Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Time to Shop!

Woven slap bracelets

My favorite shopping opportunity is coming up this weekend...

...the Weaving & Fiber Festival at the Torrance Cultural Center.  Just love this day - so many weaving vendors all in one place!   I always seem to find a bit of yarn to add to my stash and a shuttle or two to add to my collection... last year I found this wonderful yarn made from pineapple leaves.

This year, I am also selling my slap bracelets - the ones which were pictured in Handwoven as well as my beetle coasters so there is even more great stuff to buy!


Stop by and say hello; I'll be there all day.








Monday, October 29, 2012

Dung B. Daily

Dung B. Daily Series - Diminishing Returns




This is my first comic strip.  I am weaving together my love of beetles with my love of fiber.   The series is called Dung B. Daily. This first installment is woven with linen and called Dimishing Returns.  Future ones may also be woven, but I think for awhile I will stick to pen and paper.

The key to understanding the piece is to know that dung beetles push their dung balls with their back feet ... hence the yarn ball is unravelling... hence the title.  Nothing better than a comic strip to teach the basics of dung beetles!

From a weaving standpoint, this is the first time I have woven with linen.  Since the linen is not uniform in size the warps did not remain parallel for long; making for odd edges, turns and bumpy spots.   But it does give that hand drawn look to the piece.

I am happy I thought of wet testing the colored yarn.  When I did this with the red and black linen I discovered it ran... which is a good thing to know prior to weaving.  I can imagine that sick feeling I would have had when steaming the woven tapestry and watching the white linen pick up blotches of red and black.   I quickly switched to some color-fast cotton that was in my stash for the black and red and continued weaving.    As a last touch I wanted the red yarn ball to have a 3D effect so I stuffed it a bit with red mohair which peaks out in places giving the ball a reddish tint in places.

This piece makes me smile.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Opalescence or Abalesence?



Abalescence in Taquete




My color study group is studying "escences"; that is luminescence, iridescence and opalescence.    I am starting my experimentation with opalescence...or perhaps I should say abalescence. 

Based on my readings, to achieve that milky grey look of opalescence I  need to select sparkling tints and a toned background.  The colors must look 'spontaneous'.  Spontaneous? Unplanned?  A weaver do something unplanned...me do something unplanned...hah!  

My Initial Palette
I decided my first project would be trying to weave something that looked like an abalone shell. I would have chosen an opal but I didn't have any lying around.  So actually my result will be more of an abo-lescence vs. an opa-lescence but what's a few mixed up letters among friends...

I decided to use my 8H Purrington table loom since it is already set up with a lovely black warp of serger thread for taquete. I selected spools of colors from my thread stash; mostly rayon along with some metallic.  I started with a dozen or so shuttles with a variety of colors and blends.  Then started to weave. Withing four passes, I had a structured plan which allowed me to weave taquete with three shuttles in a pattern that did not appear structured (which of course was...how do you weave taquete without a plan?) with different color combinations appearing as I swapped out different colors.

Above is a photo of the results.  As I tried different color combinations I realized some spools were too shiny and distracting so most of the metallic was removed from the palette.   It's now  a much more calming color palette with a calming result.  The actualy weaving would be boring with all that continous mellow color appearing but thankfully there is the swapping out of colors and 'unplanned' changes in pattern after every few passes to keep me interested.  

Another six inches... then I will add a contrasting pattern for some visual interest and see what fun stuff can be done with opalescence.





















Saturday, October 20, 2012

Framing a Woven Comic Strip

I finished weaving a small tapestry yesterday and have started working on the framing for it.  It's a small piece; 5 inches by 13 inches woven in white linen.  I'll show a photo of the piece when it's framed... Given it is white it will need to have its space protected on the wall otherwise it will simply blend away into nothingness.

It was a fun piece to design; combining humor, and my love of beetles and fiber.   The piece is a woven comic strip; mostly white with black outlines a bit of red.  The name of the strip is Dung B. Daily.  And I have the inkling to create some additional strips under the same name....but with pen and paper vs. weft and loom.

Given that this tapestry represents the old style comic strip from a newspaper it seems only fitting that it be framed in pieces of an antique printing press.  I still have a few pieces left over from my stash so I am building a special little spot for this tapestry to reside.  The pieces are walnut and I wanted them just a bit darker; not black but almost black with the grain of the wood still showing.  I bought this water based stain in a color called Onyx and it seems to have done the trick.  Tomorrow I'll cover the wood with varnish and put all the pieces together and see how it all comes together.

It's one of those pieces that makes me smile...

Tuesday, October 09, 2012

My Loom Alone

My Loom

Alone. Without weft.
Missing woven melodies.
Awaiting my touch.


I was away from my studio for several weeks with an occassional moment of peace.   During those moments, I took to writing poetry.  I focused on haikus since I discovered Handwoven was having a haiku contest and there was an October 15th deadline which provided a bit of focus.   I have submitted two favorites to the magazine; one musical and the other with shades of grey.  The other is above.

 I missed my loom while I was away.  I am sure the feeling is mutual.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Another Fabulous Fiber Exhibit!

My Tapestry Spiral by Nicki Bair, CFA Member

I spoke today at the reception for the Contemporary Fiber Works Exhibit by the California Fiber Artists at the Grand Theatre in Tracy. What a wonderful gallery; newly renovated, bright, light, airy and filled with beautiful fiber work.  I was especially pleased with how the curator, William Wilson arranged My Tapestry Spiral.  I have written previously how each curator can add their personal touch when installing the piece.  It was partially attached to the wall and partially draped over a pillar.   It's cool how the short warp ends hand down so neatly in contrast with the the longer pieces at the other end.

The other fiber pieces were extraordinary; great diversity, very creative and extremely well executed.  California Fiber Arts is a collective of independent fiber artists offering a fusion of fiber and mixed-media in both 2D and 3D. Here's a quick view of the main gallery.  Photos do not do these pieces justice.  You really need to see them from about five feet away and then go up real close and check out the details.  Being up close to these pieces is simply divine.  The detail is astonishing.

Partial View of Gallery set up for Gallery Talk

I must admit, I have never been to Tracy.  I have passed it many many times on the freeway on my trips between LA and SF/Sacramento.  I recommend you take a rest stop in Tracy and check out the gallery.   If they are closed simply peek in the window - you can see most of the pieces...just not close up!


View of Lobby with Three Bilingual Geese by Louse Schiele
and Magnolias by Terry Waldron, both CFA members



Contemporary Fiber Works by California Fiber Arts
September 9th - October 27th
Grand Theatre Center for the Arts
715 Central Ave. Tracy, CA 95376
Open Tuesday-Friday 10-6pm
Saturday 10-2pm


Thursday, September 13, 2012

Designing Weavers - Expressions

Another wonderful Designing Weavers exhibit is up at the Escondido Municipal Gallery.  This Designing Weavers exihibit, the third this summer, is an intimate one where you can get up close and really see and appreciate the diversity of the fiber works exhibited.   Each time you walk around the room, you notice something new and special about the pieces. The exhibit is up until September 29th.  

Double your fiber in one visit.  When you go also check out the West Coast Fiber and Book Art Exhibition that is in the main gallery.  There are some really wild pieces there - don't miss the embroidered vaginas or the knitted canoes! 

   
Here are some photos I took right before the reception started of the Designing Weavers Expressions exhibit.  Enjoy!

View from the entrance with pieces by Regina Vorgang in foreground,
Jean Degenfelder on left and Michael Rhode center.

Jacquard flowers by Sandra Rude, basket by Nadine Spier



On the right; vest by Sarah Jackson and felting by Jean Degenfelder

Three beetles by Nicki Bair

Wall hanging by Maureen Cox

Mary Saxon with her jacket

From the left; tapestry by Rebecca Smith, smaller tapestry by Debbie Shoenberger
and basket by Nadine Spier

Baskets by Rebecca Smith


Danger Coat by Trish Lange which enough space to walk behind
the coast to view the astonishing back; a must see!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

My Wedges Appear

Pelican Viewing the Sunset - WIP

I found some time to get back to the loom today and started putting in the wedge weave into my pelican tapestry.  I was pleasantly surprised see how 'wedgey' it became.  On the two other wedge pieces I wove (albeit smaller and different setts) I didn't see any wedges until I released the tension.  But here it's quite visible. I've got a fairly good tension; a bit tighter than I would normally use yet the wedges are visible after just one or two passes.  It will be interesting to see how much more it will distort when the tension is released.

This tapestry is a bit of a sampler of sorts.  On the side I just finished; to the right of the pelican, are strips which vary in width and I am having the wedge go completely across the strip.  By doing this, I can see how the width impacts the size and shape of the wedge given this sett and yarn.

Tomorrow, if I can make it back to this loom,  I start working on the left side where the strips are the same size and I get to vary other parameters.    

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Pelican Watching the Sunset

I have been working a wee bit every day on this tapestry.  I wanted to finish up the plain  weave before I start the wedge weave. i have a pelican in the foreground with the ocean right at that point in time whne the sun has slipped below the horizon.  Here is a WIP shot... the loom makes it tough to get a good angle of the front.  You're missing the pelican's feet and the post it's standing on...

Looks small ... 40 inches wide and 12 inches tall so far...


Finally I have reached the point where the wedge weave will start.  I will be having strips of wedge weave going up the tapestry using various permutations of wedge weave to see how it works under different scenarios.  That is the next stage - defining what I will do in each strip.  The strips will continue to almost the top where I will finish off with plain weave tapestry again.   In the middle where the blue stops is the horizon line; above which there will be the most luminous sunset my yarn will allow.  Well, that's the plan...

Next WIP photo should be when everything below the horizon line is complete.   How I get a straight horizon line with all these different permuations of wedge weave is another puzzle to figure out.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Pulled Tapestry - How To Make a Helicoid

I often get that 'how did you do that?' question.   The piece I get that the most on is My Tapestry Spiral.  So here is a piece I wrote a couple of years ago describing how I made this helicoid.  Remember if you make one, send me a photo of your helicoid.

You should be able to click on the image and make it bigger...


Enjoy!


Wednesday, August 22, 2012

My Pulled Tapestry - a Curator's Dilemma or Dream?


I just mailed off one of my favorite pieces, My Tapestry Spiral,  for an exhibit at the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts in Tracy, California.  The piece is part of a California Fiber Artists'  exhibit taking place September 8 - October 27th.  The exhibit opens the 2012-13 Exhibit Season at the Grand Theater for the Arts and coincides with the Tracy Bean Festival.   This will be the first feature presentation of fiber art by the Grand Theatre. Do come and support fiber arts!

My Tapestry Spiral is one of my favorite pieces for many reasons.  First of all it was fun making a two dimensional tapestry take an unexpected turn into three dimensions.  This is a pulled tapestry; thirteen yards of tapestry woven in three colors with 182 triangular darts inserted as I wove.  Once off the loom, I removed the wedges and pulled the warp so the weft filled in the negative space thus forming a tight spiral - like a spiral staircase or one of those fusilli spiral pasta noodles. 

The other reason this is a favorite piece is that each curator gets to decide how to exhibit the piece.  Once out of the incredibly small box that this arrives in, the curator has lots of options how to exhibit the piece; on the wall, over a box, free standing...there are limitless options.  Once out of its packing container, the piece takes on an organic shape uniquely its own.  So in each show the piece looks different. 

Here are a few examples...












I can't wait to see how it is displayed at the Grand Theatre in Tracy.  Stop by and check it out.  The opening reception is on September 29th from noon until 2pm.  








Thursday, August 16, 2012

Maiden Voyage of my Cantilever Loom

[
Yes, I am making progress on my wedge weave tapestry...I just don't have much to show for it.

Even though it's my 'vacation', I have been weaving a little bit every day on my new tapestry loom... but still there isn't really anything interesting to see. It's a beautiful four harness upright Fireside loom.

I am weaving from the back and the view from the weaving side is uninspiring due to all the ends.  Of course all those ends signify lots of color changes but you can't really see what I am doing.  And the view from the other side of the loom is even worse since I've got the lower beam obscuring the view.  So even I am not really sure how this piece will look.

In retrospect, perhaps I should have woven this from the front.  Although I am not sure I remember how... Alternatively, I could have started the weaving a bit higher on the loom.  Although at this height, it seemed to be the most comfortable.   I'll check out how comfortable it is at the higher points as I weave along.  Since my sliding bench only slides side to side and not up and down I need the tapestry at the right height so my back or neck doesn't hurt.

[Wow! Wouldn't that be wonderful - a fully adjustable moveable bench which would move up and down and back and forth effortlessly?    Oh forget that - where is my brain?  I already own that! That is the 'secretary' chair I use when weaving on my Shannock!   It has rollers so it moves back and forth and a fun lever to make me move up and down.   So remind me, why did I buy this bench?]

So far, I've got about 40" by 3" done.  It's mostly dark blue and green ripples of the ocean with the start of a black pelican.   I forgot how much large tapestries consume yarn; worse than teenage kids around the refrigerator.  Hopefully, I will have enough of the 'ocean' blues without having to resort to the dye pot.

Looking at the photo, you can see I mark on my warp with sharpies and the only cartoon I've got is the outline of the pelican.   I look forward to getting above the pelican, then there is no cartoon just lots and lots of space to play around with wedge weave.

Once I get up to that horizontal line at about 14 inches, At that  the view may be more a interesting view...so until then I am also warping my Purrington loom...here

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Small Expressions 2012 Adieu!

Today was the last day to view the fiber exhibit
Small Expressions 2012
 at the Long Beach Museum of Art. 


 A few of the artists with pieces in the exhibit
and Carol Shaw-Sutton, the juror for the show,
got together to have lunch and view the exhibit one last time.


Here is Peggy Wiedemann with her basket; Opposites Attract.

Sumiko Tasaka came all the way from Tokyo to view the exhibit.
This is her piece Leave Sorrow Behind 2. 

Jeanie Pratt, another beetle lover,
is shown here by her insect jewelry; Mimicry #9 and Mariposa del Mar

This is my favorite piece; one of the Wise Guys by
Danielle Bodine (not present).

Many thanks the Long Beach Museum of Art for hosting this fabulous exhibit.  And many thanks to HGA for their continued sponsorship of Small Expressions.  We are all looking forward to the next one!

Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Rita's Excellent Belgian Ale





The Bienveneda Brewery presents REBA - Rita's Excellent Belgian Ale in commemoration of Rita's first showing at the Society Gallery in Long Beach.  

Bienveneda Brewery presents two "saison' style ales.  One with a traditional Belgian saison yeast (green cap) and the other with a French saison yeast (yellow cap).  Same ingredients - two different yeasts.  Saison style beer is a farm house ale that is close to home brewed.  It has been described as “ffortifying - but not stupefying - a thirst quencher for the labors of the summer field. “  

Make a toast to Rita with this most excellent ale!

Monday, August 06, 2012

Ready Sett Go!



Finally I started to weave on my new tapestry loom!
I love the  symmetry of my tie-up
....view from the floor

One row done...
many more to go
I decided to go with the width of the existing warp - that's forty inches.  Forty inches at 12 epi was just too daunting so I tied-up two additional pedals for 6 epi. While down there on the floor, I did a couple additional permutations of four shafts so all six treadles are set.  I loved the symmetry of the cords so I just had to take a photo.

Now I'm looking at weaving a tapestry which is still quite wide but something I should be able to finish this year.  I must admit it took like forever to weave across that width just one time.  I don't think I ever have woven a tapestry this wide. It should be an intersesting process.  Thank goodness, the loom came with a bench that slides back and forth.

My color choices...
 unless I choose to dye.
I also forgot how long it takes to actually start weaving a large piece.   I have been weaving smaller pieces for at least a year.  Just winding up those initial bobbins seemed to take forever.  

And let's not forget the actual selection of which yarns to use.  To avoid starting to weave I re-organized all my yarn.  We all have our own procrastination processes don't we? I told myself I was actually looking for inspiration for color choices not really procrastinating.   I even got that itch to make all my 'leftover' stash all nice and tidy.  You know, re-ball all the yarn so no more messy balls or small bits...I started with one particularly messy golden brown tangled pile that Tippy had taken on a play date a few months ago.  Messy yet a beautiful golden brown... Fixing that mess took longer than an hour! There were many others.... Fortunately, procrastination disappeared as the ball winder was just warming up. In the end, my stash is not neat and tidy; but it is separated by color.

On this tapestry I decided to play around with wedge weave and created a fun design which will allow me to try all sorts of different permutations of this technique yet have them, hopefully,  come together into a coherent piece.  At least that's my hope.  Initially my design was going to be completely abstract so I would not have to fret much about the final image not depicting reality.  Then I had this vision of an abstract sunset... then a pelican appeared...

I need to get weaving before I have more visions...

Saturday, August 04, 2012

Tetrads Complete - Escenses to follow


Our study group, Centered on Color and Fiber has wrapped up its study on tetrads. 


A tetrad is basically a color palette composed of four points of a rectangle placed on the color wheel. We discovered it is not an easy palette to use since it is a combination of two sets of complements.  In equal proportions we were unable to achieve any palette even close to harmonious with which we would want to weave. But with changes in proportions and value we were each able to create a tetradic palette we liked.  Once we discovered a harmonious four color palette we then discovered that these tetradic palettes had  much more depth and complexity than other palettes. The photos show some of our results.


If you are interested in joining our next color study topic; read the invitation below.


Carolee's Tetrad

Carol's Tetrad

Karen's Tetrad
Three Studies

Deanna Deed's Tetrad:
California Spring Sprang

Nicki's Tetrad:
Lost-One Pair Green Shoes



JOIN US! 

The  Escences of Fiber


Our study group, Centered on Color and Fiber has wrapped up its study on tetrads and we invite you to join us with our new topic of study starting August 31. 

Our topic: THE ESCENCES of Fiber.  That is to say iridescence, luminescence, opalescence, and any other escence we discover and their specific impact and application to fiber.

An important aspect of our study group is sharing; both via the internet as well as in face to face gatherings.   To participate you are expected to share your insights and discoveries on the escences via our yahoo group, come to three face-to-face meetings (if you are local) plus show you final piece at the June SCHG meeting.  This final piece is expected to be of exhibit quality, utilizing something you have learned about the escences and be submitted to an exhibit or fashion show of your choice by the end of the study period.  


No cost to join but space is limited to twelve. In essence, to participate in our study group you must be willing to share, to create and to exhibit your final creation.  If this sounds like something you would be interested in - 


Here’s the basic timeline:


August 31- October: Study, Play and Share

During this time our goal is to wrap our minds and souls around iridescence, luminescence, opalescence and other related topics.  With these topics we will spend time understanding what each is and what each is not. We will check out the terms in the color theory books we own, those in the library, info on the Internet and other sources.   We will report back via the yahoo group on good sources and useful or interesting information.  We will begin to sample to understand the implications on fiber. We will share any of those 'ah hah!' moments.


October – February: Experiment, Sample & Share

November gathering: Show the results of your sampling and experimentation and discuss your discoveries about our topic.  Start thinking about an exhibit quality piece utilizing what you are learning.

February gathering:   Show your final samples and progress. Discuss where you are heading with respect to creating an exhibit quality piece utilizing what you have learned about the escences.


February-May – Creating & Sharing

Create an exhibit quality piece keeping the group informed of your progress, discoveries and process.   In May we will gather to show off our final pieces and discuss our conclusions about the escences.


May -June – Sharing & Exhibiting

Show off your finished piece at the June Southern California Handweavers Guild meeting and finalize which exhibit or fashion show you will enter for your piece.


Contact me if you are interested!   

Nicki 

www. nickibair.com

Thursday, August 02, 2012

Almost Ready

Looks like a loom -
just doesn't quite act like one...yet.

What a beautiful loom...

This loom has been taken entirely apart and now has been put back together.   The beater is working; not elegantly but it is functional.  The reed is installed and all the warp has been re-beamed from the top beam to the bottom and back to the top.  I checked the heddles and all seems it be good in a straight 1-2-3-4 pattern.  It is almost ready to weave.

I also checked to how much warp was on still on the loom.  I was able to save the warp on the top beam when we moved it.  I am glad I looked.  There is quite   a bit - 480 warps across and at least 7 yards of usable 12/6 warp.  It's sett at 12 dpi so I have a maximum width of 40 inches.   That should keep me busy for quite awhile.

All the pulleys and cord were a challenge.  The biggest challenge has been the tie-up at the treadles.  I kept telling myself, really how hard can this be?  This is tapestry.  I only need a straight tabby; not a twill or huck.  Just plain tabby for my maiden voyage. This is not rocket science; they were doing this in the 1800's.  And really Nicki, how many treadles have you tied up before?

Perhaps it's my summer cold but I have spent "quality & quality" time with those treadles and cords and still am not convinced I've got it right. I can get a good shed, much larger than I am used to but to switch I  step on the treadle and then must provide an assist with my hands on the actual shafts.  It is not quite acting like the beautiful loom that it is supposed to be.

I guess I will look at it again tomorrow.  The boys are bottling beer today...

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

One Adventure Done...more to come

What a fun time all six of us had exhibiting Rita's Excellent Adventure at the Society Gallery during Convergence.  It was definitely worth the time and effort to pull everything together in such a short time.  Although I think my hair has become much more grey. There were a lot of tapestries woven, backs finished and tapestries mounted in a three week time frame.   Plus, an entire book was designed, printed and delivered just in time for the Artists' reception.  The paperback book has the story plus photos of all the tapestries for those who wanted to read the story again, again and again.  And it's now available for purchase on my website.

For me, one memorable moment during Convergence was when I drove past the gallery and was surprised to see the signage the gallery had made for the exhibit. A tear came to my eye seeing my surf perch on the poster.  Who would have guessed I would have poster with one of my tapestries on it.  How cool is that!  And now I have that poster hanging in my studio.  Just seeing it makes me smile.

Another fond memory has to do with folks entering the gallery.  Some went to the right while others went to the left. Normally in a tapestry exhibit, it doesn't matter which way you go.  Since our exhibit told a story, you really had to go clockwise to read & see the story sequentially.  (Well, except perhaps for those folks who read the last page of a mystery story first...) We realized when we saw the gallery for the first time that there might be a problem with folks going the wrong way.  Margie had the answer...she whipped up one more tapestry that simply said "The End".  It was fun to see the folks who went to the right and saw their first tapestry titled "The End'... they would sheepishly smile to each other.. look around to see if anyone had noticed what they had done,,,and then quickly turn to go the other direction.  

How time flies when you're having such fun. It's the end of July and the exhibit was just taken down.  I've included four photos.  The first shows the vacant building that Vayden Roi was re-furbishing to be a gallery space.  The building used to be a bike shop.  Check out those colorful walls!  The other photos include one from the day it went up, a crowd shot from the Artist's reception during Convergence and what the gallery looked like with all twenty Rita tapestries removed from the wall, packed up and heading home.   How empty and sad the gallery looked! 

Many thanks to the Vayden Roi Galleries for allowing us to exhibit Rita's Excellent Adventure for the first time....and for painting those red columns white! 

Now it's time to find the next venue to host the Adventure...

Our First View of the Gallery




Installation Day

 b
Artist's Reception
All Packed Up and Heading Home

Friday, July 27, 2012

Used Looms are Always a Puzzle

Progress on my new loom...

Four Harness Upright
Tapestry Loom by Fireside
I bought this used four harness upright tapestry loom before Convergence, moving it from the third floor studio of a house in Venice to my studio.  It moved in pieces, of course.  How else to get it into our mini-van or for that matter through our very narrow front door?  Quite a puzzle taking it apart into pieces I could lift.   I didn't want to take it all apart...just into enough smaller pieces to get them down three flights, or into the elevator, into our van and through our front door.   Our front door is quite narrow as we discovered the first year we bought a Christmas tree to match the high vaulted ceilings in the living room.  We discovered the fact again when the new refrigerator was delivered..and returned.

I tried to keep as much as possible of the original set up of this loom since it looked quite complex.  I am not familiar with a cantilever loom; all I can say is that it has a lot of cord.  Unofrtunately, I did have to cut all the cords for the move but I carefully taped and tied them for future study to aid in the assemby process.  I could see I would need all new rigging and the metal would need some work.  The salty air of Venice did a number on the metal; the rigging was discolored.

There was lots of cotton seine warp wound onto the top bean that I decided to save.  I'd like to use it if I can since it looks to be 12/6, a favorite warp of mine for smaller tapestries but not sure on such a potentially larger one.  The warp looks to be about 40 inches wide; all the reeds are 48 inches.

I bought lots of texsolv rigging for the loom at Glimakra in the vendor hall at Convergence and spent yesterday and today refurbishing.   First I had to remove all the rust and corrosion on the metal.   That was quite a mess and my hands were not happy. Then I cleaned up the beautiful wood a bit as my hands suffered some more.

Next I started on the rigging which was a tough yet fun puzzle.  I have never seen so much cord on one loom!  It was all over the place.  There looks to be more than 50 yards of the stuff.   I do think I now understand how it works at least with the harnesses..the beater is an altogether different puzzle.  I was able to get the sixteen pieces of cord going from the four harnesses through all the right alleys, over and under the many pulleys and down to the six pedals.  I set it up as a straight tabby to test my theory for the set up...but... it is not quite right...sigh.

In the process, I broke a small piece of the wood which has now been glued.  It needed to dry so I looked for something else to work on.

Since all the warp in already on the top beam and I secured the warp which went through the heddles when I removed the heddles; all I have to do it tie-on vs. re-thread the heddles.  Lots and lots of knots are in my future...   I just started to tie on the warp and have noticed that it looks like what I have is a straight 1-2-3-4 tie-up so I can easily do a tabby or a twill if I want to get fancy.   So far I have only about 20% of the warp tied on.

Sigh.  So much more to do...

Tuesday, July 24, 2012