Necessity is a muthah

I leave for the Island in a few days.  In the midst of packing up all the personal gear we'll need for 9 weeks and our science equipment; answering questions from 8 excited young researchers; making a bulk run to BJs; cleaning our house; and taking the dog to her summer home, I'm trying to pack up my weaving.  Who's coming?  Jane -- this is actually why I bought her.  And a bin of items I've carefully inventoried -- shuttles, reading glasses, measuring tape, etc.

Finishing the bamboo scarf for my friend Nancy.

And projects.

I'm going to Vavstuga in late June, so I know I'll come back with some materials then, and I'll be wanting to do some Swedish weaving.  And I return to Maine in July for a week to run a lab for a teacher workshop (human genetics, anyone?)  I'm sure I can rustle up some more projects then.  So I'm trying to be realistic about what I need to take.  I want to wind warps at home, although I got some warping pegs to take along.  This has been fun and I'm in such a hurry I only have time to use my stash -- which is great.  I have a tendency to see yarn and then want to weave with it, but then I ignore the remnants.  Also to buy more than I need when I get to a big yarn shop.  Being forced to work out of my stash has made me work from yarn to project, rather than from project to yarn.  In this case, necessity has been the mother of invention for me.

Three warps are ready:

A leaf-green and white bamboo, for a shadow-weave scarf from Vav.

A somber slate grey and light green tencel, which will be a houndstooth scarf.

And I think my favorite -- this is Madeleine Tosh Prairie and variegated tencel mixed.  This has a wonderful depth of texture and color.  I'm planning on just putting this on and plowing through it with tabby for a quick start to the season.  If the weaving is as easy and fun as making this warp, I'll be loving it.  I'm a little concerned about using the Tosh as warp but we'll see what happens!

FERRY UPDATE:  The ferry that ran aground is going to dry dock.  This leaves the little black ferry to run; it was actually decommissioned in fall in anticipation of the arrival of the newest ferry, planned in July.  So they are pulling her out of mothballs and using her.  This means there will be a long wait to cross to the island; we are going to bring tents just in case we have to camp out on the mainland and wait.  Getting to the island will be a relief, and I'm looking forward to setting up my things and getting to work.

Warping the Loom

I've been there.  You went to a weaving class, loved it, and bought a loom.  Now it's sitting there, staring at you, waiting to be warped.  My loom sat for 6 months when I first got it, because what seemed so easy in class now seemed impossible.

Today I focus on warping your loom.  There are as many ways to warp a loom as there are weavers.  Many weavers warp "back to front", and think any other way is inefficient and will cause broken threads and tangles.  They think friends don't let friends warp "front to back".  Others warp "front to back", and think those "back to fronters" are smug and uncreative.  Still others have created a hybrid method that works for them.

The challenge of warping is to find a method that is efficient, and that allows you to get your loom warped without tangle and with great tension.  The better you are at warping, the better and easier your weaving will be.

My warping board with Alpaca-Silk warp.  I have chalkboard paint behind it so I can make notes as I warp.

Before I get to resources, here's what's going on in my studio.  I still have the tencel scarf on my Louet Jane, but I'm approaching the end.  I'll do some sampling after that on my leftovers.  On my warping board, I have 6 yards of lovely grey alpaca-silk from Webs. I'm hoping to get 2 scarves out of it on my Norwood 4 shaft loom.

Now, on to resources.  If a resource focuses on back to front warping, I note it with a "BtF", if it is front to back I note it with a "FtB".

The Debate between BtF and FtB:

 Handwoven's Weaving Today had a great contest to determine which method was best!  Funny and informative.
Laura Fry's discussion of "Why I don't do FtB"

Getting your tension right:

Bonnie Tarsis' thoughts on getting your tension just right.

Books

Peggy Osterkamp:  Weaving for Beginners:  An Illustrated Guide (BtF) -- $49.95
Peggy Osterkamp:  Warping Your Loom and Tying on New Warps (BtF) -- $39.95
Deborah Chandler:  Learning to Weave (Both) -- $24.95
Joanne Hall:  Learn to Warp Your Loom -- $20.00

DVDs 

Peggy Osterkamp:  Warping the Loom -- Back to Front -- $34.95 (Review of this here.)
Handwoven Editor Madelyn van der Hoogt:  Warping Your Loom (Both) -- $34.95
Deborah Chandler: Beginning Four-Harness Weaving with Deborah Chandler -- $34.95
Deborah Chander:  Introduction to Weaving -- $29.95
Sallie Guy:  Warping and Loom Preparation -- $19.95
Louet Looms, featuring Jane Stafford -- Discover the World of Weaving Looms (focuses on Louet Looms, but I found it helpful for all my weaving) -- $20.00

You Tube

Rigid Heddle Warping -- Here and here too
Louet, featuring Jane Stafford; Megado pt 1 and pt 2, Delta pt 1 and pt 2
Interweave -- Handwover Editor Madelyn van der Hoogt (Preview of the DVD listed above)
Laura Fry -- Threading

Websites

Louise French's PDF (BtF) -- $5.00
All Fiber Arts  (FtB)
Wovenspun -- for a rigid heddle loom (FtB)
Thrums (Susan Harvey) -- Warping a Louet Jane, Louet Spring, Sectional Warping, General Warping (BtF)
Dawn MacFall's use of milk jugs to help warp
Dust Bunnies Under My Loom -- Warping a Louet Spring, Louet Jane
Weaving a Life (Laura Fry) -- Sleying

Please let me know about any other resources to include here!