I'll be past 300 threads this evening..

So with the 11 cards...I started the warping process. I am now close to 300 threads and have come to realize that this way is indeed faster and easier. I have the borrowed warping board next to the loom and I pass the ball of warp through the shed, turn the cards, pass the ball around the pegs of the warping board and back again, back through the shed, turn the cards again. Each pass makes two threads that we have guessed are about 5 yards long. The spacing is also much better with the this process so I'm curious to see how many threads I will use this time.

Rough hour count: 6 so far

So...

Apparently, the part of the hole saw that my hubby needs to drill the holes in the loom went missing for a bit - but he says that he will drill the holes this week :) We'll see what happens...As soon as I can weave the last few inches and get the piece off the loom and wet finished - I will post pics.

While I'm waiting I have started the warping process for the next piece. I've decided that It's going to be wider so that I can make more things out of it. So far I have warped my inkle loom with 11 cards...why 11? I miscounted :) I wanted 10, but 11 is fine too. I have it all warped and have woven a couple of inches. I figure I will weave a few more inches and then start weaving in the warp threads using a borrowed warping board (which the hubby will have copied before you leave I promise!) so that the warp will start out at roughly 5 yards. I have decided that I'm going to bundle the warp threads in bundles of 30 to make it easier to move to the loom. This next piece is made of the same mystery fiber as the the first one (I think it's acrylic from the burn test I did) but a pretty mauve-like shade. This piece will also be tabby until I have a chance to do the proper loom modifications to do other weaves. Since I need to have the loom up and running by the 12th of December - I'm guessing that will be sometime after Winter A&S in January since I will probably be working on this next piece for the next 6 weeks or so due to all the Holidays.

Almost there...

I'm down to the last few inches - I refuse to untie the weights just to let loose a couple of inches. I am sure that I would feel different about this if I had spun the threads, but since I didn't, I'm ready for this piece to come off the loom. I am currently at 2 yards + 34 inches...and holding. I need to do a slight loom modification so that I can weave a little farther down comfortably - so I'm waiting for the hubby to come home with the power tools :)
I want to drill one more set of holes to be able to move the heddle bar down just a little bit further. Once this is done, I think I will be able to weave a little past the 3 yard mark so that I can compensate for the first couple inches of the piece that are a little rough.
Once I have gone as far as I can - it's time to take it off the loom. For some reason this makes me nervous - makes no sense, but I always feel this way towards the end of a project.
I am going to wet finish the piece in the bathtub...maybe with a little soaps...maybe not...I'll see how it feels, and then let it air dry.

I know that it has been a couple of weeks :)

I was hoping to be finished by now, I know - I know. Life being what it is, my energies had to be diverted to get us ready for a weekend trip and then when we returned I turned around and was out of town for two weeks. In the mean time - I started a pair of naalbinded socks for me...I had some hours on airplanes and had to do something and I finished a 13th century fighting tabard for a friend. I'll post picks of the socks when I can and the tabard as they come to me :)

Weaving update...

I am now at 2.5 yards. I wove a few inches last night and then rolled up as much as I could to see if that last .5 yard is to be or not. It looks like it will happen. I am not going to take off the weights again as it is not worth it for the amount of weaving that it will add at this point - especially since the tension is a little off so close to the weights. I may modify the loom a bit so I can weave closer to the weights by adding another set of holes so I can move down the heddle bar, but that is about it.
I'm ready to have this off the loom for many reasons...
1 - I want to make things with the fabric (ok this one is obvious)
2 - I want to get started on the next piece so it's ready for people to use at the Novice Faire at Yule.

Some progress...

Well, I had hoped to have the weaving off the loom by now, but schedules being what they are - it hasn't happened. I now have maybe 2/3 (or a little more...playing it by feel) but since I will be out of town from 10/4 to 10/15, unless I have some spectacular insomnia (possible) I will have to wait and finish the weaving when I get home....

My mittens...

I love having portable projects - these are my mittens. I made them using a purple merino wool and the york stitch. I think they turned out pretty well considering I made them without a pattern and have never made mittens before...Now I've started on some socks for me :)