holiday time

I'm having a lovely time with the grandchildren. First my granddaughter here for 4 nights and now my grandson is staying with me for 7 nights. I showed my granddaughter the first step in crochet and she is picking it up very well. We were to busy with it and I forgot to take a photo but I have a picture of what the hairdresser did with her hair. I gave her a crochet hook and some yarn, so she can keep on with it.

Today I showed grandson how to knit on a spoolknitter. I'm sure there might be another word for it but I cannot think what it is. In Dutch you call it punniken.

He likes doing it, but it will take some practise.

Samples still not cut from the loom.

another sample

After a lovely Christmas Day with the family and friends at Boxing Day, I managed to do some weaving tonight. I have my granddaughter staying with me since Christmas Day. What a pleasure to have her here.
So far I have woven 3 samples on the same warp as my last one, Tencel.

They are either woven with different yarn in weft or different in order of twill and plain weave. I threaded on 12 shafts so that I could play more. After cutting and finishing them, I will be able to make a decision how I will weave the scarf.

I wanted to weave 1 more sample and managed to do so. I'm using yarn on a sewing type bobbin. I only have 200 yards so I want to use as little as possible for the sample and did not feel like rewinding on a weaving bobbin. I used my highest shuttle and after a few throws discovered that I needed something to keep the bobbin in place.

Here you can see the space for the bobbin

 In this photo you can see that even this shuttle is not high enough for the bobbin.

I had to turn the shuttle on it's side when weaving nearer the edge (meaning top or bottom) of the ondulé reed when there is less of an opening of the warp.

If I did not do that, this would happen. The bobbin catching on the warp threads

Sample 4 is woven and I cannot wait for the samples to be cut and finished but it's late and tomorrow is another day. So, it will have to wait. Daytime is for granddaughter at the moment and in the weekend we'll do a switch and her brother will come to stay.

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas

talk

On Wednesday I went to a talk by Monika Stadler, about her mother Gunta Stölzl. Very interesting to hear first hand about her life. Monika has edited a book a few years ago about her mother. The English version is sold out now, only the German version is still available. Her talk was very much like what is in the book. She showed lots of slides and talked them together. She did have some samples with her. But she only has samples from the period that her mother was weaving in Zurich. Any of the Bauhaus weavings are either in museums or have sadly been lost forever.

Regarding my own weaving: I'm weaving some samples with the ondulé reed, so that I can decide how I'll weave another white scarf with the reed. Also, the samples can be used as "feelers" for our guild exhibition next summer. One more sample to weave before cutting them of the warp.

finished scarf

 The scarf is finished and looks and feels good.
Should have made a longer warp so that I could have made some "feel" cloths.
Planning one more warp to make another scarf and those "feel" cloths for the exhibition.
I have a few more months before it all needs to be ready so I can weave something completely different first.
Other things are getting in the way so no warp made as yet. Loom has been empty for to long already.....

Here a photo of the before(top) / after(bottom) finishing.

snow

Yesterday we had snow but by the time it was evening most had gone as we had sunshine all day. But this morning it was snowing a lot and it is staying........
Makes good pictures though.

Granddaughter getting her snowman made

Grandson starting his snowman

Horse and ponies out in the snowstorm

Regarding weaving, the scarf is finished but needs fringe twisting before wet finishing.
Empty loom needs to be dressed very quickly. Just the weather for it.

the end in sight

After a month of non-weaving: at last the end of the warp in sight.

The scarf is growing

But the post brought these this week:

I'll have time reading when the warp is cut from the loom.

first snow of the season

Not yet Christmas but today we had our first snow this season

by tonight it had all gone again

more house changes

Yesterday the patio door has been removed

and french doors were put it.

Cannot wait for warm sunny weather to come...

I'll be able to weave and almost be outside :-)
From the outside it used to look like this

 and now it looks this way

bead making

The last 2 weekends were spent with the grandchildren and this last week I spent indoors with a bad cold. I'm still not feeling 100% but some time ago I booked myself for a workshop bead making with silver clay for this afternoon and I did not want to miss this. What fun it was. However, after the 1st bead (on the right) I felt I'd had enough but managed to make another bead (left one), though it did not come out as I had wanted.
The first one has a leaf and a flower on it. The second one has 4 flowers. I wanted them to look like the flower on the first one but could not get it as I wanted, so I made it simpler.
I think the silver clay is a great product.
When it comes out of the oven it still looks like clay but than you start to abuse it with a wire brush and sand blocks and out comes the silver. I also had them blackened and again had to do the brushing and sanding. Lastly they were put into a tumbler and they came out lovely and shiny.
Thinking may be buttons for a special woven item, so will go back one day for another workshop. This time it was just 3 hours, though we were there for 4 hours so that we could finish what we all had made.
If I go back I'll book a full day workshop and think beforehand about the design. Now that I know how it works and what is possible that will be easier.
For now, I just want to feel better again, so that I feel like weaving again.
I managed to finish this book in the last few days, that I had started 2 weeks ago. Enjoyed it very much. Would have finished much sooner had I felt better as I did not want to put it down.

warp & weft

Last month a new book was published by Jessica Hemmings: Warp & Weft
woven textiles in fashion, art and interiors
It's not a "how to weave" book but very informative about what is being made at this moment in fashion, art and interiors.
In 2010 the author organised a symposium about interdisciplinary approaches to weaving during the exhibitions Warp and Weft  curated by Laura Thomas. This all prompted the author her work on this book.
I did not go to the symposium but I did go to the exhibitions and it was so worth it, making the round trip to Wales. That was my last holiday with my husband, as he died shortly after we came home from that holiday. On hind side he must have been feeling unwell during the trip but he wanted to do this textile holiday for me. What a lovely lasting memory.
I've been reading and enjoying this book very much. The book is divided into different chapters (threads-light-motion-sound-emotion-community) and it was very interesting to read about what is being done by textile artists/weavers in these different chapters. There are some stunning photos in the book.
In her introduction Jessica writes "Over the course of writing this book I have heard again and again of the weaver's sensibility, a way of approaching the visual and material world that guides thinking far beyond the construction of cloth"
In yesterdays Metro paper was an article "Tegendraads" about a Dutch textile artist who graduated this year. She could very well have been in this book too.

more ondulé weaving

Last Sunday I took my grandson back home as it was the end of half term. He enjoyed very much playing with my Wii Fit Plus. Forgot to take a picture from him playing with it, but I have this one...








In between the painting, I try to do some weaving. I've made another ondulé warp, intended for my local Guild exhibition next Spring. It's not going very fast but at least I can weave a bit when I want to.

I have a day light lamp attached to the loom together with a led light (just above the heddles) that I bought recently.
It makes a difference to have both lamps on:

I've made photos (without flash) of the woven cloth with the different lighting.

Above photo is just the day light lamp on.

Above photo is just the led light on.
Not sure if the differences are clear to see in these photos.

The yarn I'm using is a fine Tencel for both warp and weft. I designed the warp using 7 fans in the reed. Like in the blue warp I'm weaving tabby in 4 columns (fans) and the columns (fans) in between are woven twill. The sett for tabby is correct, for the twill it's a bit to spaced out but I like it together. The warp is just enough for one scarf.

The exhibition that we are holding next Spring with my local Guild has the limitation that we use just white yarns. The thought behind this is that there will be a unity together. We are allowed to have accents of silver or transparent yarns.
My intention had been to weave something with texture. But I'm just hooked using the ondulé reed and I think this will be different. May be I'll get around to weaving another piece.

The weather is getting colder now, the outdoor painting will end when the frost comes. I'm hoping to finish the front of the house and the back will have to wait until Springtime.
I was also able to clean the gutter, having the scaffolding there. But there were quite a few wasps there in the gutter and one managed to sting me, despite me being very careful. That was 2 days ago and it's still bothering me.
When the painting ends, it will give me more time (and energy) to weave again ;-)

new windows

I've had 2 new windows installed. Oh so much more light in the house.
In the lounge before:

and now it looks like this

Today the kitchen window was replaced. Similar situation, divided windows replaced by 1 large window.

My granddaughter has been staying with me and has gone home again today. Her brother is now staying with me for a few days. Half term time.

So no weaving just now, to many other things ;-)
The warp is on the loom and the new light really worked well with the threading!

loom lighting

Lidl had a handy light this week on offer. I was able to fix it to the front of the loom. It will be very useful when threading.

At the back I have a spotlight, very useful when starting to get the warp on the loom

The warp is now ready for threading. Not sure when I'll have time to do that.

wedding rings

I've had our wedding rings made into a bead that I can wear on my Pandora chain. I asked Marike to come up with a design. Today I was able to pick up the end result. The surface has a special meaning to me and was the starting point of the design.

I'm very happy, it's like a nut or cocoon. How wonderful. The actual size is 1cm diameter and just over 1cm in length.

The frontdoor has been painted now 3 times and I'm hoping that it looks good in the morning. The paint is still drying. I'm hoping that I'm able to shut the door soon so that I can go to bed.  :-)
Tomorrow rain is forecasted so a break from painting and having visitors instead. Cake is ready ;-)

painting

Slow progress with the painting, but my door has a new colour. It needs a few more coatings but I'm pleased with the result so far.

I'm waiting for some windows to be replaced and for some estimates for a few jobs that needs doing.
So, waiting is the game at the moment. Apart from painting of course.

I have made another warp but in the evening I do not feel like doing any more than just collapse :-) so it's not yet on the loom.

other jobs

Weaving is at the back burner at the moment as I've started painting the house. I can feel muscles I had forgotten I had ;-)
We had some lovely days but now the rain has come so I'll just have to get some plastic sheeting up, that way I can continue with what I've started. It will be nice to see the green go and all becoming white. But that means that it needs 2 may be 3 coatings. And of course 24 hrs between each coating. Oh well, it will get done somehow.

finished reflecting water

The blue scarf is now finished and I'm happy with the result.

 Detailed photos:

I'm happy to come back later to coloured warps with this reed.
I think playing with colour within the contours of the reed works well.

I have made another warp after all for this reed in white Tencel. My local guild has an exhibition next year where all work will be in white (only accents of transparent and silver allowed).
My contribution will be a white ondulé scarf. The warp is made but not yet on the loom.

weaving exhibition Rotterdam

There are 2 more days to view this exhibition. I went last week and was overwhelmed by what this designer/weaver has left behind as his legacy. You can see him here. It takes about 11 minutes to view, at the end it shows in fast mode lots of his designs. Well worth seeing.
Here one of his designs on show that I photographed:

more reflecting water

This was on the loom a few days ago

and now it looks like this, just cut of the loom tonight.

Tomorrow I'll finish the fringes and will wet finish the scarf but I'm very happy with the result.

Next warp will not be with the ondulé reed, I want to be able to get on with some weaving and not having to adjust the reed after every 6 throws.
I love this reed, specially the result of weaving with this reed, but I need a change and will come back to this reed again at a later date.

Detail photo:

reflecting water

First weaving done and I like what I see

As it will be a scarf, I've finished the beginning with the weft yarn. I'll do the same with the ending. On the loom it is so much easier to do.
Warp is cotton, weft is cotton/wool. This will give the scarf a nice drape.
I'm weaving tabby and twill, so that the shape shows up even more.

warping

Slow progress with the warp as I had some distractions by going to 2 exhibitions this weekend. One was a modern art sales exhibition, no textiles. My niece was one of the organisers and that was how I came to visit. To have a look at what she is doing. Nice to see what she is busy with and meeting interesting people.
And today I went to the last day of De Ploeg in Textile Museum Tilburg. I enjoyed seeing this special exhibition. Later this week I'm going to Rotterdam to see an exhibition of this weaver. He was also one of the designers of De Ploeg. Looking forward to going there.

Here a picture of the warp

and almost ready on the loom for threading

I experimented warping with 2 crosses close together, rather than one on each side of the warp. The 1st cross was divided by 0,5cm bunches and the 2nd was the threading cross. It worked just what I thought it would do. I was able to divide the warp on the raddle with the 1st cross and next I was able to get the threading cross so all the threads are in the correct order for beaming up.
Tonight an early night, tomorrow is another day :-)

New warp

Planning a new warp with colour for my special reed. Thinking about Reflecting Water for this warp. Colours from my blue stash of Venne Cotton Yarn that I could use

After making a yarn wrap  I decided to drop a few colours and just use these:

Slight differences in the blues and by using them within the fan shapes I'm hoping for the "watery effect"
It's still taking me lots of time to get a warp going (not enough concentration yet) but I feel I'm getting better at it.
Though at the moment quite a lot of distractions going on. Thinking about doing some renovation work to the house. Looking into it, next decision making time and when going ahead, there would be little time for weaving for a while. That is if I feel up to going ahead with it all :-)

So, I'm keen to get this warp on the loom and have another go with the ondulé reed. I'll not sample with this warp but make a scarf, in the hope that I get the setting correct first time round.

I've been invited to go to a concert tonight with a friend. New to me music. I better get ready for the concert.