Hand made bag for knitter's loom!

I decided to make a bag to hold the Ashford Knitter's loom, using the cloth I have woven on it, whilst I await my 16 shaft Megado electronic dobby loom! Proud of myself?? Not half! I don't consider myself a sewing expert but I am mightily pleased with this! I even managed a lining and proper mitred corners! There are pockets on both sides, deep enough for shuttles etc, and another pocket on the inside.
I am sooooo impressed by this little loom-so well designed and sturdy. I wove three lengths, using 2 of three colours in each piece, each piece about 11" by 50" once finished, and arranged the pieces to get a patchwork effect, different on each side.
My self-imposed Empty Loom Syndrome is proving productive-I am rediscovering the joys of plain weave using lots of colour and weave techniques. Who needs 16 shafts anyway??!!

Multilayer cloth sampler

Whilst twiddling my thumbs (or twiddling my thrums morelike...) awaiting the arrival of my new loom, I have been experimenting with 8 shaft multilayer weaving on the Leclerc Voyageur folding table loom. Four layers of plain weave cloth woven directly on top of each other, with 2 shafts per layer. The cloth is sett at 4 times the usual balanced  cloth sett to make 4 balanced cloth layers. By changing the lift sequence each single colour cloth can have any position within the layers-top, top middle, bottom middle and lower layer. The layers can be woven separately, with a fold at either or both selvedges, as a single cloth 4 times the width of the loom, as a tube within a tube and so on. The cloth can also be woven as a densely warp-faced single cloth or as two slightly warp-faced layers with any combination of the 4 colours in each layer. By using pick up, warp ends from any layer can be brought to the top or lower layer to show on the surface.....and so on....
The photos show the four layers of separate cloth and the sideview shows how changing the position of different layers can create interesting three-dimensional cloths with pockets, tubes, folds etc. Great fun! When I get my 16 shaft loom, I will be able to develop this technique further by having more than one threading block in each layer, having up to 8 layers in one cloth, making a cloth 8 times the width of the loom......mind-boggling possibilities!

Empty Loom Syndrome.....

Well my Octado 8 shaft electronic dobby loom is now happily ensconced in the Dordogne, and creating beautiful pieces of weaving with the help of its new owner Mike and his wife....my 12 shaft countermarche loom will soon be relocating to Italy.....and I must wait till September for the arrival of my new 16 shaft 130cm Megado loom with electronic dobby........
I must content myself with teaching (3 students now!) doing "events" and talks and sampling on the Leclerc Voyageur 8 shaft sample loom. (This blog will only ever be of interest to weavers....)
I have warped up for a 4 layer cloth in 4 colours and will experiment with all the possible permutations- 4 separate layers in 4 colours, joined layers, interchanging colours between layers, a cloth 4 times the width of the little loom, a tube within a tube......etc etc etc.
Photos to follow. That is enough rambling for one morning, need to get ready for today's class.

The Unlucky Lucky Ewe

Poor Kate Schofield (the unluckiest Lucky Ewe) was unable to attend the Silverdale and Arnside Art and Craft Trail due to a back injury-all her hard work over the year to promote the Lancashire Farm Wool came to nothing...but she is now aiming to promote the wools at Greenlands Farm, Tewitfields and during Wool Week as part of the Campaign for Wool. There seems to be both a UK Wool Week (5-11th September) and an International Wool Week (3-10th October or thereabouts) which is a little confusing for us mere mortals. I will investigate further and report back.
Anyway, above is the photo I promised of the finished, washed, fulled and pressed throws I wove for Kate in the Lancashire Farm wool.