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Monday, April 5, 2021

Kiwi, loom waste, living in Australia, and amaryllis

Kiwi, done and dusted. Although I wound all the periwinkle bobbins and wove a bit, I really kept my nose pointed to the kiwi towel job. It is not good to let oneself be distracted. That's where little unfinished projects begin, occasionally with a note, but more often not. And a year later, there it is in the back of a drawer.

It was a good thing I turned my back on that lovely bit of periwinkle! There is someone in Australia who I've corresponded with just a little bit. She bought towels more than a year ago (back in another lifetime), and was so enchanted she bought a loom. 

Jennifer has what is called a rigid heddle loom and is weaving a fabric called Buffalo Plaid. Take a peek; she is a fine weaver! Buffalo Plaid is the Rob Roy plaid. That is another great story and there is a link to it.

One weaver to another, I wanted to show her my cheap and dirty approach to a quick  fell line. I used to weave row after row on my tie up, until the separation filled up and I could weave a header and get started. One day I saw what a waste that was, and switched to weaving a few rows, just to say I'd been there and then weaving a header and getting on with weaving.


Here is Jennifer's Buffalo Plaid on her rigid heddle loom. You can google all those words and have a fine Looms 101 class.


I've lost the first leaf from the amaryllis, and here is a short tutorial from this amateur to anyone who is interested.


Here it is with six leaves. The bottom left was creeping along the table. I slid my finger down between that leaf and the one above. Plenty of resistance, so I quit and went to weave. 

I tried it again the next day and so help me, my finger slipped between the two leaves a if they were greased, right to the beginning of old growth, where it folded over.


I took off the leaf as if it were a sheet of perforated notebook paper!


And now there are five leaves. The opposite bottom leaf is about where this leaf was a day ago. Slow but sure.





37 comments:

  1. I am awed at your work and that of Jennifer's. Forgive me, but I always feel inadequate when you describe the process. It is a language I do not speak though I whole heartedly admire the product. Wholeheartedly admire and use the product.

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  2. You are full of information today. I know it helps many.

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  3. I am with Elephant’s Child. Love the product but don’t understand the process.

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  4. I do love tartan. I do the same thing, as with your amaryllis leaves, on a couple of plants in my garden, I have no idea what they are, but yellowing leaves at the base of the crown (canopy?) get gently pulled away in just that fashion.

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  5. I wish I'd known about that starting methid when I was weaving. I sort of went by the book...

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    1. We didn't get a book, but just piled in. Books came later.

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  6. I think Buffalo Plaid is the national fabric of Canada, LOL!

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    1. I was thinking today, there are no Buffalo in Australia.

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  7. Hari OM
    You have some kind of dynamo in you, Joanne - I'm just in awe of your physical workload! YAM xx

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  8. I am sure you have inspired others to take up weaving, Joanne. Jennifer's plaid is lovely.

    With your loving care of the Amaryllis, there is no doubt that it will bloom again.

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  9. My daughter had an amaryllis and looked online for what to do when the bloom was spent. Oh goodness! She cut off the leaves and put them in the crawl space. Yikes! I told her never do that again. You have to allow the leaves to soak up all the energy to flower again. Sigh... I wonder what will happen.

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  10. How funny. I thought today of all the inches we save. I only weave cream towels from the end of my warp, but if I weave three full sized cream towels at the end, I pump my fist.

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  11. I too am amazed by your weaving expertise. That buffalo plaid looks a lot like a shirt my boyfriend has! :)

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  12. Such a pretty blue on the loom, and your Oz friend's Buffalo Plaid looks so cheery. They are entering winter so she is just in time to be weaving it!

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  13. I have managed to re-flower two amaryllis over the years but the work involved was enough for me to just toss the next years bulb and purchase a new one the next holiday season.

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  14. I bet you have gotten many started weaving after seeing your wonderful work! I love that Buffalo Plaid. I don't understand all the various weaving terms but I sure love the end products and I have much admiration for those that weave!

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  15. Your description of a weaving process made me want to get my small rigid heddle loom out and try once more. Sometime I think it is all about colour but my rather rough tea towels are always so much better than bought ones.

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  16. As always the weaving seems to me like magic.

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  17. Good to see weavers working together, even at a great distance. Lovely work, both of you!
    That Amaryllis is amazing!!

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  18. My amaryllis is at about the same stage Joanne and I am following your example closely so don;t stop writing about it. I intend to try keeping it this year. When I finish blogging I shall go and run my finger down the six leaves to look for any reaction.

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  19. "It's good not to let oneself get distracted". I think that's my normal state from the moment my foot hits the floor each morning,

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  20. You are so much more patient with your amaryllis than am I. Once they bloom I ignore them.

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  21. I loved the story of Buffalo plaid! Thank you for that.
    And oh, how right you are about the unfinished projects. And once they're in that drawer- there they stay. At least in my experience.
    I adore that periwinkle. One of my favorite colors.

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  22. I do like the weaving shoptalk. And now I fancy getting out my rigid heddle loom. The heddle simplifies the whole thing so dramatically after making freeform art weaving. I'm just not a fan of the warping process..

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    1. Perhaps I should publicize some secrets for taming a cranky warp.

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  23. Engineering wise, I have never figured out how a loom works and that frustrates me. It sounds terribly fiddley and I guess I would be up against my own impatience.

    BUT with your post today you inspire me to pick up my failed knitting, rip it out and restart.

    XO
    WWW

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  24. The loom is truly magic. So is knitting and crochet. All of those arts are not in my dna. Kudos to Jennifer for taking up weaving.

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  25. Appreciate the advice, Joanne. I need all the help I can get with plants.

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  26. The Buffalo Plaid is pretty. I'm sure Jennifer loves having you as a friend.

    Love,
    Janie

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  27. ooo, that periwinkle is a pretty color, but then don't I say that about all of them? looks like Jennifer has it down. nice straight edges. and the amaryllis is doing what they do. mine are all blooming now.

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  28. Good to hear your weaving tips are going strong.

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  29. When you find that you have lost your way, that there is no way out for you, know that your strength must be in the Lord. He will sustain you, He will lead you to green pastures 💖

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  30. Yes, she does a good job on that loom. So do you.

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  31. Goodness, those leaves are enormous! Glad it was just the one leaf you lost.

    I replied to your question on my blog, by the way.

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  32. I love the colors of all your towels.

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  33. I did comment, but I suspect my comment is still "awaiting approval".

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