New Skills - Weaving

Recently, I was inspired to order a small frame loom.  This inspiration stemmed from many sources, particularly A Beautiful Mess' weaving class.  The second I saw their simple designs and use of texture, I knew that was a perfect way to use and display scraps of handspun yarn.  And believe me, I have quite a few little skeins that I want to use creatively.

I decided to go simple and purchase the Lap Loom A from Harrisville Designs.  I was interested to learn that this vendor is actually a small, family-owned spinnery in New Hampshire, US.  I've been lucky enough to visit an industrial spinnery before and they are really fascinating.  I'm already making plans with my mother to visit this Fall.

The construction of the loom is very sturdy and minimalist, which is how I prefer my tools.  It also came with some of Harrisville Designs' yarns, which were well suited for learning with.

Once I got the hang of the process (not shown here), I picked out some little bits of handspun to experiment with.  Each of the fiber types works differently in this context, so I picked some 100% silk (pink/purple/black), black jacob wool (brown), and a mix of merino and several plant fibers (blue/green) among others.

I still have a few tension and consistency issues, but it's such a relaxing process.  I love watching the strands pile up on each other and seeing how the different fiber concentrations work together.

I'm not the only one jumping into this new world, Evelyn (Project: Stash) recently started weaving as well, her work is gorgeous!