[Ansteorra-Textiles] Greetings and Questions

Vicki Marsh vmarsh at twmarsh.net
Fri Aug 20 15:40:04 PDT 2010


Let me preface this with the statement that I am nowhere near an expert on
weaving.
That being said.

I own a yarn shop in Duncanville, just south of Dallas and have tried
weaving my own tartan scarf a long time ago (It was acrylic -EWWW). It was
on a rigid heddle loom, The Easy Weaver. It worked out fairly well, but it
was difficult for a beginner. I learned a lot from the process, as I had a
small book with pictures of the MacDonald tartan, and I had my husband's
MacDonald tartan tie. It was actually easier to copy the weaving on the tie,
as it was a simple weave as well.

I strongly urge you to rent, buy or borrow a portable loom to practice on.
There are weaver's guilds outside of the SCA where you can learn more about
weaving. If you are in the DFW area, come by my shop. www.whirledfibers.com
or if you are in the Austin area, check out Hill County Weavers.
www.hillcountryweavers.com

You can make your own loom. I've saw one in a Navajo weaver's shop that
looked like it was made out of scrap wood. It worked.

Check Craigslist.com for used looms and also check out www.ravelry.com for
the weavers forums and also the used equipment forums.

There are a lot of differences in looms throughout history and in different
cultures. That would be another area to research to help you in your quest.

Of course, one of the reasons that the only DIY looms that you might find on
the internet is due to the possibility of loom failure when it is warped up
and put under stress. The liability from a potential catastrophic loom
failure might be a bit expensive.

Aerin is an excellent weaver and would be a great place to start to learn.
Good Luck on your journey and tell us more about the Fields Family Farm.

In Service,
Mistress Xene Theriane,
mka
Vicki Marsh


  -----Original Message-----
  From: ansteorra-textiles-bounces+vmarsh=twmarsh.net at lists.ansteorra.org
[mailto:ansteorra-textiles-bounces+vmarsh=twmarsh.net at lists.ansteorra.org]On
Behalf Of Fields Family Farm
  Sent: Monday, August 16, 2010 9:39 AM
  To: ansteorra-textiles at lists.ansteorra.org
  Subject: [Ansteorra-Textiles] Greetings and Questions


  Greetings All,

  I just joined this list, as I am considering making my own loom and
attempting some weaving.  A beginning goal would be to make my own tartans.
An eventual goal might be to demonstrate weaving for Sherwood Forest Faire.

  I'm at least familiar with the basics of weaving.  I've conversed once or
twice with Aerin MacConacher (aka Joanna Varner), and she has agreed to
allow me to see her loom, to get details before beginning building one.

  I have searched the internet for links to build-your-own looms, but the
results were disappointing.  Almost all DIY instructions only show very
basic looms, for weaving belts or such.  I'm hoping to build a full-width
floor loom.

  Any advice y'all have would be gladly received.


  Hrethric/Rick
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