Funny You Should Ask.......

 

Someone asked me to do a post about weaving for beginners the day I posted about Pup's sling that I made out of a cotton tote bag.  It was perfect timing because the bag I used for Pup was the bag that I kept my lease sticks and other weaving doo dads in. 

When I took them out to cut up the bag I looked at them in curiosity. My poor Wolf Pup has been packed up since 2019 when we started the ill fated and never ending remodel. I am going to have to do a lot of re-learning when it comes to getting back into weaving. It's all a blur but I do recall those lease sticks being very important. 

I actually stick them in and secure them to the cross before I move the warp to the loom. 

I'm also going to have to figure out what to do with my warping board. I used to hang it on the wooden pantry door in the old kitchen but that's gone now and I am NOT putting it on my new doors and risk scratching them up. 

The method I used for getting everything where it needs to go was a hybrid of lots of tutorials I  have watched over the years. This one from WEBs on YouTube is the best. It's the one that pretty much sums of what I do and how I do it. I'm not sure where I got the idea for the counting threads but I do remember they are a life saver-like a life line in lace knitting. 

My own posts and photos are helping me remember some of the tricks I used. Clothespins keep everything straight and counted while I thread the heddles. 

I also remember it takes a lot of time and patience to go through all the many steps but I remember I enjoyed each one very much. It's that very slowness that's appealing. It forces you to settle down and become very mindful. 

Of course I need more dishtowels like I need more socks-meaning I don't. I have a HUGE box of towels already just sitting here waiting for me to figure out where to put them when I finally get the new kitchen sorted out.

But I also have an 8/2 cotton weaving stash that is now even bigger than this one from an old photo so we know how that's going to go. I have a thing for buying kits and I get most of mine from Cotton Clouds. The price will make you swoon but one project can last for months and months so it's worth it. In fact, I have a new kit on the way. (!)

It won't be long (I hope) before I'll be back doing this again. 

I miss the rhythm of it. You can rid yourself of a lot of frustration beating that fabric good and tight.

Even though every step is as fiddly as it gets it is all very rewarding. I do need to up my hemming game though. I'm pretty sloppy about it. 

So....I'll be more than happy to do some real step by step weaving posts one day-as soon as we get through all this Pup drama and my living room looks like this again. Thanks for asking!