Meet Vera

I love all sorts of fiber and fabric arts. I knit, embroider, quilt, sew, crochet (sort of), and, of course, weave. My first foray into weaving happened in a class at a Stitches West event years ago. I was interested in weaving, but it can be a pretty substantial investment into the tools before you even know if you like it or not. Turns out, I did like it! From that class, I got started with my Ashford rigid heddle loom, and began the slide down the slippery (but very fun!) slope that is diving into a new hobby. I'll do a separate post on my rigid heddle loom(s), but since I'll be warping the floor loom next, I figured I'd start here and document the process (both good and bad...I'm still learning at this one!).

After a little research, and dreaming about what sort of weaving I'd like to be able to create, I knew I wanted to add an 8-shaft (at the minimum) floor loom to my loom family. I started keeping an eye out in all the usual places - facebook marketplace, Ravelry groups, etc, and one day in early 2023 I saw a post for a Harrisville 22" 8-shaft loom nearby. It needed a little cleaning, and had some missing pieces, but the price was decent, and I knew Harrisville was good about replacement parts for their looms, even ones from way back. My loom family now consists of two rigid heddle looms (both Ashfords - a 10" Sample It and a 16" RHL), an inkle loom made for me by my dad (someday I'm going to weave all my own bag straps as well!), and now my Harrisville 8-shaft that I have named Vera. The others will be formally introduced along the way :)

So my first project was a simple twill pattern, and while I discovered quirks about my loom as well as general areas to work on (like winding on tension!!) I was SO pleased with the finished result. I can see all the places I messed up my treadling pattern, but for my first try, I call it a total win.

My second project was a longer warp and I found that my tension, especially on the edges was really inconsistent. It at least still turned out well enough for me to feel confident gifting that set of towels!

So that will be the biggest focus for my next project - just getting the warp wound on evenly. While I adore hand-dyed yarns, and have grand plans for some floor loom projects incorporating them in the near future, I'm currently only working with 8/2 cotton yarns for both warp and weft. I have my next warp idea, I just have to find the time to commit to it! My hope is that documenting the steps here keeps me motivated, and moving through the process. I don't pretend to have all the answers, but if you're wondering about anything along the way, please just ask! 

Next step - project planning and yarn selection.....