Twisted yarns

Another experiment from a couple of weeks ago - I partly follwed Annie McHales instructions and used patterns from the Inkle Weavers Directory, but designed the layout in my own colours! I wove a few short sections, leaving 3 - 4 inches between each sections and ended up with some bookmarks! i wasn't quite brave enough to trst me start and finish technique yet and so I put adhesive on the ends just to prevent unravelling! Sara  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

My first experiment was a success! I had asked the advice of experienced weavers, whether practising using acrylic yarn would cause me more trouble than was worth it... opinions were divided but a couple of people said they'd used it when learning and found it useful for practising technique etc.  So, having a good supply of DK (8 ply) acrylic yarn from various crochet projects, I decided to give it a go (see last post) It worked! I ended up with a 1.5m band It was really good having at least 3 colours on each of the pattern cards as it helped me see how the 4 threads on each card moved  dependent on the direction you turned the cards. For my own benefit I'm noting here what issues I came across, and if I managed to sort them out!... After weaving approx 1m of band I realised the border threads had become ridiculously tight (and looked pretty thin). I tried to undo the knots and untwist the threads - but it was too fiddly even though I'd done easy release knots.  Instead, I

I have had a little break from crafts - I've got a niggling little injury that keeps flaring up after any sort of crochet and I need to buy some cotton supplies for weaving (seems an expensive start up costto get a good supply of colours!). After asking the advice of others, I decided to practice using acrylic Dk yarn, which I have plenty of. I found a website  Tablet Weaving Draft Designer  which allows you to design your own tablet weaving patterns - I'll add the pictures of the draft when I am on the other laptop! I warped up the inkle loom and made a start on weaving It actually looks like the design I made! Sara  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This is my new loom all warped and ready to go! Thanks to Steve at Trenayne crafts - I ordered through ebay, but there is a website if you are interested. Half of the threads are wrapped around the top front peg and then a heddle is looped around them and the heddle peg (where the thick black ties are) - these are the heddled threads. The other half of the threads are wrapped around the top back peg- the unheddled / open threads. (Heddled / unheddled threads alternately). By lifting or pushing down the unheddled threads creates a space (shed) that you put your weft thread through. Again, alernately you lift the unheddled threads and pass the weft through, then push the unheddled threads down and pass the weft thread through again...  Not having "proper" supples of cotton available, I used a mixture of different stranded cotton threads in a variety of colours, so that I could have the chance to practice... and I ended up with a double rainbow, but using different colours each

I am so pleased! The lovely Jenny has very kindly loaned me an inkle loom! I couldn't wait to get it set up - so I pulled out my cones of stranded cotton and starting warping the loom (wrapping the threads around it), but about halfway realised something didn't look right and I had soon realised I had been bringing the open / unheddled threads over the wrong peg.... so I started again! It went much quicker the 2nd time around. Last night I made a start and seemed to get into a good rhythm straight away.... but time had crept up on me and I had to put it away. This afternoon I took it off the loom, with 1m of band approx 3/4 inch wide. I really can't wait to order a loom now! Sara  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯