weaving

weaving the weekend away.

April 3, 2016

When the invite to my friend Jenna’s baby shower arrived in the mail a few weeks ago, I knew just what I was going to gift her. I went to Gather Here to pick out some yarn to match her invite and even ordered a new small lap loom to complete my project. Then, this past Saturday, I spent the day weaving away. I absolutely LOVE how this piece turned out. The colors are so lovely and soft and the pattern I designed is so fun and special. It’s the first weaving I’ve ever given away and my favorite one, too. Jenna cried when she opened the box and saw what was inside. I’m so glad she loved it!

I took lots of photos for the remembering…

Those roving zig-zag soumaks are full of GLORY! I can’t wait to make another.

Who wants one next?

8 Comments · Filed Under: weaving ·

yarn shop love + weaving resources

January 26, 2016

Winter has set in here and I am really ready for it. Ready for it in that bring me all the crafts kind of way. And in that pile on the fleece and play all the Grey’s Anatomy kind of way. But most of all ready for it in that BRING ME A SNOW DAY kind of way. You know, so I can craft wearing all my fleece watching Grey’s Anatomy ALL DAY. :)

I have really been having fun with this weaving gig I’ve got going on. The texture and colors are my favorite part and the relaxing nature of it all is the most wonderful bonus. I love how I never know how my weavings are going to turn out in the end. It’s a fun surprise every time.

I have been happily sharing photos of my work on instagram and the feedback has been so encouraging! Nice people giving nice comments and I am so thankful for that. A few people have asked if I’ve ever considered selling my weavings and my first thought is always BLESS YOUR KIND SOULS and my second thought is maybe! Someday! Possibly! What a fun thought. For now I am truly enjoying the creativity of it all but if I ever do decide to sell a few you will be the first to know.

I’ve also been asked about the yarn I am using which is the best question of all! Below are links to my favorite shops and the specific fibers I’ve purchased. It’s been so much fun collecting colors and weights and textures of wool. I’ve also added some other weaving topics including instagram accounts to follow and some basic online tutorials. I hope you find something that you love here today and please let me know if you have favorite shops or great weaving resources of your own. I would love to hear and am always looking to add to my knowledge bank. Weaver Fever is for real. ♥

YARN SHOP LOVE

Classes, Yarn, Looms, and Supplies…

Maryanne Moodie
{where I first fell in love with fiber art!}

Yarn…

Knit Collage // Cast Away Yarn {pictured above}

Jill Draper Makes Stuff

Reyarner // Muted Coral, Lace Weight

1AZColorworks // Robin’s Egg Blue + Seafoam

Miss Knit Yarns // Sari Silk with Sparkles

Beautiful Mayblossom // Mint + Pistachio

I have also gotten a good amount of yarn from Michael’s and Joann Fabric. My first choice is to support small artists and shops, and I often find the quality better albeit pricer, but these bigger chain stores have a few options as well.

Storefronts I have visited…

Gather Here // Cambridge, Massachusetts

Purl Soho // New York, New York

Fancy Tiger Crafts // Denver, Colorado

{Visiting an actual store is SO special. Feel free to share in the comments if you know of any gems out there in the world.}

Roving…

Grey Fox Felting

Mohair and More // Mint + Salmon + Turquoise + Coral

Loom and Spindle // White

LOOMS + Supplies…

Maryanne Moodie on Etsy {I use this one!}

Insatgram inspiration…

Maryanne Moodie + Smoothhills Weaving + The Weaving Kind

Paige and Roy + Krystle Weaves + Jeannie Makes

Meghan Shimek + Leeleeazz

Tutorials…

{I want to quickly say that I haven’t really used any weaving tutorials myself. My skills and knowledge of weaving came from taking Maryanne’s class and from lots of experimenting and practice! I have viewed the tutorials listed below and think they might be a helpful start to anyone who is willing to take the time to learn on their own. I always work best with a hands-on lesson from an actual human so paying the money for a class was worth every penny to me and I highly recommend it to anyone who can find the means to get to Brooklyn or perhaps is lucky enough to find a class in your city!}

Weaving for Beginners — really good videos!!
One + Two + Three + Four + Five

Weaving Basics + Getting Fancy

DIY Woven Wall Hanging Tutorial

For kids, too!

Weaving 101

Hot damn! These posts always have a way of turning out so epic.

I hope these links help any of you out there looking for supplies and inspiration. I have found over the last few months that if you look hard enough the resources are endless. It’s so exciting, all the creativity out there, isn’t it?

♥♥♥

“Oh, it’s delightful to have ambitions. I’m so glad I have such a lot. And there never seems to be any end to them– that’s the best of it. Just as soon as you attain to one ambition you see another one glittering higher up still. It does make life so interesting.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

8 Comments · Filed Under: handmade, weaving ·

the day I learned to weave.

December 13, 2015

Last weekend I treated myself to something I’ve been wanting to learn for a very long time. I took a weaving class! I’ve been admiring the craft from afar over the course of the past year and when Maryanne Moodie posted about her beginning weaving class in Brooklyn I immediately signed up. Lickity split! And I am so thankful I did. I convinced my sister to sign up too (hooray!) and we made a day of it. We drove down to Connecticut on Friday night to stay at my grandmother’s house and then headed into Brooklyn in the morning. The class took place right in Maryanne’s Industry City studio, which I thought was amazing! So inspiring to learn in the space where MM makes her magic! It was so bright and cozy, I just loved every minute of it.

Can you imagine if this was your office??

Baskets and baskets of yarn! Dream!

We were treated to snacks and champagne! My favorite is the tray of nuts that resembles a weave. Perfect!

Maryanne is absolutely the loveliest. I could listen to her voice for hours {Australian accent, yes!} and she is truly a wonderful teacher. She began the class by telling us a little bit about her background and how she came to love weaving, and then went through each step and technique of working on the loom clearly and methodically so it was easy to understand. She also encouraged us to take videos, which were SO helpful to me later.

A lap loom is the type of loom that you would usually get when taking a beginning weaving class, but the small looms did not come in time for our group so we were able to use these larger stand looms instead and then purchase them at the wholesale price if we wanted. The other option was to wait for the smaller loom to come in the mail. I decided to get the larger one in hopes that I will try some bigger projects someday!

The photo above is my weaving progress by the end of the class. I was so glad there was some pink yarn to work with. Favorite! I tried my hand at basic tabby, Rya knots (love) and loops. We also learned how to Soumak which I didn’t do during the class but I did try later at home. It’s so fun to think about all the creations you can make by just knowing a few easy weaving techniques— and that’s exactly what it is! Easy! I might try some shapes on my next weave. They look like they would be hard, but really they aren’t. Patience and time is all you need. Plus it is relaxing to no end.

Me, Maryanne, and Meg! ♥

And! One week later… my first finished weave!

I am so so happy with it.

I went to Michael’s to pick out some more yarn and just sort of added loops and Soumaks here and there until I was please with the look of it. Sometimes I took weavings out if I didn’t love it. Mostly I just kept going, adding a little bit here and there each night until it was finally complete. Oh, how good it felt to take it off the loom and admire it on the wall. So glad! So pretty! And so excited to start my second! :)

10 Comments · Filed Under: art, design, life, weaving ·

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