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Tag Archive | loom
April Oneth!
Yep! It’s that time again. I’ve had a lot of them but I’ll tell you, I am just delighted to be having another one! I’m hoping to have several more. Hope all of you keep on having them too! So what am I going to do on my special day? Probably the same sort of things I did today, just keep on keeping on. No big plans. We’re signed up to go to Black Sheep Gathering and later to OFFF so those will be our big trips this summer. I’ll get to spend a day or two with my sister in Oregon as well. If fuel prices happen to go back down a reasonable amount we might take a trip just for fun. Not holding my breath.
It’s about time to get the garden started. I’ve planted peas, both eatable pod and shelly. That’s all so far, tho. I ought to have cucumbers starting and winter squashes, too, probably. No frost lately tho the night temps are well into the 30’s.
I thawed, roasted and canned up the extra turkey I bought in December . We had a couple nice meals from that 24 lb bird, and now I have pints of meat and turkey soup filling the pantry shelves so here’s a lopsided photo of some of the shelves. I could have sworn I had the camera lined up correctly! lol I guess I need to get out there and Organize. There’s more pints in their boxes that could be on the shelves where they are seen and remembered.
My housebound geraniums are glued to the window, trying to get out in the sun and the red one even put on a flower!
I took this from outside the window and the yard is reflecting on the glass so the geranium has the bare stemmed maple tree superimposed on it! I think this must be an Art photo! But this is the first red one I’ve managed to over-winter. The pinks and white I’ve had for years! In fact that’s been 20 years! I’m not saying they are the same plants I brought home from my classroom at the school, but are at least clones of them! I hadn’t realized really that it had been that long. oh boy! There are some things you’d rather not think about too deeply!
Ah well… We’re onto another year of Little Loom magazine projects. I just submitted my spring ideas and will get to working on summer. Already know what I’ll be doing for the winter issue, I think they’ll like it. Sometimes these projects get pretty stressful but I usually enjoy them and it keeps me motivated.
I hope you are all keeping your looms well dusted! Like anything else, you’re looms will look their best if they are being used. Remember, I like to see your projects! Post them on Ravelry or the facebook group or just email them to me if you feel like sharing!
Well, hope you are having a lovely spring!
March Madness off to a maddening start!
Got up to no phone and no internet! But here at 1 pm we’re back connected to the world. for now anyway!
Here’s the starting pattern. No picture yet, I don’t want to spoil the surprise! Just hope it doesn’t surprise me, too!
Random Squares.
©Hazel Spencer 2-2022
Loom orientated diagonally, like a diamond. The pin furthest from you will be Top, the one closest is Bottom. This pattern is woven over under just as is usual with diagonal continuous weaving. I am sharing the technique of making the patte4rn but not giving weaving lessons.
Center row:
- Light yarn, slip knot on top corner nail, tail brought out between bottom nail and the on just to the right of it..
- Dark yarn Long slip knot over light yarn to nail on each side of top and bottom center.
- Light yarn over dark and around.
- Dark yarn
- dark yarn: Note how the pattern seems to have changed direction. You may not be able to see this yet, but keep weaving.
- Light
- Dark
- Light
- Dark
- Light
- Dark
- Dark
- Light
- Dark
- Light
- Dark
- Dark
- Repeat rows 6-17 or as often as the number of nails on your loom allows. Your square will end with a single row.
You may not be able to see the pattern well, it may look sketchy. The best way to tell is to look at the weaving almost horizontally. But the next step is to take if off the loom. Stretch it side to side and smooth it out to relax and lightly full the yarns. Now you’ll see the pattern! Let us see what you have woven!
If you have already woven the first pattern as posted here (which is now corrected) you may end up with something like this, which is interesting but not what it was supposed to look like. Just enjoy and try the new one.
Nearly the end of February.
Well, the year is already morning along toward another hot dry summer. the Weather Wizards promised us “rain likely” a few days ago! Now is just a chance of showers. Sadistic people. Still, they’ve been wrong before, it may still give us a little downpour. Wouldn’t that be great!!
Meantime, I’ve ordered my seeds in case we get to have a garden this summer. Sure hope so as it begins to sound like there could be some shortages, California, or maybe it’s the feds, have told the central valley farmers that they get NO WATER this year. That’s going to put a serious dent in available produce. I think the numbers were something like 25% of the US produce is from that area. We have have to put up shade cloth to keep the garden from frying but we do need to have it.
Been trying my hand at overshot Weaving on the little looms. It’s an interesting process! I haven’t gotten it to work well on the QW’s but I did a couple simple designs on the Multi square. i did a little crochet and turned the two into a wrist cuff. I’ve downloaded a few more patterns from Floor looms that I want to try.
Meantime I’m working on projects for magazines and for a book I am hoping to interest someone into publishing without too much cost- none at all preferably- to me. Its all for the Quilt Weaver looms. They haven’t had anything new in awhile. But I’m not showing it here, just in case. It’s going to be fun, tho so keep track of your looms, you’ll want to give it a try when I get it ready.
Himself has gone to cut firewood. Says he wants to have nest winter’s firewood in before this summer sets in. Understandable. One of his clients has given him permission to cut fire killed trees on her property. He can drive to it so it’s pretty easy as firewood cutting goes.
And before he left he told me there are 16 looms out in the shop for me to sand. so I guess I’d better get at it. Just wanted to let you guys know that I have not abandoned this blog again. Just finding it hard to find something to talk about! Hope your winter is rounding out a bit more interesting.
Bye for now!
More Dreary January
Well, I guess that’s unfair. It’s a bright sunny day but still- half melted snow and mud and dead looking landscape… Yeah, dreary.
But warm in here by the stove. I’ve been trying to work out texture patterns for the Quilt Weavers. Worked on this one on the 7 inch Fine set. Should have started smaller. Needless to say it didn’t occur to me that I ought to do some math first, never a thing that springs to my mind! lol And it didn’t work out in the center as it was meant to, naturally. And I also discovered that I didn’t pay close enough attention to the edges and one side wasn’t properly woven. So I’m trying again but with a smaller sized loom. I’ve done this on the Regular sett so I know it works. I thought this would be good for the 7″ because it results in a looser weave so a bit easier when you approach the center.
I took some pics during the weaving. Don’t copy my rows but you get the idea. It’s the slide stitch if you want to give it a try and if you get it to work out properly let me know!
Wrong! I took out the instructions I posted yester day as they were wrong. I rewove and think it have ti right this time but I’ll have to weave and write at the same time to get it down- so more waiting! Sorry!
Okay, That’s enough for this time. When I get it to work out I’ll post that and the photo. But now I have to go work in the shop.
Hope you are having a lovely Sunday afternoon!
Once a UFO
Now it’s nearly done. Just has to have a trip though the washer. After that I’ll decide if the bottom of the yoke needs stitching down. I think I pinned this in place before the Big Evacuation and it’s just been out of sight out of mind since. It’s kind of long on me, too, so I may have to re-hem it. I like these shirts. I got them on sale at WalMart in Yreka a few years ago. There’s a green one and a red one left. They’re well made men’s shirts so have sleeves of a decent length. I prefer those without the band but liked this color in spite of that. The yoke is sock yarn on the 4 & 2 inch Multi Looms. I just place the assembled yoke over the shirt, pin in place, sew it down with the machine and cut away the parts I don’t want. I left the shirt fabric under this one to gvie it a bit of heft.
We’re supposed to have rain today sometimes and snow next weekend. Good time for shop work except…! He’s gotten a case of food poisoning somewhere and has had to spend most of the last two days… well, you know where. But he has gotten some stuff done in the shop. If you have an order in, please be patient, we’ll get them done as soon as we can.
Trying to stay warm these December days! Hope your December is going well!
The 20th Anniversary Fine Sett Quilt Weaver Looms!
These new looms are for weaving with your finer yarns: Lace, Fingering, some of the finer sock weights. You’ll love the beautiful light smooth fabrics you can weave as well as the exciting textures that can work on this close weave. They come in the same lovely woods that your favorite regular Quilt Weavers or you can mix and match. Both the 7 inch and the 31/2inch sets are available as singles or sets.
Winter work…
It’s November even tho with temps in the 60’s as high and the lows just in the low 40’s it doesn’t really feel very wintery. Well, except for the rain and gloomy skies. And gloomy husband. He doesn’t do well in continual darkness and besides has jobs that need to be outdoors in dry weather so that’s adding to the frustration. I’m fine tho it worries me a bit that it’s not getting cold. We are still picking pole beans and when I cut greens yesterday there was a bee buzzing around in the borage. Not normal winter conditions for these mountains. Well, I guess we’d better start getting used to the “not normal”. They are suggest a vague possibility of some snow on Monday. Not holding my breath!
But meantime, with the WAL coming to an end, I got out my cardigan project. My favorite orange sweater is wearing out. When even Himself notices it’s sort of ratty condition I guess it’s time! So I’ll be weaving 12″ squares for some time. I’m reusing a frogged knit sweater that turned out to be a bad idea, mostly a bad fit. And I have another one that is in line for frogging as well. I guess I’d better stick to weaving! lol I balled this yarn up but it hasn’t been washed before weaving with it. I’ll find out if that’s a good idea.
But today I have to finish up a batch of apple sauce and sand a couple looms as well. The sweater is going to take awhile to finish.
And there’s enough apples left for a pie. 
Sharing a nice letter from a weaver!
Jody gave me permission some time ago to share her little story with Weavers here. I know exactly how she feels about weaving on the loom and I know a lot of you feel the same way but it is really nice to hear you say so from time to time. I hope this WAL has inspired some of you to dust off your looms and enjoy this relaxing and creative craft once again.
“Hazel please forgive me, but I must tell you a story about your looms. I don’t know when I purchased a 12” loom from you, maybe 2 or 3 years ago. I really can’t remember, but I had such a great time in the evenings making these wash cloths. I loved them and I loved weaving them. You would not believe the number of wash cloths I had made. I gave them to my daughters, to friends as Christmas gifts in a basket of goodies. One of my friends absolutely loves them for her facial wash cloth. Well anyway, I ran out of steam as it turned out as I was making them day and night. I put the loom back for a while.
Jumping forward to this past year. My husband and I had decided to move up closer to our youngest daughter–she is 42 years old. I have been working on our house, downsizing, packing away things to make the house a bit more appealing to prospective buyers. Well a year ago this past August I fell–ouch—I am 73 and have strong bones praise the Lord for that, but they tell me I had very deep extensive bruising and it would take a while for me to get back on my feet- maybe about a year. I was tickled when I finally could get up and start accomplishing some cooking and cleaning and packing again. Me being me has to have a project of some kind going. I decided the perfect thing would be to make some more wash cloths, besides all mine were looking pretty sad. Well, I searched high and low and could not find my 12″ loom. 😦 So I thought okay I know it is here somewhere and since I can’t find it I will order another loom. I saw you had the 14″ so I ordered that thinking WOW that will give me a larger size to create larger cloths. So I ordered it. When it arrived I immediately started making cloths again. After making a half dozen or so I decided that these were a bit too large for what I wanted. Finally I gave in—I told my husband, the best way for me to find my 12″ is to order another 12″. haha. So I did. I was as excited as a kid on Christmas day when my 12″ arrived all safe and sound. I immediately sat down and started making wash cloths. I don’t know why, but all my worries go away and pleasant thoughts dance through my head as I weave. I have several rigid heddle looms, but they are a bit awkward with me sorting and packing, but this little loom is just the right size, easy to move from room to room and so relaxing. No, Hazel I have not yet found my other 12″ loom, but that is okay as it will show up one day. In the meantime, I have this 12″ to keep me relaxed and happy. Thank you for sharing this craft and thank you for being so prompt in sending this wonderful product.
Take care and may God bless you and yours,
Jodi”
This dishcloth is mine, just an illustration of the kind of weaving Jodi was describing.
Raining fish and frogs!
Well, not really. Used to do that once in awhile when I lived in Florida years ago, but never seen it here. But we are all delighted to see it raining hard enough that the Fire Service people are considering the fires to be OUT! 
I finished my Antimacassar yesterday but was not able to load it here and it kept timing out. So I’ll try again! I added a 14″ triangle to the top to hang over the back of the chair to keep it in place and still let the whole picture show. I’m not really very happy with the additional stuff on the top left but not unhappy enough to rip it out and do over. Worked a SC in white around the edge just to finish it off neatly. Now I just have to find a shiny black button to give him an eye. Sister insists that he needs one in spite of the fact that it’s probably not going to show.
So I hope you are all making some headway, maybe even starting to assemble? Hope to hear some progress reports!
Remember, this weeks prize is a 4″ Multi triangle loom! The dusty one in the photo is mine, you’ll get a new un-dusty one!
Row two is the most complicated bit and that is really not that hard once you look at how it’s put together. It’s just overlapping triangles!
Hazel Rose 