TdF 2012

Na lei hulu hipa (from inside to outside):
2-ply merino off a bobbin from SW 2011 (yep, pretty old);
2-ply "Salad Days" from several "first-try" bobbins;
TdF 2012 project of 2-ply cashmere-merino.
They've gone through the wet bath and are drying.

After the yarn was dry and hanked up I had a chance to mention the project to Lisa. When she asked if it had a tight spin I knew I had to revisit this yarn.

I put the hank on a swift and put it through the wheel again, adding more twist. This first pic was taken when it was taken off the niddy-noddy.
Looking good!

This second pic was taken a few minutes later as the yarn was no longer constrained with tension.
Looking wacky!

I made wool soup again. I love the aroma. We'll see what's up when this is dry in a few days.

Tabby

After the 4-shaft loom was warped, the weft was started in a tabby (aka "plain") weave.

There's a lot of variation just from changing colors. So I'll make a sampler using weft of different colors and materials.

Changing colors and materials means that I need more shuttles. Do you like my makeshift shuttle from disposable chopsticks? I made more shuttles out of heavy cardstock, too.

Order

I was eager to start weaving, and I thought about how I'd throw yarn side to side and make a sampler piece.

I was told that it starts with warp.

Warp is wound round-and-round the warping pegs. There is measuring and planning involved. Then the choke is tied off with a surgeon's knot, and each side of the crossed sequence of yarns gets tied off. Ends are cut (cut!?!) and the warp is carefully handled and chained.

The loom is warped front-to-back. The choke is secured to the front apron. Lese sticks are on each side of the warp cross, and each strand is sleyed through the reed, without the process slaying the weaver. This is best done with a partner who can assist you and prevent you from giving up when you cannot see over-from-under anymore because you're concentrating so hard you forget to blink and you forget where you are. I'm only half-kidding. This was difficult.

The heddles on the shafts are threaded in order, and small groups are tied off with an overhand knot and set aside.

The small groups are tied to the back apron with square knots while making the knot tail lengths even from group to group.

The choke is untied and the front yarns are divided into small groups. Each group is tensioned, starting from the center group and successively alternating side groups. The back apron is turned in small increments, paper is inserted in the roll, and the front groups are tensioned. The entire warp is thus tensioned and wound from the front to back of the loom.

As the hours passed I realized I had no idea this much work was involved. I kept asking "when do I weave?"

At the front apron, each small group is secured (starting at the center group and working to the sides) with a half-square knot (the center group is secured with half of a surgeon's knot). After all groups have been secured, they are tensioned and secured by loosening the knot and pulling on the ends and tying the full square knot.

The shafts are engaged one-by-one and the shed is checked for stray yarns (mistakes!) which are corrected. Everything is checked again, because there's no point in proceeding unless everything is in order.

The loom is ready for weft.

As 24x7 said, warping accounts for at least half of the weaving. Makes sense, doesn't it, when we see that at least half of the threads in a piece are the warp?

I was weaving for the past four hours, yet I didn't realize it.

Plaid Friday: t minus 7

In addition to supporting local, you can support indie. Plaid Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when you (and yours who are lounging around) can go browse and support an independent retail merchant.

Can you walk, bike, or take public transportation there? drive less than 10 miles there?

Do you know who the retail proprietor is? or do you know that if you needed to speak with them, they would be responsive to your request?

Is the merchant somewhat knowledgeable about what they offer you? either about the source of the item, how to best use it, or other resources? are they helpful?

I'm going to support places where there are faces, names, and intelligence behind the counter.

TdF: eve of the end

Jul 17:
"Soft Green Seas", 4 of 6 singles completed.

Jul 23: Spun, soaked and dried.
From the right, 2 skeins "Salad Days" totalling 223yds; 2 skeins "Soft Green Seas", totalling 344yds; plus a little 3-ply remnant. A dime provides scale.

Observations:
1. The progression from a tight overplied yarn to a relaxed strong yarn is evident. I think that if I run "Salad Days" back through the wheel, I might get a little more yardage from the yarn becoming less kinked.

2. "Salad Days" is closer to sock-weight than "Soft Green Seas" which is a little heavier weight, closer to worsted or dk.

I'll use the spindle tomorrow.

Early August update: "Salad Days" was run back through the wheel, soaked and dried, with a more civilized looking outcome. Final stats: "Soft Green Seas", 119g, 344yds; "Salad Days", 105g, 242yds.

Progress

Ok I confess. I've skipped a day here and there. But I'm still making progress.

July 6: "Salad Days" 3-ply on the bobbin, 3-ply bathed and dried.

July 8: The bobbin yard was also bathed and dried. The first skein is definitely overspun, and will likely go back through the wheel later for corrective measures. The second skein is a little more relaxed but still overspun.

July 9: Prepped up 24x7's SW-BFL, "Soft Green Seas", 3.5 oz. I split it in half transversely, then split each half into thirds lengthwise. Spun one of the six strips into a bobbin of singles. These singles are more relaxed than those for "Salad Days". Hope these don't fall apart later when I ply.

TdF 2011

Tour de Fleece started on Saturday, July 2. My goal is to spin every day of the Tour. Another goal is to spin yarn suitable for socks. I started with 24x7's SW-BFL, "Salad Days", 3.5 oz. I split it in half transversely, then split each half into thirds lengthwise.

Hopefully I'll end up with 2 skeins of enough 3-ply for a pair of socks. Each ply is worsted long-drawn and the 3-ply will be hard spun. Given my natural tendencies, each ply and the resulting 3-ply will likely be so lively and energized that it will be unknittable. So I will need to focus and relax (those words can go together, believe it or not).

To those who say that this exercise feeds into my obsessive compulsive tendencies, my response is: no socks for you!!