Loom Plans

I found a copy of the loom plans mentioned in one of my first post. It’s a PDF file. I don’t know how to upload it. The plans were created in 2004 by someone named T. Jacobs. They were free wherever I found them a few years ago but in addition to not knowing how to upload them, I’m not sure I should. So, here’s the deal. If you should happen to come back here in the next few weeks and will leave an email, I will send you a copy. The file size is 630 KB. I don’t know if that’s too big…

Handpiecing

my first attempt at hand piecing

Arizona

My contract position has turned into a permanent position so it looks like we will be staying in Arizona for a while.

This will mean new challenges and new oppurtunities but I think it will be a good thing. Surely. Hopefully. Maybe? haha Who knows.

In Arizona

My contract position has transitioned into a permanent position (YAY!) so it looks like we’ll be here in Arizona for a while.

Grand Canyon

Shot from our trip to the Grand Canyon

One good thing about Arizona – there’s all kinds of scenery. We were going through files (the old fashioned kind that reside in an honest to goodness file cabinet) and came across a piece of paper where we had written some goals. It was a bucket list before Bucket List. Lo and behond, one of our goals was to visit the Grand Canyon with our two sons. Well we did it! Funny how life works – and works out – sometimes, isn’t it. Although, I have to mention that when the boys realized that a “national park” and an “amusement park” are not the same thing, their enthusiasm did wane a bit.

Not Even Gonna Look

I’m not even gonna look at how long it’s been since I posted on here. I hit a wall. A stopping point. A stoppage. Life changed dramatically and I’m wondering if the idea this blog was built around is even still applicable or desirable.

For any of you who may still be dropping by to see if maybe, maybe, some small crumb of an update has been dropped here – bless you. (I don’t think you really exist, but sometimes I still look for Santa too.)

The spousal unit and I have relocated from Texas to Arizona. Maybe temporarily, maybe permanently – who knows? Either way, I really lost the desire to do anything “homewise” for awhile, and even now that everything has settled down a bit I can’t find it in me to treat this house we’re in like a home. Although, now that I write that, it seems like a selfish sentiment. Many people go their whole lives without owning the houses they live in, and yet, I would venture to say they feel like they have homes. Maybe I will have to look into ways of making “non-owned” houses into homes. Any ideas?

I know that the most popular thing on this site was my rug and loom project so I will try to get some more information for that but it really is just one episode in an ongoing saga.

(Actually, if I can just share for a moment, writing here has made feel better than I have in days. What a cool thing.)

Ok, enough. I’m gonna go get busy on some posts.

Hazardous

CBS reports that a new study shows that people with low levels of vitamin D have a higher risk of dying.

In other news, freethnkr1965, sporadic updater of Creating a Home, reports that the highest risk factor for death from any cause is being alive.

“Let’s face it, 100% of the people alive today will die sometime in the next 120 years or so. Something must be done!”

This Blog Has Not Died

It’s just smells really bad.

Sorry for the lack of posts, we have been inordinately busy lately. I promise to have steaming hot fresh posts by the end of the week.

Wow!!

I am all about these clothes!! I don’t know who designed for the 5th dimension but he or she should have a special place in heaven.

How I Warp My Loom

This is how I warped my loom. I’m not saying it’s the only way or even the correct way. I have since received a book on Navajo rug-making and most of the stuff I’ve done so far has been pretty correct. One thing I forgot to do was add selvage cords to the sides of my rug. Oh well, next time.

I don’t have as many pictures for this process as I should but we shall persevere!!

The first thing you have to do is come up with some kind of “warping frame.” I used two modified saw-horses but I wouldn’t recommend this. If you can, build a square (like we did for the loom) and use it. The two main things your warping frame must do are

• Keep your warp dowels parallel
• Keep your warp dowels stationary

Misc Note – I marked my warp dowels every 1/8th inch so I would know how to space my warps

After you have attached the warp dowels to the warping frame tie one end of your warp to one of the dowels. It doesn’t matter which one. Now wrap the warp around the dowels in an over and under manner so that your warp forms a figure 8. (Of course, I did an under over wrap but hey, it works.) After you have enough warps for the width of your rug, tie the end of the warp to the dowel that you did not tie to already. In other words if you were looking at the picture above and you tied the beginning of the warp to the dowel on your left, you would tie the end of the warp to the dowel on your right.

Here’s another picture showing why you shouldn’t use saw-horses. Ack, what a pain that was.

Ok, now that we have the warp on the dowels it’s time to add the selvage cord at the ends. This is hard to explain but easy to do.

Measure and cut a piece of yarn that is approximately three times as long as your rug is wide. For example, if your rug is one foot wide, your piece of yarn will be about three feet long. Fold the piece of yarn in half so you know where the middle is. Now slide one end of the yarn into/under your first warp until you reach the middle. Twist the yarn once and slide the other end under the second warp. Repeat until you’ve twisted/slid the yarn under every warp. It should look something like this

Tie off the yarn with a square knot. Repeat on the other end.

I don’t have a picture for this particular step so work with me. When you look at the warp from the side you see a figure 8 (refer to one of the pictures above). The two open spaces in that figure 8 are called “sheds”. You must slide an additional dowel into each of those sheds. You are doing this because we are going to remove the warping dowels and reattach them on the outside of the warp. These two “shed sticks” will help with the re-attachment and also maintain the integrity of the figure 8.

Maybe this next pic will help

Yes those are broom handles. I was desperate.

Here we are reattaching the warp to the warp dowels.

I am using one of the shed sticks to hold the warp straight as I lace it to the warp dowel. First, tie the end of your lacing cord to the warp dowel. Then use the crochet hook to pull a loop up between the first two warps. Feed your ball of cord through this loop and pull tight. Make another loop, etc. Repeat until all the warp has been laced to the warp dowel. Do the same thing on the other end of the warp.

Ok, you’re all warped, laced and ready to go. Now you just have to attach the warp to the loom. This is the easiest part.

All you do is tie one warp dowel to the bottom crossmember of the loom (this becomes the bottom) and tie the other warp dowel to the tension rod at the top.

Tighten the tension rope until your warp is good and tight and get to weaving. What are you waiting for????