Professor YouTube has done a decent job so far but I need a class where I can ask questions and make sure I'm doing this correctly. I searched and searched for local classes. Nada. Zilch. A big fat zero. I found the Contemporary Handweavers of Houston but they were in the middle of a huge move. They weren't scheduling any classes until late February. ARGH! It's late January and I want a class! All I could think about was all the scarves I could make between now and late February. I'm sick. I know. I left messages and emails thinking I could sign up for a private class but never heard back from anyone. Guess everyone was tied up with the move and the holidays. DAMN!!! I don't want to let my momentum die. So I keep searching.
SUCCESS!! I found the WC Mercantile in Navasota!! They have a beginner's rigid heddle class in one week. YAY!!! I'm sooooo excited!!! I call. fail. It's full. Did that many people get looms for Christmas this year?!? ::pout:: But she puts me on a wait list for sometime in February. damn.
I twiddle my thumbs. And twiddle. And twiddle.
RING! RING! RING!!
Hello?
This is WC Mercantile. We've had a huge demand for rigid heddle classes that we have another class scheduled in two weeks. Are you still interested?
HELL YEAH!!! Sign me up!!
click.
::begins happy dance::
(__/__) (__|__) (__\__) (__/__) (__|__) (__\__) (__/__) (__|__) (__\__)
I'm taking a rigid heddle class at WC Mercantile!!!
Finally the day is here. I've been looking forward to this for what seems like an eternity. It's been rainy and cold and today is going to be a gorgeous drive. I've been looking forward to the 1.5 hour drive to Navasota. Gonna crank my music up, take my favorite windy road, and enjoy the drive there.
DAMMIT!!! I get to my favorite stretch and they're having a bloomin' dang bicycle race. Crap!
But what's inside is magical. Lots and lots of wonderful squishy soft yarn and roving and supplies for weaving and knitting and crocheting and spinning. It's a fabulous store!
The class size was perfect. Only three of us. We were suppose to come with our loom and two skeins of worsted weight yarn and all the other supplies. I had ordered some fabulous all American yarn from Swans Island up in Maine to use. (I love this yarn! Check out their story here.) I'm ready to get started.
Pause.
The other two people in the class had bought new looms. Cool. But had failed to put them together before class started. SOOOO...I had to kill an hour while they assembled their looms. ARGH!!! That was frustrating.
So how does one kill time in a yarn store?
Hmmmmmmm....I don't know?!?!?! /snark
They go yarn shopping of course!!!!!
They have all sorts of beautiful yarn. They carry yarn from a local alpaca farm, Bluebonnet Hills. SQUEEEE! I've been wanting to go there and get some. Well...here it is!! Some how or another four skeins jumped into my arms plus some mmmmmmMalabrigo. And some warp thread and a new #5 dent heddle. I have a sickness.
Finally, class started...only an hour late. We got right to work learning how to warp and tie it on to the loom. We are going to make a pattern from the Cricket manual that was in the box. We did the direct warp method similar to what I learned on YouTube but without the lashing. I like this better. For waist yarn, the teacher suggested a shoestring. It's easy to reuse and usually will be larger than your weft yarn.
We worked a bunch on getting our weft rows even. I learned you never beat your row...you tap. Oooospie!! No more Zip! Zoom! Beat!The class was over pretty quick (especially since we started late).
The drive back was uneventful. No bikers to run over. drats!
When I made it home, I frogged all the weft I had done and started over. I wasn't happy with it.
I love how fast this goes. I finished the 5 foot scarf in about 4-5 hours. Got it in to soak with some Soak and hung it out to dry.
I love this stuff!!! I'm ready for a bigger loom now. Maybe a 25- to 30-inch Ashford or Kromski or Schacht folding rigid heddle. I want one that can do double heddles.
What's your preference?
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