122 replies to this topic

[CrabGrassAcres]

That would be cool, Arby, if you could make one too! I am so glad your roof is being repaired!

I wouldn't want to be in this mobile home in a big quake. That 4.8 a few weeks back wasn't that close, but I felt it here. A bigger, close one might knock the house off the blocks. Sure would scare me spitless.

[arby]

Yeah Ive had 6's and 5's in the mobile home I had years back out in NW Calif. But was in a solid house when the 7's hit back in 92.... they scared the whatdoyacallit outta me and the 6 from VA this summer, I felt it fully here this far north . so knowing we are going , really going through the galactic center of the universe and its shaking up the earths crust, etc with all that and such going on ..... anyone can go through quakes now. Just hoping it does not happen but they are getting very common now. So, at least I have my camping gear and I can get stuff out if I dig it out, lol.

Its nice to know the roof at least should be good again, lol. You sort of look at how ridiculous the whole place is and throw your hands up and say, well. I will deal with it as it all comes down I guess and try to arrange things in a way you may be able to salvage it, cause this place has this ridge through it across my apartment. It will split apart. I keep my stuff where I can probably still get it out from on my left side, by the back stairs area because I could probably crawl in afterwards and retrieve alot if need be. I saw big victorian houses like this go crunch that way in fact, so maybe thats what would happen here with the way its going on the settling of both ends and the high part the way it is. Just sitting here thinking about it, looks like that is how it would go. it had a very strong surfing motion mostly during the 6 here. White knuckle grip and riding it out in the doorway , wondering if it would really start jumping like a 7 does . nope. hate em, truly but plenty of folks lost so much more already.
So, hopefully nothing like that does happen but trying to mentally prepare for it. And I will be darned if I would just ditch my stuff like preps if I could get in and get the stuff out, thats too much invested and would be needed then for sure. And I have to admit Im tired of being overly patient to get things more back on track ... this just seems like a big delay because you don't know what can happen next. But things come slowly and some of it definitely needs replacing so I can actually put together a proper office at home. So, sort of re thinking alot of things . Be darned if Id let them just bulldoze it all away, lol. Also stuff like what I consider vital books are being put in this room too now that I know the roof will be ok. I sit on my bed so much when I knit or here on the laptop too on its little portable lap desk , so its nice to have those 'reference' books handy. The how to do books and language books and identification books for herbs trees and such , all those and medical stuff and such. That way I know its not spread out all over as precarious as the foundation feels with all this other stuff going on. If EMS guys help me I will give them a can of tvp each, lol.

[Mother]

Good going on getting the roof fixed Arby. That might be important if another big storm comes and this one hits you.

I don't blame you for wanting to learn the socks. I made ton's of tube socks over the years and they are okay and can be warm but I enjoyed learning to do the heels. So far I've been making more slippers with heavy yarn but what I'm starting now are sock weight yarn. And as Clee says, they are a great project to take along. I can just stick them in my big purse and go.

Speaking of taking them and going. How do the rest of you keep the stitches from coming off the points when you transport them? I've used the rubber needle guards but they end up coming off so now I fold the sock so that all five needles lay together and use small rubber bands on both ends. Is there a better way?

[CrabGrassAcres]

Finished the loom yesterday and got right to work weaving. I was about to pull my hair out in frustration because I was making so many mistakes. Then I took half of a flat curtain rod and drilled a hole at the straight end to fit over one of the top pegs and am using it for a shed stick. Made all the difference! My half rod is as tall as the weaving area so it should work for the entire thing. Made a lot more progress today, not having to tear out and redo.

[CrabGrassAcres]

I'm thinking there has to be a way to adjust the tension. If you get the warp strings tight enough not to tangle at the start, then before you are close to done with the center, they are so tight you can't work. When I finish this shawl and take it off the loom, I'm going to split the top bar and bolt it to a tensioning bar. The bottom joint can be unscrewed and bolted to a second bar.

[Mother]

GOOD for you CGA. Don't let it frustrate you. Once you get the pattern down you will see how easy it is. Your shed stick is probably a good idea but once you get into the work you will see that you start with the same move each time (can't remember if it's the over or the under, it's been a while since I worked on it again) but when you look at the warp you will see where you need to put your hook easy enough.

Yes, it is difficult to get those last few threads down through the center but not that difficult. I use a yarn needle for them. It is true though that you have to get just the right tension on each pass, and especially in the first few rows. But it does come more easily with each piece. It's the same for almost any hand woven piece. Can you post pictures of what you've started? I'm looking forward to seeing it.

[CrabGrassAcres]

Here it is, this morning. I'm using kid mohair, probably not the best choice for a first project, but it is what I have to use.

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[Mother]

CGA, That is downright SUPER. Don't you love how fast this weaves? I do like the way you use the curtain rod as a shed stick. What is the spacing on your nails? Looks like you could get by with a nice thick yarn on it too.

That mohair will be SOOOOO nice when it's taken off the loom. I've used mohair on my smaller ones but it was only effective when I put several together to make a shawl. I always thought it would be nice on the bigger Triangle loom.

Have you done other weaving so that you could compare this with it? I find you can't beat it for speed because there's no warping ahead of time and once you get the hang for tension the edges seem to always turn out fairly even.

Great job, both on the building and on the weaving.

[CrabGrassAcres]

Thanks!
Spacing is 1/2 inch on the top bar and about 1/3 inch on the sides. I'm using 3 strands of mohair, because it is such fine yarn. I'd like to try some thicker yarn another time, when I get some.

I've never done any other weaving, so really can't compare. I do like to see it work up fast. Definitely faster than either knitting or crochet. I used to do a lot of both, but it made my hands cramp so that I gave it up.

Some day I'd like to try using a floor loom to see how I like it, but this isn't a good time. Anyhow, I think once I get the hang of this it will suffice. A person could sew two triangles together for a blanket too.

[arby]

Mother , I have rubberbands too I figured I could use from my rubber band stash, myself, lol. I dont think I have enough of the commercially made stoppers anyway. You could use bits of yarn taped down too if you needed to I guess. Corks , tiny ones might be useful. I was going to order corks from Lehmans I think , sometime anyway. Just an idea to play around with I guess.

If I make a loom it will be a straight rectangular loom. I have no place that would be comfortable for me to sit on the floor and work it in this tiny place. But it could be something that is a fixture in a different place and those are so simple you can use doweling or tree limbs., small saplings when I do and tie it together at the corners with paracord if I did not want to bolt it together like I would if I had small lumber handy to make it. Depends on what you have to work with I guess.

CGA that was a good idea to hang it on a ladder, the tri loom. Now I can see how it would be useful.

[arby]

oh, CGA, in places like California, mobile homes are required to be tied down, so to speak, anchored to rods that go about 6 ft deep I think into the ground, for earthquake safety. I was in one for a while there, definitely feel it sway with a 5.0 approx quake.
found out my friends up here in upstate ny is tied down like that and its a good thing I guess with quake activity picking up in alot of places now.

[Mother]

Good ideas for keeping yarn on the needles. Thanks.

Arby, If you want to weave, don't wait until you can get some specific loom set up, start on small things. Weaving does not take any elaborate or even costly equipment. It doesn't need to be a permanent fixture nor a big one. As I've said before, an open door makes a good loom by just wrapping the warp (up and down threads) around the whole door and then weaving the weft (crosswise threads) back and forth. Nice thing is, you just close the door when you are done for the time and the thread just stays there until next time.

As for yarn, don't forget you can unravel old sweaters and etc and repurpose the yarn from them. Think outside the box or even IN the box because I've seen some pretty neat cardboard box looms too.

[arby]

Ya know Mother..... I have a door right here to my bedroom, its got room under it too and I finally have the stuff that was sort of leaning against it better stored now in bins so there is more play. I could sure do that. Maybe make some lengths to stitch together with all that burgundy yarn I want to make into an afghan. What a neat idea. It would work just fine for cot sized afghan too. Maybe if I can figure out a way to mount a rod on top and bottom for the warp ( ?) . Vertical strings anyhow.
well at least its in an area I could maneuver around it

I will think it over. Plenty else to do just now. But at least its already there in a good spot for me.

As for socks I have heard a bunch of folks , mostly peers that are thinking the same time. They just sort of need help getting supplies and learning the basic knitting for it or advancing their own knitting. Knowing you can use sport yarn ( acrylic) for a boot sock was great cause alot of sure wear boots in winter time especially if not all year as a work boot.

I have some wool blends for sock yarn too but I had already started collecting yarn and others have sent me a ton of various yarns so we can swap stuff and I have so much sport yarn that I would be happy to just give it to someone if they were going to use it for much needed socks.

waiting on those circulars of small to large sized to come in the mail right now ( they just shipped today). Might be here Monday. The book for two at a time socks also is with them. Maybe the one big skein of taffy colored ( blues and orange, burgundy maybe, colors? ) is with them or it will also arrive shortly too. Thought it would be pretty but basically a dark mix of colors, which is practical, and it is a sock blend I wanted to try to see if it would suffice because amazon carries it and its easy for me to just have it shipped via the mail and I pick it up locally rather than having to find a yarn store. Michaels products sometimes must be some really cheap batches from what I can tell once I get the stuff home and roll it up. this yarn is a lion brand type for socks and not expensive so it is worth trying it out.
I have looked at fancy private knit supplies online too but right now I need to spread my money to lots of needs so trying to find decent bargains. Not meaning this to sound like I endorse any company, but just mentioning availability.
They even use bamboo for yarn now too and I hear its great stuff usually and is also in sock blends and being natural may suit folks who choose natural blends the majority of the time.
In fact the circular needle set is for socks and made with bamboo and some knitters I know elsewhere really like the bamboo needles. I think it may be more comfortable than some of the longer plastic ones I have too as I have tried them. You can smooth them better too with fine sanding. I shall see what they are like soon! For other knitting , I found I liked my metal ones better.

Edited by arby, 04 November 2011 - 08:31 PM.

[Mother]

Arby, you don't need to mount anything to the top and bottom of the door to use it. You can wrap your yarn around it (top to bottom direction) and give yourself two five foot sections to weave on (front and back of the door). I say five foot because you can't weave way to the top and bottom. If you wrap it loosely to begin with and find something to use to make the warp tight (thick wooden dowel, paper towel cores, 2X4, etc used inside the bottom of the warp) you can loosen it as you weave and slide the work forward (around) and make it one continuous piece. That way you can keep the work at whatever level you want.

By using a bit of ingenuity you can even make/find items to use for makng the sheds more easily than hand picking them. Though I have to say that hand picking gives a whole lot of patterns to choose from. My favorites are string heddles though they take more time to tie on. I pair them with a flat lease stick for the opposite shed and the weaving goes pretty fast.

Christy had a couple of good pictures of a primitive hanging loom where the warp threads were hung from a beam and had weights on them at the bottoms. I believe that's in the Pioneer living forum. A person could easily use a sturdy curtain rod for that type of weaving.

The double pointed needles I use are all bamboo. The small ones I use for socks are a bit too flexible but the rest are great. I broke one of the small ones and replaced it with a wooden skewer by simply sanding the ends. Worked so well I used a pair just as they were with a bit of sanding to do some other knitting with.

I feel badly that we seem to have lost our other posters to this thread. I guess we're still on the subject of projects but I'd love to hear more about other projects too. I'm always looking for something fun and different to do. What IS in your work basket?

[arby]

Right at the moment a basketweave pattern washcloth since I forgot to use smaller needles and it is so soft, it will be a great washcloth for me instead of a dishcloth, cotton yarn. Also I found out acrylic (sport) yarn is better for pans scrubbing anyway and doesn't hold the bacteria. I tend to automatically rinse out my washcloths though so cotton is fine for them and for tighter knitted trivets or towels. So can still make gifts.

Waiting on those new circulars and the sock book for two at a time because doing the socks together would probably be alot easier on my memory recall problems! If they are here Monday I can take it to the lesson on Tuesday!

Thanks for reminding me I can rotate the warp on the door if its wound over it specifically, very true! I figure a couple shortened to fit width , dowels from hardware store should work for string heddle and such tools for weaving.

Just hoping the cat understands the project is not a toy after a couple mild reminders once I start doing that. It will be in a spot that I can sit at and do for a few minutes at a time too. Likely to finish it too that way!

[Mother]

It would DEFINITELY be a giant Cat Toy.

[Annarchy]

Here is the training room at the Alpaca farm we visited



and the spinning wheel they were using



When I get some free time, I am going to try it.

[CrabGrassAcres]

I've got some fleece ordered, and I want to try spinning too.

[Christy]

They sure have a wonderful setup at the alpaca farm Annarchy.

[Mother]

I like the small rigid heddle loom on the shelf. But,,,I too would love to learn to spin. I have some raw alpaca fiber I would love to learn on. I had been hoping to make a drop spindle to practice on. I sure like the looks of those smaller wheels though.

Annarchy, Do you know what that box like item is on the shelf above the loom? Curiosity is getting to me. LOL

Thanks for the peek.