Seabreeze Spinners

Fiber Space met yesterday here are lots of photos of current projects. Congratulations to our beader extrodinaire who recently acquired a loom and refurbished it. She brought in her first project (black & white striped scarf). We our proud to report (LOL) that she dressed the loom and started her project before reading the weaving book she’d purchased to guide her (the long hard way BUT…you really learn your loom that way and intimately understand the process and relationships between warp & weft). Another beader was busy beading a mirror to mount when she creates another patch work purse like the one she’s showing. Our spinner is spinning the finest of yarn. She is wearing the summer-winter, blue & white beaded necklace she made and I felt it needed documenting too. Others beaded, crocheted, and finished rag rugs.

My goal was to set up the box loom/tape loom for a new red/white tape. The tape is 8/2 cotton warp with perle cotton weft. You can see the tape as it progressed.

We’ll meet again the last Saturday of the month in August.

Tropical Twister

I’ve completed the second tape. As you can see from the photos below, the first tape that was completed with the paddle loom alone, backstgrap fashion, has very inconsistent widths. The second, my first tape on the cradle loom, was much more consistent. With some practice, I should be able to produce fairly consistent tapes.

The next project I’d like to try on this loom is with finer cotton thread and a floating pattern weft. I’ll keep you posted.

Tropical Twister

My plans to use a sewing machine stand as the base for a “weaving accessories table” are moving forward. I purchased a “table top” from Lowes, a laminated 3/4″ plank 24″ by 16″. I glued 2 – 2 by 4 pieces to the underside. I then stained the top and started to layer latex spar varnish to make the finished table water resistant.

In between coats of stain and varnish, I worked on my tape. It seems to be progressing nicely. You can see the finished tape winding up on the cloth beam.

Sitting on the deck in the mountains…70 degrees…life is good, least for me. Lacy doesn’t look too thrilled to be wearing her 4th of July outfit.

Tropical Twister

The set-up and weaving process for the Norwegian Cradle Loom with a rigid heddle is as follows. First, I used locker hooking twine, pre-cut lengths of soft string, to tie loops of equal length through all the holes on the warp beam and the cloth beam.

I threaded the paddle style tape loom (mine is from Fred & Grace Hatton, Finn Sheep) according to the diagram from Handwoven Magazine, Interweave Press using the warp color order directed for “tape loom or rigid heddle loom”. I tied small bundles of the warp to the twine loops on the warp beam. When all the warp had been tied, I slowly turned the warp beam to wind on all the warp. To keep the warp from getting tangled and to assure an even draw of thread, I wound a length of drawer/shelf paper somewhat narrower than the warp beam with the warp threads. Then I tied the thread coming from the warp beam and through the paddle tape loom to the loops on the cloth beam. With everything in place I was ready to weave. By lifting the paddle up for one pass and pushing it down for the next it created alternating sheds for a nice tabby weave.

The first weft thread, which was later discarded, was thick white cotton. Several passes caused the warp to tighten up. Then I started weaving with my warp. I selected crochet cotton size 10 to use as weft. The weft needs to be finer than the warp. My warp is cotton rug warp, that is, rather heavy cotton. I am using black as my weft color choice as my pick was between black or white at WalMart. I would have prefered brown to match the outside warp threads. (Not a lot of choices here in the mountains. I stopped at a quilt shop but they were closed to prepare for Christmas in July, what are the chances of that happening, so I pressed on to WalMart.) While the weft “does not” show in warp dominate weaving, it does; it shows slightly on the edge of the tape. Actually, the black works just fine against the brown warp threads. After I wove an inch or so, I removed the white cotton yarn and left just the final tape threading. I plan to go back and secure the end before it is removed from the loom.

I love the loom!! My tape is much more regular than when I used the paddle loom alone as a back strap loom, as I am able to maintain the tension. I expect to try some other projects with this cradle loom when this tape is done, perhaps card weaving.

Tropical Twister

This “cradle loom” is from the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum and called a Norwegian Cradle Loom. Generically, it is a box loom (named for the shape of the loom), tape loom (named for the “tapes” or strips of cloth produced on the loom) or as the Sweds term it, a band loom (named for the decorative bands woven on the looms and used to decorate clothing). Box tape looms probably originated among the Germans and traveled to Sweden and Norway. Germans brought tape loom weaving with them to this country as evidenced by the “Pennsylvania Dutch” tape weaving traditions.

I represent Glimakra looms and if you’re interested, you can purchase a Glimakra Swedish Band Loom through me. Other sources I found for Box Tape Looms, Band Looms, Paddle Looms, and Floor Two Treadle tape looms are (click on source name to be linked to source):

J. K. Sidel
Hand Woven Magazine
The Joyner’s Shop
Fred & Grace Hatton, Finn Sheep
TapeLooms.com
Link to photos of Swedish tapes

This photo shows my loom “dressed” for weaving. I am using a “rigid heddle” to separate the threads to create a “shed” for weaving. The hand held “paddle loom” or “tape loom” can be used separately from the box loom. One end of the warp can be tied to something solid and the other end can be held in ones hand. Moving the paddle up and down a “shed” is created through which the yarn/weaving material is passed. While very portable, I have found that it is difficult to maintain a constant tension with this method, and therefore the band or tape is inconsistent in width. Using the box loom, the rollers which are attached to gears maintain a constant tension and the width is more consistent. I have used shelf lining paper to roll up with warp on the “warp beam”/roller. It keeps the layers of warp from tangling and helps maintain tension on the warp.

The band created by this loom will appear in future blog entries.

Tropical Twister

I’ve become enchanted by small bands created by inkle, box and tape looms, but have been frustrated with my inability to maintain tension. I’ve discovered the Gilmakra Band Loom and the problem is solved:

I am so excited by the band loom and their new “Julia” loom that I’ve become a distributor. The band loom ships in a flat box but is easy (even for me) to assemble. On the loom below, my first band on this loom. It’s kakai, peach and aqua 8/2 cotton.

Watch here for more bands.

Tropical Twister

A visitor to this site introduced me to a very cool riggid heddle laser cut backstrap loom. See the loom on youtube by clicking HERE.

The loom is demonstrated by it’s builder, Travis Meinolf. His weaving blog is fun, to see it, click HERE.

You can buy one of the looms (I don’t sell the looms or get a commission, I just think its cool) by clicking HERE.

FIBER SPACE meets tomorrow, Saturday, March 28 9am to noon at Palma Sola Presbyterian Church, Bradenton, Florida. We’ll be lost in Fiber Space, but we’ll be having fun!

Tropical Twister

I have new “toy”, a paddle tape loom. Before zippers and velcro, everything was secured with “tapes” or ribbons. Tape looms were commonly used by the Swedes, Norwegiens and Germans. The Pennsyvanian Dutch (after immigrating from Germany, my ancesters lived in Sommerset PA in the 1850s before moving on to farm in Illinois and the Dakotas) have a history of tape loom weaving. Decorative “tapes” adorned clothing as trims as well as practical uses such as bonnet and apron ties.
My loom from Finnsheep arrived this week.

For a simple tape, or ribbon, the warp threads are threaded through the slots and a single row of holes. (That’s how you see it threaded here.) I tied one of the warp to a chair and held the other in my hand. By manipulating the paddle I was able to alternate sheds allowing me to weave a simple tabby pattern. The tape is a “warp faced weaving”, that is, warp threads create the design. My warp is a colorful mix of brown, yellow and orange. The first few inches I used the same cotton warp thread for the weft as the warp, first Kaki then brown. You can see both warp and weft. In the second bit of tape, I used finer cotton weft. The weft disappears and all you see is the warp pattern. (The pattern I used is from Handwoven Magazine … Warp Faced Dog Leash designed by Susan Weaver.)

Oh, and that second row of holes…

that is for floating picked design.

Soft wool or other fat yarn was threaded though the second row of holes. A plain tabby warp served as a background for the yarn design which was allowed to “float” above the face of the tape. The reverse side of the finished tape would have the negative image of the pattern on the face of the tape. The weaver had to be careful to design the pattern so that the floats didn’t get too long where they’d get snagged and pulled away from the tape. I understand the concept but haven’t tried to weave with floats yet, heh, it’s only been a few days. I will post more photos of this tape to show the design and techniques including my plan to make a backstrap belt to hold the end of the tape so that I will have two hands free to weave.

Other sources I found for Box Tape Looms, Paddle Looms, and Floor Two Treadle tape looms are (click on source name to be linked to source):

J. K. Sidel
Hand Woven Magazine
The Joyner’s Shop
Fred & Grace Hatton, Finn Sheep
TapeLooms.com
Link to photos of Swedish tapes

Tropical Twister