I love yarn!

It's true.  I love yarn.  I enjoy touching it, spinning it, weaving it.  I enjoy any and all things that involve working with or creating yarn.  I've known this for many years but it was recently reinforced by the completion of yarn I was spinning.  It took 4 bobbins to create the two ply yarn you see in these pictures.  It's a soft gray with white slubs interspersed throughout the yarn.  I purchased the fiber from a local mill, Singleton Fiber Mill, in Frederick, MD.  It's one of their "house" blends called Romoca; a mix of romney, mohair and alpaca. It also has touches of angelina for shine.

I'm planning on weaving a long scarf on my Schacht Cricket and giving it a half twist before I join both ends to make it a mobius infinity scarf.  I have a sketch in my project journal.  Hoping to start this weekend.  Step 1 is to McMorran the yarn and see how much I have.  Step 2 is to plan the project on paper to see how much I need.  Step 3 is to pray the two numbers (amount needed and amount spun) are close.  Fingers crossed and pencil sharpened!

 Here's a little pic of the Schacht Cricket.  This is one of my favorite looms.  It super easy to warp, weave and move around the house or car with me as I weave.

This photo shows both the 10" and 15" Cricket.

One more thing!  Summer classes are starting NOW.  I am booked for June and have openings on weekdays and Saturdays in July and August.  Contact me at lotsaknots@msn.com for details and prices.  Learn to weave this summer!

Rigid heddle weaving in a day

This was the view as I finished my morning walk today.  It inspired me to consider simplifying my rigid heddle weaving classes.  Three Saturdays of class is almost decadent so I have decided to teach Rigid Heddle Weaving in 1 day.
That's right, a one day, all day classes to warp the loom and weave a sample.  If you want to learn more, I can schedule more.
So, I will be teaching how to warp and weave on a Rigid Heddle loom on Saturday, April 28th from 9am to 4pm.  All classes are held in my Poolesville, Maryland studio.  Class will begin with how to warp the loom and end with finishing techniques.  It's a condensed introduction to weaving on a rigid heddle loom.  All classes include the loom and materials needed to warp and weave.  For more information and to reserve you place, contact Claudia at weaveonstudio@me.com or claudia@weavolution.com.

Rigid Heddle Weaving in a day will also be offered on Saturday, June 30 from 9am to 4pm.  In addition,  the three session In Depth Rigid Heddle Weaving class is available on Saturday, July 14, 21, and 28.  In the longer class, we will warp the rh loom 3 times, create 3 different projects and work with both direct and indirect warping methods.  Contact Claudia at weaveonstudio@me.com

Last weekend, I attended a class in Color and Weaving with Su Butler.  It was an excellent class with so much valuable information I almost felt my head explode.  I have not had formal training in color theory and this class gave me the background information I wanted.  There is no single book available on weaving and color so this class is extremely unique.  Su is a very good teacher and covers a load of material throughout the weekend.  We spent 3 days studying color, value, intensity and how to use this information in your weaving.  I hope to post new projects soon and discuss my choices for colors based on what I learned in this class.

This past weekend was spent celebrating Passover with our family Seder of 12 people.  We had a rousing good time and I found a wonderful model for all my scarves, ponchos and shawls in Craig's girlfriend, Jordan who is pictured here wearing a houndstooth scarf I wove.  This is a great, lightweight scarf that will soon be for sale on our Lotsaknots Etsy site.

Have a great week and Happy weaving!!

Classes available online SOON!

Here's a beautiful example of pebble weave woven on a backstrap loom by a friend.  I love the vibrant colors and the complex design.

In our busy world, we often find it difficult to add one more thing.  Taking an entire Saturday to learn to weave for three weeks in a row seems like a very big indulgence for most of us.  Saturdays usually represent errands, grocery shopping, catching up on the mail, bills, kids soccer/track/lacrosse games, etc.  And, if the weather permits, there is always work to be done in the yard.

To better meet the needs of our busy world, I am going to be offering online, LIVE, in person weaving classes in the evenings and on Saturday and Sunday.  This option allows you to stay home, take care of your chores and enjoy a couple of hours a week to learn a new craft.

What will you need to take a class online?  First, a microphone and speakers (built in to most computers manufactured in the past 5 years) and a webcam.  I purchased a webcam that sits on top of my computer screen.

I use the earphones and microphone that came with my iPhone for speakers and a mic.  It works very well and many have commented that the reception is very good.  Most cell phones come with earphones and a mic on them.  Check out the accessories in your box or check your computer.  You may be surprised to find you have a built-in microphone, speakers and webcam!



So, on to the classes.  I am still formulating the lesson plan.  One thing is clear, you will need to have a rigid heddle loom.  If you live near my Poolesville, MD studio, you are welcome to come over and borrow one for the class.  If not, I can assist you in choosing one to purchase.  Some local fiber arts guilds have looms to rent.  That's a good place to start.  What's a fiber arts guild?  Weavolution has a list by state and country of local guilds that help people with an interest in a specific fiber art (spinning, weaving, felting, knitting, etc,) to communicate with each other and develop their skills.

I will be offering classes on rigid heddle weaving.  All levels and topics will be available and most will be taught by appointment so you can base it on your schedule.  Classes will be 2-3 hours long and will take place online via video conferencing.  More details available soon.  Stay tuned and feel free to leave comments.