A New Challenge?

I'll be starting a new project on the loom soon, since I have FINALLY finished painting my loom room (studio still sounds kind of wrong to me).  Well, perhaps not entirely finished...  All that is left is the inside surface of the entry door, but it really is a "troll" door - narrow and very crooked.  It is already "white," but aged and in need of a re-coat.  It won't take long, and I will get to it shortly.  The rest of the room came out rather nicely, and I will gladly show you, if and when the sun ever makes an appearance.

Here's the draw down of my next project, simplified:

The actual weaving will be differing repeats of different sections.  For the uninitiated, the "box" at the upper right represents how you tie up the treadles. This tells the loom which shafts lift up when you step on each treadle. The row at the top represents how you thread the loom.  The shafts go from the bottom of that piece to the top, so shaft 1 through 8.  AND one reads drafts from right to left.  So I would start threading 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, starting just to the left of the tie up "box," heading toward the left.  To save myself some time, I did not input all the repeats, because I certainly would have been taking a dirt nap by the time I was done, but suffice to say that the actual threading will be very complex and require no interruptions.

The column that you see going down the right hand side of the photo represents the treadling sequence of the project.  It is read top to bottom (thank goodness!!). So, once the loom is configured correctly, and the warp is threaded, sleyed and appropriately tensioned, I will start by compressing treadle 1, throw the shuttle, beat the weft into place, then treadle 2, etc.  This pattern is treadled in the same order as the threading, so all of the repeats that I have to include when threading, I also have to include while weaving.  I think there will be copious notes in place before I start the actual weaving.

So what is this going to be?  A table runner, woven in a natural cotton warp, with a slightly darker natural cotton/linen weft.  The original draft was woven in a fine 16/2 cotton, but I think I will be kind to myself and use 8/2, which is the size I usually use for towels.  I have some 16/2 that I am saving for some elegant huck lace tea towels.  So why all the new projects, especially at this time of year?

I have girded my loins (is that a real thing??) and put on my big girl panties and signed up to have some of my woven goods juried.  Needless to say, I am actually nauseous thinking about it.  There is an organization here in Maine called "Maine Crafts," and amongst some of many ways they try to help their members is a Center for Maine Crafts that they run in the Gardiner area, right off the trunpike.  It is aimed at tourists, and I guess they have a steady crowd, more so in the summer, of course.  They will assess the items made by some members and offer to either purchase them wholesale or do a consignment so that they can be displayed and offered for sale at the center.  I'm still a bit hazy on the details (all that time retching), but I have begun to plan out what samples I will bring.  This table runner made the list; along with the huck tea towels; hopefully some riotously colored towels that is my attempt at random (a fellow weaver is pure magic with these and I'm challenging myself to see if I can follow her lead); my red and black tencel heart scarf, and a snowflake shawl in shades of purple, which I have woven in the past.  This table runner will be similar to the shawl, but the hand and color interplay should set them apart nicely.

So I have my appointment on March 3, so busy busy busy I must be.  And, oh yes, I think there is some sort of holiday coming up soon???  I have quite a bit to do about that as well!!

Sorry for the lack of photos, but it is truly dreary here, raining on and off.  Later in the week the sun is supposed to shine, so I will hopefully get a few shots of the neat and tidy "studio."  Thanks for stopping by!