Moving On - Tablet Weaving

It is over three years since my last post and I am still spinning and weaving.  I have become very interested in various methods of weaving bands.  I particularly enjoy tablet weaving although still very much a beginner.

I started tablet weaving using a small modified Ashford rigid heddle loom and then went on to use an inkle loom which I will continue to use alongside my new Don Betterley 'Better Loom'.

This is just a very simple pattern where all the cards are turned forward.  I wanted to test just how well the loom with weights eliminated the twist......it worked beautifully.  I have only had it for just over a week and am very pleased with it.

The photograph below is a road where I often walk with our dog Jack  He is a wonderful little dog who has become a very important member of our family.   We also have a cat now called Emily, she is the first cat we have ever had and she is a little star.  No doubt they will both feature in future blogs.

In memory of my dogs

 

Beth

August 1999 - 7th January 2014

 

 

 

 

Megan

February 2000 - 1st September 2014 

 

 

 

 

Bryn

August 2002 - 10th October, 2014

 

 

 

Our three dogs have all died this year - it has been a tremendously sad time for us. We miss them all so very much.

 

 

Patchwork Quilt

Returning to the Sewing Machine has encouraged me to finish off this quilt. I only had one corner to finish quilting but had somehow lost interest. Anyway here it is and it is now hanging in the hall.

Back to Sewing - 'Creative Challenges' with Shelagh Folgate

I have had a change this last couple of months

and have turned back to sewing. I have joined Shelagh Folgate's creative challenges' 'Smashies' and 'Tantalising Techniques' groups which are great for anyone like me who is interested in textile art but hasn't a clue where to start they are really informative and fun to do.

The photographs are from the 'Smashies' projects.

Weaving

I have been very poor at blogging and it is ages since I took any photographs of my spinning and weaving - so this is just a small sample of what I have been doing over the past few months.

I used my own home spun yarn for both the warp and weft for both the blanket and the scarf. The blanket was woven 'double width', the wool used is mostly BFL and was dyed using 'natural' dyes.

The scarf is natural Shetland. I have really appreciated both of them this winter - they are lovely and warm.

Erddig Hall

Today we went to Erddig Hall and Gardens and the weather has been absolutely beautiful. These are just a few of the many photographs I took.

Spinning, Dyeing and Weaving

The shawl in the background was spun using Shetland and BFL. The colours are natural and the shawl is beautifully soft.

The cushions were spun using Shetland which I dyed using Ashford Acid Dyes however the colours became a bit murky and diluted because I used too much water in the pot and so I am not particularly over the moon with the results but I am pleased that I have seen it through the whole process - spinning, dying, weaving and sewing.

Dunham Massey

Back to Weaving

The cold winter has kept me out of the shed but I am back again and have started to weave a wrap. I am using my own hand-spun Shetland/BFL wool for both the warp and the weft. I was concerned about using hand-spun in the warp but it hasn't shown any signs of breaking and I am really pleased with the results.

I have also changed the heddles from cotton to texsolv which I think are a little easier to thread but it still took me an age to warp the loom and I had a number of errors to correct - but I suppose it could be described as a learning process : )

Skein Winder

Mr Spinning J has made me a magnificent skein winder. It is adjustable, works amazingly well and will save me a lot of time, and as an added bonus it looks very impressive!

HDR Processing

I have been playing around with HDR processing for the last couple of days and thought that this shot is one of the few I have taken recently that lends itself to this type of processing - although I haven't got a dramatic sky : )

Daffodils

Unfortunately these daffodils are not from the garden. The daffs in the garden have a long way to go before they bloom. It is still cold - I hope spring is not too far away : )

Marbury Country Park

We went to Marbury Country Park about a week ago and managed to get close enough to the robin and blackbird to take these photographs. They were both very obliging and seemed to pose for me. The robin was on a fence by a bird table and the blackbird was in the hedge right next to where we parked the car and wasn't in the least put out by us being there!

The Moon

I took my first photographs of the moon yesterday, around 9.0'clock in the evening. It was really cold so I didn't stay out very long but I am quite pleased with the results.

Home alone

I had the afternoon to myself today
so took the opportunity to
experiment with macro and
making a collage.

More photographs

A few more photographs....

Photography

I have been enjoying using the new lens so here are just a few of the many photographs I have been taking over the last couple of weeks.

It has proved to be a good walk around lens as well as macro.

The pony was in a children's zoo and posed beautifully for some photographs.

The orchid was a bargain buy - just £2.00 in a garden centre sale. I used Mr. Spinning J's flashgun for orchid and bud shots.

Cold and Frosty Day

I took this photograph late afternoon - the sky
was quite amazing.













This cheeky chap was
raiding the bird feeder.

Macro Lens

I am really excited about having a macro lens - it was delivered today and this is just a small selection of the photographs I have taken. I have always thought macro interesting and am determined to learn all the ins and outs of using this lens to best effect.

Majacraft Little Gem Spinning Wheel

I have a new spinning wheel - a Majacraft Little Gem and I am very pleased with it. The photographs show it complete with Mr Spinning J's Flyer which he made especially for the Little Gem - he finished it today - so just in time : )