Weaving and a bit of "Knit-spirations"!

Yesterday's "Rigid Heddle Weaving" class at Nature's Yarns was fabulous! I learned so much! I even warped a loom - FINALLY! It really wasn't that hard - and rigid heddle weaving is very easy. Of course, I seemed to be the "remedial student" once again - most others finished their scarves during class, but I was a bit on the slow side. Luckily, I had brought my own loom, so I'll be able to finish it at home.




Linda (left) of Misty Mountain Farm was our instructor - she makes the classes so much fun! Here, you can see her and Barbara watching another student trying the sample loom.





In this "action shot", you can see the warping process in various stages....including one student that's ready to weave already!


My loom - during the warping process (left) and once I started weaving (right).



Dealing with the heddle can be a bit time consuming, but on the bright side, you can weave a scarf in much less time than you can knit it - a definite plus when working under "Christmas Present Deadlines". I definitely see the advantage of having a floor loom with the pedals to raise and lower the warp as you weave. The rigid heddle method is MUCH slower as you must manipulate it by hand. I would love to make some dish towels, but the rigid heddle would definitely not be the tool of choice for that type of weaving. (I've already decided that once I explore weaving a bit more and decide that it's a craft I truly want to master, I'll definitely need to invest in a floor loom of some sort.)

The rigid heddle loom is the perfect tool for making simple scarves or shawls. Since this method is somewhat time consuming, it's best to limit it to doing a loose weave. Mohair (one of my favorite fibers) is the perfect yarn for this type of weaving as it looks good woven loosely and the "fuzzy fibers" fill in any open spaces. Hmmm.....perhaps I'll make some handwoven scarves for Christmas? Or, how about placemats? I see endless possibilities.....


"Knit-spirations"
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In addition to the weaving inspiration provided by the class I was taking, there was some knitting inspiration as well. A couple of customers came in the shop to show me their finished sweaters.

The first "inspirational" sweater made by "Amazonmink" (Ravelry name). She made a fabulous sweater using the "Tailored Scallops" pattern from the book, "Lace Style". It was gorgeous! (I'm still kicking myself for not taking a picture!) The sweater pattern is gorgeous, but the finished project looks even better in person - all of us in the class admired it. She said it only took a week to make it and it was her FIRST sweater! She said it works up very fast as it's done on relatively large needles using a bulky yarn and requires very little finishing. (I've already added this sweater to my "must knit" queue - a quick and impressive project...what could be better?)

The second "inspirational" sweater (below) is the FIRST color work sweater that Tina has ever made! I saw it a couple of weeks ago when she was just starting the sleeves - it was already a work of art. The pattern she used was the "Celtic Knot Raglan" from Sweaters from Camp - definitely a challenging pattern. Then, as if the pattern weren't challenging enough, she decided to use a different yarn in a different gauge than what was stated in the pattern. It all came together perfectly!

Tina's knitting was fabulous - she did a very professional job. She handled the colors very well - none of the color transitions on the sweater had any puckering. That is a feat in itself as it's difficult to avoid puckering or pulling the "carries" too tight when knitting Fair Isle. Tina has truly mastered the technique. The inside of the sweater was very neat and looked very professional. This sweater is definitely a project to be proud of!