"Weavings" by Lisa
A couple of weekends ago, I met Lisa and we started chatting. She's a weaver and was absolutely astounded that I had a couple of looms and had yet to warp them and begin weaving. She told me about many of her projects and how she got started on weaving. It was fascinating. Her enthusiasm about the craft of weaving was infectious!
Lisa came back the following week and showed me several samples of pieces she's woven. They were all GORGEOUS! Just like my friend Carol, she insists that weaving is not all that difficult and I should DEFINITELY get my loom(s) warped! I am still in awe of the talents of both Lisa and Carol. I hope they're right about how "easy" it is once you get going!
Most of Lisa's weaving was done to produce cloth she could then use to make jackets or other items of clothing. She's an accomplished seamstress, so she's taken the knowledge of the fabric and structure of the garment to a higher level than most of us have. She creates the drape and design of the fabric she wants for a particular garment by weaving it herself! The samples of her "weavings" that she brought in were fabulous!
These two samples show a relatively basic weave. The multi-colored was a "study in color" so she kept the pattern quite simple. I love how the different warps and wefts work together to make wonderful color combinations.
On the left side of this photo is some fabric she wove for a jacket - I think it's gorgeous - and I absolutely LOVE the color! On the right is a lovely scarf - the pattern and the fringe are stunning! The pattern itself is intriguing and covers numerous rows before repeating - I believe she said it was an 18-22 row repeat (I should have taken notes!).
This pattern was a bit more involved. I can't remember if this was a scarf, stole, or table runner...I was too busy "oohing" and "aahing" about the pattern. I believe this was a 40 something row repeat - definitely a bit more challenging to weave. I just love the texture and the design. The green was a bit washed out by the flash, but I think the patterning is still quite visible.
This sample is what's left of some fabric she wove for another jacket. It's a very nice pattern as well...and may be an 8 row repeat - if I'm remembering correctly.
I purchased the book she recommended - "Learning to Weave" by Deborah Chandler. It's a very nice introductory book that covers all the essentials for warping the loom and starting to weave. I'm sure I find this an invaluable reference. Lisa recommended that I read through it first, then warp one of my looms. I have to confess....I'm going to cheat. I have not yet had time to read the book, but I have flipped through it. AND....I'm taking the "Rigid Heddle Weaving" class at Nature's Yarns this weekend - taught by one of my favorite fiber artists - Linda Witt of Misty Mountain Farm.
Lisa also told me about a weaving technique that she was using to weave an Iris onto some fabric that she was going to use to make a jacket. It's a technique introduced by Theo Moorman where you have two sets of warp threads - the regular warp used for a plain weave and then a very fine warp on top used to weave a decorative design. Theo designed this technique in order to create pictures without tapestry weaving. The Iris design Lisa has created is beautiful - these photos definitely do NOT do it justice.
"March Sweater Madness" - I finished the second sleeve of the Mr. Greenjeans sweater last night at the Reston SnB! Wahoo! The final step is picking up all the stitches up the front of the sweater and around the neck to knit the ribbed edging, and then I'm done! Well....almost....I'll definitely need to block it because the cabling pulls-in the lower part of the sweater. As you can see, I still have to weave in the ends and remove my 'scrap yarn' from the arms. The 'scrap yarn' served as 'stitch holders' and held the live stitches that I later picked up to work the sleeves. I thought the method of creating sleeves was really amazing - I'd always wondered how they made sleeves while knitting from the top down - now I know!
Lisa came back the following week and showed me several samples of pieces she's woven. They were all GORGEOUS! Just like my friend Carol, she insists that weaving is not all that difficult and I should DEFINITELY get my loom(s) warped! I am still in awe of the talents of both Lisa and Carol. I hope they're right about how "easy" it is once you get going!
Most of Lisa's weaving was done to produce cloth she could then use to make jackets or other items of clothing. She's an accomplished seamstress, so she's taken the knowledge of the fabric and structure of the garment to a higher level than most of us have. She creates the drape and design of the fabric she wants for a particular garment by weaving it herself! The samples of her "weavings" that she brought in were fabulous!
These two samples show a relatively basic weave. The multi-colored was a "study in color" so she kept the pattern quite simple. I love how the different warps and wefts work together to make wonderful color combinations. 
On the left side of this photo is some fabric she wove for a jacket - I think it's gorgeous - and I absolutely LOVE the color! On the right is a lovely scarf - the pattern and the fringe are stunning! The pattern itself is intriguing and covers numerous rows before repeating - I believe she said it was an 18-22 row repeat (I should have taken notes!).
This pattern was a bit more involved. I can't remember if this was a scarf, stole, or table runner...I was too busy "oohing" and "aahing" about the pattern. I believe this was a 40 something row repeat - definitely a bit more challenging to weave. I just love the texture and the design. The green was a bit washed out by the flash, but I think the patterning is still quite visible. 
This sample is what's left of some fabric she wove for another jacket. It's a very nice pattern as well...and may be an 8 row repeat - if I'm remembering correctly. I purchased the book she recommended - "Learning to Weave" by Deborah Chandler. It's a very nice introductory book that covers all the essentials for warping the loom and starting to weave. I'm sure I find this an invaluable reference. Lisa recommended that I read through it first, then warp one of my looms. I have to confess....I'm going to cheat. I have not yet had time to read the book, but I have flipped through it. AND....I'm taking the "Rigid Heddle Weaving" class at Nature's Yarns this weekend - taught by one of my favorite fiber artists - Linda Witt of Misty Mountain Farm.
Lisa also told me about a weaving technique that she was using to weave an Iris onto some fabric that she was going to use to make a jacket. It's a technique introduced by Theo Moorman where you have two sets of warp threads - the regular warp used for a plain weave and then a very fine warp on top used to weave a decorative design. Theo designed this technique in order to create pictures without tapestry weaving. The Iris design Lisa has created is beautiful - these photos definitely do NOT do it justice."March Sweater Madness" - I finished the second sleeve of the Mr. Greenjeans sweater last night at the Reston SnB! Wahoo! The final step is picking up all the stitches up the front of the sweater and around the neck to knit the ribbed edging, and then I'm done! Well....almost....I'll definitely need to block it because the cabling pulls-in the lower part of the sweater. As you can see, I still have to weave in the ends and remove my 'scrap yarn' from the arms. The 'scrap yarn' served as 'stitch holders' and held the live stitches that I later picked up to work the sleeves. I thought the method of creating sleeves was really amazing - I'd always wondered how they made sleeves while knitting from the top down - now I know!
posted by Jinann @ 4:25 AM
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