Thursday, January 28, 2010

New Loom

Well, actually it is an old loom. It is not even new to me seeing as I have owned it for at least 14 years. What is new about it is the fact that it is set up in my house and I am able to weave on it!

It's a Fanny LeClerc was the first loom that I bought. When I bought it, it was dismantled in a junk pile of a house and I had to go back three times before I had all of the pieces. The place was way out in the middle of nowhere and at least 30 minutes away. We were not amused.


But once I managed to get all the pieces, I set it up in the spare room and started back on my weaving adventures. Then my boys were born and my "studio" became their bedroom. This loom was dismantled and shuffeled to the shed and eventually out to the garage.
Where it stayed.
For years.
A few years after the boys were born, Susan gave me the little Dorset and I was weaving again. I only thought of Fanny occasionally when I wanted to do something like overshot which requires you to switch back and forth between plainweave and twill. The Dorset is a direct tie up and not, in my mind at least, the type of loom to be weaving anything that requires a lot of foot dancing.
This past summer we got rid of the couch and a space in the living room opened up. Then we had the washing machine incident and the old washing machine ended up in my living room for a little while. When we finally move THAT out, I looked at the space left behind and thought "Hmmmm, that Fanny is just about the same size!" And just like that, Fanny was back in my life. It is tucked between a chair and the plant stand which makes it an ideal location because I have great lighting and a place to set my cup of tea and some weaving tools.

Currently on the loom is a set of four scarves to submit to a show that my weaving group is having in March.  I tried to take a picture of the first scarf but the lighting, while great for weaving, is not that great for photographing silk. It just looked really wrong. So you will have to be content to know that the first scarf is orange (as you can see) and the others are all different colours.  And, yet again, you will have to wait to see the results.

9 comments:

mira's papa said...

It's probably the fact that those lights are fluorescent and they have a different spectral content from the daylight coming the windows. Makes the colours come out wrong on the image you take.

Julia said...

I'm glad that you claimed a corner of your living-room to do you much beloved craft.

Julia said...

Jackie, it's time that you update your profile. You can add that you also dabbled in pottery.

Dave Daniels said...

Wow, I love your Fanny!

Valerie said...

Welcome home Fanny!!

mira's papa said...

Geez Dave, I'm glad you're not British, otherwise I'd be rather perturbed at that remark. However, given the prevailing reality of the situation, no problem... :-)

Dani said...

That's the same kind of loom I have! I am trying to make Wednesday for weaving so I actually use it more. I can't wait to see what you make with it.

Unknown said...

good to see her back in action!

David T. Macknet said...

Yay for the big loom!

What kind of camera are you using? The reason I ask is because I wonder whether you can't do "custom white balance" - basically, take a picture of a white piece of paper and tell the camera "this is white." It'll then use that setting to figure out everything else, and your colors will look right.