Anything Worth Doing is Worth Doing Badly

No, I'm not suggesting that we shouldn't work hard to do things well, that would be absurd. What I mean is that you have to go through the phase where you are bad at something before you can get to the point where you're good at something. Unless you're one of those people who does everything well right from the start. If you're that person you should stop it because no one likes a show-off.

As you can see, I am learning to weave. That is my brand-ie new 15" Schacht Cricket Loom, with which, along with a couple of books on weaving and some yarn, I have begun my new endeavor. I'm weaving away... badly.

Alas, I fear that I have many oddly shaped, unevenly woven rectangles in my foreseeable future. My M.O. is to just wade right in and try it. Take a class? Pfft, whatever, I'll just fiddle with it until I get it. I knit a whole lot of weird looking rectangles when I was learning to knit too. The nice thing about knitting is that you can unravel the weird rectangles and reuse the yarn. You really can't do that with weaving.

The wade right in method generally works for me, or at least it will eventually. Above is the edge of my first piece. That is not how it's supposed to look, therefore, it is an excellent example of weaving badly. Apparently, there's a trick to getting the edges even. I'm going to have to find out what that is.

This is the actual weave of my first piece. This is yet another example of bad weaving. Apparently there is a trick to getting the weave even. I do believe that I will have to find out what that is too.

Fortunately for me the act of weaving is fun so the fact that the finished product isn't perfect is OK because making it was enjoyable. It's a good thing too. It would be awful to make something weird looking and hate the process of making it too. Talk about a lose/lose.

And here it is, my first project, fresh off the loom, in all of its glorious unevenness. I am experiencing the "IKEA Effect" (When you like something you've made, even if it stinks, just because you made it.) So I have worn it anyway. If you see me wearing it and choose to mention that it's uneven prepare for a withering look and subsequent eye-roll coming in your direction.

That isn't all though. Here is my second project:

The weave on this one is evener (that's actually a word, go figure) however the colors are what they are because I ran out of yarn for the warp. I really like the colors so that doesn't matter to me. It is also about ten feet long so I have to wrap it around my neck three times so it doesn't drag on the floor. Apparently there is a trick to estimating the correct yarn requirements and the end length. Yet another thing about which I must find out. I might try felting it to make it shorter... could work.

Here is my newest project:

It's going to be a pillow cover for Lu's bed. I'm at a temporary standstill with this one because I had to order more yarn (see above about estimating yarn requirements taking special note of the part where I mention I haven't a clue how to do it.) This yarn stripes by itself so that is pretty cool-looking! My edges are better and the weave is mostly even. Progress!

Anyway, I will be doing this badly right up to the point when I'm not. I'm guessing two more projects and I will be in the "not bad" stage and probably three more after that until I get to the "good" stage. I'll get there, I typically do for anything I consider worth doing. For the record, learning to play softball and beat-boxing are not worth doing, for me anyway.

I'll show you how that looks when it's done.

See you soon,
H

Go Swiftly

I finally went ahead and bought a yarn swift and ball winder. I typically use yarn that is DK gauge or bulkier, but I bought lace-weight yarns for my first few weaving projects.

My pile o' lace-weight yarn, four of which are in skeins.

If you're not familiar with the weights of yarns, lace-weight yarn is basically thread... I'm also discovering that I probably shouldn't have picked it for my first weaving projects, but live and learn. The skeins are those twists of yarn on the right which need to be wound before they can be used.

The umbrella swift and ball winder.

Anyway, where I can wind a skein of bulkier weight yarn into a ball by draping it around my knees or around a chair back, the lace-weight yarn wound up in a gigantic knot both times I tried. I had to throw some away because there was no way I was going to spend hours and hours untangling it.

So that's where the swift, which is that wooden thing that opens like an umbrella (which is why it's actually called an "umbrella swift," go figure) and the little hand-cranked ball winder come in. They make quick, neat work of winding skeins into balls.

You open the skein, drape it around the swift, and adjust the tension...

Thread the yarn through the holder of the ball winder, wrap it once or twice around the center and you're off.

What would have taken me at least an hour took me a few minutes. I happen to think that the old-fashioned implements of fiber-arts are beautiful, plastic ball-winders aside. Umbrella swifts were designed long ago by the Swedes and they can't be made better. No, electric swifts and ball-winders would not be better. In my humble opinion electric-powered tools for fiber arts miss the point and lack the charm. It's a hand-craft for Pete's sake!

There's a perfectly wound ball of yarn, ready to be wound onto a shuttle.

TA-DAH! Winding done! Until I buy more yarn that is.

I'm happy with the purchase and I really can't recommend them highly enough if you process lots of yarn, which I do.

My first weaving project is progressing nicely-ish. It's almost done and it looks... uh... it looks like a first project. More on that soon.

H