Tottie Talks Crafts Blog

January 20, 2012

Weave a Mermaid with the stick weaving loom

I love mermaids, and I never get tired of finding new ways to create more of them.

And, now, my newest mermaid is woven – on only 6 sticks!

Weaving sticks are probably the easiest loom ever – but that doesn’t mean that there is ANY limit to their creative potential.

I have been having a wonderful time, designing all kinds of magical dolls with them.

I have just released the first of a series of VERY fun patterns for them-

The Mermaid….

I’ve woven these mermaids with hand spun yarn made by my beautiful daughter in law, LINK

using the Weaving Stick loom kit from Lee Valley:USA Link Canadian Link

If you are in Europe or England, you can buy weaving sticks from Suzanne in her etsy shop: LINK

The pattern is available on my website at:MERMAID

By the way, there’s a wonderful group on Ravelry that is all about weaving with sticks and pegs: LINK

Here’s to Mermaids, and here’s to weaving, and, of course, here’s to sticks and string!!!

4 Comments

Filed under doll & dolls & dollmaking & doll making, Loom & looms & small loom weaving, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as doll pattern, mermaid, mermaid doll, mermaid doll pattern, pdf pattern, small loom weaving, stick loom weaving, weaving stick loom, woven doll, woven mermaid

January 19, 2012

etsy love

I love etsy.

Oh the goodies you can find there! Oh my!

Look what just arrived in my mailbox:

Isn’t this a gorgeous shawl pin? I bought it in Kate Heck’s etsy shop. LINK

Kate and I found out about each other’s work when we were chatting about looms and weaving, courtesy of one of the online weaving groups we both belong to.

Ah, the wonders of the internet! We looked at each other’s links, and ahem, pretty quickly, some shopping ensued! LOL!

She made it from Cocobolo wood, which I love.

It’s beautifully made and the craftsmanship is just superb.

Here it is on my pink stole that I made for my Lily Speed-O-Weave loom book: LINK Poifeck!

By the way, I have an etsy shop, too…. Link

etsy is amazing and wonderful…. and sooooooooo much fun, especially when you find gorgeous handmade treasures that you just would not find anywhere else!

Minoan Goddess of the Bees Knitted pattern is now a pdf

Poor little Minoan Goddess of the Bees! She wasn’t being at all well served!

This morning, I received an email, and a pm, from someone who was right ticked off with a terrible photo that was up on my website.

It was a tiny photo of my knitted Minoan Goddess of the Bees.

OOPS!

So, I spent the day, not only re-doing the photo, but building a beautiful new pdf of the knitting pattern for the Minoan Goddess of the Bees.

She looks lovely now!

Many years ago, I was reading a book about ancient Greece.

There were a couple of tiny drawings of little figures that were engraved on pottery and furniture from Crete about 1700 BCE.

I fell in love with the tiny images and have been working with them ever since.

They were called, ‘Minoan Dewdrop or Bee Goddesses’ sacred to the goddess, Persephone.

They are known as ‘Melisae’.

The pattern for the knitted Minoan Goddess of the Bees is available at: http://www.crone-findlay.com/knitteddollpatterns.html

7 Comments

Filed under doll & dolls & dollmaking & doll making, knitting, Yarn Crafts

Tagged as Crete, goddesses, greek goddess, knit doll, knitted doll pattern, knitted dolls, knitted goddess doll, knitting, knitting goddess, Knossos, Minoan Goddess of the Bees, Persephone

January 16, 2012

Free pattern for a woven elephant

The pattern has gone live for the
Woven Elephant that I designed for Lion Brand on the Martha Stewart loom
HERE’S THE LINK TO IT

She’s a cutie!

I love elephants…..

happy weaving!

4 Comments

Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, tutorial & how to, weaving & handwoven, Yarn Crafts

Tagged as free pattern, hand woven toy elephant, how to weave an elephant, Lion Brand, Martha Stewart loom, woven toy

January 14, 2012

More little looms from recycled stuff part 2

If you are teaching a child to weave, or just want an impromptu, no cost small loom for sampling yarns and colorways, this little loom is very handy.

The project on the foam food tray loom is a bookmark, but you can weave amulet bags, rug mugs, small dolls and toys, doll house rugs or squares that you stitch together to make larger projects.

It’s great for traveling, as it’s light, and if you use a plastic darning needle for weaving, it’s fine to take through airport security.

Yesterday, I posted part one of the recycled and upcycled looms: Here’s the link: PART ONE

I think that one of the most accessible looms for beginning weavers is the weaving stick loom.

I am doing a lot of designing for it – here’s my post about the mermaid to weave on the stick weaving loom: LINK

Happy Weaving!!!!

1 Comment

Filed under eco crafts & green projects, Loom & looms & small loom weaving, tutorial & how to, weaving & handwoven, Yarn Crafts

Tagged as children weaving, easy weaving, free patterns, how to make a loom from recycled materials, how to teach a child to weave, how to teach weaving, kids crafts, kids weaving, no cost weaving, recycling, small looms, teaching kids to weave, weaving with children

January 13, 2012

Little looms from recycled things for teaching weaving or sampling etc part 1

Yesterday, I posted about teaching children to weave Link

One of the pleasures of weaving is that it can be done with tremendously complex machines, but, can also be done with small bits of this and that from around the house.

Today and tomorrow, I am going to be posting little how to’s on making recycled and upcycled looms that are great for teaching kids how to weave, or just for noodling about with sampling yarns and weaving little bags, or hacky sacks or bookmarks….

So, here’s today’s installment:

If you make each grid square 1/4 inch, then the loom is business card size, which is a charming size to work with, and to pop into a pocket or bag.

If you weave 2 tiny rectangles on the loom, and stitch them together, then add a beaded fringe, it makes a very pleasing little amulet bag.

I think that one of the most accessible looms for beginning weavers is the weaving stick loom.

I am doing a lot of designing for it – here’s my post about the mermaid to weave on the stick weaving loom: LINK

Happy weaving!

3 Comments

Filed under eco crafts & green projects, Loom & looms & small loom weaving, tutorial & how to, weaving & handwoven, Yarn Crafts

Tagged as how to make a penny pouch, how to make an amulet bag, how to weave, loom pattern, recycled project, recycling, teaching children how to weave, upcycling

January 12, 2012

When should a child start learning how to weave?

It’s never too early, (or too late!) for a child to start learning how to weave.

I bought my daughter her first loom when she was 6 weeks old. It was a little Spears loom #2 from England.

And, when my daughter and son were little, I had several looms set up for them to weave on, whenever they felt inspired to weave.

And, now, my grandson weaves with me:

He’s been sitting in my lap at the loom since he was born, and he really gets what weaving is all about.

He’s helping me weave his Grampa’s Saori shirt:

He’s two now, and he KNOWS about the shuttle!

He demanded the shuttle, and put it into the shed, and helped it across with his beautiful little chubby hands….

He LOVES the bobbin winder:

His grampa will certainly feel the love that has been woven into this shirt!

What do I recommend about teaching children to weave?

You don’t need a loom to start teaching a child to weave- cardboard looms and foam meat trays are great.

(I’ll post some patterns and instructions for them)

Child friendly looms are great- the Cricket is wonderful, as are a whole slew of small looms- ESPECIALLY,

the wonderful potholder loom!

BUT- I DO NOT recommend trying to teach a child to weave with loopers on the potholder loom.

Loops are actually rather challenging to work with.

Yarn is much more user friendly, and I have all kinds of YouTube videos to help you get children weaving.

When you click on my Potholder loom weaving page on my webiste: LINKIE

and scan down to the bottom of the page, you will find all kinds of YouTube links for my video tutorials.

I recommend the book: 1,2,3 Easy as Can Be Critters to weave on the potholder loom

and Weavagarumi for beginning weavers.

So, go ahead, and get those kidlets weaving!

It’ll be the gift that keeps on giving, as they will be embarking on a magnificent voyage of discovery that will last their lifetime!

Happy Weaving!

5 Comments

Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, potholder loom, tutorial & how to, weaving & handwoven, Yarn Crafts

Tagged as beginning weaver, children and weaving, children weaving, hand weaving, hand woven, how to teach a child to weave, how to teach kids weaving, how to weave, kids weaving

January 11, 2012

My learning curve with the double hole rigid heddle continues

This morning, an email came in, explaining that I am STILL not getting the double hole rigid heddle weaving right…

She pointed out that I am doing weft face weaving here, while the double hole rigid heddle are normally used to create WARP faced bands…

oops.

She also told me to not pick up the background threads on the even rows when the pattern threads are all in the up position.

I’ve tried that, and once again I have ugly long floats on the back of the weaving.

Hmmmm.

I really like the weft face weaving for the shirt that I am weaving, so I am going to continue weaving weft face.

And, I am stumped on the float thing.

When I did it ‘wrong’ and picked up the background threads, too, I got lovely reversible bands….

I am feeling very frustrated, so I am just going to get back to work, meeting design deadlines, and will try again later.

Update: I sent her a note in response to her suggestion to drop the background threads…. going ‘ackkkkkkkkkk’……

She sent me a note back this evening, saying, Oops… you did have it right! Just couldn’t see it in the video!

So I am feeling VERY relieved. I had gone back and done more weaving, returning to my previous way of keeping the background threads in the shed, and once again, the floats disappeared and the back of the band is lovely and reversible.

Well, it’s NOT reversible and it’s a good thing that I am going to be stitching it to the shirt, because the back of the band is a progression of floatie bits and woven in bits!

Once the shirt is done, those chronicles of “the learning experience” will disappear against the shirt, never revealing their untidy little secrets!

AND… Yep, the weft face is not the accepted norm, but, I like it, and I am going to carry on in the wrong way, as I find it quite fetching

I find it just fascinating that there are soooooooooooo many variables in this intriguing technique!

4 Comments

Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as double hole rigid heddle weaving, hand weaving, hand woven, small loom weaving, weaving on the 2 hole rigid heddle loom

January 10, 2012

Now the corrected video for weaving on double hole rigid heddle loom

I am so excited- I have just learned more exciting things about weaving with the double hole rigid heddle loom!

The other day, I posted a video about how thrilled I was because I had finally figured out how to weave with the double hole or 2 holed rigid heddle loom. Link to previous blog post

I had extrapolated from how I wove pickup on the inkle loom, and was, to put it bluntly, wrong wrong wrong about so much of what I was doing.

A lady on the Braids and Bands list LINK on yahoo very politely, graciously and gently let me know that there was a much better way to weave with the double hole rigid heddle.

She told me that the Latvian way is to NOT drop the background strands, but to keep them in the weaving- and ONLY drop the pattern threads when they are not called for in the pattern.

That way, they would form tabby weaving, with no long floats (Happy dancing!) with the pattern threads showing up beautifully in reverse on the back of the band! H A P P Y HAPPY DANCING!

Look at the difference! the bit of band on the left was my first way, and the bit of band on the left is the right way!

Who wouldn’t want their bands to be sturdier, and reversible?

AND here’s MORE good stuff:

I also decided to get over my attachment to the weaving stick, and to keep my hot little hands out of the weaving, and to weave it like a traditional weaver (I almost added the ‘put on the big weaver panties, but didn’t, oh wait, I just did….) and weave the band ONLY with my shuttle.

Well, of course, that speeds things up and I am now clipping along like Daisytrains, merrily weaving MUCH nicer bands!

Not perfect, but oh soooooooooooo much better!

I have deleted the first video, and have made another, showing my next stage of the journey.

Once, when I was a child, I must have said something very stupid, because my father raised his eyebrow, fixed me with a baleful gaze and pronounced that Abraham Lincoln had declared that it was better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak up and remove all doubt.

ouch.

Well, I think that Abraham Lincoln and my father weren’t ~always~ right about remaining silent.

If I hadn’t had the courage to speak up and be willing to be found wrong about what I was doing with this, I would STILL be doing it wrong.

So, I say: Be willing to be thought a fool.

Speak up and ask.

There are kind people out there who are willing to show you a different way of doing something, and that way may make a world of difference in a skill that you are learning.

BUT… you’ll never know if you don’t have the guts to say:” This is what I am working on – got any suggestions?”

Besides, when you have big ‘aha’ moments in your learning curve, it can really be useful to other people!

So, that being said: Here’s the latest installment in my voyage of discovery with the 2 hole rigid heddle loom!

The story of my Saori loom and a new shirt for my husband

Last year, I wove my husband a shirt to wear while his Jazz trio performed at the Jazz festival and other gigs. Link to Jim’s shirt

It’s time to weave him a new shirt!

So, I have warped up my Saori floor loom and have started weaving the yardage for his shirt, and maybe some for one for me, too… we shall see….

The loom in the photo has a neat story. Her name is Toshi-san.

I bought her several years ago from my dear friend, Terri Bibby, who is a master Saori weaver- check out her website: Link

When Terri announced, a few weeks ago, that she is hosting a Saori weaving conference in September 2012 on Salt Spring Island: Announcement

she received a lovely email from the lady who originally bought Toshi-san in Japan in 1990.

She went to the first international Saori weaving conference in Kobe, Japan, fell in love with Saori weaving, and bought a loom.

They took Toshi-san apart, and shipped her to Canada in little pieces, which she then re-assembled.

Later, she sold Toshi-san to a weaving dealer in British Columbia, who sold Toshi-san to Terri.

When I walked into Terri’s studio not long after Toshi-san arrived, it was love at first sight, and I bought Toshi-san on the spot.

I wove like mad on Toshi-san for a couple of years, but then got involved with other looms and she sat empty and neglected.

I felt guilty about her being abandoned, so I thought that I might sell her.

Luckily, my daughter-in-law said- DON’T!!!! And she took custody of Toshi-san.

She wove merrily away on Toshi-san for awhile, but then spinning and making roving with her hackle and combs became more and more of a passion. She discovered that she’s not a weaver, but is a passionate spinner.

So, Toshi- san sat unused again…. but I was feeling sooooooooo called to her…………. so, now, she is happily ensconced back in my studio!

Yay! Toshi-san! Welcome back!

and…. now, I am having soooooooooooo much fun, weaving Jim’s new shirt.

I have a fondness for weaving inlays, so Jim’s shirt is going to have a lot of random squares and other shapes inlaid:

I love the philosophy of Saori weaving- it’s based in the belief of generosity of spirit, and exploring creativity and freeform expression.

It’s completely meditative and contemplative.

I follow my inclination to work with this color or that, and place shapes here and there, and allow the weaving to grow in a very organic way.

The bands for the shirt, and the cuffs and collars are also coming along on my Cricket loom-

I posted about my excitement in mastering the double hole rigid heddle loom yesterday: Double hole rigid heddle

All in all, it’s a complete expression of love and delight and a celebration of my adoration for my soul mate, the wonderful man that has been my beloved husband for more than 3 decades

Here’s a picture of Jim (wearing his last year’s shirt) and his trio. You have to look hard to see the bass player- he’s wearing black and it makes him kind of invisible.

I was holding our gorgeous grandbaby, who fell asleep while Grampa and the guys played.

Yep… that’s one of my Saori Gypsy jackets that I wove. Link

2 Comments

Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, weaving & handwoven, Yarn Crafts

Tagged as Gypsy Jacket, hand woven, narrow loom weaving, Saori, Saori loom, Saori weaving, sewing hand woven cloth, shirt for my husband, woven bands, woven clothing, woven shirt

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Tottie Talks Crafts Blog

Weave a Mermaid with the stick weaving loom

etsy love

Minoan Goddess of the Bees Knitted pattern is now a pdf

Free pattern for a woven elephant

More little looms from recycled stuff part 2

Little looms from recycled things for teaching weaving or sampling etc part 1

When should a child start learning how to weave?

My learning curve with the double hole rigid heddle continues

Now the corrected video for weaving on double hole rigid heddle loom

The story of my Saori loom and a new shirt for my husband

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