Saturday, September 19, 2009

One Step Closer...


I am one step closer to weaving on the drawloom, the reed is finally sleyed. After coming out short on the left edge, I re-counted, found my error, then re-sleyed most of the first half of the warp. Yesterday I sleyed the right half of the warp with no problems. This warp is 64 epi and being sleyed 5-4-4-4- across, in a 15 dent reed.

The next step, later today will be to lash the wood tie-on rod to the new loom apron. Then, I'll be able to tie the warp on, remove the pins from the upper jacks, and see if I have a shed. How I wish I could just stay with the drawloom, and if I can squeeze in more time there I will, but commitments call.

"Art in the Yard" is one week away, the Fall Northwoods Art Tour is two weeks away, and I need to make more socks, then close toes, wash, and finish them. After that, my focus will be on the drawloom, and rugs on the CM loom.



I'd forgotten to post a photo of a new gray sheepskin, purchased at the WI Sheep & Wool Festival. Perhaps someday it will be on a loom bench, but for now, like a nice white one I have, it will be used as background for photographing wool socks. I found light colored socks against the white sheepskin were photographing as very washed out, so a gray sheepskin was on my list at Jefferson.


"The Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers" (a UK publication) has published a special edition of their magazine on the late Peter Collingwood, and my copy arrived yesterday. It is available from The Woolgatherers, Ltd., Unicorn Books, and very probably other vendors.

I believe it was after my second or third week-long weaving class at The Looms, around 1983 or so, that Ken Colwell suggested I sign up to attend a Peter Collingwood rug weaving workshop. I wanted to attend, yet feared I would not understand what was being taught, would not be able to keep up, so I did not go. I've been kicking myself ever since. Peter Collingwood left his books, magazine articles, the Complex Weavers interview on DVD, for weavers, and this publication will add additional depth to his contributions to the weaving world.

3 comments:

MadCityMike said...

Peter's son, Jason, will be giving another workshop down at Juanita's studio next Spring if you'd be interested in taking a class from him. I took one a year ago and enjoyed it, although I do not have a rug loom (yet). :)

Theresa said...

Don't forget he left a son too, Jason, who did a lot of the work for Peter and is knowledgeable in his own right.
Beautiful sheepskin.

Janice Zindel said...

Yes, and I've been to two of Jason's rug weaving workshops (block weave and twill) at Juanita's, in 2005 and 2006, I believe they were. Jason is patient, and a wonderful teacher, excellent at both demonstrating and explaining so students easily understand the concepts or techniques. I highly recommend his workshops! I have his DVD, too.

If you go, be sure to look through his notebook of rugs he has woven. He is a wonderful designer and weaver.