1200 ends is a lot of ends to thread

I took advantage of having a day off and thought I could complete the threading.
Nope.
As I neared the last bunch of ends, I realized it was two off. Sigh.
So I began to check, from the beginning. The error was, of course, about half way through. An unfortunate repeat. So I added two heddles and have been unthreading in order to rethread. I’m about where I was when I started this morning!
I guess I’m a little rusty but 1200 is a lot of ends.

Beginnings – good beginnings

I have successfully sleyed the reed and just finished threading the heddles in my front to back warping! It is fun. Only one rocky moment when sleying: I dropped the cross so I am sure all those ends are helter skelter.

Next is tying onto the back beam and then beaming. I’ll take a picture at that point.

I got sliding hook flyer and bobbins for my Ashford. There was a moment when I thought I would have to return it when I couldn’t get the whorl off! But unlike my other flyer where you screw the whorl off, with this one, you pull it off! Then I thought it was missing a set of hooks to help hold the fiber against the flyer but I found them. Installed and I am spinning away on some romney hogget and silk (97%/3%).

I had received two gift cards for Christmas so I went to A Loom with a View and bought this book:

It is gorgeous and I love how it is written.

Threading the heddles

This is a more complex pattern than I thought. It is a huckaback variation so I have a lot of different threadings going on along with the three different colors of the warp. Plus the fiber is a little slippery and thin. I am only doing a few bouts at a time. But I am also double checking as I go along. The last few projects have had to be halted and unweaving to correct the error. I am determined that this won’t happen this time!

 

All set to weave…but wait…

It has taken me a while but the napkin project has been threaded and sleyed. I tied onto the front beam and wove a header. 8 total picks in fact and that is when I discovered not one but two threading errors! I decided to unweave and rethread the errant ends. Of course I had to add heddles to the correct shafts and of course one got placed yet again on the wrong shaft. But all is good now and I am ready to weave …. again. Better to have found before I really began weaving!

Napkins are half threaded

I am making the Magical Napkin Kit from Lunatic Fringe. This is naturally dyed unmercerized cotton, 10/2.

The challenge of the stripes was that they were uneven – 11 – 13 -11 ends. And then each block has a different threading. I think I made it far more complicated than I needed. So now half way done threading, it is getting easier.

But! This unmercerized 10/2 cotton is so tangly! I did not know but it just thrusts itself into little tangles all the time. So it is a little frustrating and definitely time consuming. But what’s the hurry? It will get done.

And in between my threading stripes, my husband created and put up a display of some of the old weaving tools I have received lately. I love it! I have two more industrial shuttles to display so those will get up on the wall some day.