Another Madrona UFO - Finished!

I've wanted to try tapestry weaving for a long time, especially after a good friend gave me a tapestry loom that had belonged in the family.  Although I have spent a little time on my own trying to learn from books, wove a small sample, I really do need to learn the techniques in a way that I can remember them, instead of just following instructions for a sample, and forgetting what I've done by the time I can work on the project again.
This year Sarah Swett taught several classes and I was able to get into her Undercover Sketchbook and Weaving a Pouch on a Cardboard Loom (that's the title on her handout, but I think the class title was a bit different).  I loved both classes and have finished my woven pouch!

We learned how to warp our cardboard looms and begin weaving, learning tapestry techniques along the way.  She said we could draw a design if we wanted to, so I drew a spiral for one side and decided to keep the rest of the technique experiments on the other.  Some things worked better than others and I learned so much from this class I'm hoping to draw something up for the big loom and get started, although I know it will be slow progress.  Anyways, here's my bag:

Thank you

everyone for all the wonderful, encouraging words about my projects! I really appreciate it!!!

Since I gave the colorful scarf sample to my weaving teacher (she likes to be able to keep samples of student's work, so she can show them to future classes for inspiration), I made another, similar sample,

and then started playing on the warp as I emptied the bobbins, trying different treadling patterns and coming up with some that were really nice.

Once I ran out of those threads I tried others, ending with some variegated sock yarn, and really love the way it looked.

Lastly, I repeated one of the treadling samples in black on black, just to see if the texture showed up, and it did.

Last weaving class project

As my last project for the Beginning Weaving class, I decided that I wanted to try overshot. Another student showed an overshot sample she was working on, and I decided it was time to try it while I would still be able to bring it in for the teacher's critique and help if needed.

The scarf pattern is the His and Hers Scarf, and I thought I'd use green and berry colors, especially the lime green, so worked up my sample.


At first, I didn't like the color stripes, so went back to the shop and purchased additional colors to stay in a blue-violet to hot pink range, and made it up.



Here's the scarf, showing front and some of the wrong side. (Sorry about my toes, not enough time for Photoshop editing right now.)

Now that the scarf is off the loom, and I'm looking at my colorful sample and the scarf side-by-side, I'm thinking I should go ahead and work it up in the bright colors too (when I have the time).

Weaving lace, or not

Well, I had intended to make a lace scarf with my handspun wools:


Specifics:

Pattern: Swarthmore Lace Weave, on p. 94 of A Handweaver'sPattern Book (The pattern has 5 grouped threads in one slot, skip a slot,and repeat)

Yarn: Handspun warp (Masham wool) and weft (Corriedale and Angelina), 16wpi, so I'm assuming 8epi to start with

Reeds available: 10 and 12, I'm using the 10

Warping back to front, with warp spread to 8epi. Warp width would be 10" for plain weaveI began threading the reed 5" right of center, and quickly realized that thewarp would be pulling diagonally and not work, so began again, working fromthe center out, with one skipped slot, as the pattern stated, but it wouldhave too much draw in, so began a third time, skipping 2 slots instead of one. [Reed is threaded 5,0,0,1,0,0,5,0,0,1,0,0 (original pattern stated it should be threaded 5,0,1,0,5,0,1,0).] I had what I thought were huge gaps, and the grouped threads didn't spread much to fill in, so I asked the WeaveTech group: Should I stop worrying about the draw-in, andjust rethread, skipping one slot, as the pattern stated, continue, because the large spaces are expected, and finish the sample to see what I think, or pick a different pattern for this yarn, until I can get an 8 reed?

I received several great answers, which I plan to try in the future, and in the meantime, I cut the sample off the loom and finished it - it's the sample pictured above, and if my warp and weft were the same yarn, I would make the scarf without making any changes. However, I only have a small amount of the green left, and I really don't like it with the weft being a different color from the warp, so am going to choose another pattern for this yarn combination, re-thread, and begin again.

I'm currently spinning up 8 oz. of a varigated yarn that I may use for this pattern in the future.