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The Sheperds Check





This is the first serious warp on the scary floor loom. Nothing complicated. Took me 4 days to dress the loom in my time after work. It's good getting a rythm going on the loom finally, it fairly clatters off when you get going. there's going to be about 4 metres. Is nice.

See that blue line on the right hand side? I thought that was a tension error. Turned out there was 6 ends in the dent instead of 3. So i cut 3 out, and there you go. It's ok now though, so who's to worry eh? I still can't figure out exactly how to put the pictures where i want them, it doesn't make any sense how the program arranges them. Very confusing. I think the left-hand selvedge is at low tension, it's all knackered. oh well, never mind, life goes on.
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Comments

Anonymous said…
Looks great. The "scary" loom seems to be playing nicely. I can't tell scale - is this a scarf or much wider?
29 August 2008 at 00:38
Andrew Kieran said…
this is just me making fabric. i don't have a great knack for design, i just love to weave. however, a girl in my class thinks it would make a good table runner and i agree, though my tutor thinks it would make a good ladie's waistcoat. shame i have notailoring skills. it's too wide for a scarf though, and the selvedges are bubbly as anything like
30 August 2008 at 01:07
Andrew Kieran said…
i suppose i should explain...

i call it "the scary loom" cos i got it in january and it's been sitting in my back room intimidating me ever since while i "weave samples" on my table loom, which is silly, cos once warped up it's about twice as quick to weave on the big jobber. but it's just such a big thing, and i'm sure you understand how intimidating these things can be when you have no tutor. but i have no other option, i must persevere, cos i just love weaving, it's my only direction in life
30 August 2008 at 01:48
Leigh said…
Lovely checks! And good color choice. Nobody has perfect selvedges, and yours really don't look all that bad. For having to figure it all out for yourself, I'd say you're doing an excellent job.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. The "waffle" weave is so named because once it's off the loom and washed, it has the texture of a waffle. Pretty neat actually.
30 August 2008 at 04:20
Andrew Kieran said…
Waffles

from wikipedia:

"Waffles were first introduced to North America in 1620, by pilgrims who brought the method from Holland. Thomas Jefferson brought a waffle iron from France, and waffle frolics or parties became popular in the late eighteenth century."

Ah, those crazy Jeffersonians. I suppose the equivalent would be pancake tuesday, at the end of Lent. do you do that? I just love pancakes

So, having read up on waffles, and remembering the local equivalent, potato waffles (mmmm, delish), i'm guessing it's got a sort of plain weave background with raised checks. like a dishcloth, or handtowel

I've got the image in my head anyway.
30 August 2008 at 10:51
landgirl said…
Hello, I love the shepherd's checks. I enjoyed looking at other blogs, too. Some more waffle trivia for you: in St. Louis at the World Exposition in 1898 --I think. They ran out of dishes for ice cream and the only thing they could think of to use were waffles--they became the ancestor of our ice cream cones.
30 August 2008 at 23:14
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