Yoga - check.
Washing out in the garden - check.
Guinea pigs still in the garden (not escaped) - check.
Bit of housework done (friend coming for weekend) - check.
Funny bread mix in the machine for gluten-free friend - check.
Time to blog.
Must get this blog off the ground.....
I was going to spend the last few weeks (shame }:o( ...) of my weaving course finishing the little bags I've been making - sewing up, sewing on handles (see earlier post) putting in lining etc.
BUT - at the last minute yesterday morning, I decided to do a new project which I might just have time to finish in the next 4/5 weeks - because it will be much more fun, it will use up some of my store of yarn (and then I can buy MORE!)
and basically because I hate my tea cosy.
Its awful.
SO - I'm weaving a tea cosy.
(sorry if you were anticipating a picture of the awful tea cosy - its a bit too disreputable to appear here.)
This is the warp, on the warping mill.
The mill makes it much quicker and easier to measure out all the warp threads, keep them the same length and in order, ready to go onto the loom.
I have got a system of pegs to clamp onto the table at home to make warps, but its a bit of a pain in the neck and involves lots of reorgnisation and walking round and round the table.
and just taken off ready to go onto the loom:
I haven't decided about the weft yet - though the orange threads here (which are just temporarily keeping it all in place) look pretty good. I think I'll do something funky, and use different colours, ribbons, tufty threads in the warp. Any suggestions? what colours would you put with this?
I will weave it in double-cloth - this is a technique where you can weave two layers at the same time, one on top of the other, getting them to intersect at certain points and in different ways.
This means that you can weave tubes, or 2-sided cloth, or cloth with little integral pockets which can be stuffed with things....and there are lots of other possibilities. Its one of my favourite weaving techniques.
These are double cloth cushions which I wove some time ago as an experiment, with pockets stuffed with fleece and bits of yarn.
SO - if I weave this tea cosy with 4 layers of cloth at once (rather than 2 like the cushions) then both sides of the tea cosy can have little pockets or tubes stuffed with fleece - hence keeping my tea nice and hot! of course, I could put other things in the pockets too... buttons... any other ideas? needs to be washable, i suppose.
I should also be able to weave it joined up at the top and down the sides, meaning there will be no making up to do afterwards. If I can work out how to do that...
I will keep you informed.
Washing out in the garden - check.
Guinea pigs still in the garden (not escaped) - check.
Bit of housework done (friend coming for weekend) - check.
Funny bread mix in the machine for gluten-free friend - check.
Time to blog.
Must get this blog off the ground.....
I was going to spend the last few weeks (shame }:o( ...) of my weaving course finishing the little bags I've been making - sewing up, sewing on handles (see earlier post) putting in lining etc.
BUT - at the last minute yesterday morning, I decided to do a new project which I might just have time to finish in the next 4/5 weeks - because it will be much more fun, it will use up some of my store of yarn (and then I can buy MORE!)
and basically because I hate my tea cosy.
Its awful.
SO - I'm weaving a tea cosy.
(sorry if you were anticipating a picture of the awful tea cosy - its a bit too disreputable to appear here.)
This is the warp, on the warping mill.
The mill makes it much quicker and easier to measure out all the warp threads, keep them the same length and in order, ready to go onto the loom.
I have got a system of pegs to clamp onto the table at home to make warps, but its a bit of a pain in the neck and involves lots of reorgnisation and walking round and round the table.
and just taken off ready to go onto the loom:
I haven't decided about the weft yet - though the orange threads here (which are just temporarily keeping it all in place) look pretty good. I think I'll do something funky, and use different colours, ribbons, tufty threads in the warp. Any suggestions? what colours would you put with this?
I will weave it in double-cloth - this is a technique where you can weave two layers at the same time, one on top of the other, getting them to intersect at certain points and in different ways.
This means that you can weave tubes, or 2-sided cloth, or cloth with little integral pockets which can be stuffed with things....and there are lots of other possibilities. Its one of my favourite weaving techniques.
These are double cloth cushions which I wove some time ago as an experiment, with pockets stuffed with fleece and bits of yarn.
SO - if I weave this tea cosy with 4 layers of cloth at once (rather than 2 like the cushions) then both sides of the tea cosy can have little pockets or tubes stuffed with fleece - hence keeping my tea nice and hot! of course, I could put other things in the pockets too... buttons... any other ideas? needs to be washable, i suppose.
I should also be able to weave it joined up at the top and down the sides, meaning there will be no making up to do afterwards. If I can work out how to do that...
I will keep you informed.
Comments
You have a great way of putting colours together, your cushion are a beautiful example of that. Maybe some purple might go with your tea cosy? I'm looking forward to seeing this progress :-)
Your cushions look fantastic. I know I've sat on them for years at your house but I've never really really LOOKED at them or appreciated just how brilliant they are!
Looking forward to the tea cosy. That blue looks good - I don't really know about other colours - contrasting or complementary colours? Why not try green? or ochre?
Purple and green, I think, with this....not sure about the ochre, I'll try.