Lazy lazy day.

   Ello folks, seems to have been a good week for my blogging, just not sure I can keep it up. I didn't get any weaving done today as planned, I had a very lazy day sat in front of the computer catching up on tv shows. I gave up my tv in February but still like to watch the odd program on the computer, N.C.I.S, Sons of Anarchy and one I had forgotten about, The Mentalist which I caught up on today.I never really watched tv when I had it but had it on a lot as back ground noise, I don't miss it at all as it, usually, gives me more time to get on with crafty stuff.

  I'll get some weaving done tomorrow and I need to get some more knitting done on the five fold aran braid pocket scarf, I haven't knitted any since I decided it only needed to be done by Christmas. I still need to do some spinning for the fingerless gloves I want to knit, wish i had them now as the weather has really chilled the last two days and will be getting cooler next week. I have a tray of tobacco plants on the window sill that I hope are going to be ok with this cold snap.

  Hope you all have a great weekend, take care folks.

Weaving anew

   Ello folks, yep I'm posting for a third day in a row. Can't promise I'll keep it up though. I finished weaving the pattern in the sock yarn and cut it off the loom, wasted a lot of yarn which I hate to do but I really didn't like the way it was. I have saved the wasted yarn, it might come in handy for something, stuffing maybe.

  I warped a new pattern on the rigid heddle after I cut the old one from the loom, didn't really take me long which was good as warping can be a pain at times. The yarn I warped with is the acrylic stuff I got free with my old knitting magazines, its pretty soft stuff and nice colours. The pattern is a sort of check board with the solid colours forming a 4 square(purple) in the centre with solid colours coming off that into an x(Pink, lilac) shape. Not sure that makes sense, I'll try and get some pictures while its on the loom and when I've finished it. Using a pink, lilac then a purple as the main colour, wish now I had used more contrasting colours but it still looks good. I think I can finish this scarf pretty quickly, have plenty of time this weekend to have a real crack at it so should take me less than a week.

  Hope you all have a great day, take care folks.

Oh what a tangled web we weave.

   Ello folks, just because I'm posting for a second day in a row doesn't been I'm back to blogging full time but I will try and post more often again. Promise. Well I warped the rigid heddle loom and straight away I didn't like it but I started weaving to see how it would turn out. Not very well. As I said yesterday I was planing on working with sock yarn even though I knew it wouldn't be balanced because the reeds not set up for it, what I hadn't realised was that the warp patterns wouldn't show at all. I sort of corrected this by unweaving the rows I had done and re weaving them using double the yarn. With the double yarn the warps are showing better but not great. The whole thing isn't great, right from the start I wasn't happy with the warp, it just looked wrong.

  Now I have no idea what to do, I'll weave a little more of whats on the loom just to finish the pattern once through then I will cut it off and just keep it as a sample of what not to do. For the next project I could still use the sock yarn but double it through the reed for a balanced piece but I'm really not keen on this sock yarn, its full of flubs and splits easy. Probably better to weave with it than knit with it though. I might have a go at a checked pattern using double sock yarn in grey and white, or I might see what else is in my stash that I have enough of to weave a scarf. I'll keep you all informed.

  Hope you all have a great day, take care folks.

A weaving week.

   Ello folks, you may of noticed I'm still not back to blogging full time, heh. I did manage to get a lot done last week, all weaving on my main rigid heddle loom. I warped and wove a pretty wide scarf using 3 variegated yarns that resulted in a nice mix of colours. The yarns were all double knits and the scarf drapes ok, maybe a little stiff, am still undecided. The scarf has been washed and I think its come out pretty well. Its all one size, no pulling in, but the selvedges(US selvages, didn't know that) are a little wonky here and there and I've missed one warp near the beginning. I also managed to do the hem stitch and it worked out really well with a nice tidy fringe that didn't need to be knotted.

  This week, tomorrow, I'm going to start a new scarf using sock yarns. I know about working out my set and balanced weaving but still need to learn about how things feel, drape. I'm not 100% sure of the pattern I'm going to attempt, have a rough idea in my head based on MaCleod tartan but not in those colours. I'll keep you all informed, I think with the sock yarn being so thin this scarf will take me longer.

  Hope you all have a great day, take care folks.

Quick updates.

  Ello folks, I've been slacking again and not posting to the blog. There isn't really much to post about, I've had to rip out the scarf I was knitting as the pockets for it are much smaller than I thought. I had been planing on giving this scarf to my sister as a late Christmas present but feel the pockets are too small for an adult so will give it to my niece next Christmas. Which means theres no real rush for me to finish it.

  I wove a phone pouch on the inkle loom for my mom, Mothering Sunday today, but its turned into a bit of a disaster. Well its not that bad really, I did buy her a candle as well. I wove a band at 3" but when folded and sewn over inside isn't 3 inches so that's not going to work, I also folded it all wrong so the nicest part of the flap wasn't showing and I also forgot to sew the velcro tab on before I had sewn it all together. I really need to work on my hemming and sewing as well.

  Lessons learnt from trying to make the phone pouch on the inkle loom, I should of made two bands and sewn those together and I need to learn how to weave tubes and attach those instead of hemming. I was a bit rushed for time as usual, this project would of been a good one to try back strap weaving, even without doing fancy pick ups and what nots. Its her birthday in a couple of months, maybe I can get around to it before then.

  Hope you all had a good weekend, take care folks and have a great day.

Long way to go.

  Ello folks, I haven't really got anything to blog about. The new seed/moss stitch scarf is coming along slowly, got about 4 inches done so far. I'm only doing little bits of it here and there, think it will progress much faster if I could sit down one day and have a real crack at it but just not had the time this week. Maybe this Wednesday I can put some real time into it, or maybe start one of the other projects I've been meaning to get on with.

  I really wish I had already spun and knitted my fingerless gloves, its freezing tonight. Had to crack ice on the dogs outside drinking water. I'll have to start spinning soon as its going to take awhile because I want to do a 3 ply yarn. Had an urge to get the rigid heddle loom out the other day, or should I say night as it was around 11pm. I've just not been in the mood to do any weaving during the day but making a start late at night isn't the way to go. Once the looms warped it will be ok but I don't fancy warping the loom just before bed.

  Hope you've all had a good week, have a great day and take care folks.