Sunday, May 18, 2014

warping day





  
Yes, it's me in my warping outfit. Without the face mask, it is also my bike riding outfit, and then my go out to eat at Chaseburg Hideaway outfit.  

The warp I'm putting on today is Chinese hemp, on 15 spools.  Followed by 15 of perle cotton in a color called "Silver Clouds", 260 yards wound on each spool, to make a 12 yard warp on 18 sections. 

When finished it will be about 32 inches wide.  The tail end of the last warp is being woven into
what I am calling a new measuring tape. 

14 comments:

Merna said...

Beautiful yarn! And I love your tape measure, Susan. Do you wear the mask just for warping or also when you're weaving with hemp?

Patrice A. said...

goodmorning!
i like to see your workplace
with funny details like that cow ;^)))
and to see you, hello!!

i think i am in love with that tape....

love
Patrice A.

Susan said...

Hi! I wear a mask when winding any warp spools. I don't usually wear it when I weave, but maybe I should, like wearing a bike helmet.

Patrice, I'm glad you like my plastic cow, and my measuring tape to measure difficult things to measure. I might use my measuring tape to measure how much I like my plastic cow! Thank you for visiting me again!
Susan

msvos said...

Hi there Susan. I love seeing photos of your studio. I'm fascinated by the top photo of the spools being wound. What is the wooden tool in the middle? I'm clueless about sectional warping and the tools it requires - it would never fit or work in my 8' x 10' studio/closet!
Beautiful tape. - One final question - I'm working with hemp now (16/2) - it's pretty wiry and has a mind of its own. How does your hemp from China behave? Sorry for all the questions. Love your blog. Laurie

Susan said...

Hi, Laurie,
It's a yard counter for fishing line. I'm taking thread from the cone, winding 260 yds on each of 30 spools. I'll put them on a spool rack behind my loom, thread them through a tension box, and wind them on in 2 in sections , until I have wound on to 18 sections. The 260 yards divided on the 18 sections will be just 12 yards long on each section.

It doesn't take so much room, but does require a few more specialized tools to do it. It's great to make long warps with very even tension.

My hemp is not so springy as linen, but with stuff like that I keep a roll of painters masking tape, and tape everything down until I'm ready for it.

Hope I haven't confused you about the sectional warp!
Good luck!
Susan

Anonymous said...

love the new measuring tape. you have a very tidy studio.

Velma Bolyard said...

that tape, well it just sings to me, oooh la la! totally wonderfully wonderful!

Susan said...

Thanks, I've got 3 of them now. What am I making here, this thing? Then there was my old tape measure hanging in my way on the loom, I was pushing it out of the way when I realized what I was making. Some of the marks are actual measurements of real stuff, my waist, the cat's tail. I like how subjective it is

msvos said...

Dear Susan,
Thanks so much for explaining your spool winding set up. I have a much better idea of how sectional warping works now. I love that you're using the fishing line yard counter - very cool and clever. On another subject, I was taken aback when I saw the fabric on the left of the Calvin Klein RTW image. I saw it a little while ago and thought that the overall look was incredibly similar to your work. Very interesting. Laurie

Susan said...

Laurie, I was surprised to see that fabric design, too.

msvos said...

It would seem that your aesthetic has been appropriated.

Anonymous said...

Susan:
You so inspired me when I visited your studio last year! I am warping my LeClerc Meco loom this weekend for another set of dish towels, and am almost done restoring a Kessenich loom for rug weaving! Thank you so much for your inspiration!
Karolyn (Buhr)

Susan said...

Karolyn, I'm so glad to hear that you're weaving, and I'm part of it! When I think of the artists and weavers in their studios that gave me the green light, it seems only right if I can pass the energy to someone else. Good luck! Susan

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