Monday, January 31, 2011

Weaving Vocabulary

I do have other projects that I am working on, but  becoming more involved with weaving and all the possibilities there are.  This weaving is with my Schacht Loom, the Cricket.   hope this video gives you a new insight into tubular weaving, it is fascinating like Spok would say.  Anyway I hope you have a great week and I will continue making some nifty Weaving videos as I get to progress in my craft. Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Tapestry Weaving SF


TapestryWeavingSF
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy
John S., Kyle and Crafty are taking a Tapestry Weaving Class at CCSF John Adams Campus. Our teacher D. Corsini is a wonderful an eclectic teacher and has a lot of fun teaching the guys and gals how to make art. We had a guest Visitor, John C. (Far on the left of picture) it was nice to be able to share with him and he was such a wonderful guy to sit with us through class. Kyle and I stayed until the end of class then walked to my home, then to Chilli Cha Cha, then to Kyle's Home.

It is so wonderful to have such talented friends and between the four of us so much crafting experience. We talk a lot about crafts don't we, and what we want to learn and accomplish. I think we are going to make it all happen, because we can. I am a lucky guy to have so many creative friends. There are more creative friends in my life, but not all of them taking the class. We do have homework for the next two weeks and I will be avle to share it with you.
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Another view of the weaving loom with the cotton warp. This is not as easy as we thought, it takes focus and lots of patience.
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Today we made the header which is the pink or dark weave and the filler which is the white weave, and of course we warped the loom. We discussed waves, vertical stripes, horizontal strips, passes, and spots. YOu will see my homework as it gets done. Thanks for stopping by.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Weaving a bag WIP 2

This is my Knitting bag, I carry this bag around with my WIP, but is getting a make over with some of the weaving that I am doing.  Here you will notice I have the front and I created a side pocket where I can put a pattern or a book , I thought it was clever way of using the fabric without having to join the fabric.
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This that you see below is the side of the bag, this is side one as I am working on side two.  I joined the material with a single crochet , the bright orange material is a fantastic accent.  SO I am working on the other side.  I eventually will make more weaved material to cover the handles and will be able to line the bag as well.  Thanks for stopping by.
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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Double Stranded Weaving

So what do you know about weaving?  All I know is that I know nothing.  I am playing along, playing around and having fun.  Here I have two colors  and I am working with them at the same time, twisting them as I return on the other movement of the shuttle.  In these pictures you will see the different ways I am playing with two strands of colors.
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On some of the rows the browns are double, then the orange, but that is using two strands as weft and utilizing  a single warp.  I alternated colors , then I didn't.  What I found is how much fun can weaving be when you are just making  cloth.
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I am all about texture and my hats are always an inspiration after I made them.  Some people don't realize that I make my hats out of the blue, the ideas come from the ethers and then I usually reverse engineer the pattern, which usually comes out a bit different than the original pattern.  I am going to transform weaving as well, I want to inspire you to play with making fabric.
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The picture below is a bag that I am working on, I am remaking the bag with the cloth I am making.  The pictures at the beginning of this posting is what I am going to use for the sides of the bags, then I am going to create more cloth for some fun handle coverings for this bag.  What is exciting to me is that I have discovered double strand weaving without reading about it or being taught.  These are the discoveries that I treasure.  This is Crafty Andy in his creative endeavor toward understanding the potential that weaving has for me.  I am in a new Fiber Journey and I will take you along with me.  Thanks for stopping by!
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Sunday, January 23, 2011

Looms and Fabric

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Last Friday me and other guys from the Monday Night Knit Group went to a Tapestry Weaving Class at a local JOhn Adams Campus of CCSF. Adult programs for enriching our lives and that of others.  It was interesting and will be a complete semester.  Tapestry weaving is a bit different than weaving with a rigid heddle loom.  Our first assignment or Homework sort of speak , was to make a loom for our class.  We had a choice of copper which was beautiful and very expensive these days, or wood, which was under $ 20.00 in materials.  Here I present you my Tapestry Loom.  Michael helped me in the construction, I gathered the materials and prepared them for assembly.  The class was inspirational and Kyle, John and I were very excited about the class.  We met a lot of people and introduced them to the Stitches West and The Cricket and Flip Looms.  The fabric below was inspired by the class but was and is being made in my Cricket loom.  I am using some of my homespun for the weft along with some bulky Knit Picks Swish, the Warp is hand dyed sock yarn, wool/nylon blend.  It has taken a very interesting look. My plans is to use this fabric to make a bag.  
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The yarn below is the one that I spun on my Kromski and plied with the Alpaca Cloud  Lace weight from Knit Picks.  I am just starting to see the possibilities of creating very exciting textiles with the loom.Thanks for stopping by.
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Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Kobol140 gms 245 yds


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Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy
I really enjoyed spinning this fiber, not my favorite, but I learned a lot. I plied it with Knit Picks Alpaca Lace weight, that is the dark brown thin thread you see. I did manage to set the twist with very hot water and I don't know what I will be making with it, It has so much potential. The firestar and the bamboo were very easy to spin, I really enjoyed the way it felt in my hands and how easy it was to spin and draft. Rambo , probably like the name implies, ha a definite attitude ha ha ha. Hope you have a great week, I am resting as somehow I got a cold last night while I was asleep lol. Thanks for stopping by.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Kobol has Risen

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"Rambo, Perendale,Corriedale,Bamboo,Falkland, and a hint of Sparkle" These are all the materials of what is in the picture. I got this a while ago for the holidays and until today I got some spark to spin it. This Batt is difficult to spin because it has a lot of character and you can't fight with the character, the crimp and the fun. I am working on making a novelty yarn to be able to weave a scarf with this or maybe a shawl. I can tell you that whatever it will be , it will be plied with some kidzsilk mohair. As I learn how I spin I learn to allow the fiber to speak to me. No it really does not speak to me, but it has something to say that is subliminal. A specialty Batt like this one has a character that can not be spun like regular yarn. Your choice is to spin the fiber as a novelty yarn and take advantage of every noil, cluster and every piece of crimp that the fiber offers you. I also learn that Sometimes is good to let singles on the bobbin overnight and then ply in the morning, it allows the twist to settle more. One thing is for sure, Crafty Andy is learning about spinning and weaving and iis having a great time. You can get personalized Batts from www.desertgarden.etsy.com  
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Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Caprica's Apollo and more

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Welcome to the New Year and to the new projects of Crafty Andy.  I am so excited to be making this scarf and I am hoping to delight you with more weaving as the year goes on.  Next Month we have Stitches West which will bring me to see more looms  to try and see.  I believe I want to buy the Kromski 32 inch loom , definitely make my own bag for it.  I say why buy the bag unless it is a good deal, never the less it is too early to think about buying a new Loom, maybe for my birthday.  This pattern is fascinating, it is called the hounds tooth and it is a very simple pattern.  I took the beginners class at A Verb for Keeping Warm store's new location on San Pablo avenue and Alcatraz , Oakland California.   April is our teacher, great lady, and great class.
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This above is the Ionian Herbivore, it is made with the malabrigo sock yarn in overdyed indigo color.  This is one of my most favorite West Knits patterns along with the Boneyard.
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Last Sunday I got together with my friends Kyle and John and I spun with my Sonata while they were doing some knitting.  This was a gift from James Herbison of FIBREALIVE , thank you my friend for such a thoughtful gift.  I thought of you as I was spinning and plying. It is a very cold day and the gym is waiting for me.  I will come back home and work on my weaving for some hour or so and then on my herbivore a bit more.  I do have some nice camel / silk blend to spin that my friend Naomi drum carded for me, it is like spinning a cloud, very lovely.  Thanks for stopping by!

Almost two years without blogging August 2020

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