The Sewing Place

Ploshkin - Weaving Along

Ploshkin

Ploshkin - Weaving Along
« on: December 29, 2020, 17:14:45 PM »
Having got a small 10" rigid heddle loom at the beginning of December I haven't had a lot of time to try it out but I have managed a bit just using some left over knitting wool.
I wound a narrow warp using up the remains of a dark green DK yarn and started off with some plain weave. 
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I can see that my beating is inconsistent but in my defence the yarn is stretchy and spongy and probably not the most suitable for weaving with. I have had to keep cranking up the tension of the warp (though I don't actually know how tight or loose it should be). I'm pleased with my selvedges which seem reasonably tidy and that the piece is a consistent width.
That's where it got left until today.  The instruction booklet that came with the loom has instructions for a sampler so I tried out a couple of different weave patterns.
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I like them both and it was a useful exercise in spotting errors.  I realised that I had unwanted weft floats on the basket weave pattern but I could see what had happened and was able to make sure I avoided it.  I found the bit with the blue bits in tricky to get the edges neat and though the left edge has gone ok the right hand side is a car crash.  I stopped trying to work out how it needed to be done - that's for another day.  I think if there was just one more warp thread on that side it would be work ok.  It's useful doing this because I am finding out things that I need to learn to do like weaving in ends when the shuttle runs out and you start a new one.
I haven't got much spare knitting yarn but I have quite a bit of grey and pink which is thinner so when this warp runs out I will have a play with that.  Enjoying the journey so far  :).
Life's too short for ironing.

Celia

Re: Ploshkin - Weaving Along
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2020, 17:41:57 PM »
Looks great, practise is the best way I have found to learn. 

Efemera

Re: Ploshkin - Weaving Along
« Reply #2 on: December 29, 2020, 18:12:44 PM »
Great stuff... I have yet to try my ‘surprise’ Christmas gift.

Lowena

Re: Ploshkin - Weaving Along
« Reply #3 on: December 29, 2020, 18:18:02 PM »
Oh dear  :( it sounds much too complicated for me. I faint at the word tension and couldn't cope withything that wasn't straightforward.
I was just coming round to the idea although to be fair the price of looms was putting me off.
Good luck with your journeys
Triumph of hope over experience :D

Ploshkin

Re: Ploshkin - Weaving Along
« Reply #4 on: December 29, 2020, 18:39:25 PM »
What did you get @Efemera  ?
Life's too short for ironing.

Efemera

Re: Ploshkin - Weaving Along
« Reply #5 on: December 29, 2020, 19:14:59 PM »
Well @Ploshkin ...I had visions of something like yours, something I could sit with on my lap.
What I got was a 32” Ashford rigid heddle loom! So no sitting with that on my lap. DD has a lot of textile/ weaver friends and she got this at a ridiculously low price. I haven’t  done anything with it as yet. I have a load of Linton Tweed yarns in my stash so I’ve got no excuse.

Ploshkin

Re: Ploshkin - Weaving Along
« Reply #6 on: December 29, 2020, 19:55:00 PM »
Ooh, that's big.  I'll be interested in how you get on with it.
Life's too short for ironing.

Efemera

Re: Ploshkin - Weaving Along
« Reply #7 on: December 29, 2020, 19:56:43 PM »
Ooh, that's big.  I'll be interested in how you get on with it.

So will I! :laughing:

Renegade Sewist

Re: Ploshkin - Weaving Along
« Reply #8 on: December 29, 2020, 20:36:29 PM »
@Efemera was that the Christmas surprise you've been mentioning?

I think that's the  size I have. When a friend moved out of state she left this on my doorstep one day. Poor thing has been in the garage since. Too many helper cats.
Hey Bill! Read the manual!  Hehehe.

Ploshkin

Re: Ploshkin - Weaving Along
« Reply #9 on: January 04, 2021, 13:26:36 PM »
I've completed some random bits of weaving on the short warp that I threaded (installed/warped/)  It's not pretty but I learnt lots along the way including things that I need to find out before my next attempt. 

What I learnt:
I enjoy doing it and it's definitely for me. 
It takes a lot of concentration when you're doing anything other than plain weave (I didn't really get an opportunity to spend any time on it - just wove a few rows in passing every so often)
My beating at the start (left hand side) was too heavy
I need to find out how to weave in ends - I didn't bother on this bit.
I need to learn how to hemstitch to stop the weaving coming apart at the ends
Thickish knitting wool is definitely not for weaving with
I hate practising and just want to get on and do something 'real'  (I know that already!)

Warts and all here it is.  I was pleased that I managed to keep the weaving width pretty consistent (only 1/8" variation) despite using different thickness yarns for the weft and different weave patterns.

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« Last Edit: January 04, 2021, 13:28:35 PM by Ploshkin »
Life's too short for ironing.

Flobear

Re: Ploshkin - Weaving Along
« Reply #10 on: January 04, 2021, 14:46:46 PM »
I have googled a bit to try and find out what 'beating' is. As with many topics, they are often US sites and I haven't found the term there. I think it's likely to be the squashing together of the weft threads so they sit evenly and are spaced correctly. Of course, as I have no intention of taking up weaving, never say never, I don't need to know this.
Proud new owner of Elvistoo !!

Ploshkin

Re: Ploshkin - Weaving Along
« Reply #11 on: January 04, 2021, 15:28:16 PM »
Yes, @Flobear that's what it is.  I seem to recall that you were not going to be lured to the dark side  :ninja:
Life's too short for ironing.

Flobear

Re: Ploshkin - Weaving Along
« Reply #12 on: January 04, 2021, 16:31:15 PM »
Yes, @Flobear that's what it is.  I seem to recall that you were not going to be lured to the dark side  :ninja:


Proud new owner of Elvistoo !!

Efemera

Re: Ploshkin - Weaving Along
« Reply #13 on: January 04, 2021, 18:47:07 PM »
That looks really good...I’ve not warped mine yet...too busy sewing.

Ploshkin

Re: Ploshkin - Weaving Along
« Reply #14 on: January 04, 2021, 19:08:00 PM »
Get warping @Efemera
I realised why I like doing it.  There is nothing electric / electronic so you have complete control and if something  goes wrong you can work out why and (hopefully) fix it.  It doesn't make any noise either.  I used to machine knit and liked it for the same reason ( though there was a bit of noise with that).
I've put another warp on in 2 different colours but any suggestion that I might have known what I was doing is entirely coincidental  :)
Life's too short for ironing.