Meanderings of a Mermaid

This one may show the front a little better. Sea Starz Shawl.

Ta Da!

The efforts of my recent Weaving 1o1 class. We worked up scarves? /tablerunners? (let's call them practice bits) on a rigid heddle loom. While I have experience weaving, it was on frame looms and floor looms. So this was a good refresher plus an introduction to the rigid heddle loom. Most of the time was spent preparing the warp threads and getting them onto the loom properly. A great class!

The time has come for me to take on another challenge. I bought an antique spinning wheel made in about the mid 1700s. With it I hope to learn to spin wool and other fibres. I was reflecting on why I am attracted to the antique in everything. I know for one thing that I am in awe of how technology and processes are developed and deeply respect how my ancestors made their way in the world. My Lithuanian heritage is strong with flax spinners who would've spent all day on a wheel exactly at this one, passing their spun linen fibres off to another person sitting at a large loom. And with everything in my life it's been "The School of Hard Knocks". I seem to need to grunt and get dirty and curse and shake my head a lot; learning all the while. This 1750s wheel will be finicky I'm sure and limited as to what it can do compared to the new jewels out there. Maybe in the future I will deserve one of those new ones. For the time being, I'll walk in the footsteps left b...