updated Rigid Heddle Loom Review

Since publishing the Rigid Heddle Loom review, I have woven on/with the Kromski Fiddle, and the Harp, and wanted to update the review, with these looms. I also want to say that I read recently that some floor loom weavers consider rigid heddle looms to be ‘toys’. Well, they are fun, they are small, they generally provide a quick weave, so my rigid heddle looms are my toys. My floor looms are my toys, and my tapestry loom is my toy. My work is my play. And I do a LOT of it. Don’t worry about what others think. How much fun are you having?

OK, to review the looms:

Beka. It’s a a simple loom. I like the Beka because it’s an inexpensive way to have rigid heddle looms to take from art center to art center without renting a larger vehicle. They are lightweight, and graceful looking. These looms assemble in less than 5 minutes. The ratchet brake is fairly secure, but the end of the 2 beams screw into the side supports, and (Dislikes) these tend to tighten themselves so the warp doesn’t advance without working with them every time. The block that holds the rigid heddle up, or down, is just that, a block of wood, as a result, the heddle slips off a good deal. I also don’t find it comfortable as a lap loom. I just doesn’t rest well against the table, and if tilted, the rigid heddle is even less likely to stay in the up or down position. If you have the money for a better loom, don’t spend your money here. This loom should cost approx $110 for a 20″, and $127 for a 24′ . Included equipment are 2 stick shuttles, a pickup stick, and a threading hook. Be aware: No warping device is included!

Schacht rigid heddle looms Schacht is an ok lap loom. Again, it’s very rudimentary, streamline, and graceful looking. It’s very light weight, and easy to travel with. I like the Schacht for the same reason I liked the Beka. I also like the fact that Schacht notches the block that holds the rigid heddle up, or down. As you know, anything with the Schacht name is not “economy” priced. I dislike it because it is rather an economy loom,by design, yet at nearly twice the price of the Beka. The warp brake is tightened by screwing the block on the back beam, which allows slippage, leading to frustration in my classes. So between the price, and the slippage, I don’t use Schacht. It comes with a clamp, warping peg, stick shuttle, and threading hook. Generally, these looms cost approx $180 for a 20″ loom, and $200 for a 25″ loom.

Kromski Harp is a lovely loom. I didn’t plan on liking either Kromski because the hinged loom seems like a rather silly idea to me. LIkes:The rigid heddle loom is already so much smaller than other looms, why hinge it. Yet one of my students who travels a lot said, “simple, to fly with it”. Yes, it would travel better in that small state. I began liking the loom as soon as I finished putting it together. The wood is finished. The various supports are turned wood, or otherwise decorative, there is a system with the loom to assist in threading, the loom comes with a nice heddle/reed hook, a DVD, clear instructions, a pretty rigid heddle, clear assembly instructions, warping devices and shuttles. It’s a good deal. I got the 16″ for $189, which is a good price for a package that includes everything you need. Dislikes: I didn’t like the density of the reed, but that’s because I’m so fond of the Leclercs, which come with a more widely sett reed. I’m concerned the hinge will come loose. I can’t figure out how to carry the loom, as the hooks come unhooked when the loom is folded. You pretty much have to buy a carry bag to keep the stuff together (good thing they sell one). I have enjoyed it in the few days I’ve had it. It is the only rigid heddle loom that I’ve bought to teach on that just beckoned me to use after class. I will buy more of these if this holds up. It’s actually a good buy.

Kromski Fiddle is a cheaper alternative if you want a Kromski, but don’t want a hinged loom. It’s a comfortable loom to use. I got the 16″ version for about $130. It comes with the hook, a warping peg, shuttles, and assembly instructions, as well as that cool system for holding the apron rod to make warping easier. It is simpler to assemble than the harp. Dislikes: The wood is unfinished. It does not come with use instructions, or a DVD. The heddle is very closely sett, and Too bad. I will use both the Kromski looms again. Very good loom. I would pay more, and be more likely to buy this again, as well as recommend it if it were finished wood, and if it came with some use instructions. Overall, it’s a very good loom.

Ashford has a nice looking loom. It’s a lot like the harp without the warping board attached. I thought I was really going to like it. It looks rather modern with it’s colorful ratchets and it’s wonderful instruction booklet. Another nice thing about this loom, is that the craftsmanship is quality. The looms are soundly constructed, finished nicely, and fairly well designed. The very best feature of the Ashford Rigid Heddle looms, is the clear, instruction manual that accompanies the looms. A full color instruction booklet that is nearly failsafe is priceless for self-taught beginners. This is a wonderful feature! For some reason, however, I find the ratchet/dog system failed me several times, and winding on the warp is not a simple task, because the loom doesn’t have a crank on the warp beam. All of the above mentioned looms are simple in design, and structurally should make very good lap looms. I found this one is the best lap loom. It rests easily on the table, and the heddle stays firmly in place when the warp is sufficiently tight.The 24″ runs about 165.00 and it comes with 2 stick shuttles, 2 threading hooks, a clamp, and the precious INSTRUCTIONS!

Leclerc Bergere is a tabletop rigid heddle loom. It has metal ratchets, and dogs, handles to wind the warp on, and the rigid heddle securely rests in the notched “castle post”. It’s a more complex design than the aforementioned rigid heddle looms in that it is raised off the table by legs, and has a castle type device for the heddle, rather than simply a support block. It comes with a styrene boat shuttle, 2, 28″ long stick shuttles, metal lea sticks, a set of 2 warping blocks (each has 2 pegs for creating a cross in your warp), and warp sticks with cord. As you can see, this is a loom, and if you want to learn the entire process of warping, this is a great place to start. You get a lot of equipment for a weaving studio, and a very good table top rigid heddle loom. I really like this loom. It’s good for me because as an instructor who travels to art centers(that don’t own looms) to teach, I can take a loom that I can actually teach the entire process of dressing a loom on, and it translates to the student’s floor loom also, because the loom is designed to be dressed back to front like a floor loom. The rigid heddle rests firmly in the notches, and there is a ‘rest’ position for threading it. it travels well with the loom warped by simply putting rubber bands around the joint where the rigid heddle rests in the castle post. It comes with a very clear, though instruction booklet that will easily get a beginner started with the loom, and with some elemental tapestry techniques. However, what I don’t like, is that it is not graceful and complact. It doesn’t have a simple design, and really isn’t a lap loom. Also, although I like Leclerc looms a lot, the craftsmanship on the older Leclerc looms is better. The craftsmanship on the loom is rudimentary. At just $165, this 24″ loom stands head and shoulders above the others for my purposes. (best overall rigid heddle loom in this review)

Leclerc Penelope II is a rigid heddle tapestry loom. It is weaves 22.5″ and works as an upright double rigid heddle loom. It can be used with a single rigid heddle, but comes equipped with 2. The craftsmanship is very good on this loom, the beams are braked with metal ratchets and dogs, the beams also have cranks for easy beaming of the warp. As the loom is designed to be used vertically, the rigid heddle supports are designed to hold the heddles securely in this position. The loom is designed to be warped with lea sticks, and in a ‘back to front’ fashion. Again, this makes it a wonderful pre-cursor to a floor loom, if that is the direction the weaver is headed. This loom gives very good tension on the warp, and is comfortable for a variety of tapestry techniques for tapestry, but is not an efficient loom as a substitute for plain weave, or pattern weaving quickly because of it’s upright position. I’m very impressed with this loom. It comes with tapestry bobbins, metal lea sticks, 2 warping blocks, which have 2 pegs each, for creating a cross in your warp, heddle hook, and 2 long stick shuttles. Now, for the downside, it also comes with an instruction booklet that has instructions for the Penelope, but not the Penelope II. As of the date of this review, I had not been able to get instructions from the company on how to use the 2nd rigid heddle with the loom, as the instructions are for a single rigid heddle design. Thanks to Schacht for the clear instructions on how to thread a 2 heddle rigid heddle loom. What do I not like about this loom? As I mentioned, it’s not for someone who wants to ‘crank out’ rigid heddle work. Other than that, I can’t come up with a single thing I don’t like. It’s definitely a rigid heddle loom for the tapestry weave, or a weaver who wants to do 4 harness work on a rigid heddle loom. . At $235, this loom is a bargain. (I own 5 of them, and am getting ready to order 3 more… mostly for teaching, but occassionally, for some ‘me’ time).Excellent loom

Be a part of the solution!

I won’t go ‘partisan’ on you. But let’s be a part of the solution. Support Americans. This year, instead of buying cheap stuff or expensive stuff in department stores for holiday gifts, give American made quality fine craft and fine art items. Support America by recognizing quality in your own country. Don’t go out and buy cheap Wally Market stuff, actually spend a little extra, pay cash, so you aren’t sinking yourself deeper in debt, and buy a fine American made quilt, or afghan, or handwoven throw. Buy pots from the local potter, prints from the local photographer, and scarves from the local felter. Don’t look for cheap, junk. That supports poor craftsmanship. Actually spend what you can, and be a part of the solution by keeping your money local.

Be aware that wool, alpaca, and other local fiber producing animals are not harmed in the harvest of their fiber, and it is a renewable resource. Buy items made from easily, readily and locally re-newable resources.

When I was at one of the ‘gourmet’ grocery stores the other day, my kids and I were tastin gelato, and the attendant giving us samples kept saying,” This is locally produce from Maryland, from Pennsylvania, from Georgia…..” We are in Richmond, Virginia, so our ‘locally grown produce is from Richmond, and the surrounding counties. If it took more than 5 gallons of gas to get it to me, it’s not local. Thanks.

If you agree with this, cut and paste the above message on your blog, in your e-mails, and at your workspace. We need to be a part of American as a sustainable economy. Again, buy locally. Buy nationally. Buy Quality.

More on the local alpacas

Teri got back with me about all the fun things Fireweed Alpacas is involved with in the near future. Here is a list of some of the upcoming fun:

State Fair of Virginia
Saturday, September 27 9 am – 9 pm

National Alpaca OPEN HOUSE
Sunday, September 28, 12 pm – 5 pm
2280 Camelback Road
Maidens, VA 23012
(804) 556-2526
fireweed@boone.net
www.fireweed-alpacas.com

4th Annual Taste of Goochland
Tuesday, October 14
5 – 8 pm
Boy Scouts of America
1723 Maidens Road (this is actually on our property! See you there)

Teri is having the open house in Maidens, and it’s a great opportunity to see the alpacas in their home environment. The “Taste of Goochland” is an opportunity to come out and see what Goochland County has to offer. It’s a large # of Goochland businesses reaching out to the community to introduce themselves. It was great last year. Fireweed Alpacas did participate and drew a great deal of attention with their crias and adult alpacas. There is much more information coming from Fireweed, and an opportunity that my local fiber friends will LOVE! We can participate with shearing day, and earn fiber to boot.

Stay tuned.

Cherri

Rigid Heddle Loom Review - copy from Wordpress blog

In order to do this, I want to preface it by saying the Harp is not reviewed. So if you are looking for that review, you won’t read the whole post looking for it. The rigid heddle looms I have used and am familiar with are the Beka, Leclerc Bergere, Leclerc Penelope II, Schacht, and Ashford.

The simplest is the Beka. It’s a very rudimentary loom. It’s a very simple design, inexpensive and easy to assemble. I like the Beka because it’s an inexpensive way to have rigid heddle looms to take from art center to art center without renting a larger vehicle. They are lightweight, and graceful looking. If you have never used any other type of loom, or any other rigid heddle loom, you may be satisfied for a while. They are too rudimentary for me to use for long. As a result, I don’t use them for the art centers anymore. The block that holds the rigid heddle up, or down, is just that, a block of wood, as a result, the heddle slips off a good deal. I also don’t find it comfortable as a lap loom. I just doesn’t rest well against the table, and if tilted, the rigid heddle is even less likely to stay in the up or down position. If you have the money for a better loom, don’t spend your money here. This loom should cost approx $110 for a 20″, and $127 for a 24′ . Included equipment are 2 stick shuttles, a pickup stick, and a threading hook. Be aware: No warping device is included!

Schacht rigid heddle looms Schacht is an ok lap loom. Again, it’s very rudimentary, streamline, and graceful looking. It’s very light weight, and easy to travel with. I like the Schacht for the same reason I liked the Beka. I also like the fact that Schact notches the block that holds the rigid heddle up, or down. As you know, anything with the Schacht name is not “economy” priced. I dislike it because it is rather an economy loom,by design, yet at nearly twice the price of the Beka. The warp brake is tightened by screwing the block on the back beam, which allows slippage, leading to frustration in my classes. So between the price, and the slippage, I don’t use Schacht. It comes with a clamp, warping peg, stick shuttle, and threading hook. Generally, these looms cost approx $180 for a 20″ loom, and $200 for a 25″ loom.

Ashford has a nice looking loom. It’s a lot like the harp without the warping board attached. I thought I was really going to like it. It looks rather modern with it’s colorful ratchets and it’s wonderful instruction booklet. Another nice thing about this loom, is that the craftsmanship is quality. The looms are soundly constructed, finished nicely, and fairly well designed. The very best feature of the Ashford Rigid Heddle looms, is the clear, instruction manual that accompanies the looms. A full color instruction booklet that is nearly failsafe is priceless for self-taught beginners. This is a wonderful feature! For some reason, however, I find the ratchet/dog system failed me several times, and winding on the warp is not a simple task, because the loom doesn’t have a crank on the warp beam. All of the above mentioned looms are simple in design, and structurally should make very good lap looms. I found this one is the best lap loom. It rests easily on the table, and the heddle stays firmly in place when the warp is sufficiently tight.The 24″ runs about 165.00 and it comes with 2 stick shuttles, 2 threading hooks, a clamp, and the precious INSTRUCTIONS!

Leclerc Bergere is a tabletop rigid heddle loom. It has metal ratchets, and dogs, handles to wind the warp on, and the rigid heddle securely rests in the notched “castle post”. It’s a more complex design than the aforementioned rigid heddle looms in that it is raised off the table by legs, and has a castle type device for the heddle, rather than simply a support block. It comes with a styrene boat shuttle, 2, 28″ long stick shuttles, metal lea sticks, a set of 2 warping blocks (each has 2 pegs for creating a cross in your warp), and warp sticks with cord. As you can see, this is a loom, and if you want to learn the entire process of warping, this is a great place to start. You get a lot of equipment for a weaving studio, and a very good table top rigid heddle loom. I really like this loom. It’s good for me because as an instructor who travels to art centers(that don’t own looms) to teach, I can take a loom that I can actually teach the entire process of dressing a loom on, and it translates to the student’s floor loom also, because the loom is designed to be dressed back to front like a floor loom. The rigid heddle rests firmly in the notches, and there is a ‘rest’ position for threading it. it travels well with the loom warped by simply putting rubber bands around the joint where the rigid heddle rests in the castle post. It comes with a very clear, though instruction booklet that will easily get a beginner started with the loom, and with some elemental tapestry techniques. However, what I don’t like, is that it is not graceful and complact. It doesn’t have a simple design, and really isn’t a lap loom. Also, although I like Leclerc looms a lot, the craftsmanship on the older Leclerc looms is better. The craftsmanship on the loom is rudimentary. At just $165, this 24″ loom stands head and shoulders above the others for my purposes. (best overall rigid heddle loom in this review)

Leclerc Penelope II is a rigid heddle tapestry loom. It is weaves 22.5″ and works as an upright double rigid heddle loom. It can be used with a single rigid heddle, but comes equipped with 2. The craftsmanship is very good on this loom, the beams are braked with metal ratchets and dogs, the beams also have cranks for easy beaming of the warp. As the loom is designed to be used vertically, the rigid heddle supports are designed to hold the heddles securely in this position. The loom is designed to be warped with lea sticks, and in a ‘back to front’ fashion. Again, this makes it a wonderful pre-cursor to a floor loom, if that is the direction the weaver is headed. This loom gives very good tension on the warp, and is comfortable for a variety of tapestry techniques for tapestry, but is not an efficient loom as a substitute for plain weave, or pattern weaving quickly because of it’s upright position. I’m very impressed with this loom. It comes with tapestry bobbins, metal lea sticks, 2 warping blocks, which have 2 pegs each, for creating a cross in your warp, heddle hook, and 2 long stick shuttles. Now, for the downside, it also comes with an instruction booklet that has instructions for the Penelope, but not the Penelope II. As of the date of this review, I had not been able to get instructions from the company on how to use the 2nd rigid heddle with the loom, as the instructions are for a single rigid heddle design. Thanks to Schacht for the clear instructions on how to thread a 2 heddle rigid heddle loom. What do I not like about this loom? As I mentioned, it’s not for someone who wants to ‘crank out’ rigid heddle work. Other than that, I can’t come up with a single thing I don’t like. It’s definitely a rigid heddle loom for the tapestry weave, or a weaver who wants to do 4 harness work on a rigid heddle loom. . At $235, this loom is a bargain. (I own 5 of them, and am getting ready to order 3 more… mostly for teaching, but occassionally, for some ‘me’ time).Excellent loom

Bye for now.

Cherri

view other blogs

This blog seems to be picked up by the search engines the most, but I want to make sure that you, whoever is visiting the blog, realize that it is only an archive, and the continuation (newer posts) are at
http://www.rivercityweaves.wordpress.com

So if you are here for information on dog hair yarn, chiengora, weaving, weaving classes, weaving lessons, spinning, spinning classes, or lessons, about commissioning work, Cherri Hankins, her studios in Richmond or the area surrounding it, or felting, hand-felting, hand-made felt, or fiber art, please visit the wordpress site.
Thanks,
Cherri

Felted Vessels class re-scheduled

Because of the storm on Sat., we had to move the date of the Felted Vessels class in Mathews, VA.
It has been re-scheduled to 9/24 (Wed.). For more information, or to register, please contact Bay School at:

The Bay School
P.O. Box 1524

Mathews, VA 23109

kimmoore_bsa@verizon.net - director

gracesmall_bsa@verizon.net - registrar
Sorry for any inconvenience, and I'm looking forward to working with you.
Cherri

Classes this fall

Hi, If you are still following this blog, instead of Wordpress, I'm posting information on my fall classes. The classes and workshops are posted on my website:
http://www.cherrihankins.com on the instruction page. You need to click the link on that page for classes and workshops. There are classes on weaving, and felting and a very few on spinning.
If you are interested in learning to spin, I will take spinning students on an individual basis for private lessons, or on Sunday afternoons with my regular weaving class, or we can try to get a class together of 3-5 students, and hold the class on a day and time that we find our schedules mesh. I teach weaving at my Glen Allen studio, which you can book through me, or through the Glen Allen Cultural Arts center. I also teach weaving at my Roseneath Rd studio in Richmond, and at the Visual Arts Center in Richmond. You will also find that I offer some weaving classes in Orange, VA, and Mathews, Va at the Arts Center in Orange, and Bay School of the Arts.
Felting classes and workshops are available through The Cultural Arts center at Glen allen, and Visual Arts center of Richmond as well as Bay School of the Arts in Mathews, va.
I do have an embroidery class in Mathews also.
If you have questions, or see a class you are interested in, but it's not in your area, e-mail, or call me, and we will try to put a class together to accomodate your needs.

Please check out my youtube videos on the fiber arts. My username is Maidensweaver and you can see my youtube page at
http://www.youtube.com/maidensweaver

Oh, My! How's your mental acuity?

I'm reading a great book right now by John Medina. It's called "Brain Rules".
It deals with boosting mental acuity, and maximizing your own use of your brain. It's a users manual for your brain.
I owned Mac computers for 17 years before I heard of Procare, or ONe-to-one, which is Apple's personal training for Mac users. I have learned more in one year of personal training than I ever learned in the previous 17.
I didn't turbo charge my Mac, I simply learned how to use that turbo charged machine, and that's what Medina's book is like. It teaches you the proper care and feeding of your brain, then teaches you how to train it and use it.
Check it out when you get a chance. it comes with a DVD. I don't own any stock in, nor do I gain in any way financially by my endorsement of this book. I'm just so pleased with a good thing, that I want to share it.
Cherri

2 week weaving intensive

21 07 2008

A lady contacted me today who would like to take a two week weaving intensive in Aug. I can only come up with one week right now, but can do the last week in Aug, and the first week of Sept. I’ll be teaching morning or afternoon, and the alternating spot would be for opening studio work. I don’t think I can set it up for the studio to be open in the evenings, but may be able to work something out. Originally, I thought I could do this at Roseneath, and give the students a key, but am aware that this won’t work.

I would like to see if anyone else is interested in learning to weave in a two week intensive class. In the first week, you will learn to plan your project, dress the loom, and weave a plain weave project. Then, you will dress the loom again, and weave a double weave project. Week two, you will weave a simple reversing twill project, and learn to read a draft, tie-up your loom, and weave a two shuttle weave. Whew, that was a lot. It’s a great opportunity for folks who don’t have time for a weekly class, but really want an immersion into weaving.
Again, the dates would be:

8/25-9/5 2008

Weekends will be open studio time, so you can weave on your own, if you have your (the loom you will be using for class) loom set up. Cost would be $800.00. That’s 400.00/week. It would include 3 hours of instruction/day, and at least 4 hours open studio time/day and loom use on the weekend of the first week. Class would begin at 9 am Monday 8/25.

Please e-mail me if you are interested, or know of someone who is interested. There will be a max of 4 students in the class. maidensweaveratearthlinkdotnet

Thanks,

Cherri

Here is a great slideshow of my trip to Touchstone to teach. It's not fiber arts in the slideshow, but features my photography, and the Center for Craft, and my friends as well as their mediums.

touchstone

Link to wordpress blog

Hi everyone.
I'm sorry the link didn't work to the wordpress site.
Here is the correct link:
http://rivercityweaves.wordpress.com/
Hope it works for you. As it turns out,
There is a computer here, just not wifi, so when someone else isn't on the computer,
I will try to stay in touch over at wordpress.
See you there, and thanks for asking about the link.
Cherri

new post is on the wordpress blog

Just want to let you know that the newest posts are on the Wordpress blog.
Please check it out there:
http://www.wordpress.com/rivercityweaves

Thanks!
Cherri

Learn to Weave in a Weekend Results

As I try to learn Wordpress, I am humbled by my own naivete. I have uploaded the pictures from the Learn to Weave in a Weekend class to my Flickr account (maidensweaver), and have done the administrative stuff for flickr to share them, but am to brain tired to figure out the rest tonight.
I'll upload a few pics here, and my impression at the end of the class....just for you. Then, if you want to see the rest of the pics, you can check out flickr, until I rest, and educate myself.
We began Friday night with 2.5 hours of class. The students received a vocab list, a syllabus and a tour of the building. We talked about each student's expectations for the class, and their goals regarding weaving in general. One lady owns a loom.
Once I knew their needs, I could determine my role in this. We planned their projects, determining epi, warp length, etc and made a guide string. The lady with a loom has a warping board, so she learned on our board, instead of using the warping mills. Then we tied the warp with choke ties, and ties that preserve the cross, inserted lea sticks, and ties the lea sticks to the loom. That ended Friday for most of us. One student began winding on, and she threaded the heddles completely on Friday night.
Saturday, we had 6 hours, so those who weren't threading heddles began. So on Sat, we threaded heddles, and sleyed the reed until about 2 pm, then we began weaving.
The students wove, under my supervision until 4pm, and then the days class was over, and I had to leave. They used the remaining hour that the art center was open for open studio time.
Sunday, they finished weaving off their pieces, and some hem-stitched, others ties fringes, etc.
One student made a 8" change in her weaving right in the center. That meant that as she approached the end of her weaving she came up short. Not wanting to disappoint, I attempted to help her get min. waste by extending the back apron rod so it came to within an inch of the heddles, and we removed her reed from the beater. Well, it worked. We had to have another student lifting and really pushing down certain harnesses, but the student was able to achieve a balance of the symmetery of her piece. I learned there is such a thing as zero-waste weaving!
You will see this in the flickr photos.
Here you will see a tapestry wall hanging in rag and yarn, a tapestry rag rug, and 2 basic, plain weave rag rugs. I enjoyed these students. They were very focused and positive to work with.
Thanks for a fun weekend.
Cherri

Learn to Weave in a Weekend

OH, what a fun class. I have 4 students with enthusiasm and a very positive attitude.
This group of students has flown through the process of dressing the loom, and are now inserting weft to weave off their projects. One is doing a rag rug, and two of the others are doing rag runners while the 4th is doing a wall hanging incorporating rag, charged yarn, balanced yarn, and other inclusions. I also had a make-up class today with the student I would be neglecting tomorrow due to being in the WiaW class.
She is making unbelievable progress. On day one, she almost completely dressed her loom. She came in during lunch this week, and completed threading heddles, and today (lesson 2), she sleyed the reed, tied onto the front of the loom, inserted header, and began weaving. She is doing a fairly simple rag piece using t-shirts.
I am truly blessed to be their teacher. Life is Grand.
Check out the pics. Don't forget that I will be using Wordpress to parallel this blog until I know whether I like it, then I will be (sniff) shutting this one down for the other.
My username at wordpress is Rivercityweaving
Bye for now, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Cherri

Tess' reversing twill

My student, Tess, did a really nice reversing twill that I wanted to show you.
She began weaving in the fall, and wove in my classes in Oct and Nov, then started back in the spring. She bought a 4 harness counterbalance loom, and a table loom.
She continued through 6 (?) months of weaving, and then we halted for the summer. She has become fairly accomplished. Look at what a fine job she has done. And all the time she has been with me, she has been in school, working on a post-grad degree!That's dedication;0)
Remember that if you click on the photos, you can see a great deal of detail, as they become much larger.
Cherri

Gone to Press!

Wordpress that is. I really enjoy Alice's blog. I always thought she was a computer whiz because of all the bells and whistles her blog has. She assures me it's not her, but that wordpress automatically does those things. So, I'm moving. This blog will stay here for a good while, as I decide whether like the new neighborhood, but check out the new site, and see if you don't like it better.
the url is different....obviously, so watch for
http://www.rivercityweaves.wordpress.com
It's a Richmond thing. Probably, a lot citys on the river adopt the nickname Rivercity,
but I like it, so we'll see how it goes.
Let me know what you think, ok?
Cherri

Why am I slow to post lately

I know I haven't been posting regularly this summer and there is good reason. I hate to just write to you and not add photos of the work that's going on. Well, I started a warp at Roseneath in beautiful alpaca/silk. It's a long warp and I intended to make a tallit-like garment for my son. Being slow to weave some projects, I left it in stasis while weaving other things. Finally, I began crossing it with handspun silk. I love it. Then I took a commission that the remainder of that warp would be good for, and I made a treadling error that I didn't want to take out, and didn't want to keep. The option was: cut the offending section off, use the remainder of the warp for the commission, and weave on! Right! So no pics there. My loom in the home studio has a long warp with the cognac colores alpaca/silk. And you have already seen that, so no point in more pics of the same old. The loom I was going to use at Glen Allen, was stalled with a 11 yard warp that started out to be burgundy and slate grey. I was adding stripes of a variety of colors, and some time during the week, I decided I hate the colors together, and hate that warp. I drove all the way to Glen Allen just to hack it off the loom, and throw it away! Some things are just not going to work for me. Well, I have now measured out an alpaca/silk warp (hmmmm looks like a common thread here if you will pardon the pun) for the loom at Glen Allen, but I have a new month beginning in a week and a half. That means any loom I put this warp on may be unavailable for July, and I would have to just cut the warp off.
You know......some of you do, how often I cut warps off so a student can use the loom. Well, not going to happen to my precious alpaca/silk warp. Once I get the head count for jUly, I'll be good to go.
While I wait, I'm going to order some bamboo yarn. Although I hate to spin it, I'm lovin' the feel of Amy's most recent scarf. If it's OK with Amy, I'll post pics. She is a good weaver, and has a very good design 'eye'.
So, I'm slow to post because I'm gardening, enjoying weaving,don't have much to photograph, and I'm busy ripping off warps!!!! Good thing my favorite thing about weaving is 'dressing the loom'.
Does anyone else just love to dress the loom, and really not care if they weave it off?

Cherri

Diversions

I'm distracted a little. Until today, I haven't had a commission that had to be done, and in the interest of a little nurturing in the wake of Mom's death, I have been gardening a little. I have this great little courtyard outside the studio door that I have always loved, and never had time to keep up properly. Well, my DH gave me a refurbished, old fashioned wooden-frame screen door for Mother's Day, and it has inspired me to step out a couple of times a day and week, plant and generally stimulate the growth of beauty.
Most days, we have morning coffee here, together. We greet the day listening to the birds sing, and mentally documenting the growth of all that we plant and cultivate together. (eeeewwwww, that doesn't sound like us at all, but it's true)
So I decided to post pictures of our efforts.
This is my little courtyard. I'll post pictures later in the summer, so you can see how it progresses. Beyond the courtyard and the grape arbor, you will see the garden with our beautiful squash blossoms! They are probably our favorite summer gift to one another.

Summer Challenge

Sorry not to post for a week. I've issued a summer challenge to my students, and will do the same to you. It's for the weavers. It's just to get you planning your projects, and to inspire you to think of ways to use color and the interconnectivity of color and your draft. The challenge is as follows:
Let's get the creative juices flowing with something to stretch your
imagination. Looking at your draft....assuming it's 4 harness, I want
you to choose 4 colors. color 1 is a shade or tint of color 2. Color
2 is a pure color (primary- it doesn't really have to be the primary,
but not mauve, or some other secondary or tertiary color). Color 3 is
the compliment of color 2 on the color wheel, and color 4 is a neutral
(black, white or grey).
Now for the hard part.

The dominant will be whatever color you put on the harness that
appears most in your draft.
So if your draft is 1,2,1,3,1,4,1,3,1,2,1, whatever color you put on
harness #1 would be the dominant color. Whatever you put on 4 will be
the diminutive color. Each color has a specific harness.
So all threads on harness #1 will be the same color, on harness #2
will all be the same, etc. You get to choose your pattern, but no
straight twills!

Are you in?
Cherri

today's treasure

Today, I decided to use the loom waste from the most recent commission, rather than throw it away. I wove it into a rather coarsely woven tea towel. It's not for most people, but it's right up my alley. It's a 8/2 line linen warp and primary weft, with a tow linen pattern weft at each end. Since my husband always grabs tea towels and uses them as dishrags, it really doesn't make sense to weave my tea towels of 35/2 linen, does it?

Just thought you might like it.
Talk later, I've got to get back to the alpaca/silk warp.
Cherri