A Day Out

Last weekend I took a trip to visit a friend.  It's been so cold around here do on my way back, I was so enjoying the rare warm day that I decided to doddle.  It was a perfect day for wandering off the beaten path and visiting some antique shops.  I've decided I need to start an antique shop blog, since I go to so many of them!

Anyway, I pulled into this little town in Kentucky but the first few shops I came across in their "historic" district were still shut.  Since I wasn't in the mood to wait around for them to open, I went a little further up the road to find a place to turn around, I came across a large shop that was open.  BINGO!

I wandered through and saw some interesting things until I came up to an area with a table that had a bunch of stuff on it.  Now, it's important to know that I usually power walk through these kinds of antique malls.  I'm pretty good at spotting things that might be of interest but mainly I just like to see what's there.

This time, though, I had to do a double take because there on the table, under a mile of dirt and grime, was a table loom.  I could see well enough to know that it was complete and sturdy.  Good bones.  This type of loom can run anywhere from $900-1,300 dollars purchased new and this one was a fraction of a fraction of that.  I didn't even have to offer the lady a lower price.  She volunteered that if I paid cash or check, she'd take 20% off the price.  There was no way in creation I could pass that up.  Deal!

I don't have any good photos of it with the pile of dirt but here's what it took to get it cleaned up:

I had brushes and cloths and furniture orange oil and canned air and screw drivers and more.  I spent almost 2 hours on the porch (where it was almost warm enough to sit on the porch for 2 hours) working on it, much to the confusion of my neighbors.  I'm still working on the reed and heddles but I'll finish those this afternoon. 

Just a note to say, I was thrilled that it came with a 15-dent reed, a size I don't have for any of my other looms.

Anyway, here are some pics of how it cleaned up.  I knew it was well made but I had no idea the wood would clean up this beautiful.

There are no company markings and as you look closely, you can tell it was all made by hand.  The only markings I found were some pencil markings on the back of the back support.  I can't read all of it and haven't got a good photo of it but the part that I can read says "William Workman."  A quick search didn't bring up anything about William Workman but I have access to some very knowledgeable people so I'll see if any of them are familiar with him.

I couldn't be more thrilled by this beautiful addition to my rapidly filling apartment.  Next time, I'll tell you the story of the half-bale of straw and the new bobbin lace pillow!

Progress

After the last post, I did want you to know that, thanks to YouTube, I'm progressing.  Woohoo, YouTube.  I remembered my friend, Jennie, saying that you had to use the 2 shuttles at once but I didn't remember if it was every pass, every couple of passes, every once in a while, everytime I think of you...Wait, I think that's a song.  Anyway, I tried a few things and then decided to find a vid because I was sure someone had posted a vid and viola!

Look, Ma, I'm weaving!

I would tell you more but I'm late for work so that will have to wait for the next post (with more pics).

But I did want to show you my finished "travel" pillow for bobbin lace, which I'm getting used to now and think it's going to work:

The pillow is in a self-contained box and the paraphenalia fits into the second box.  I've just got to rig a carrying case for the two and I'll be set.  I also need to sew a couple more fabric blocs but I'll add as I go along.  There's not much progress here but I do now have a section of the lace completed.  I've also got this going on.  I was told this tread was too thin for this size pricking but I already had the bobbins wound so I'm going to work the length with this tread.  It does for my purposes of practice anyway.

This is also a pillow I made.  Well, most of it is.  The part I'm working on was the pillow from my original Lacis kit.  Beginning steps but, oh so fun!

In Over My Head

One of the disadvantages of wanting to learn new things is that you so often find yourself in that most uncomfortable position of being in over your head.  Boys and girls, I am now officially and undeniably in over my head.  A good "friend" has convinced me to take a workshop on overshot weaving.  If you've ever seen old coverlets, you're probably familiar with the look, even if you didn't know that's what it was called.  Here's a sample:

Pretty but not a beginner technique, I wouldn't have said.  And I am without doubt, the rankest beginner.  In fact, I'm such a beginner that I could count the number of things I've ever woven on the fingers on one hand and those were on rigid heddle looms.  This pretty little pattern is woven with a 4-shaft loom.  And that's a different thing altogether (in case you didn't know it).

Now, in my favor I know the following things:

1. I know what thread is.
2. I know what yarn is.
3. I know what a shuttle is.
4. I know what a loom looks like.
5. I know what a 4-shaft table loom is (because I just purchased a used one from TLD Designs in Westmont - near Chicago - cool place, you should go) but I first handled one about 4 hours ago.

6. I know what the parts of the loom are and what they're supposed to do (sort of).
7. I know people who weave.

No doubt, those are all good things to know and will get me started.  Here are some things I don't know (or don't know much about):

1. I don't really know how to read the weaving patterns.  I thought I did until I tried to actually follow one tonight and realized, I don't really know.
2. I don't know what a block is.
3. I don't know what a tabby is.
4. I don't know what I'm doing.

Granted the don'ts are a shorter list than the dos but, let's be real, I stopped because #4 really just covers it.

In over my head, while it can be uncomfortable, is also kind of exciting.  I like being reminded what it feels like so when I'm teaching, I'm never very far from that feeling that so many of my students are also feeling.  It gives me a lot of patience. 

But it's also uncomfortable enough to feel like the weekend after next is going to be a collosal waste of time - mine and the instructor's.  But I did get a "mini warp" put on the loom tonight and I've almost got my real warp for the workshop finished measuring out (or whatever weavers call it).  Then it's just warping 131 ends of 10/2 cotton (bedspread weight cotton for the rest of us).  I have a feeling I'm going to using a lot of terms like "thingy" or "thingymabob" or "jigger whatsit."  I have a pretty extensive generic vocabulary and it may get some exercise in the next few weeks.

I used to have a pastor who would say he didn't much trust a leader who didn't have at least one major failure in a sincere effort to serve God (or words to that effect).  I've already racked up plenty of those, so what's one more!


P.S.  I'm feeling a lot that way about the bobbin lace right now, too.  I've finished my travel pillow but attempted a new pattern this week and failed miserably.  That's next.