp on it still.

Packing it all up.

Packing it all up.

Once I decided to go hiking and gave up all pretense of finishing an online course and half of a tapestry before I leave, I was able to dig into the planning.

My little spinning/weaving kit is ready. I've made some rolags at home as I can't bring the big hand cards (obviously too heavy). I'll bring this little flick carder which I can use as a lock carder or as a comb and hopefully will even be able to diz off short lengths of fiber. The goal is to weave a few tiny tapestries on the Hokett loom so I don't need long lengths of yarn, just a variety of colors and enough fiber to make me happy with the spinning. I have already spun some base colors on the spindle (the Olympics helped with that) so have some larger bits of yarn that have been washed and balled.