Tag Archive | pin loom

Some stuff.

I am going to post the basic instructions for the Diamond Top here. If you want a pdf you must email me and I’ll send it along. It has been very popular but you must keep in mind that this is not a one size fits all. This one was made to fit Madelyn, who is quite thin. I am working on the sizing problem and will post as I came up with options. meantime if you make adjustments to fit yourself I do hope you will share them here for the rest of us.

top layout vertical

Above is a chart of the Diamond Top. Assemble rows vertically first then horizontally. This makes the least seams and also helps the diamonds line up nicely. The dotted lines on the front are the shoulders. Assemble front and back, fold on dotted line, and stitch in place. It works, however strange it may seem here. Then sew up the side seams

I worked a row of single crochet and then a row of reverse single crochet (crab stitch) around the neckline to stabilize it a bit. If you find it needs this and you don’t crochet (you really should learn, it’s very useful) you can sew on a bit of lace or trim for the same purpose.

The measurements are of my top for Madelyn. Yours may vary with your weaving style and the yarn you use.

One more thing, in case any of you need looms, I have posted a few misc discounted looms for sale on Ravelry Looms To Go sale thread, The detail are there.

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Home again!

Here we are, back where we started from and happy to see it. We had a great trip but coming home is always good, too. My own bed! Well, the bed in the 5th wheel is also mine, I guess, but I like this one better! I have a limited amount of pictures on my camera. There are more on the tablet if I can figure out how to get them here I’ll post more. Meantime, here’s what I have of our trip so far.

We stayed at a campground on the Salmon river in Idaho, outside of Riggins. This old one lane bridge is being replaced. We did not take the trailer over it, just drove down to explore. In fact, we didn’t stay in the campground just in the parking lot in front, as the camp was closed due to a fire that they had there just a month after we stayed there last year.

salmon river bridge 2salmon river bridge

 

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Here is the view from our trailer park at the outskirts of Moscow, Id. It is a pea field. some were just starting to bloom. I have no idea what kind of peas there were but there were thousands of acres of them and also of many kinds of grain.

moscow pea patch

This is our booth in the 1912 highschool building in Moscow. It is a community hall now days and the new hi is just up the street. That’s where the classes were held. We met many weavers and maybe converted a few more! A very nice, well organized event. Thank you, Shelly of The Yarn Underground who sponsored it and did a great deal of the work involved.

moscow show booth

This is Linda Echenrode of All things Fiber in St. Maries, Id who also had a booth. Linda carries our looms in her shop and she showed me the poncho she is working on using many sizes of Multi looms. My photo does not show much of the incredible pattern work and detail in Linda’s weaving. It is beautiful! If you are anywhere near there be sure to stop in at her shop and ask to see it!

 

Linda's poncho 1Linda's poncho

 

And if you have not seen these windmill ‘farms’ you are missing a sight. I know some people think they are a blight but I think they are beautiful! I did not get a good photo as there was no good place to stop when they were in view. There are fields of them in several states but this was Washington. Rolling hills with grain fields and these atop.

windmillwindmill 2

Here we are now on the Mt. McKinley pass looking at the Sisters. We camped nearby and nearly froze! I did get Himself down to around 5000′ before he stopped so the morning temp was just barely below freezing! lol Very beautiful. Large lava flows in places.

Sisters

There are falls on the McKinley River. Thick moss and the roar is deafening. It’s a beautiful river. This is the upper fall.

McKinsie Falls 1

Geese 1

These geese were standing on rock just below the lower fall.Geese 2

 

 

And here they are from below, looking up at their back sides.

Geese 3

 

Here you  can see how close they were to the fall and the fury and all the mist. I guess it’s a goose thing. ??

This is the lower fall.

McKinsie Falls 2

 

 

That’s it for today. Here’s a little ‘hitchhiker’ I picked up at a Goodwill in Bend, Oregon while we were waiting to get a new fridge installed in the 5th wheel. :-0 !

homeward bound

xo Hazel

Another one for Madelyn!

My just finished project is a dress for Madelyn. I think this one fits under the description of Boho that I googled this morning. I used the 10 1/2” QW square for the top as it has wider spacing and worked better for this slightly fuzzy mohair. The skirt is woven on the 12” Multi Loom. I worked a border for the bottom row of the skirt but the rest of the dress is plain weave. There is elastic hand stitched at the waist and the top is tied with a ribbon. That could have had elastic as well, but I haven’t done that yet. It could also use the ribbon for some little spaghetti type straps if they were wanted. The construction is as simple as it can be– all squares- two rows for the top and two for the skirt. Madelyn is quite thin but you can re-size simply by adding more squares.

Skirt square woven on the 12″ Multi.

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Stitching the skirt panels together using a mattress stitch.

skirt

The dress laid out flat is pretty much a tube. I folded down a casing at the top for the ribbon.

Dress Flat 2

And here it is on her. It looks a lot like some of the summer styles I saw for young people on my last shopping expedition. It would not take long to make for your teen or twenty something. Or yourself if this is your style! Easy to re-size, as I mentioned.

Side 1  Side 2

Is it May already?!!

Well, as you probably suspect, I have finished none of the projects I’ve shown here, lots of excuses, no real reasons.  Just didn’t get around to it in most cases.  But a couple weeks ago there was a county wide yard sale, one of those semi-annual things up here where you go from door to door, and town to town. We never left Coffee Creek but I bought a new “doll”. This one is taller than me but I immediately set about weaving her some clothing. Here is Madelyn  wearing her new pencil skirt and Diamond Block top.

Maddies dresses top

The skirt is woven using the 6″ square Mutli loom. It’s lined as well to help it hold its shape even tho Maddie doesn’t sit, I thought that a good idea. The top is made up of 7″ Quilt Weaver Diamonds. This photo shows it not quite finished but you can see the diamonds better. I worked a row of sc and a row of reverse sc around the neckline to draw it up just a bit. Maddie is very thin so almost as hard to fit as I am, being rather wide. I used some stash yarn to weave this set. One of the ideas I’ve had– you know the ones that lurk in the back of your mind and only come out in those middle of the night waking periods– is to weave an evening dress. I have absolutely no use for this kind of garment but I’m thinking that Madelyn may yet end up with one!

Meantime, I think a couple more practical items are in line. I am trying to work up some ideas for a clothing weaving class. It just seems to me that since we have all these looms we should do more with them than the occasional couch pillow or baby blanket. The little easy dust collector items are cute but really, how many can you use? But clothing is something we all need all the time and can be both practical and pretty! Anyway, that’s my idea.

And speaking of practical, it’s also gardening season and here’s my first go at growing broccoli. How ’bout that!

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Hope you are having a green & growing spring while still getting in some weaving time!

Weaving colors

Played with the 7″ Quilt Weaver Square yesterday and worked a experimental hounds-tooth. Trouble is that the pin count is an odd number so it doesn’t come out even. Going to have to play with it a bit more. Tried it on the diagonal but goofed that one up and frogged it. It will work but it may be a bit loose, I’ll have to do it again and full it before I  decide. The diagonal 2 red-1 white worked out evenly and looks nice.

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I’ll keep playing with these. If you want more information, I posted a project page on Ravelry. I also got out the bag of 4″ squares I have previously woven and am intending to work on that  again since the xmas vest ran short. I may have to wait for OFFF in Sept to find more of that yarn or something as a go-with.

Meanwhile we’re at the stage of winter/spring when Mother Nature can’t seem to make up her mind which it is to be. Hard to decide plans from day to day. But I think my plans so far for today is to weave and not do much else. Hope you are getting some weaving time!

The Big pin loom

The Mat Maker loom is the one to choose if you like working BIG. It is Loom is 14 x 21.5”.  The finished rectangles can be made into bags, pillows, throws… the possibilities are us to you!

Weaving strips of leftover “fleece”.

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Yarns,  fabric strips woven with a cotton yarn, the “fleece”. The red, white and black are tee-shirt selvages from a factory, given to me. This one also used cotton yarn was a weft.

DSC06030  Mat

A rug from Pendleton Mills woolen selvages and one using the I-cord I did on the little knitting machine using some lace-weight yarn. I rather like this one.

pendleton rug I-Cord5

A month late, but Happy 2016!

Well, I have been weaving, but too much other stuff going on as well. Not the fun stuff, but the busy stuff. You know….

Snow–DSCN0447 Rain…rainTrying to get to Medford for lumber and supplies, including groceries. Not making it! Well, we did eventually make it but not this time. Very slick ice over the mountain, we gave up and tiptoed back down 2 mph.icy Mt. And a new doll…Front so I had to go play with the doll knitters for the Valentines KAL. Yes, I know I could have woven one, but I like to knit also. I’ll be good now. And then there’s the end of the year paper work… such fun. NOT!DSCN0511

So there’s my excuses for not posting. We’re signing up for the year’s fiber fairs and planning trips already and as I said, I am getting in a little weaving time. Still working on the many way to make a 6″ square. DSCN0508 And also looking at possibly teaching a class so need short fast projects. Hummmm……

But today is February oneth and time to pay bills so I guess I’d better get on with that. At least the sun is shining today so it is a bit more cheerful if not significantly warmer. Snow tomorrow, they tell us.

Hope your winter is going well!

 

 

A winter project

Here is a little project I have been working on occasionally this fall. I have not quite decided what it’s going to be. right now I am just playing. I also posted this to Ravelry so if you are a member there you may have seen it. I am using the Multi looms because this is sock weight yarn. I bought it at OFFF and have the label somewhere, I’ll look it up. It is hand dyed superwash wool, that I do remember. But after weaving a couple 6” squares, I knew I was going to get bored before the entire large skein was done so got the idea to make 6” squares using the other sizes. I have not run out of options yet. And have not decided if I am going to involve the triangles or not. As you can see I have also not done anything with the tails either. But it is kind of interesting to see how close to the original 6” I can get. The top center block was put together by sc each side and then slip stitched the two sides together. I like how that looks but found that it makes the block just a tince too wide and with more than one seam it makes them way too wide. That could be compensated for by working an edging around the outside of the block but I decided to go with a narrower join, just one row of sc. I chose this dark maroon yarn because I thought it toned the red & green down a bit and also being a bit smaller yarn the seams would be a little less bulky. It’s already been redone once and is still subject to frogging. And I expect it’s going to be a long time finishing. 🙂
Samples

  1. 4×6 & three 2×2
  2. 4×6 & 2×6
  3. Three 2×6
  4. 2×6 & three 2×4
  5. One 6”

Thankful-day!

Hope you all have family and friends to share your day with. That is one thing we can all be thankful for, I do hope.

We celebrated this event last week with family. It was great and I am daily thankful that I have them, even those times when they tick me off, as family will do occasionally. But even then, I am glad I have them.

And they were very gracious and told me they loved the hats, which I hope was true and if it wasn’t I am thankful that they said so, anyway! Here’s the bunch.

4 earflap hatsBless us, every one!