Well – I was wrong, obviously

Remember this?

I wrote, then: "The coloured plastic is cut from cheap folders, the type that can take about 10 pages without overflowing. It will survive any kind of abuse - washing machine, any kind of iron, sunlight... and by doubling the colours it also becomes educational."
I wrote that because it had survived an east-looking window for almost 2 summer seasons. Now it lives in a south-by-east facing window, and this is what it looks like now:

The arrows point at what were light red circles - the blue and the yellow look as good as new, though.
Hmmm... maybe, if I could come up with a striking title I could double the price and thus get it sold immediately? (fading flowers? no – mutations? no - ageing with grace? no, that’s even worse)

Maybe I should just find a replacement piece of plastic, and hope for the best?

Ystad

Yesterday I attended the AGM of Riksföreningen för Handvävning, this year held in Ystad. The meeting itself was unremarkable – as so often, the board got support for all of their proposals :-D (It is a sign of good work, after all!)
This chandelier was over my head:

Some subscribe to the "no idle hands"-theory:

And this is an emergency-bag, to attract young weavers:

The bag is packed by the Jönköping guild, and is kept ready at all times, should there be a need...

There was also the exhibition, titled “Något att smycka ditt rum” (Something to adorn your room). Most of the exhibits were in glass cases:

On the other side, the contribution from our guild:

And yes, Ystad has the most fantastic waterspout (unfortunately without water, at the moment), a kelpie, no less, with fishes at his feet:

And, on the way home... can it be said that the rooks are castling? (sorry...)
Eller på svenska: finns det nå’t som heter råk-slott? Det borde det kanske göra...

Wooden reeds, again

As you may remember, I have been collecting data about old (Swedish) wooden reeds. This has finally resulted in a couple of articles, that now have meanderad onto my website.

Here is the English version, here is the Swedish (which is slightly longer than the one that appeared in Solvögat).

Is there a reader (from anywhere) who has any information about other old systems of measuring reeds/yarn/weaving widths? The more I read, the more fascinated I get... :-)

Sieves - or sifters?

It may have been 1994, when I first wove with horsehair.
I wove fabric for 20-something chairs for Skansen. I also was an attraction for the tourists, kitted out in "genuine" clothing (and freezing my b*tt off. Do you know how cold it can be in an un-insluated timber building in early spring, when it has stood closed and un-heated for 8-9 months??? Especially when threading and sleying dark brown cotton 40/2 to 22 ends per cm, in natural light only...)

I sat in the kitchen annex belonging to Skogaholms herrgård, inside that window:

As it happened, the 20-metre warp was done before the season ended, and I asked if I could try weaving sieve (sifter?) fabric for the last weeks.

I was allowed to, but only if I did it at home. (They wanted no experimenting on the premises.)

I had studied the sieves I owned, and what writings I could find. The biggest question was: how do I get the warp onto the loom? (Isn’t it interesting, the way the ethologists have of glossing over the hard bits? How many times have I read complicated descriptions of how to ... until we come to the "interesting part": then, "proceed the usual way"?)

In the end, I laced the warp to the back apron, just as lacing onto the front apron (only harder to do, as there was no way of applying tension). I then proceeded "the usual way" (threading, ... – well, you know...), including weaving.

I did not get to try (or even see) the mounting – but here it is, sieve/sifter ready:

As you can see, I had some tension problems...

All this rant, just to show my two new (old) sieves, one of which is even patterned:

I wonder what the odd-shaped one was used for? The sieve-part is about 15 cm, at the logest side.

more spool me

As ususal, I marvel at the cultural differences possible in the smallest details. Yesterday, I looked at all spool-pictures inspired by Meg, and I read about making spools out of paper: rolled round pens, taped, made just to take care of "qrumbs" (quill-thrums? sorry – I must be bored...)

As usual, what we all learned from the beginning tends to be the "correct" way – so let me present: the correct way to make weft-packages ;-)

First, take a paper (this is a test print for hang tags for cushions, with some obsolete notes. Almost any paper works, except flimsy newsprint - unless desperate, then take 2 pages of flimsy newsprint). Fold it three times, for an 8-fold thickness.

Cut out an oval (well, 8 ovals). Remember to use the scissors for paper!

Now I am done. Easy, yes?

To use a new quill: the first time, lick on a “corner” before taking it to the winder. The moisture helps to get it snug on the shaft.

When the paper is almost wound on, add the yarn.

and wind on:

When the quill is empty, it looks like this

and can be re-wound, or put in the box for next time it is needed. (It may need licking a few times more)
Warning: do not inset the yarn until at least half of the paper is on the shaft, or it can come out and wind on the spindle, which is bad for weaving...

And, now that I have the pictures – here is my quill box

(Unfortunately, I dropped a shuttle and cracked the glass, but it still holds out most of the dust)

April spools day

Meg, over at Unravelling, suggested we celebrate "the humble spool".

Forgetting to take a picture at the studio yesterday, I was saved by today's flea-market find:

Nice and smooth, it has the exit hole lined with bone, which shows it has been used a lot.

The spool was a bonus :-) It holds a doubled fine cotton, 24/2 at a guess.

The spool itself is of ordinary brown paper, not cut to the "prescribed" oval.

Otherwise, my spool box looks like Cally's, except 95% of the spools are paper. Using paper you never run out of spools, or even need to empty them... and, like Meg, I have some that may be 10 years or older (the paper, I mean! - well, maybe one or two hold yarn that old too...)