Retro Post - Weaving. August 2014

My Husband and I enjoy going to Yard Sales on Saturday's.  You never know what you will find.  So one Summer morning we came across the cleaning out of Grandma's house.  There was all types of stuff out.  Nice and clean, well organized.  The kind of  "gem" you hope for.
Well there was this "pile" of wood on the ground.  I quickly recognized the stretcher frames, but there was more.  An old but intact box which said BEKA with instructions and all the parts. There was another Rigid frame and other objects (odd heddles, weaving sticks, pick up sticks etc).  I said How much, the son said  $10.00, I said SOLD.  I wasn't sure what I got, but knew I had hit gold.

It toke about a year from then to actually do some weaving.  I purchased yard from a mill in Maine at the Rochester (NY) Sheep and Wool fair the following fall, and started collecting books on weaving on a Rigid Heddle Loom.  My husband, being a handy guy, built me a stand to hold the frame so I could work on it free standing.  He also made me a warping board, and was/is my tension when winding up the loom for weaving.

This is my first piece. Simple even weave.  Learned a lot doing this one.  Edges can be tricky.   

Second weave.  Using different widths to create the pattern.

I then created a sampler with the pick up sticks to learn how to make different patterns in the weave.

After this I have done several weaves.  Most are even weaves patterns.  Since I have given these away as gifts I never remember to take pictures of them first.  Oh Well.
I enjoy weaving.  It is relaxing.  I often take the loom to Demo's.  It is something which is easy to transport, and attracts a lot of attention.
I have several more projects I want to weave.  Multiple heddles on a Rigid, different patterns, and figure out how to do a designed edge using pick up.

Embroidery Schola part II

Teaching went well on Saturday the 24th.  Had 11 Students.  I would say the majority of them caught on right away.  Had a few who had conceptual difficulties.  And two Lefties.  Those who are left handed are the most difficult to teach, as went I look at what they are doing it all looks wrong.  Luckily one Lefty got it right away and was sitting next to Toi (friend) who was a lost lefty.  So I left the first lefty women to teach the second lefty women. "You always learn more when you teach".  The class had two hours so I taught several stitches.  1) Standard Braid Stitch.  2) Ladder Braid Stitch, and explained Ladder Stitch and Double Ladder Stitch.  The last two are done in both metal and Silk thread in Period.
I will repeat this class at Hrim Schola on 3/17.  This will be only a one hour class, so only one stitch can be covered.
It is really great when you see the "light" go on and the person learning "get's it".