Honestly it’s been a slow crafting week. The past week has also been quite busy and I have not had as much energy to do as much. However I did get to have some crafty fun on the weekend with 2 friends of mine from knit group. We were invited over to play with her Glimakra floor loom and see if it’s something we would consider purchasing in the future. Since my other friend is closer to buying one, she wove on it longer then I did. But in the little bit of time that I did weave on it, I could tell a few things I liked and did not like, but I thought overall it was a possibility. The treadles would take some time getting used to as they are floating and back slung, which is nothing like my David. The no shuttle race did not bother me really as I don’t think I rely on mine all that much to begin with. One thing that did surprise me was the beater, it was much lighter than I anticipated. I thought when I would beat the weft in, I would have to be super gentle, but the beater was light for its size. Though the beater is probably the loudest part of the loom surprisingly. When you beat you can hear a *thump thump* and then a rainfall of wood as the treadles, lamms, and such move.
Of course that loom is quite large, but taking it apart and moving it would be much easier I think then moving my loom. The other advantage of it, besides draw loom potential, is that since it’s larger and spread out, you can really get into the loom and make it very ergonomic. I have gotten setting up my loom to be pretty good, but I can’t just sit there and thread an entire warp in a few hours with light breaks. I do have to get up and take a break for a bit and then I’ll come back in an hour or so. My friend said if they had room, they would get a loom like the David, since her loom does take a little longer to set up and you can’t just “throw” a warp on. I don’t have to think about that loom for a bit, probably 3-5 years, as I just don’t have the space. And I think there is a person who has Glimakras at her shop somewhere near Chico, so I could take a class from her and really get to try that style of loom before I buy. That might be a good idea, though next month I’ll be “closer” to Eugene so I just have to stop by Eugene Textile Center.
The other thing was my friend showed me how she processes fleeces. She does it lock by lock, which sounds like more work, and it is a little more work, but it’s worth it. So we took a good bit off my 7lb merino fleece (later I realized how long this will take with such a large fleece) and washed it there. At the end of the day, I had these gorgeous floofs of fiber begging to be spun. I was good and I laid them out when I got home, let them dry, and separated them a little more and let them dry more. After 2 days (I was being cautious) I pulled out a spindle and my flicker brush and tried some of the fiber. All I have to say is that, that fiber spins like butter and is probably the best thing I’ve spun, including some of the exotics I used to spin. So of course, I ordered the last bit of tools I would need, some sectioned mesh laundry bags, and I was off. Yesterday, since the weather was nice I took the fleece out onto my balcony with a fold out table. I pulled probably 8 oz of fiber, which filled both of those bags, and then proceeded to wash them. They went through 2 wash and 2 rinse cycles and I did other things in between. Then they went for a ride through the spin dryer and I laid them out on a mesh drying rack. This rack can hold I think double the amount so I ordered more of the bags. Some of the locks still have something stuck to the tips and I’m thinking it’s because my water only gets to 130F, so I might try getting some 140F water from the kettle and seeing if that helps. If not, I’ll have to cut and compost those tips.
Though my goal is to have both fleeces washed by end of May, I think that is doable. Then I want to start planning projects and start spinning. Then once I have a bin back, maybe I’ll allow myself to buy a fleece at Lambtown this year. That is if I go, which I’m still deciding which events to go to this year. That’s a talk for another day.
Tyger Knits 