Basic Rigid Heddle at CHH is da Bomb!!!

I'm a noob. I admit it. I don't know much about weaving. The one thing I do know is that I LOVE IT!!!
I'm eager to learn more. I want to know how this works. My first class was blah. A 3-hour class that spent 1 hour putting their looms together. So I was ecstatic when Contemporary Handweavers of Houston (CHH) started offering classes again after their move. I couldn't wait.

The class was an Introduction to Rigid Heddle Weaving. A 6-hour course that provided a Cricket 10-inch loom and set-up to use for a month plus yarn for your class project. Awesome! The class size was perfect. There were only 4 of us in it. So we were able to ask questions and work things out.

Our instructor, DeeDee, was the best!! She was so helpful and extremely knowledgeable.

The class was in their new location just east of downtown Houston in a renovated building with gorgeous hardwood floors. I love those loft-styled buildings. Makes me want to move down there!

We started out learning about the loom then went to work direct warping our loom with some worsted weight yarn. I have no idea how that translates into weaver talk. 3/2...8/4... but for my knitter brain it's worsted weight. LOL

We learned technique while she encouraged us to explore how the warp and the weft work together. Our warp was 6-feet-long and 7-inches-wide. I choose a beige warp then had a teal weft. I wasn't sure how they were going to work together. I'm still trying to figure out how the warp and the weft "talk" to each other.

I worked really hard on my edges. I wanted to master how to have a better and straighter edge so it wouldn't be all wonky and crooked. Though, freeform is pretty cool!!! LOL (I keep telling myself that because mine are wonky. Guess it's a Design Element!)  I did throw in a couple of stripes for good measure.

DeeDee's class was awesome. I'm definitely hooked...warped...knotted and tied up. I even signed up for the next rigid heddle class that's during the week. I'm actually going to take off a day from work to take a weaving class! How cool is that!!!

When I left CHH after our class, I went home and finished the class project. Signed up for the Rigid Heddle 2: A Plethora of PickUps. Joined the CHH guild. What can I say?! I liked it!

My finished class project was pretty short. It finished out at 5-feet-long. I gave it to my mom to see if she can make something out of it. Maybe it will be a purse or a part of a mixed media piece.

I liked knitting but I'm terribly slow at it. Enjoy crocheting but there's only so much you can do with crochet before it starts looking dated. But with weaving, I love it! It's fast. The fabric you make is wonderful! And the yarn really is the focus in your piece. I can't wait for the next rigid heddle class.

Thanks, DeeDee, for feeding a new addiction for me. You rock!! I totally enjoyed the class and I can't wait to see what else I can learn at CHH.

:D

Schacht...You Dropped the Ball.

Maybe you remember about a week ago I rang up Schacht to see if there was anyway to retrofit my Schacht 10-inch Cricket Loom. (see March 21 post)

I get the distinct impression that they've been asked this question a lot because they were a little bit snarky in their reply.

I had HIGH hopes based on my first phone call. The person who answered the phone was very friendly and outgoing. She promised me someone would be back with me on the next Monday. Well that Monday came and went. Then Tuesday. Then Wednesday. So I called back on Thursday. I got a different person who promised me someone would get back to me. I've heard that before.

Finally an email came in that said they had left a voice mail (which I never got) and they also said ...

"...An older style Cricket loom cannot be retro-fitted to have the gears on the outside because the measurements and loom elements of the redesign changed and will not allow this."

Well, of course, I want to know more. I wonder if you can just switch out the back bar and ratchet gears with the new one. Makes sense to me...so I asked. And here's her response...

"I wish I could tell  you otherwise, but every element on the loom but the apron cords was redesigned. If you want the gears on the outside your best option is to get a new style loom."

Somebody hadn't had their coffee yet. Maybe she needs chocolate. But I think she sounded a little snarky.

I'm thinking about buying a new larger loom in the next few months and I have seriously been considering either the Schacht or the Ashford flip looms. Makes me wonder about the customer support offered.

I'm curious why Schacht didn't consider the owners when they realized there was a flaw in the original Cricket loom design. How hard would it have been to offer a kit to the owners to change their loom so the gears wouldn't interfere with the warp? After spending $150 on a loom then the company redesigns it because of a design flaw, it seems logical to me that the company should be considerate of all those loom owners. Not tell them they should buy a different loom if they don't like it.

That's just bad customer relations.

Fail.

One Ringy Dingy!

Original Cricket design with interior ratchet.

Keep your fingers crossed! I rang up Schacht Friday to ask about retrofitting my Cricket 10-inch. They are super nice and helpful!!!

My mom "regifted" the Schacht 10-inch Cricket Loom she bought about 5 years ago to me at Christmas. I was thrilled!!! This Cricket is the original design with the ratchet on the inside at the back beam. It gets in the way when you warp every slot of the heddle. If you're not careful, it eat s your warp edge. That's bad!!! Really bad. I truly think that's why I'm having trouble with my tension. I have a tendency to warp wide and every slot.

Wide and long. Scarves! Get your mind out of the gutter!! :)

Revised Cricket design with exterior ratchet.

When I called Schacht, she said they've had that question before but the person I should talk to was out. She promised to call me back with an answer. WOW! I can't wait to hear. I've got my fingers crossed there is a solution on how to retrofit – somehow move the ratchet to the outside.

I know I'm already thinking about a bigger loom but I like the size of this one. It's perfect for scarves. So I'd like to be able to use it better and without the tension problem.

Stay tuned. I'll let you know what I find out.

Woven Audio File

I must be addicted. As soon as I finish a project on my loom, I'm warping another project. I'm loving this!!

I've been seeing some pictures of a scarf that has weft zigzag color bands through it. I've been thinking of trying that...not too sure how it's done but I think I have an idea to try. In my yarn extravaganza at WC Mercantile, I bought a couple of spools of cotton. Of course, I didn't have anything else in my stash so I had to get some. /snort So I pulled out the 3/2 black cotton and went to town warping 110 inches on my Cricket 10-inch using a 12-dent.

This is going to be cool! My first one with "real" weaving thread. WOOHOO!!! :)  Well, the weft will be using Schachenmayr Tahiti yarn. I have to do this in baby steps. The Tahiti yarn is 99% cotton and 1% polyester but has vibrant colors that gradually change to another color. I'm thinking I'm going to have cool shades on one side and warm shades on the other side. Fingers crossed this turns out like how I see it in my head. (oh, you should see some of the images in there!!)

With the loom warped, I went to town. It was trial and error at first. I wrapped my shuttles and rewapped and rewrapped trying to get the right color to go on first and thinking about how the shade would end. The idea I have is that I will have two shuttles coming in from both sides that meet in the middle of the shed, interlock, and then go back out the way they came in. Make sense? I don't understand it either. But here it goes...

DANG IT! I missed a slot!!! I am not rewarping this thing. Out comes my black spool of thread and pull through a piece and tie it on. I'll just weight it down in the back. Not sure if this is kosher or not but it's going to have to work.

I gave up on using shuttles. Ended up taking the yarn off and balling it. /snicker It was easier to handle when I pushed the yarn through the shed with an empty shuttle and then interlocking the threads together.

Then my warp started slipping. Huh? It's tight in the middle but the edges are droopy. It didn't start out that way. I try to make adjustments but I can't get it to tighten up. So, I frog what I've got done and try to tighten up the warp again. Got it tight and started again.

WHAT!? It starts doing it again? What gives?!?! Why do I have a droopy warp? It's tight when I start weaving but then it loosens up. I don't understand. Dang, I want a better class on weaving! CRAP! I frog again. But this time I'm going to really redo it by pairing up starts and ends of each thread so they're not twisted up and make sure it's straight on the back beam. I've been using paper to make sure everything was even. Maybe I'll use thicker paper this time.

Third time's the charm, right?!? It's all straight and tight now. Off I go! It seems to be working now! YAY!!!

Look how the colors are working! This is cool! It reminds me of a sound wave file.

I still have a little bit of tension problems but they're not as bad as earlier. My warp keeps getting tangled up on the ratchet inside the loom. That sure is a pain there. It's almost like a design flaw. hmmmmm....

I find some of the colors don't change as often as I would like them to. I help them along. I'm liking how this is turning out.

During one of my many breaks, I check out Contemporary Handweavers of Houston. Man, I want a real class. Lookie!!! They're back open!!! HALLELUJAH!!!! Sign me up!!!

I was able to get into the Beginning Rigid Heddle class. It's a 6-hour class where we'll learn the basics about our rigid heddle looms. And guess what, it's only two weeks away!! I better get busy finishing this scarf so I can have an empty loom to take. 

Finally, it's done! This had a lot of frustrating moments with the edges slipping and not maintaining tension. I really think it has to do with the ratchet on the inside. Weaving took a little longer because of interlocking the yarns and then adjusting where they met in the shed. (everybody should have a friend they meet in the shed!)  I'm tickled pink with the outcome.

It ended up 96 inches long and 9 inches wide plus 6 inches of fringe.

I wet finished it by soaking it in some Soak then hung it outside to dry draped over a thick hanger. I did toss it in the dry on low with a Bounce sheet. It's uber soft!!

Look how the colors change. I do wish they turned out a little more vibrant. Maybe the next one I try with a white warp.

I finished just in time for my next weaving class at CHH.
 Not sure what we'll make there but I'm excited!

Somebody Teach Me!!

I am an eager studant. I want to learn and push my rigid heddle to the limits. Just how far can I take my Schacht 10-inch Cricket Loom?

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!

 

WC Mercantile is in historic downtown Navasota, Texas. It's in a wonderful old building with gorgeous hardwood floors. It has the typical big display windows like the old stores used to have. Love it all!

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?

One Scarf, Blue Scarf

Can't say I always let grass grow under my feet...when it comes to weaving. As soon as I had my first scarf hanging up to dry, I was warping my next project. I want to get this right! I want to weave something that the warp is not always breaking in. DOH!!

I found some beautiful superwash Merino in my stash in gorgeous shades of blue, green, and teal. My warp was some luscious mmmmmMalabrigo sock yarn. My plan is to use Sundara Water Study sock yarn with maybe some Tofutsies stripes. We'll see how it goes. With my luck...anything goes!! LOL

Since I'm still learning, I stuck with basic weaving. Nothing fancy. Maybe a stripe here and there. 

My original plan was to have a LONG solid blue scarf with the variegated yarn. I warped another 100+ inches with the mmmmmMalabrigo. I love the blues and greens. Got all set up and away I went!! Zip! Zoom! Beat! Gotta have that nice tight fabric!! HA!! 

I quickly realized I was not going to have enough of my weft yarn (Sundara) to make my LONG scarf. How does one figure out the gauge on a weaving project?! Again, I'm an uber tight knitter...and appear to be an uber tight weaver. LOL So I figure I'll add a stripe in the Tofutsies to help extend the Sundara. 

Well...that ain't going to be enough! I get close to halfway and start thinking I need more Sundara. Hi ho! Hi ho! Off to search I go! Through tubs full with lots of wool! Hi ho! Oh crap!! I can't find another matching skein of Sundara. Oh crap! Maybe I can find some online. ::headdesk:: Has everybody already used their skeins of Water Study from Sundara? :(  C'est une farce!  I did find one skein of Sundara that is a Water Study but it's a different number...same colorway but different shade. I think it will work.

NOW my plan is to switch out the two shades of Sundara and continue the turquoise Tofutsie stripe throughout the whole scarf. See?! Me and plans don't go together. Gotta stay flexibile!!

I really worked on my edges this time. My warp never did break!!! And my edges are really nice. My left side is much nicer than my right. Every now and then the right side gets a little loose and wants to slip up and down the warp. 

I did 3 inches of blue then 5 rows of turquoise. 

The variegated yarn is fabulous!! You get the striping effect with the warp and weft. Love how it works together. 

I finished with 110 inches!! Got it soaked and hung to dry. This time I spent the afternoon watching Californication as I twisted fringe. Got to get that fringe twister!!

Don't panic!! The scarf is not laying on the ground. It's laying across an arch on my patio. It looks like it's on the damp leaves but it's safe.

This one feels maaaaaaaaaaahvelous!!

Next week I finally have a class to learn what I'm doing wrong!! I can't wait!

On Your Mark...Get Set..........WARP!!!

**WARNING** If you are a weaver, please proceed with caution. MANY rules were broken with my first attempt. Please excuse the ignorance. I sorta know better now. :)

My very first woven scarf!!! 

No help. No classes. Just YouTube and determination. 

I'm a knitter and crocheter. I know yarn from a knitter and crocheter's perspective. We have gauge and lace weight and sock yarn. We use needles and hooks to follow a pattern. Seems a natural progression is to weave next...especially if one has so much yarn that she'll never knit it in her lifetime. (looking innocent over here.)

I learned A LOT on on my first scarf. I made a ton of mistakes but I was hooked. 

Lesson #1
Pick a yarn that is tightly plied for your warp yarn. ::headdesk::  I picked out some beautiful yarn from my stash. I had a soft grey wool hemp, Classic Elite Yarn Verde Collection Woodland. It went so nicely the lush Nashua Daylily (grey and burgundy ribbon) and Madelintosh Tosh Vintage Lepidoptra (burgundy) yarns. I got it all warped pretty easily thanks to this video on YouTube (http://youtu.be/fa1WrHOTjxY). I only had to start over once! I did my waste yarn and then... I was WEAVING!!! OMG!!! The shuttle was flying back and forth. Zoom! Zoom! I was beating each weft down. Yes...beating. I wanted a good and tight fabric. Zip! Zoom! Beat! Zip! Zoom! Beat! Repeat! I had six inches done really quickly. I was SOOO proud of myself. I was weaving!! I advanced my yarn and started on the next section. Zip! Zoom! Beat! Zip! Zoom! Beat! SNAP!!!


WTH!!! A warp thread broke!!! CRAP!!!

I didn't want to start over and frog my first attempt. So I tied a square knot in my warp and continued on. Zip! Zoom! Beat! Zip! Zoom! Beat! Repeat! SNAP!!!

CRAP!!! Not again!! I tied another square knot and continued on. Zip! Zoom! Beat! Zip! Zoom! Beat! SNAP! $#!@*%!!! Why is this yarn breaking?!?!?!? I took a closer look and I had a light bulb moment. The yarn was splitting and fraying. I wasn't even a foot into my scarf. It was looking too good to quit. I experimented with my beating and it kept breaking. I looked at my rigid heddle thingy (I now know it's called a "dent" and there are numbers on the dent!) and the holes were nice and big. But the yarn was rubbing with each beating I pounding the weft with. Which brings me to...

Lesson #2
When weaving your very first project, (besides maybe picking a nice rugged acrylic, yes, I said "acrylic") do not warp 98 million feet onto your loom!! Be reasonable...warp a place mat or a scarf for your dog. A 36-inch warp is an excellent way to start. Do not do like I did and warp 100 inches my first go. That meant I had about 88 more inches to go with my breaking warp. Did I say I was stubborn and persistent? Well, I'm stubborn and persistent. (no comments needed from the peanut gallery!) I was going to finish this one way or another! Obviously, beating was out of the question. I had to find a way to push my weft down to the previous row. I needed something long and stiff and thick enough to push it with. Get your minds out of the gutter!! About that time I noticed a ruler calling out to me. That was my new beater. And it worked! I was back to Zip! Zoom! Bop! There was no more beating.

I was moving right along now.

In my exuberance and troubled beginning, I didn't think about marking milestones as I went. I'm a measurer. I want to know how much I've done and know how much more I have to go. Soooo...

Lesson #3
Place a crochet stitchmarker every 6 inches as you weave. I decided to use two different colors...one for the 6-inch mark then a different one for the 12-inch mark. I removed the 6-inch marker after I placed the 12-inch marker. That way I could count the markers and know I had 96 million more feet to go. BUT to find out where I was on this journey, I had to unroll the front bar to measure how much I had done. That's when I noticed my scarf was now a wavy scarf. The sides had more misshapen curves than I do!! ::headdesk::

Lesson #4
Watch your sides!!! (which I now know are called "selvages"). I am such a noob!! I had been careful to make sure I didn't have huge loops on the outside edges but I hadn't been real careful about how tight those loops were when I turned the yarn and did the next row. OOOPSIE!!! I think this is going to be a freeform fiber art interpretation piece. That's it!!! Artistic Interpretation!! Seems I weave just like I knit... TIGHT!

So much for the Zip! Zoom! Bop! :( 

With each foot I completed, I learned more and more. My sides started getting better. I got brave and did a couple of stripes. I even changed colors at what I thought was a halfway point...4 feet. HA!!!

I finally reached the end of my mile. I loved how the colors worked. That's one thing I don't understand yet. How do you know which yarn to use as your weft and warp? Which one will be dominant? How is it going to mix together? My knitter brain got really confused.

It was nerve-wracking cutting it off. I was worried it was all going to come unwound. I tied knots in my warp to make fringe and spent a day twisting and twisting 102 strands per side to make some twisted fringe.

Lesson #5
BUY A FRINGE MAKER GADGET!!! Save your fingers and time and buy getting one of these cool things. (fringe twister). Though, I did sit there and have a Netflix marathon. I loved Marco Polo!! Lorenzo Richelmy is hot!!

Now my first woven scarf has soaked and hung to dry. I'm thrilled to death how it turned out... ALL 115 inches of it!!! Good thing I like them long!! I'm already thinking about my next scarf.

I know what yarn I will NOT be using to warp with!! LOL