Tuesdays are For Weaving

Tonight I actually got to do some weaving!!!  But first I had to finish warping my loom.  First I tied the warps that I had pulled through the heddles last week onto the leash stick on the back end of my loom.

Warps tied to the back end leash stick

Then I had Ms. Maybelle hold and straighten the warps as I rolled the warps around the spool at the back end, being careful to place paper between each layer of warps so they wouldn't get tangled.

Paper in place to make sure warps don't get tangled.  Ms. Maybelle tells me I have pretty warps.  I agree enthusiastically but tell them I would love them even if they weren't pretty.

Next I adjusted the tension on the front end by tying the warps to the front end.

Warps tied to front end leash stick.

I wound severl bobbins with different kinds/colors of yarn for my weft.

Hand-crank bobbin winder and bobbin the background.

Then you shift the frames to check to make sure that your warp is clear (nothing is out of place when you move the frames).  If it isn't, you have problems.  If it is, you are amazing.

I am amazing.

Then I started out with a little fat yarn to help square up my warp threads.

The green yarn is just filler to square up the warps for where I start to weave for real.  I will take the green out when I am done.  The turquoise is my tabby: the first of my real weaving since I started my weaving class.  Isn't it pretty?

THEN I GOT TO WEAVE FOR REAL!!!  I started with a little basic weaving (over under, over under) that is called tabby.  After I did about an inch of that, I sewed a hem so that it wouldn't come all unravelled when I take it off the loom.

Next week I am not going to class, so in two weeks I will start the real business of weaving my twill patterns (in a variety of yarns and colors).  So. Excited.