Midnight Train to Georgia

I stared at my yarn stash and couldn't figure out what to do next with all that's in my head lately I draw blanks on my creativity and always have the fear that I've run dry that my creative mojo has just packed it's bags and left. But a trip to the stash closet, in which I get to look, touch and sometimes even smell yarn and that feeling gets cured in a nano second (thank God, I'd be so disappointed if I ran out of creative juice). As I stood there and looked at the yarn it hit me, I told myself to pick up all the yarn I had in the blue color palette, every skein, didn't matter what the yarn content was, or if it was the right shade of blue or if it been in there for a while, don't think just grab. I then decided to just weave and not give any thought to composition, symmetry, yarn weight, texture with the only requirement or better yet restriction, is color coordination.

I started on this shawl, which I called Midnight then I got Gladys Knight and The Pips, stuck in my head since I started weaving it "He's leaving,On that midnight train to Georgia, And he's goin' back To a simpler place and time. And I'll be with him On that midnight train to Georgia" but I digress. I have a lot of different yarn textures and weight with this one and I like the look and feel of it so far, my only concern is that the boulce is sticky as heck and the weaving has to be careful and deliberate each pass is slow and mindful. I love the fact that I didn't think, when I was warping I just picked up this yarn or that yarn and put it on the loom I didn't make any discerning choices, no thought to which weight would go with what next to each other, just GO, GO, GO... it was difficult to do especially when I normally really put some thought into what the final product will look like. I usually picture it in my mind what the feel, texture, color and look of the final weaving will be, but this exercise was liberating. I think I may be doing much more of this "throwing caution to the wind weaving" I REALLY LOVE IT!

Fringing this one will be a fun challenge!

Inspiration

I was trying to figure out what to weave next since I finished the chenille group and have been twisting fringe, looking for buttons for the small button scarf I woven from the extra warp and contemplating how to take pics for the the 1kmarket shop.

As I was wandering about the Internet I came across Memphis Weaver and the Girls of Summer Scarves what an inspiration for a new scarf or table runner, I dug out this yarn which I bought about a year ago from an Esty shop owner Yarntopia Treasures. I really loved the colors and thought I could knit with it but it's really to dry for knitting, so I put it way, until of course I got my encouragement, I love to stash yarn that didn't work out for a project and then resurface it and think wow, this yarn wanted to be this and I was forcing it to be something else, funny how that works.

I asked Felicitas the owner and weaver of Memphis Weaver, how the weft was done and she explained that her students carried the weft up to the next group without cutting the thread. I put in my extra shuttle and wove the first group, I thought looked great. (She has a class with RH weavers, dang I would love to be there learning!!)But wasn't impressed with the floating yarn so I wrapped it on the end and still was not convinced that it would survive the wash for cotton.

I then proceeded to cut the tread and beat the end and beginning warp of each group hard and tight. This I think suited this particular yarn better and would hold up to the washing and drying process. I finished it yesterday I haven't decided what I want to do with the fringe but I was thinking of beads or buttons. I'll have to see what kind of feeling I get for it today. (sorry about the sideways pics but blogger is having a "Manic Monday" now I can't get that song out of my head).

Scarf Weaving & other Tidbits

It's been so long since I've posted or woven anything that this feels a bit strange. Mr. Deepend and I started a business just about the time I stopped posting to this blog it's been really busy, stressful and exciting, but there hasn't been any time left over for my weaving, which I truly miss. I've been knitting quite a bit and if you follow my other blog you know I've mastered socks. LOL..

We have wound down for the summer (YES!!) and I am finding that I have some spare moments to weave. I'm rusty and have forgotten some more complex structures with my pick up sticks and whatnot, but it's like riding a bike after so months, it just seems to come back and you get your balance. I started a simple scarf with some stash yarn and Patons Bohemian Chenille, it's soft and super duper fuzzy, really cute stuff.

I warped my loom albeit only 84 warp threads in 1 hour and was weaving in less than 2, I'd say not bad, for a kid whose loom has sat in the corner of the dining room for about 6 months or more. I patted my own back and really got excited to start working again. I have quite a few other project in my creative mind and will be working on them diligently especially since my kids prompted me to open a 1000markets shop, yes I didn't go to Esty although I know it's every ones choice, but I really like 1k markets and it should grow at my pace and give me time to catch up with my loom.