Catching Up

So, it is a Sunday night, and I'm doing what I do almost every night... sitting at home, watching a movie, and weaving!  (I'm a crazy partier, right?!)  Anyway, I thought I would take a break and post some more photos of projects I have made so far. Enjoy!

This is probably my favorite project so far.  The colored yarns are a silk/bamboo blend and they are amazingly soft and silky.  You can't really tell from the photo, but the darkest stripe is a beautiful mulberry color.  Love it!

And this pair is a hand towel and wash cloth made from 100% cotton.  (My first project that wasn't a scarf!)  They turned out pretty well even though I was winging it.  Lol!

And this last one is a very light, summery scarf.  For this I used four different colors of blue and just warped the colors randomly.  I love the twisted fringe on the bottom; I think it gives it a nice finish.

And lastly, here are some photos of what I have been working on tonight!  I'm not really making anything, I am just working on a sampler of a bunch of different stiches.  So far I've played around with Danish Medallions and Leno Lace.  I'm using really bright, contrasting yarns so that it looks cool and so that I can figure out what I did wrong when I mess up!

This one is the Danish Medallions.  The top row is a plain version, and the other two are different variations.

Here is the Leno.  There are like a billion variations of this (and the Danish Medallions), so you can pretty much make up whatever you want to do to create a bunch of different looks.  Either of these can make really cool fabrics, or they can just add an interesting trim to something.  (I'm thinking that the Leno would make wonderful light, airy curtains...hm ... I think we may see more of this in the near future!)

Anyway, photos of the eyelash scarf are coming soon.  I'm just trying to figure out what to do with the fringe; they're kind of plain and ugly right now.  So I will post pics when it's all finished and pretty.  Well, with these photos, I am almost all caught up on documenting all of the projects I have made so far!  Oh, and I got some new storage for my yarn today... I should have taken a before picture of my yarn drawer; it was absolutely bursting!  So I bought two plastic drawer things today, and all of my yarn still doesn't fit in them!  I guess I will have to buy more, the only problem is that I still have to make room for them in my tiny apartment.  Oh well, I guess!

And, something silly to end on... hm... well, I guess it is silly enough to say that I am once again reading The Chronicles of Narnia!  And, I am currently on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (which is BY FAR my favorite), so I am going to put away all my weaving gear and go read!  Yay!  (Once again, I'm such a partier!  Good thing my husband knew I was a nerd before he married me!)  So, I'm off to Narnia!  Good night blog!

(Just kidding... Another something silly:  So I titled this post "Catching Up" and now all I can think about is the line from "Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl" when Jack Sparrow is steering the ship through a frightful storm to the Isla de Muerta.  Mr. Gibbs asks him why he's in such a good mood, and Sparrow replies with a wicked smile, "We're catching up."  So, that is just running over and over in my head right now.  RANDOM!!!)

Sneak Peek

Today I thought I would share a sneak peek of a new project I'm working on and a book that I just love!!!

Sneak peek first:

This is my first project with an eyelash yarn, and the colors are just AMAZING!  So, I'm pretty excited about it!  It should be finished later tonight or tomorrow, so I guess we will see if I like it pretty soon.

And now for the book!  I have bought three books since I got my loom, and this one is BY FAR my favorite!

 

As you can see in the photo, the book is called The Weaver's Idea Book: Creative Cloth on a Rigid Heddle Loom by Jane Patrick.  This book is a MUST HAVE for anyone with a rigid heddle loom.  Here are a few of the great things it has to offer:

1.  IT IS SPIRAL BOUND!!!  I know this sounds silly, but it is actually amazing!  When you're working on a project or learning a new pattern or stitch, it stays open to the page you need all by itself!  This is so convenient compared to a regular book that you have to open and close over and over again because it won't stay open.  Absolutely WONDERFUL!
2. I haven't tried about 99.9% of the projects and stitches, etc. in the book, but I have read through most of it, and Jane Patrick does a great job of easily explaining everything.  There are also very helpful step-by-step photos to go along with the explanations.  Super user-friendly.
3. Not only does Ms. Patrick teach a bajillion different stitches to weave on a rigid heddle loom, she follows that new knowledge up with project ideas and patterns to let you try out what you've just learned!

This book is amazing.  Like I said, if you have a rigid heddle loom, you need this book!

Well, I would like to get back to weaving, so this is the end for today.  Something silly/random: it is my husband's birthday today, and I've been writing this up while he plays with his birthday present.  And since he is this blog's only "follower", HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!!!

If you've read this, thanks for reading!

Recording Your Work = BORING!!!

So, in the articles and books I have read about weaving so far, everyone says that you should keep detailed notes about all the projects you make so you know exactly how to make it again or what went wrong or if any ideas did or didn't work, blah blah blah.  So, I decided that when I finish a project, I should type up what yarns I used, what reed I weaved on, what colors, etc.  But... that isn't really fun, so after a few projects, I kind of fell behind on it.  I'm just too excited to start the next project after I finish the last one to want to sit down and do all the boring detail work.  But, this morning, I made myself a huge, long to-do list including chores, shopping, laundry, and everything else I could think of that I should do today (I love to-do lists; I feel so organized with them, and then, when I finish a task, I get to go cross it off the list.  I get such a feeling of accomplishment from it.  Silly huh?  Oh well), and I decided to add the task of recording my few recent projects.  Now, I have only made four projects since I last recorded anything, but I have been working away for the last hour, taking measurements, counting warp threads, doing calculations, and I'm STILL not done!  Seriously!  I just want to do the fun part, but the logical side of my brain says, "well, what if you want to make another one of these someday?  If you didn't write it down, what will you do then?"  Pshaw.  It's annoying.  But, I'm doing it anyway... until I decided to take a break and get on here to waste some time from my to-do list.  I'm really just putting off cleaning my apartment.

Anyway, since I've been rambling on about the projects I've made, I guess I should post some pictures here!  (BEWARE: my photos are not very good.  Some of the colors look weird, and I just can't seem to get the lighting right (even though I work for a professional photographer and should be able to figure these things out).  So, here goes.

 The scarf pictured above was my very first project on my loom!  I made on Christmas afternoon in just a couple of hours.  I was so impressed with how easy it was to figure out how the loom worked and everything.  The warp is a rich red wool yarn, and the weft is a multi-colored chunky yarn.  The base color is pink, but as you can see, it weaves up with a beautiful rainbow pattern!

 

 This scarf was my second project, which I made the day after Christmas!  Once I got the loom, I could hardly walk away from it!  This one uses the multi-colored chunky yarn from the weft above for both the warp and the weft.  It's super fluffy and soft.  I love it!  (I also learned later that you're not really supposed to use a chunky yarn like that for the warp because it could break really easily, but isn't it cool what you can do when you don't know the rules to follow them?!)

 This scarf is one of my favorites so far!  As you will probably figure out throughout the course of this blog, my favorite color is purple (closely followed by a specific shade of coral).  So, obviously, I love this scarf!  The warp is a skein of variegated purple colors aptly named: Berries.  And without even planning it, the warp threads turned into beautiful stripes of lighter and darker shades!  (And here the logical part of my brain reminds me that if I hadn't taken notes on this project, I probably wouldn't be able to replicate it in the future if I wanted.)  I love it, and it's super warm and cuddly!

 

This last one was my first attempt at any kind of pattern whatsoever.  Very simple, I know, but it was a big step for me.  The photo doesn't do the green stripes justice, they are so so soft and beautifully colored.

Well, I think that's enough project photos for today!  I should probably get back to the laundry and such.  And I hope to get the to-do list finished so that I can start a new project today.  I went to a new craft store with my mom and mother-in-law this weekend, and I got some really cool stuff!!!  If you've read this, I thank you.  And, to end with a silly note.  Here is what happens when I get my loom out to try and start weaving...

I don't know what Lo's fascination is with my loom, but anytime she can get near, she lays down in it!  Crazy cat!  She's so cute!

Hello Blog!

Hello blog...  This is my first blog post on my first blog, so I'm pretty excited.  I guess, first of all, I will tell you (if anyone ever reads this) a little about myself.  I am 22 years old.  I'm a daughter, a sister, a wife, a Christian, a dreamer.  Things I love: summer and the beach (any everything that goes with it: the sunshine, the heat, the sand between my toes, the sound of waves crashing on the shore, seagulls crying, waking up in the morning with the sun shining in the window, afternoon rain showers, seafood, the immensity of the ocean, sunrises over the water, absolutely everything).  Reading (I have quite a few favorites, but my all-time, absolute, never-altering favorites are The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.  I love them so much that I read them twice a year every year; I just can't help it.  They're marvelous!).  Movies (I love almost everything I see but two of my absolute favorites are "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "Timeline").  My husband, Thomas, the love of my life.  My adorable kitten Lo (who will probably show up in pictures from time to time).  Ancient History (I just love it.  Mainly Greek, Roman, and Persian history).  Music (singing, listening, dancing, playing, just music in general).  And... the subject of this blog... weaving!

Learning how to weave has been a dream of mine ever since I read the book East by Edith Pattou when I was a little girl.  In the book, the main character, Rose, loves to weave, and Edith Pattou describes weaving and Rose's love of weaving so beautifully.  And ever since, I have wanted to learn how.  So, for a while I have been looking into buying a loom, but have you ever just looked on the internet to buy a loom?  O my goodness, I had no idea where to start (and the expensive price tags I saw did not offer any encouragement either).  But, I persisted and finally decided to start with a rigid heddle loom.  They are a basic type of loom which sites suggested would be good for a beginner (and they aren't insanely expensive).  Then, not being able to afford a loom on my own, I worked up the courage to ask for a loom for Christmas.  And on Christmas morning, I received the most wonderful gift from my in-laws and my husband... the loom I had asked for!!!!!  I was so happy I almost cried!  So, thanks to my amazing in-laws and my amazing husband, my weaving dreams are finally coming true!

So, what kind of loom do I have, do you ask?  I am now the proud owner of a 24" Ashford Rigid Heddle loom.  It is pictured here, with an in-progress project.  If you happen to be reading this and you are  interested in weaving or you are a weaver, my loom was purchased from Paradise Fibers (www.paradisefibers.net), and in my two months of weaving, I have found them to be very helpful and wonderful to work with.  So, you should check out their website if you are interested in weaving!

I guess I will end my first post here.  I would like a to make a public service announcement though, if anyone happens to read this blog, you are welcome to comment, ask questions, offer suggestions, etc.  But if your comment includes rude or inappropriate content or language, I will delete it.  I would greatly appreciate if you would be kind and courteous on my blog.  (This is all assuming that someone will eventually read this, which in any event is quite unlikely.) 

But anyway, I would like to end every post with a little something random. So...  What's big, red, and eats rocks? .......... a big red rockeater!  Hahahaha!

If you've read this, thank you so much for reading... I hope I didn't bore you too much!