PROJECT REPORT 7 - Circular Weaving

J E N N E

Still working on this one. Wrapping warp as groups is working really well towards the center of the circle.  I used embroidery thread for some of the weft and it so shiny compared to the wool - a nice contrast I want to play with more, maybe more in a monochromatic approach with the same color with a texture from using different fibers.

A L I S A

I haven't had much time to work on this piece, as I've been getting ready for school. I am excited to get back to it though. I'm really enjoying playing with adding warp as I go. I'm contemplating what to do around the edge of the hoop. I've noticed that I've warped in two different ways, one is quite visible and the other isn't. I'm ok with it, but wish I had of been consistent. This just means that I may have to add something around the edges, perhaps wrapping hand-spun to cover the inner wooden hoop, then framing it with the outer hoop. We shall see...

PROJECT REPORT 6 - Circular Weaving

A L I S A

I'm really loving working on this piece. I've been adding warp in different directions as I go. I am trying to now weave under and over some of the finished areas. I've found that the warp threads tend to slip as I'm weaving (since it's in a round hoop), so, I've used masking tape to start to hold the more awkward threads in place while I weave. It seems to be working quite nicely...

J E N N E

This little morsel is an experiment in weaving with art yarn.  I have many many skeins of art yarn that I spun over the years, never really intending to use it for a specific project, spinning sequins, feathers, big clomps of wool, thread, fabric, lace all together in more of a process meditative way, having fun with the materials as a counterpoint to the fine worsted spinning I tend to like to do.  (Fine worsted spinning is making very controlled fine yarn with high twist that takes a lot of focus!)  This yarn is from a class I took with Lexi Boeger, years and years ago at Urban Fauna in SF. (2005?)  Long ago enough that one person in the class recognized me from my serial knitsterism on Knitty Gritty (I am knitting on the couch 4 seconds before the end, Alisa is knitting behind Erika's Head) (Random the things you remember) We made crazy batts in Lexi's class and spun them, crazy batts with every sort of thing in them.  I very much like how the art yarn looks woven, but I think it needs a larger space to breathe and really show all the weird shit that is in it.  Also I sort of want to cut apart the yarns to make some color sense out of them.  A good experiment in my book is when you do something that may not be completely successful but you find at least one new path to try out. I now have quite a few to try.

PROGRESS REPORT 16

A L I S A

Last Progress Report I was about to ply up some yarn that had been on my bobbins for a while. I am using up a bunch of hand-dyed braids that I had in my stash. I really love the outcome. the colours didn't match up as well as I though they would, which makes sense as I'm just working by eye and not being super careful about weighing out roving. I really love this skein and I'm ready to spin up and ply the rest. Firstly, I HAVE to work on my final project for school (which is due mid-August - YIKES). My excuse of not having any empty bobbins no longer holds...

J E N N E

I AM CRAZY FOR SASHIKO!  After making the pillow, I wanted to experiment with drawing the patterns to be able to change the scale and also to experiment with different fabrics.  The polka dot seemed like a natural pattern already to play with some freehand stitches.  I found a book at the library in japanese that has pictures of how to draw out on a grid any traditional pattern at any scale and have been practicing on paper.  The denim piece is a sampler for two garments I am making - testing out the scale and the thread.  I am working on a dress for M to try out sashiko and garment construction, and hopefully it will work well so I can also do stitching on a larger scale.

PROJECT REPORT 5 - Circular Weaving

A L I S A

I've started a new circular weaving… well, it's in a circle. I've created a base that I'll add on to with additional warp and be able to weave into. I'm experimenting with layering warp with this piece. So far, it's a lot of fun and I really like it. I'm using all hand-spun and I'm also mixing yarns to create gradients. 

J E N N E

Weaving in a circular frame means you can branch out and add a warp here, wrap a weft there, till you are suddenly weaving in all directions at once.  Working on this at the beach today, I was thinking about how serendipitous and wild this little piece is becoming - I had a plan and now its telling me to do something completely different.  Experiment with filling the space.  I am not sure how much more I am going to work on this one (mainly because my tapestry needle is not fitting in the spaces of the hoop anymore - there is not a lot of room to work in a hoop this size that I've been just winding the yarn with my fingers in some parts) but I do know its come along a lot crazier than I thought it would be, and all the better.  

PROJECT REPORT 4 - Circular Weaving

J E N N E

Using the warp for the weft now - less complicated easier to see the forms that are being made.  I love these little hoops for weaving as I was able to do the weaving at the top at the park and a little at a cafe after a beautiful summer day at the beach.  I like the basketry feel of the warp (a cotton string from the dollar store, honest) and the brown linden fiber at the bottom as well.  

A L I S A

Here is my first finished circular weaving for the Craftophilia Project Report. I wanted the middle of the circle off-centre and I really like it and think it turned out nicely. I got weaving with mohair and it made the most amazing nest like structure and almost looks like felt or something. It also is really great for filling in between the warp threads. I like it and I'm looking forward to doing a bigger one.

PROJECT REPORT 3 - Circular Weaving

J E N N E

I am still working on the other embroidery frame hoop weaving but I like to use - tiny yarn and thread.  Like most of it in knitting parlance is sock/laceweight.  It will take a bit of time to cover the ground of the the larger hoop so I started something smaller in a different shape.

A L I S A

Despite the fact that this is a very small weaving, I haven't gotten far along on it (I've been busy working on my tapestry techniques). However, once I started with the white mohair, I sort of got mesmerized by going round and round. I'll have to take another picture to show the depth of the "nest" I'm building around the centre. I think I'm going to keep going with only mohair, I have a few more colours too. Then, I'll move on to a bigger circle. 

PROJECT REPORT 2 - Circular Weaving

A L I S A

My mom had all these antique embroidery hoops, so I decided to use them because they make such a nice little frame. The only problem is that they are very small. That's ok for my first one, but I may want to find some bigger ones as this project goes on. I wanted the centre of my warp to be off set, which was way easier to do on the hoop than with a cardboard circle. I tried with the cardboard first and just couldn't get it right. With the hoop it made more sense to me, except, that in order for there to the right amount of warp threads to weave in a spiral it has to be an odd number. So, I did a tricky warp from the centre point out, not the whole way around the hoop as the others (it would be the one to the left of my thumb). So far, I'm doing just a spiral. It's very meditative. I want to add some mohair yarns for texture. I really don't have any plans for this first one except to play round. 

J E N N E

What I did get done on our vacation last week - weaving.  Somehow this little portable loom was easier to use and carry around than my knitting project so I spent a lot of time at my friend Connie's kitchen table weaving while she worked on a hand sewn cathedral quilt (more on that later.)  Last time I didn't know what to do in the middle where the warp was a little dense and Brooke suggested the bunching them together uniting a couple at a time to combat that unruliness.  Its working great and I am experimenting with different ways to do that.

PROJECT REPORT 1 - Circular Weaving

A L I S A

Exploring circular weaving… I'm not sure if I'll use a cardboard loom, embroidery hoops or these metal circles I have. I do know that I want to try and play with where the warp threads intersect - I don't want all of my experiments to have the threads overlapping in the middle of the circle, I want to off set them. I've been thinking about how I'll do this and I think I just have to start by warping something…. I'm thinking of using yellows, blues and greys as far as colour schemes.

J E N N E

I have no idea what I am doing - which is why this is so fun.  I tried to start from the center and I might have overwarped it almost too dense to pick out the threads for over and under.  So starting from the outer edge, moving inwards.