I’m lucky to have a room in my house devoted to all things crafty. It contains my yarn stash, sewing machines, fabric, looms, and many other assorted odds and ends. I visit this room on a daily basis, usually to block a piece of knitting or to grab some yarn. Every day for the past, oh, 16 months, I’ve had to look at my poor little cricket loom, warped and ready to go. 16 MONTHS, people! I knew it had been awhile, but I didn’t realize just how long until I went back and looked at this blog post on sampling I did back in December of 2014.
Hanging head in shame.
But you know what? No. I refuse. Life is busy, I get distracted, and it’s impossible to get it all done. What’s important now, is that I’m all ready to finish what I started nearly a year and a half ago.
Way back when, I decided to do something new (for me) and “sample.” This is basically the weaving version of gauge swatching. And we all know how important gauge is, right? I was only sampling for a scarf, so it’s not as though gauge was a critical issue. It was more about making sure I was happy with the finished fabric. And it didn’t take heaps of time to sample, either, and I’m so glad I did it.
To sample, I had woven a small piece of fabric, cut it off the loom, and then tied the ends back onto the front rod of the loom so I could keep going. This is what was staring at me all of those months:
I had woven about an inch and a half after removing the sample, and that was about it. But I it was easy to remember my plain-weave sequence – 8 picks of the Infusion Handpaints, 1 pick of Deluxe Chunky.
And I had a little help from my friends, so it was all good.
I employed the same technique as my sample, where I left loops of the Deluxe Chunky at the sides. This is because after felting the piece, I can just cut these loops right off because they will be secure.
Pretty soon I can start seeing my progress as I wind the finished weaving onto the front rod. Encouraging!
And then my last spacing paper falls out and I can see those warp ends getting closer…
And very close! Almost done!
Again, I cut the warp ends of Deluxe Chunky
And wove them in for an inch or so
All ready for felting:
And Heather’s beauty shots:
So now it’s May and too warm for a wool scarf. But autumn will come soon enough and I’ll be so glad I finished this.
Join us next week for a fresh new start on my weaving journey with an actual seasonally appropriate project!