Kind of Warped...

No folks, this is not a post about my warped sense of humor... 

I think I have mentioned that Wayne and I have been spinning wool into yarn for a while now.  I didn't expect to enjoy spinning as much as I do, but I find it very relaxing and rewarding.  The problem is that you end up with a bunch of yarn and nothing to do with it!!!  We have sold some and given some away, but with all of the expense and time you have into it, you really want to find a way to use it yourself. 

Wayne received a small Ashford Loom for Christmas 2009 and he made a few projects with it including my awesome Merino Wool Scarf which he gave me for Christmas this year.  This last fall, when he saw a Leclerc Floor Loom on Craigslist for a great price, he brought it home and made a place for it in the computer room.  It is HUGE and has a lot of parts - foot pedals, cranks, mechanical brakes...  It was a little intimidating to think of trying to learn how to use it.

On Saturday, Cathy Phaneuf from Phaneuf Pharm came over and taught us how to warp our loom.  As with most new hobbies, weaving comes with it's own vocabulary and I am learning it slowly.  To "warp" a loom essentially means to "string" it.  The "strings" that run from back to front and through the parts that raise up and down when you press the pedals are called "the warp".  The "strings" or yarn which you weave through the warp are called the "weft".   Don't worry, there will not be a test (I hope).

Cathy showing us how to tie the warp

Cathy is a great teacher...  she broke the very intricate process of warping the loom down into very easy steps and her excitement and love of weaving was infectious.  I learn better from people who are excited about what they are teaching about.

We have spent a few hours since Cathy left on Saturday weaving our first project...  It is going to be a scarf made from handspun yarn in a Pebble Weave pattern with bands of regular weave every 5 inches. 

I did not expect to enjoy weaving...

Progress on our first Floor Loom project

As you push down on different pedals you weave through the "shed"

The "Pebble Weave" pattern we are working from

 

Our progress (note the band of regular weave near the top which will repeat every 5 inches)