The Loom will be my Friend.

I mentioned weaving in yesterdays post, just a casual side glance of a mention but it brings up something I really have been thinking about lately.

This is one of three dishcloths I have made on this loom, the only things I have ever woven on this wee beastie and as much as I like the dishcloth, it taunts me.  Having the loom in my oversized bedroom does too.  It stands there looking at me, saying absolutely nothing and I feel oh so guilty that I have not paid much attention to this lovely equipment.  

I think my loom intimidates me.  I know it does.  I wanted a loom with enough shafts that it would be an easy sell later and that it would hold its value.  I am pretty sure that this loom will be that.  I wanted something that I could take almost forever in terms of patterns and designs.  Who knew if It was going to consume me as knitting did?  In the meantime, 8 shafts intimidates me.  It is however going to be part of my plans going forward. 

As my sewing has filled my drawers and solved my lack of clothing problems, I realized that I was enjoying full days where knitting wasn't the only thing I did.  I love knitting and it is still something I need to do to feel normal, but I kind of liked not feeling consumed by it.  I liked finding pleasure in something else.  I don't want to loose that.  

I had already decided that come fall, I was going to address the intimidation and was going to take the same time in the mornings as I am currently devoting to sewing for weaving.  I am going to address the intimidation by removing all but two of the shafts.  It means I have to take the loom off the stand but that isn't a problem, particularly if I can get Keith to help me wrangle it. I have a raddle to add and a beater to change out too, so taking it off the loom was happening anyway.  And then I am going to warp the loom with something other than dishcloth cotton.  

I think I know what it will be too.  When I was on my Epic Adventure in the summer of 2018,  I picked up some spools of Zephyr wool and silk laceweight yarn in a lovely silvery colour and a navy blue.  I was inspired because they had that combination in the shop in a little houndstooth pattern.  I don't know if I will do a houndstooth.  I really would be just as happy to make a really pretty scarf in simple squares of colour, a sort of gingham pattern I guess.  Changing the project will be a plus mentally too.  After all this time, I am more than a little sick of  what sits there looking at me.  

While all things weaving currently intimidate me, this little dishcloth gives me hope.  The selvedges are even enough to be getting on with.  The width is almost perfect for the size cloths I prefer.  And the weave looks really good.  I did that.  I did that and I did it well enough that I would be  happy to show it off to the world.

I came across a couple of really interesting vlogs via the Tour de Fleece preparation.  One of them is fellow International Virtual Knit Night member Grianaig Creations vlog.  I really enjoyed this one because I had met the Vlogger first via the zoom knitting and because it is just really interesting.  The second is JillianEve.  That came up after I watch Grianaig Creations and what drew me in was the historical weaving techniques. The vlog I started with was about using handspun where the twist was one way on the warp and the other twist on the weft.  It's just a different perspective than I heard from anyone else with an interesting result that is quite different than the usual fabric.  Looking at all her blogs, it is clear she enjoys the historic stuff as do I.

Today is going to be good and busy.  It is a zooming afternoon with a morning full of things I couldn't do without power yesterday.  So off we go, looking forward to the time when the loom will be my friend.