Belated Season's Greetings!

        

Festive greetings from Tess and the Weave Shed! Now back to work on the horsehair project!

Horsehair project progress

The first warp length is now off the loom-a 6.3m length and a sample length and I am so pleased with how it looks! It's remarkable how soft and "fluid" the resulting fabric is and there is a definite lustre to the horsehair. The next two 15.5m warp bundles are wound and chained and ready to be beamed!

Website Shop Changes!

My online Shop is undergoing a facelift-well major surgery actually. It will be much easier for customers to use and for me to maintain, and I am hoping to stock a wider range of exciting woolly products.

For the time being nothing has changed, but watch this space!

New weaving commission

I have finally started on a huge weaving commission for June of Salt after waiting weeks for the cotton yarn to arrive! The warp is crammed and spaced randomly threaded cotton and viscose and the weft is.....horsehair! This makes the weaving extremely slow, as each bundle of horsehair weft must be placed in the shed and positioned by hand! I invented a gadget to help with this, ably constructed by husband Joe. The gadget grasps the group of wefts and holds them together inside an aluminium tube which then acts as a shuttle to pull them across the shed before releasing them in position.

It is painstaking work but the results are stunning!

                                    

                                    

                                    

Knitting and Crochet Event!

I have been asked to publicise the following event, which I am delighted to do-A Celebration of Knitting and Crochet.
Come and join us on Saturday 19th October 2013
10am to 3pm
Accrington Library
St James St, Accrington, BB5 1NQ
Entry £3.00
Tea and cake provided (bring own lunch)
Display of handmade items.
Display of books to borrow.
Join in community knit and crochet projects.
Bring craft magazines to swap.
Bring your own project to work on.
Question and answer session.
See you there!

Regards, and thanks,
Melinda Jackson
Volunteer at Accrington Library

WOOL DAY AT HELMSHORE!

Tomorrow is Wool Day at Helmshore Mills Textile Museum. Open from 12-5 with lots of woolly activities-spinning, weaving, felt making, knitting and crochet and cute little Ouissant sheep from Greenlands Farm!

More of Yarndale!

The lovely alpaca!

Yarndale!

       

A great, busy, hectic, exhausting but exciting weekend at Yarndale, Skipton at the weekend. Photo taken before the hordes rushed in!

Met lots of lovely people, many of whom tried weaving for the first time. Very successful all round.

The Loom Buggy

It was time to say bye bye to the little old Micra, and hello to a vehicle able to transport looms, wool and Tess the greyhound around the globe.

So here it is-my brand new tiny huge Citroen Nemo van. The opportunities abound! Mobile weaver at your service!

And also.....

This is my newly completed knitted gansey, made in the Lancashire Farm Wool!

I am very pleased with it, if not with the body inside it, which needs attention, but hey ho!

And the Wonderful Weekend of Weaving at Waddow in February is now fully booked!!

End of summer, new beginnings...

Long time no blog-been a busy summer and autumn is going to be even busier.

I finally finished this double weave runner-another is still on the little 8-shaft loom-and have been knitting small items-bags, gloves etc-to take to Yarndale at the end of September. At the end of October I will be at Stonyhurst College Gift Fair, demonstrating felt making techniques as well as having a stall selling hand woven items and the Estonian and Lancashire Wools.

I have a big commission to weave for Salt in the offing and a new batch of Lancashire Wool throws to produce!

All in all, that little lot should keep me out of mischief together with the teaching.

The picture is a little blurred-I will take a more detailed close-up.

YARNDALE

Just heard I have been successful in my application for a stand at Yarndale in Skipton at the end of September.
So here I go again! Here is a screenshot image of the flyer for this event.

And now on with fresh plans.....

With scarcely a breath drawn since returning from Woolfest, I am now putting all the plans in place for a weekend workshop to be held at Waddow Hall near Clitheroe from February 21st-23rd next year.
This residential workshop, with full board accommodation in en suite rooms and all refreshments included, will be suitable for all levels from complete beginner upwards. In a small, friendly and informal group you can immerse yourself in weaving for the first time, try a new technique or weave structure or simply enjoy weaving amongst like-minded textile enthusiasts. A loom can be provided if required. Places are strictly limited so email me to express an interest, to enquire in more detail or to book your place.

Woolfest

                                   

So it is all over already! A wonderful couple of days-met some amazing people and enjoyed every hectic moment of it. Roll on next year!

Woolfest is nearly here!

Only 4 more days till Woolfest 2013 at Mitchell's Lakeland Livestock Centre in Cockermouth, Cumbria! The event will be open from 10-6 on Friday and 10-5 on Saturday. I am having a stall for the first time (E111) so do come along and say "hello", mention you have visited my blog and you will get a little free gift too!

 If you haven't been to Woolfest before you are in for a real treat-fibres, yarns, equipment, textile demonstrations and lots of fleecy animals plus music and more.

Felt Making at Bolton Muslim Girls' School

Here are some photos from my recent workshops with Year 7. Over a number of weeks the girls learned how to make flat felt, felt balls and 3D felt vessels using a plastic resist. They then planned, designed and carried out their own individual project. Some wonderful and creative artefacts were made! These photos were taken during the session on making 3-dimensional felt around a plastic resist.

Follow The Thread-This Weekend!

Just a reminder that Follow the Thread is on this Saturday and Sunday from 11am-5pm at Helmshore Mills Textile Museum. Lots of textile crafts to try and buy, plus alpacas to pet and much more!

                                                  

Twittering and Wittering

Having succumbed to pressure, I am now on Twitter as @JaneSFlanagan. 

In other exciting news, I have booked to teach a Wonderful Weekend of Weaving at Waddow Hall, Clitheroe from February 21-3rd 2014. This is a residential workshop on a full-board basis in the glorious Lancashire countryside, and an opportunity to immerse oneself in the joys of loom weaving! All levels welcome, with or without your own loom! More details coming soon but don't hesitate to get in touch to express an interest without obligation, and I will keep you fully au fait with all developments!

Weaving in the Country with Helper

Woolly Woods at Acorn Bank

A lovely exhibition of knitted, felted and crocheted creatures and flowers hidden amongst the trees at Acorn Bank, a National Trust property in Cumbria. It's all part of the latest Eden Arts project and a real treat!

 

A lovely exhibition of knitted, felted and crocheted creatures and flowers hidden amongst the trees at Acorn Bank, a National Trust property in Cumbria. It's all part of the latest Eden Arts project and a real treat!

Holiday Weaving

Whilst I am away in Cumbria this week, I decided to have a go at a four block double weave in a version I haven't tried before. This version is adapted from an article in Handwoven from May/June 1992 and I am weaving it on my 8 shaft Leclerc Voyageur folding table loom. Here is what I have woven so far-it's exciting to see the blocks emerging then switching to form an intricate pattern that dazzles the eyes. Great fun!

Follow The Thread 2013

Back by popular demand, this hugely enjoyable event will take place on 15/16th June at Helmshore Mills Textile Museum. Be inspired by a wide variety of textile craftspeople and suppliers of textile craft materials and have a go at spinning, weaving, felt making, embroidery and a host of other creative textile crafts. For further details ring the Mill on 01706 226459.

Peg Loom Weaving in school

Beautiful weaving created by children in Golden Time.

Back from Estonia

Had a wonderful time in Tartu, Estonia! Minus 17 degree temperatures and treacherously icy pavements, but it is a fascinating and quirky place. The premiere of Beauty and the Beast was TREMENDOUS- and I couldn't resist posting this photo of some of the costumes designed by Louise. I have also bought LOTS of beautiful new wool batts in an amazing range of colours!

Trip to Estonia!

On Tuesday I am off to Estonia, to watch the premiere of a production of the ballet Beauty and the Beast- my daughter Louise has designed the costumes, so it is all very exciting!
Whilst there I will also pay a visit to the wool processing factory in Jogeva where I buy my dyed wool batts for felt making. This will be my second visit and I hope to fill a suitcase with lots of goodies whilst I am there!

Summer Events

Here is the flyer for the second Follow the Thread event at Helmshore Textile Museum! What a treat, and bound to be a wonderful day of textile fun!
Also, I have just heard that my application to have a stall at Woolfest at the end of June has been successful-very exciting! More details to follow!

Updating Website Shop!

All the new shades in the wool batts and yarn should be uploaded and available to order from my website shop by the end of tomorrow!
Until then, here is a lovely picture of Tess in her new winter coat!!!!