Meanderings of a Mermaid

 The latest addition to the weaving studio is the Leclerc Artisat floor loom. It has a weaving width of 36 inches and will take the place of the Schacht Mighty Wolf. The latter is packed and will be heading up to camp to live in the studio there. Both of these looms are the same size and have the same number of shafts. The Mighty Wolf has convenient wheels that pop down when the loom is folded up, making it easy to move around. The Artisat, shown above, is made of lovely maple and is quite a sturdy loom. I couldn't wait to get a project going, just to test her out. This loom also folds up nicely to reveal more space in the guest bedroom.  This advancing twill pattern is a four shaft design. Although the Artisat has eight shafts, right now I only have heddles for four. This is a mercerized cotton warp and rayon slub weft. The pattern is a little subtle because of the variegated or dappled nature of the yarn, but I think this is an interesting effect. I am not sure what...

Here's the newest addition to my Painted Floor Studio. This is a Medico table loom, manufactured by Leclerc, a Canadian company. Research suggests this loom was manufactured for WWII veterans to use. As such it utilizes hand levers for changing the shed. But as you can clearly see in this picture, I have the floor stand which includes six treadles, essentially making it a floor loom.  The maximum weaving width is 22 inches. When I bought this loom last week it came with the blue and white warp on there already. I decided to just play with it, getting the hang of the levers and treadles. I figured out how the previous owner had the tie-ups done, and then "went with it."  Altogether I wound up with a piece of fabric about ten feet long. I will either cut it into bits and sew small bags out of it, or maybe use most of it for a scarf. In this photo you can see the four hand levers (silver) in the top right corner of the loom. In the top centre area of the loom...

  I know this for a fact. My preference is for the simple things in life. This loom, for example. It requires no electricity. Even inside, it will be beside a bank of windows and chances are I won't need lights on when I am operating it. Not only am I saving money by not using electricity, but I can keeping working and playing when the power goes down. There is something to be said for the resourceful inventors and pioneers that came before us.         This is my new (used) Leclerc Nilus II jack floor loom. Some of the pieces are outside of the view of this image. Things are being cleaned up before coming into the house. In the image you can see a loom, a warping reel (with round base), a bench and the beater bar. The warping beam is the other big part you can't see there (just a little edge of it at far right). The weaving width is 45 inches, but when I get the flying shuttle beater attached (sometime down the road) it will be about 7 feet wide...