Yes, my loom is warped, and I did start weaving. I need to get back out there again and get with it. Alas there is a little snag in the plan. But anyways, my plan to begin with was to weave red, white, and blue cloth to make either a valance or swag over some of the windows between the living room and the gallery above. (Now I know gallery is a big word but coming up with a proper name for the walkway between the two sides of the house above was difficult and so I settled on gallery.)
A warped loom
Because of the mix of yarn sizes I had, this became a mix of ideas in the warp. My loom has a sectional back beam (something I became once again thankful for when I tried to help someone warp front to back recently) with one inch sections. So I just made up a threading for each inch in color and sizes. I was using both 8/12 and 16/2 cotton in this. I then tried to repeat the same pattern in mirror image for the two sides as I worked out from the center. Alas, in threading the reed I realized that a couple weren’t exactly the same but que sera at this point. It will look fine and it isn’t quite noticeable … though more noticeable in this picture than when I’m sitting and working on it.
A warped loom
Next came the trouble of what to use for weft. In the top picture if you look in the distant top right corner, you can see a bobbin of 16/2 blue thread. As there was so much of it, the plan was for it to be the weft. Alas and alack, It just didn’t look right. Above you can see where I used some size 3 cotton crochet thread to get the spacing done. Then I used the 16/2 blue. Yikes! the crochet thread looked so much better. The colors were just lost in the 16/2. So it was start weaving again with the crochet thread and it did look quite good. I did need a bit of practice on those selvedges but as I was only doing a straight twill I could concentrate on them, instead of a pattern, and things became better.
Then I quickly ran out of crochet thread in size 3 and navy blue. That’s ok, I’m running to Bastrop and can visit Hobby Lobby and get some more. But best laid plans. They didn’t have something that I consider so common. At least in right size and color. Guess still too much in the middle of nowhere. So I got what they did have and will see if it works. If not, I will try some other things with what I have and if all else fails will take a trip to Yarnorama and see what they have.
I did take a picture of the weaving at that point, but it just didn’t look good so it went to the trash bin and will have to wait to see the finished piece. I’m not sure how it will look in the end when wet finished, but I do like the colors and it will be interesting to see what happens. I’m thinking a more valance look is what is going to happen as opposed to swag but that will be ok. It actually will go farther that way.
Weaving a History
Weaving a History 
I was very excited to read this… but I can’t see the pictures is that on my end? (do other see the pictures??)
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sorry there they are… fantastic!!!
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Thank you
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Congratulations on getting back to the loom! A new warp is exciting with all the possibilities. As for the 16/2 not looking like you expected, perhaps it’s because it’s a finer yarn and beat in tighter on the twill. Have you tried doubling the 16/2 to make it act like an 8/2? That might make it work if you can’t find an alternative.
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Thanks for the advice. I am about to go out and try what I have. I usually don’t have much luck with two threads together in the weft nor the patience to wind those bobbins for that much. Alas, if all else fails I may have to try it. Though I love shadow weave and overshot which both take two shuttles, not sure about the fun of doing two for no more effect – unless I change what I’m doing.
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Are you a member of Pinterest? Lots of pictures there of weaving. I even have a pattern by Nancy Hanks, Abraham Lincoln’s mother in my Abraham Lincoln board. By the way, my grandmother used to call an open walkway that connected two parts of a house a “breezeway.” It was a substitute for a covered porch and would catch the breezes between the parts of the house. My grandmother had one between her garage and house and she would send all of us cousins out there with flyswatters when we were getting underfoot and told us to see how many flies we could kill in an hour. They lived about a mile away from an animal feedlot, so flies were a constant problem. Enjoyed looking at your big loom — I just bought me a small “Wonder Weave” hand loom from a thrift store for a couple of dollars.
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I am on Pinterest though I find it a great time waster for the most part and have to leave it alone, I do have 7 boards there all with spinning wheels, looms, weaving and sheep with about 500 pins between them all. (Yes, a time waster that was fun none the less.)
I should have explain that gallery better. It is actually inside the house and is like an upstairs hallway between the two sides. It has windows on one side and is open to the downstairs on the other side. Just needed a name that fit its purpose and situation besides hallway or balcony. Your “beezeway” is also called a dogtrot. Where you have a home that consists of two “pens” with an open area that is roofed between. Old style for the frontier in the south especially for your stated purpose of catching the breeze through there to keep cool. They could also be closed in at some time but still with doors at both ends to open and let the breeze still come through. Love those old houses.
Enjoy your new loom.
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