weaving process, step 5

The basic simplified steps to a weaving project:

1. design — the most important part of any project; issues of functionality, color, fiber, hand (drape) of the fabric and pattern are all considerations
2. calculations — project length, width and density (sett), yardage requirements for warp and weft
3. measuring the warp — winding the yarn on a warping board or pegs for conventional loom setup
4. dressing the loom — putting the warp on the loom, through the reed and heddles, tying it to the beams, and winding it up
5. winding bobbins or shuttles — for the weft, or crosswise threads
6. weaving the pattern — more theraputic than Prozac, the rhythmic throwing of the shuttle and beating the weft can produce the little-documented "weaver's high" (okay, that's little-documented cause I just made it up, but it's true)
7. on-loom finishing — hemstitching, if desired (for fringed ends)
8. wet-finishing — just as in knitting, the project isn't complete until it's been wet-finished (washed, steamed, pressed, etc.)

It sounds like a lot, but in reality, weaving projects can go pretty quickly. The loom preparation can be quite enjoyable, though some people dislike this part and just want to get to the actual weaving. I'm a textile geek, I love it all.

winter: outdoor activities

I love this crazy little sheep-trail, ending with Blackberry's rump. There's a quarter inch of ice on top of everything and nobody is venturing far from the shelter. They haven't gone 30 feet from it in almost a week, they know they'll be skating down the hill if they do. Which would be a sight to see, wouldn't it?

The longwools are busy growning this...


and growing, we hope, spring lambs.

winter: indoor activities

Look what I made today—beautiful multigrain crusty, rustic bread—in an electric oven. I didn't use a recipe, but more of a method from an article in last month's Mother Earth News. The article is an excerpt from the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I used a mixture of whole wheat, rye and bread flour for this; there was no kneading involved, and it tastes as good as it looks.


On another front, this is why kittens should be illegal. The sectional beam is not a good place to play, as far as I'm concerned. Cassidy has different ideas.

threading the loom

Second project on the loom, heavy mercerized cotton slub towels.

fireside fleece

WIth the advent of electricity in the basement-cave, I now have a place to do messy work in the winter, namely, sorting fleece. The last couple of evenings I've organized 2 years of clip (about 80 pounds raw fleece), and have started to pick and sort. It smells wonderful. The first washed fleece is now drying by the woodstove.