Hooks at the Ready! Of course the next step after winding the warp is actually dressing the loom. I like to warp back to front, but that is purely a matter of personal preference. The steps I use are: 1) beaming on, 2) threading heddles, 3) sleying the reed, and 4) tying onto the front apron rod. Even though only one of these steps is actually called sleying, Mr. Mouse and I tend to refer to the whole process as "sleying the dragon" because it can feel like a gargantuan task that only the most daring of fiber arts heroes dare attempt. In an attempt to be honest, I'm going to describe all of the mistakes I made. Hopefully this...
A Little Estimation, A Little Rounding Yesterday I mentioned a lot of sloppy math. I've decided to write it out for you here, since, while I am not afraid of math, I believe that there are too many fiber artists who are. Really the overwhelming majority of math needed is not any more advanced than basic arithmetic and proportions. I firmly believe that anyone can do it! Let's go through my warp math step by step. First I think about how long I want my scarf to be. I decided 6 feet, or 72 inches, since I'm pretty sure I won't want it longer than that. Shorter can be arranged with scissors after the fact ;) Then I cavalierly decide...
Because Following a Pattern Would Be Too Easy A lot of people like to talk to artists about their "inspiration". I do consider myself a fiber artist, but I hardly ever know how to answer the inspiration question. I rarely find myself staring at a cool building and imagining the architecture as knitting, nor do I go to a plant nursery and come back with a beautiful new color palette in mind. What usually happens for me is that I go cruising Ravelry looking for something (or nothing...), and I come out the other side wishing everything I saw were just a little bit different. I thought it would be fun to detail a design from start to finish, from...
Unraveling the Past This story begins with a visit to Mr. Mouse's paternal grandmother, whom we all call Nana. Nana has a nice collection of handmade blankets, tablecloths, and pillows, but none compare to the black and rainbow afghan on the back of the living room couch. From my very first trip, I was utterly fascinated by it. I guess my obsession was pretty obvious, because Nana recently gifted the blanket to me. Not only is it breathtakingly gorgeous, but its construction is also simple, yet mysterious. According to Nana, this blanket was made by a houseguest years ago, and while it is a much-admired piece, no one since has been able to figure out how it was made. I...
Mr. Mouse here... Lets talk about tartan pattern setts (the repeated pattern). In tartan weaving notation these are represented by a letter and number combination to describe the order that both the warp and weft yarns will be woven. Generally the notation will indicate the order of a 'half sett'. At the beginning and end of the half comes the pivot, where the end groups are shared between the current half and a mirrored half. So when you make it to the end of the notation row, you start reading it backwards to complete the full sett. Be careful not to count the last groups twice as, again, these are shared between the halves and eventually another sett. That all sounds a...
