Right before I left work today I received an e-mail notification that I am a finalist in the Schacht competition, “I made it on my Schacht”.  So excited, I can’t believe it! I just had to share it with someone!  My skeins will be sent to Colorado for the final selection…oh the agony of waiting!  Since I already showed you pictures of my two entries, I’ll entertain you with a picture of me, spinning.

Bee Mice Close up

I did it! I entered the Schacht “I made it on my Schacht” competition! A bold move, since I have only been spinning since last spring, but I decided that I can’t win if I don’t try. I entered two skeins, both are fingering weight. One is an interesting blend of soysilk and merino from PigeonRoofStudio. She has beautiful yarn and fiber and if you haven’t, you really ought to go visit her ETSY shop. For reference, soysilk is tough to spin. I’ve never spun it before, and probably never will again! The second entry is from Bee Mice, a new comer on the fiber market, but boy, oh boy, is her fiber pretty! Also on ETSY, if you want to check out her shop. I spun the Bee Mice Elf as a 3 ply, the PigeonRoofStudios as a Navajo ply, which is also a type of three ply. Cross your fingers and wish me luck! Finalists will be announced in 2 weeks!

Der Blick in einen nicht benutzten Aufzugschacht im Empire State Building.

Wo: New York / Manhattan, USA
Wann: Mai 2004
Kamera: Fuji FinePix S7000
Nachbearbeitet: Ja, S/W

Der erste Schacht der Zeche General Blumenthal wurde 1873 geteuft. Bis 1964 folgten sieben weitere. Mit der Stilllegung der ebenfalls zu Hibernia gehörenden Zeche Shamrock in Wanne-Eickel wurde 1967 der Zentralförderschacht 11 übernommen.

Die Förderung auf der 700m-Sohle zwischen den drei Ladestellen der Baufelder Haltern, Haard und Blumenthal und dem Förderschacht Blumenthal 11 war bemerkenswert.

Durch eine automatische, mannlose Lokomotivförderung wurde ab 1968 die Distanz von bis zu 18 Kilometern überwunden.

Die großen Entfernungen zwischen den Baufeldern und dem Förderstandort, geologische Probleme im Haard-Feld und Proteste in der Bevölkerung nach Bergschäden in der Recklinghausener Innenstadt waren die Gründe für die Aufgabe des Bergwerks Blumenthal/Haard.

Der letzte Förderwagen im Schacht Blumenthal 11 wurde am 30. Juni 2001  Herne-Wanne-Eickel zu Tage gehoben.

Hier im Zentralförderschacht 11 der Zeche, die früher Shamrock hieß, wurden die Kohlen des Blumenthal-Verbundes gehoben. In der Verbindungsstrecke zwischen Zeche General Blumenthal und Shamrock begann 1968 der erste vollautomatische Lokomotiv-Förderbetrieb unter Tage.

Ich machte mich 2006 im Laufe mehrerer Wochen auf den Weg, um die bereits im Abriss befindliche Anlage noch fotografisch zu dokumentieren.

Zunächst postierte ich mich vor dem ehemaligen Lokschuppen.

Im Inneren des Schuppens sah es so aus:

Ich verließ die Halle, nachdem ich ausreichend Bildmaterial gesammelt hatte, und machte einige Fotos von den imposanten Außenanlagen.

Bevor ich mir die Kohlenwäsche und die Förderanlagen anschauen wollte, begab ich mich in das ehemalige Versandgebäude.

Nun sollte es spannend werden. Ich steuerte das Gebäude mit dem ehemaligen Förderschacht an.

Im Inneren entdeckte ich eine Werkstattszenerie, so als ob die Mitarbeiter erst vor Kurzem ihren Arbeitsplatz überstürzt verlassen hatten.

Ein ausgedienter Server.
Tische voller Kohleproben.

Ich drang weiter in das Innere des Gebäudes vor. Was hier vielleicht nach einer relativ gut ausgeleuchteten Szenerie aussieht täuscht jedoch. Es war stockfinster. Und so musste ich mir mit Hilfe künstlicher Beleuchtungen (Taschenlampen usw.) zunächst einen Punkt aussuchen, auf den ich meine Kamera scharfstellen konnte. Mit der entsprechend langen Belichtungszeit entstanden dann die nachfolgenden Fotos.

Hier die Bandanlagen.

Mit einem entkoppelten Blitzlicht schritten wir die Bandanlagen ab und gaben alle paar Sekunden einen Lichtimpuls ab, der über die Langzeitbelichtung die gesamte Bandanlage erhellte und belichtete.

Ich atmete einmal tief durch und entschloss mich, den Förderturm zu besteigen.

“Unterwegs” hielt ich immer kurz inne; nicht nur, um mal nach Luft zu schnappen, sondern die immer atemberaubendere Aussicht auf Speicherkarte zu bannen.

Ein Gleiswerker der Wanne-Herner Eisenbahn und Hafen GmbH bei der Arbeit.
	Das Evonik Steag Heizkraftwerk Herne

Oben, am Ziel angekommen, traute ich meinen Augen kaum: Ich hatte noch nie eine so gigantische Fördermaschine gesehen. Aber sehen Sie selbst:

Nach diesen Eindrücken begab ich mich daran, die scheinbar unendlichen Treppenstufen wieder herabzusteigen und fuhr nach Hause, um das umfangreiche Bildmaterial auszuwerten.

Quellen:

http://www.dubtown.de/zeche_blumenthal11.htm

http://www.kohlenpott.org/galerie_index.php?obj=Zeche%20General%20Blumenthal%2011&start=1

http://www.general-blumenthal.de/Chronik_GBL/1960/1961/1962/1963/1968.html

Halde Lydia Himmelsspiegel

Die Bergehalde Lydia ist uns ja schon lange ans Herz gewachsen. Wie wir sehen, hat sich seit unserem ersten Besuch – vor einem Monat – einiges getan. In den letzten Tagen ist die Vegetation förmlich explodiert.

Aber heute reden wir mal nicht über die Natur und das Wetter (das ist heute scheußlich; es regnet und regnet und regnet), heute betrachten wir Ethymologisches und ein Geheimnis.

Was bedeutet eigentlich der Begriff „Bergehalde“?

Die naheliegende Vermutung – eine Bergehalde ist eine Halde, die so hoch aufgeschüttet wird, dass sie so groß ist wie ein Berg – ist falsch. „Berge“ ist in diesem Zusammenhang nicht im topographischen Sinne gemeint. Als „Berge“ bezeichnet man in der Fachsprache des Bergbaus den Abfall, der im Rahmen des Kohleabbaus anfällt. Eine Bergehalde ist demnach schlicht eine Schutt- und Abfallhalde. Demnach könnten wir auch von der Abfallhalde Lydia sprechen.

Aber warum trägt dieser gigantische Schuttberg den Beinamen „Lydia“?

Dazu erfahren wir bei Werner Zimmer (2008, S.35): In der Anfangsphase des Bergbaus wurden die Stollen oft mit den Vornamen der herrschenden Schicht und deren Frauen bezeichnet. Später wurden die Vornamen von Bergbauprominenten und die Familiennamen von preußischen Ministern, die für den hiesigen Bergbau zuständig waren, verwandt. Nicht bei allen Schächten und Stollen wurden die Taufpaten in den Akten festgehalten.

Leider scheint der letzte Satz auch für „Lydia“ zuzutreffen. Ich habe jedenfalls bislang keine genauen Angaben hierzu gefunden.
Fest steht Folgendes: Die Halde gehört zur Grube Camphausen (demnächst werden wir erfahren, wer Camphausen war) und zur Grube Camphausen gehörte unter anderem ein Wetterschacht, der – das ist der Schlüssel – ab 1920 Lydia-Schacht genannt wurde (Rudolf Saam , 1997, S.66). Dieser Schacht war bis 1961 in Betrieb und wurde 1962 verfüllt. Von diesem Schacht ist heute nichts mehr zu sehen, da er unter der Bergehalde begraben liegt. Das heißt: Die Halde Lydia erhebt sich über dem ehemaligen Schacht Lydia.

Aber damit wissen wir immer noch nicht, wer die Namenspatin des Schachts und der Halde war. Offenbar müssen wir in den Jahren vor 1920 forschen. Ich werde Augen und Ohren offenhalten und bin zuversichtlich, dass wir Lydia’s Geheimnis lüften werden.

Die Aufnahme entstand am 14. April 2009

Quellen:
Rudolf Saam: Die Bedeutung der Dudweiler Gruben für die Industrialisierung des Saarlandes. In: 1000 Jahre Dudweiler 977-1977. Hrsg. Landeshauptstadt Saarbrücken, Stadtbezirk Dudweiler. Saarbrücker Zeitung Verlag, 1977, S. 258-275.
Werner Zimmer: Die Grube Jägersfreude und ihre Wetterschächte auf Dudweiler Bann. In Historische Beiträge aus der Arbeit der Dudweiler Geschichtswerkstatt, Band 10, 2008, S. 25-36.

Die Historischen Beiträge aus der Arbeit der Dudweiler Geschichtswerkstatt kann man direkt bei der Geschichtswerkstatt Dudweiler bestellen. Die älteren Bände gibt es zu günstigen Sonderpreisen.

Folgende Aufnahme entstand in der Erdbrüggenstrasse in Gelsenkirchen -Bismarck. Im Hintergrund erkennt man gut die “Zeche Consolidation Schacht 9″ ein ehemaliges Steinkohle-Bergwerk.

Spun some Shetland top and navajo plied it.

Finished kidlet’s socks. He loved them so much he immediately wore them to school.

My Ravelry project page: Socks for The Boy
Pattern: Child’s Sock Pattern by Lucy H. Lee (Ravelry link) | (non-Ravelry link)
Yarn: Regia Color 4-Ply, color #4737 (Ravelry link) | (non-Ravelry link)

The socks are knit toe-up so the heel is just a flap with a gusset, only the stitches are being picked up along an extended sole instead of the heel. It’s wicked easy and looks nice. Kidlet’s feet are bigger than the pattern allows for so I came up with some modifications as I went. They’re listed on my Ravelry project page but in case you’re not able to make it there here they are:

1. I used Judy’s Magic Cast-On for the toe because it’s awesome and I love it.

2. From the toe I increased to 44 stitches total instead of 40.

3. I started the heel flap at 4″ as instructed, but then because my son’s feet were bigger than I remembered and too big for a 6″ sole I went to 8″ before starting the heel shaping.

4. This made the heel gusset larger so I picked up 16 stitches instead of 14 for a total of 64 stitches – it worked out to picking up every other row along the flap.

5. I then decreased back to my original 44 sts for the cuff.

6. I used the Elizabeth Zimmerman Sewn Cast-Off which made a nice stretchy cuff.

I got them to match as kidlet didn’t want tall socks, and the height he specified just happened to end the first sock right before the pattern repeat for the skein, so it really was serendipity. I may even have enough of the skein left to make a wee little pair for Margaret

Judy’s Magic Cast-On is so totally worth learning if you knit socks. It makes a perfect, beautiful toe that requires no seaming. I hate seaming. You can even knit your loose end into the first row so you won’t even need to run it in – just snip it when you’re done! Couldn’t be simpler. The cast-off is extremely easy, too, and worth it as I always tend to pull too tightly.

I chose this pattern as I was looking for an easy, basic sock pattern in childrens’ sizes that used fingering weight yarn. This was deceptively difficult as there are tons of wee baby socks made from fingering yarn, or childrens’ socks made from sport or worsted weight yarn. Perhaps if I ever became a knitwear designer I could find a niche in the 4-to-11 year old sock arena.

I took some new shots in better light – the direct sunlight ones were too glinty.

Get up close and personal with my plies.

Ladybug from Schacht

Just in time for Christmas, our long-awaited Ladybugs have arrived. This is a sturdy plywood construction, double treadle spinning wheel. It has handles for easy transport, and comes with two extra bobbins and an orifice hook. Besides being bright red, the wheel itself is made of hard plastic. 

 We currently have two in stock (they’re going to a wildfire), so be sure call and get yours reserved.

 The Ladybug is on my wishlist for Christmas, how about yours?

I was surprised there were no comments on the last picture of one of my earlier posts, “Bobbin Winders For Spinners“.  But, perhaps that is because you don’t know that I pretty much stopped buying books years ago.  I’m extremely careful about buying books, because I have so little space in my house.  I started spinning a year ago, but I own only one spinning book.  However, in the five months since I’ve been weaving, I’ve acquired forty-five weaving books (oh, I just shocked myself!).  That does not include the stack of used “Handwoven” magazines stashed in our linen closet.  Then there are the looms.  I last counted nine “serious” looms 20″ or larger; I refuse to count the smaller “play” looms (like the HD Easy Weaver A and B looms).  I’m extremely thrifty and discriminating about my looms (I walked away from a $400 Schacht Baby Wolf, one-owner, in perfect condition, still without regret — too expensive!), but it seems I have not set the bar high enough.  It makes no sense to me, especially since I can only weave on one at a time.  I just cannot explain, even to myself, what is this madness called weaving, and why it has overtaken me.

I checked, and found there is no “Complete Idiot’s Guide To Weaving”, or “Weaving For Dummies”.  I think I could write a book like that, perhaps titled “A Comprehensive Compendium Of Weaving Don’ts “.

Remember my piano runner/sampler of twills on Gil (24″ Rasmussen loom, “Raddle Me This“)?

It’s woven and off the loom, but it was a slow start that took four tries to finish warping it.

Beaming onto Gil: The Quadrilogy:

Episode One: Clueless Weaver warps back to front, without a raddle.  When the warps of a 14″ cloth measures 12″ on the back beam, weaver learns the importance of a raddle.

Episode Two: Eager Weaver takes a shortcut in winding the warp.  It is planned that part of the runner should include a  sequence of alternating novelty and cotton yarns for 24 warps.  Instead of winding the warp in proper sequence, weaver winds 12 of each yarn, then attempts to answer the question: “How difficult could it be to cross 24 warps on the raddle?”, with painfully slow consequences.  Includes two very long hours of carefully loading the raddle, re-aligning warp yarns in planned sequence, and putting rubber bands around the raddle tacks.  Don’t miss the award-winning, action-packed scene where weaver pulls up up on the warp, ejecting all rubber bands and warps from the raddle.  (Oh, the horror, the horror!  Replay in slow motion, to experience it again and again!)

Weaver learns to love the special raddle, through which a dowel may be inserted to lock the warps in place through plague, pestilence, and weaver error, period.

Episode Three: The older and wiser weaver returns to  beam on at 14″ on the back beam, with a (dowel inserted) raddle, only to realise that 14″ was the finished cloth measurement; warps were actually calculated to measure 16″ on the back beam to allow for 15% shrinkage…

Episode Four: Humbled weaver warps Gil (16″), A Documentary.

Yes, I suppose I am a glutton for punishment.

Of course, winding the same warp onto this loom so many times created tension problems while weaving.  Luckily, the tensioning discrepancies were linear over the width of the warp, so I was able to fix it by inserting a wooden dowel to pull the looser warps out at an angle, held in place with different size weights:

Thank You, Peggy Osterkamp, for your invaluable book (third one) with the section on weaving problems and solutions!

It was very enjoyable, this first experience of weaving with a treadled loom.  I was pleased to discover my Rasmussen loom has two sets of pegs to move the beater assembly on for a little extra mileage:

Having completely overcome any fear of warping, I’ve already prepared the next three:

During my four attempts to warp Gil, I sleyed the reed twice. That was the fun part.  You see, I have a Schacht auto-reed hook.

I was skeptical about these before ordering it.

There is not much available in the way of reviews (on the internet) on this tool.

Prior to dressing Gil, I had to sley a metal reed twice before; both times on the Dutch Master Box loom.  That was enough to convince me a better way was needed if weaving and I were not to part company, which is why I broke down and purchased it, sans reviews, for $50 (another sign of madness).  I have no idea why it costs so much.  Ask Schacht.  Perhaps they only sell one a year.

Here’s my review, in a nutshell:  I love it.  If you don’t love sleying the reed, you need one.  If you require details, please read on.

My auto-reed hook was special-ordered from Schacht.  As far as I can tell, it’s exactly like the one made by AVL.  It works on reeds of size 15 dents or less.  Which means I have no plans to purchase a reed of dpi higher than 15.

The bent tip of the hook is inserted into the reed, in the direction you want to sley it.  In my case, working right to left, the tip points left.

Push the hook into the reed until a click! is heard.  Load the hook with your threads, pull the threads through the reed, then push the hook back in until another click! is heard.  I find that pushing the hook in, at an angle, in the direction you want the hook to move, works better than pushing the hook straight into the reed.  Repeat until finished.  You don’t need to look down to see if the hook is in the next dent.  The click! sound is the confirmation that the hook has advanced (only one dent).

I put a small empty box between the reed and front beam, then secured the reed and beater assembly to the front beam with rubber bands.  The purpose of the box was to give some room for my hands to handle the auto-reed hook and threads, plus give just enough tension and resist to operate the hook without having to hold onto the reed.  I don’t have a picture of that here, but I’ll have one in a future post.

The auto-reed hook makes sleying the reed easy, zippity fast, and, most importantly — fun!

How I wish there was a way to auto-finish my weaving!  There’s little pile of projects growing into a mountain on my sewing table that need to be sewn, washed, knotted, whatnot.  I’m sure one morning I’ll wake and it will be “The Day” to finish them off.  Until then, I feel driven to get some handle on the learning curve, the dearth of time, and the need to define a direction with this obsession.

Not a lot to report. Weekend was okay.

I did get a bit of spinning done which I am happy about – I measured out that pink one-ply and it came to 233 yards. I can’t really say what weight it is as it varies quite a bit. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to ply it or just leave it as a single, but Joy convinced me to twist set and thwack it to get all those kinks out and leave it as a single so that’s what I’ll do. I’m not completely happy with it but it’s a nice color.

I also spun about 7 ounces of that Creatively Dyed superwash merino and seacell fiber – I have about half an ounce to go and I’m hoping to cram it on the bobbin somehow. I’m very happy with how the single is spinning up, I think it’s going to be really neat once its plied.

It’s official: the Kromski 24″ Harp loom is no longer mine, but has found another home.  And, as promised, here is a pictorial comparison of the Kromski to Hedy, my 20″ Schacht rigid heddle loom.  (Below: left, Schacht; right, Kromski.)

First of all, It’s an “apples-to-oranges” comparison, since the The Kromski is a newer, folding loom, while my Schacht is an older version that does not fold.  For more of an “apples-to-apples” comparison to the Harp, Schacht makes the Flip loom that has many of the newer features.

A summary of the major features the Kromski has that my Schacht does not have: the Harp folds, is more portable, has holes drilled on its underside for pegs so it may serve as a warping board, and accomodates a second heddle after installing a second set of (optional) heddle blocks.  Except for doubling as a warping board, I believe the Flip has all the other features the Harp has.

The Kromski folded:

The folding and locking mechanism:

The Kromski has many ornate details and turnings, whilst the Schacht line is more Shaker styled.

My Schacht 20″ heddle measures 20.75″ (notpictured below.)  I happened to have a heddle for the 25″ Schacht (rigid heddle) loom; it measures exactly 25″ across.  I measured only the plastic part of the heddles, since that would give the most accurate representation of actual weaving width.  However, I found that the Kromski 24″ heddle has a measurement of only 23.25″  (All are 12-dent heddles.)

The heddle of this Kromski is one of their original ones, with more curved, sloping details on the wood top of the heddle.  I understand the newer heddles do not have this shaping.  (A cost-cutting measure, perhaps?)

The Kromski has a much shorter length between cloth (front) beam and heddle than the Schacht.

The Kromski’s length from heddle to back beam is only a little shorter than the comparable length on the Schacht.  I talked to the folks at Schacht and my understanding is that the Flip is very close in measurement to their regular rigid heddle loom of the same size.

ETA: A friend on Ravelry just pointed out to me that the Schacht has a front and rear beam, on top of the vertical frame, that lifts the warp and produces a better shed.  I completely agree with her that this is a major selling point.

I think the Kromski is made of fir or beech, while the Schacht is made of maple.

The stands made for the Kromski rigid heddle looms are unique to each size; this 24″ loom stand will not fit the two other Harp sizes (16″, 32″).  The stand for my 20″ Schacht loom will also accomodate the 25″ size, as well both sizes (20″ & 25″) of the Schacht Flip looms.  The Kromski stand is drilled with holes on the base on on the side to store the warping pegs it comes with.  Kromski literature states that pegs installed on the sides of the stand can be used as a rest for shuttles or to hang extra tools.

The Harp may be quickly released from its floor stand by loosening (but not taking apart) four bolts and then lifting the loom off the stand.  The Schacht requires you to loosen and completely remove four bolts (two of which require a screwdriver) before you can remove the loom from the stand (this is definitely bothersome).  The stand for the Harp wins the quick-release contest hands-down, but this also means the Schacht stand is stronger.  You can tell just by looking at the two stands that the Schacht stand is stronger and much more sturdy.   Both stands will adjust for variable height and angle of loom, but because the Schacht has brace bar is slotted so it can slide (see the picture above), it can allow for many more positions between the extremes of level and almost 45-degree below that, whilst the Kromski only allows fine-tuning of the level position.  To be sure, most rigid heddle weaving is done with the loom at a level position, so I don’t know if using the steeper angles are useful for anything besides possibly tapestry weaving.

Kromski stand and quick-release closeups:

Closeups of bolts that need to be taken out to release the Schacht loom:

Although the Harp weaving width is larger than the Schacht, and can accomodate two heddles for more complex designs; I am partial to my Schacht for her strong, clean lines and maple wood.  Personally, the curlicues of the Harp distract and do not speak to me, which is why I opted not to keep it.  Mostly an emotional preference I cannot explain, but there it is.

Whoa.

It’s so hard to believe that in less than 30 hours Margaret and I will be on an airplane on our way to Montana. In 36 hours we will actually BE in Montana! Then we’re gonna stay there for TEN DAYS!

I’m going to get to meet Jeff! I’m going to get to meet Jacob! I’m going to meet the infamous outlaws (and yes I will be bringing my camera)! I’m going to get to meet Joy’s mommy and daddy and grandpa!

Eeeeeeeeeeeee!

In six hours I’ll be able to check in online and print my boarding pass. I want to check in RIGHT! NOW!

It’s 72 degrees in MT right now. It’s 47 degrees here. I won’t go overboard on packing sweaters though next week is supposed to be rainy and then cooler there.

Jenn is loaning me her big-girl suitcase and carry-on bag…with teh bebeh I can’t be schlepping around the country with just a rainbow knapsack any more. I’m kind of at a loss for what to bring. I’ve already decided to only pack 2-3 days’ worth of clothes and then wash them at Joy’s place over and over again. I’ll be bringing just enough diapers and wipes for the trip and will buy more when I get there, the same goes for anything else I don’t want to pay to schlep across the country.

I stopped myself at stuffing a few Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes and shipping them to Joy’s house to arrive when I do as it would be cheaper than checking luggage ($15 for your first checked bag, $25 for the second). I still may consider it though I’m not sure what I’d bring.

Sadly the Ladybug is not making this trip. It’s too large to remove the flyer and treadles so it doesn’t fit in an approved suitcase and I’m not comfortable taking it completely apart and risking it getting damaged or not working as well after I reassemble it. So it’s staying home, boo hoo. Joy is borrowing her coworker’s Louet so she and I will be able to spin together (especially after she shows me how to use her New Secret Weapon!). I’m bringing my hand cards for fun and can’t wait to try her drum carder.

I asked Joy what else I should bring and she suggested a couple of my hibernating knitting projects, what a great idea – I’m resuscitating them for this trip and will try to get them done or at least get a bigger dent made in them.

It all started in my aunt’s living room. My family and I were on vacation, and we were coming up with different ideas for cottage industries that I might be able to do. My dad thought of weaving, since I liked yarn, and in the process of researching looms and whatnot, my wonderful aunt brought out a copy of SpinOff magazine. I was hooked.

I stood on the threshold of a new world and drooled. Colors and fibers danced around me in everything from a slow tango to a highland fling. And then we went home. And for a while I forgot the possibilities and filled my time with other things. Then one day, out of curiosity, I looked online to see how much a drop spindle cost. My mistake. I spent hours online looking at different spinning sites, beginner kits, fibers, spindles, everything! Soon I had made my selection. I was all set to buy a Schacht high-low spindle and eight ounces of fiber, then I started talking about it with my dad. Next thing I knew I was off to Hobby Lobby to buy a wooden dowel rod and some wooden wheels.

The only problem? I had no fiber to spin. I had ordered eight ounces of carded Corridale sliver and another eight ounces of heathered Corridale top (Agate Beach) from Pacific Wool and Fiber, but I had no idea how long that would take to get to me. Praise the Lord, while we were at Hobby Lobby I looked for a pair of double-pointed knitting needles for my sister. I couldn’t find any the right size, so I peeked around the corner to see if there were more in the next aisle and, hey presto! a bag labeled “Wool Roving” caught my eye. Several bags. In all sorts of colors. Turned out they were marketed for felters, but they were wool, and they were roving, and they were pretty. I bought the four-ounce package for $8 and brought it home.

My First Drop Spindle

Thanks to some online tutorials I had a basic concept of drafting, yarn thickness, and how to keep the spindle spinning. I figured that a thicker yarn would be easier to start with, but I wanted to try out a top whorl first, so I tried to spin a thick yarn on the top whorl. I found out very quickly that doesn’t work so well. I inverted the spindle and things moved along much more smoothly.

Here are the first . . . um . . . novelty yarns I made. The purple and brown were not even close to being candidates for first-time plying, so they were stuffed away in my closet. Next I spun the yellow and the blue and turned them into a sort of worsted weight two-ply. That was rather interesting because my lazy kate consisted of an upside-down shoebox with pens stuck through it to hold up the old thread spools of yarn.

Anyway, I spent two days on those three skeins. (That’s something I’ve wondered about. Does “skein” refer to a specific amount of yarn, or just the way the yarn is configured?) Then I moved on to the red and green. I had big plans for this yarn! I pulled the rovings apart and drafted them very carefully so I would get a striped effect. This was before I knew how much the colors can slide. I was envisioning perfect red and green stripes in random lengths. I spun the singles on top whorl and eagerly plyed them together. But wait! What happened to my lovely stripes? The first red stripe had a green single in it, and it went downhill from there.

It still made a rather nice yarn, but it wasn’t what I had planned. After I set the twist (in hot water) I crocheted it into a little potholder—mainly so I could try out a new crochet stitch that I liked—and here it is.

I was out of roving, and out of breath, but very happy. And then a package from Pacific Wool and Fiber arrived.

At a family barbeque two weeks ago, my brother asked me conversationally: “So, is that your latest loom you’re working on?” What could I say, except: “Ummmm… no?”

I’m currently the owner of six looms.  Remember, I started two months ago on Father’s Day.  (Edited to add: I wrote most of this post two weeks ago, but waited until now to publish it since I didn’t have pictures of everything at the time.  As of today, I’m actually the owner of eight looms.  Stay tuned for a post introducing the two latest arrivals…)

I was weaving on my Easy Weaver (size A, small), a rigid heddle loom made by Harrisville Designs. These come pre-warped by the manufacturer, using the ingenious method of attaching velcro on both front and back beams to quickly warp the loom.  Mine was used, and two-thirds of the warp was already woven.  I impatiently finished off the last part (letting my son weave a few picks) so I could tie on a warp I prepared for my first try at tablet (or card) weaving.

Before the BBQ, I quickly tied on that first card-weaving project, “Sample Band A” from Candace Crockett’s “Card Weaving” book.  I started the first picks in the car.  It caught the interest of one of my nephews (a belt), so I’m already received my first commission!

I’m very happy with this sweet little loom.  It does exactly what I wanted it for, weaving in the car.  (The passenger seat, silly.  I can already “weave” when I’m in the driver’s seat!)  It was inexpensive, since it was used and missing one shuttle.  It’s the older model, so there’s no heddle block mounted on the base to interfere with tablets.  And it is perfect for my son to use if he wants.  I had a little difficulty getting the warp tight enough with my tablet weaving, since the apron rods I added on tended to slip and loosen the warp and cloth; I will try drilling holes through the rods (for the cording) to see if that will keep them from turning.  I finished off the belt (it’s horrible, made of jute, with lots of mis-turnings) and beamed on a second during a four-hour road trip to Vancouver, BC.  Alas, I ignored the advice to avoid using jute in a first project, for it proved finicky to handle as well as too rough and bulky for belts; they might be salvaged as luggage straps.

The tablets I used were purchased along with others of varying sizes, tiny shuttles, heddles and a backstrap belt with harness for a few dollars at a garage sale:

Then I snagged this electric bobbin winder for even less:

It was cheap because the motor was Danish and made for 220v electrical; I took it into a repair shop, where I was fortunate to find a used 110v motor to replace the original.

The day after the Easy Weaver arrived in the mail, I was practically gifted this 24″ Kromski Harp, with stand, by someone who ordered it new but never got around to taking it out of the box.

With an decoratively flourished heddle:

I don’t know if I’ll keep the Kromski.  Somehow, I just can’t love it as I do Hedy (Schacht), even though the Kromski has a larger weaving width and can accept two heddles, whereas Hedy is limited to one.    I’ve been dragging my heels on the very last bit of the assembly, tying on the apron strings and rods – some bother about finding a candle to melt some nylon ends together.  The ornate woodworking of the Kromski just doesn’t move me as do the quiet, square lines of the Schacht.  Also, I’ve received a few offers for it already, so I may not have it long.  I will add a later post with pictures to compare these two looms..

Last, I came across this handsome fellow, a 25″ Rasmussen table loom that had been stored for thirty years in perfect condition.

His name is Gil (Hebrew for Joy), he folds for portability,

and he came along with four books, including “Warping All By Yourself” by Cay Garrett, and Marguerite Porter Davison’s “A Handweaver’s Pattern Book”.  I don’t understand why, when I take out the bottom screw that locks the castle upright, the hole it comes out of misses alignment (when folded down) with a third hole to lock it when collapsed.  The difference in alignment is very small, but large enough that I don’t believe the difference is due to any warping.  Plus, it’s the same on both sides.  The hole that doesn’t match up is the one pictured below on the upper left:

I think I tried removing the screw on the upper right (instead of the bottom one), and found it doesn’t work, either.  Or perhaps it didn’t make sense to me, since the castle would have to tilt away from and not lock down the reed, and would not collapse as compactly.  I’ll try calling Montana Looms, the company now manufacturing these.  Gil’s collapsing feature isn’t quick or easy compared to my other table loom (Bergman Treasures And A Reprieve), plus he is bulkier and heavier.  It’s more likely that I’ll end up taking out the booster seat and putting down the back seat of the car rather than collapse this loom again.

In compensation for spending practically zilch on looms, I have been bankrupting myself on books –Peggy Osterkamp’s second and third, and ”Mastering Weave Structures” by Sharon Alderman – plus accessories.  I purchased two hundred new metal heddles for Gil (more expensive than the loom), to bring him to five hundred.  And placed an order for a Schacht auto-reed hook (shockingly expensive) that I can’t wait to use.

OK, so the budget wasn’t practically nothing, but only because I kept stopping in at The Weaving Works to badger the nice people about my Lendrum fast flyer (hence the new books and accessories).  I’m learning that even if one buys everything top-drawer, and retail, those expenses would be nothing compared to the time investment involved.  Rather, that even if all the looms, tools, education, and yarn were free, weaving is incredibly expensive, time-wise.  (And if so much time is to be spent doing this, isn’t it a necessity to use the tools one likes best?!)

I think I’ve just made the argument that weaving cannot be be inexpensive, if one values time.

Reading through the used weaving books recently acquired, I’ve found names written inside, and small notes.  Most of the used books are circa 1970’s, with pictures of authors usually in their 30’s or later.  Why are so many weaving texts out of print, where are these people now, are they still weaving, and did they fulfill their dreams?  I muse on these things, and when looking at the authors, realise that many of these women may already have passed.  At least four of my looms are older than I, and with care may probably last longer.  Perhaps it’s silly, but I’m wistful, at the thought that my time to use each of these looms is running out.  There will be some point when I too must pass them on to the next weaver.  How can I possibly weave enough when dressing one loom has taken me more than twenty-four hours?!  My slowness at knitting never bothered me.  I’m not slow at spinning; but I suppose recently I am, since I’m never spinning, but always weaving warping.  I touch these older looms, read these older books, and I see my life dwindling down and I wonder why I am doing this, what am I accomplishing, is this adding meaning to my life, will my family survive this, should I stop before I’m in trouble, and why do I enjoy this?  Because, I truly don’t need another scarf.

Am Dienstag abend um Punkt 17:00 sind wir in Barcelona angekommen. Wir waren mit Dario verabredet, der uns den Schlüssel zu Max’ neuer Wohnung gegeben hat. Als die Orgel und alle anderen Sachen ausgeladen waren, sind wir 300 Meter weiter zu Dominiks Wohnung gefahren, um dort alles auszuladen und von den ersten WG-Mitbewohnern in Empfang genommen zu werden.

Hier, in der C/ Valencia, wohnt Dominik zusammen mit 3 Spaniern zusammen. Marta, Bàrbara und Dani sind ebenfalls Studenten und haben ihn sehr herzlich in Empfang genommen. Die Wohnung ist sehr hell und für studentische Verhältnisse sauber. Jedoch ist es ohne Ventilator kaum auszuhalten.

In Max’ Wohnung ist es zur Zeit noch ziemlich leer, seine Mitbewohner Biel und Bàrbara sind noch unterwegs und kommen erst Mitte September. In diesem Altbau in der C/ de Vilamarí ist es sehr geräuschvoll, immer hört man ein Radio, sich unterhaltende Menschen oder Geklapper von Geschirr. Da die Küche, das Bad, der Flur, das Esszimmer und Max’ Zimmer ein Fenster zu einem großen Schacht in der Mitte des Hauses haben, riecht es zur Essenszeit nach Knoblauch und Gebratenem.

Die ersten Stunden in Barcelona waren sehr aufregend. Nachdem wir es geschafft haben ohne größeren Schaden durch den höllischen 6-spurigen Großstadtverkehr zu unseren Adressen zu finden haben wir, nachdem Ausladen, das Auto (unbeschadet) in einer Parkgarage untergestellt. Die Zimmer wurden eingerichtet und dann gings ab ins Bett.

Am nächsten Tag wollten wir in unseren Flip Flops die “nähere” Umgebung erkunden, daraus wurden dann mehrere Stunden bis wir so gegen 20 Uhr erschöpft zu Hause ankamen. Abends haben wir Oscar und seine Freundin getroffen, die uns einen festen Stellplatz vermietet haben.

Zur ortstypischen Essenszeit (also gegen 22.30 Uhr) sind wir nochmal losgezogen, um in Parc de la Ciutadella ein Jazzkonzert des Jordi Matas Orgel-Trio zu hören.

So vergehen unsere ersten Tage. Wir haben uns noch nicht an die Hitze gewöhnt, auch die Menschenmassen am Strand von Barceloneta und die penetranten Verkäufer, die einem Bier, Cola oder Massagen verkaufen wollen, sind noch neu für uns. Die ersten sprachlichen Hürden sind genommen, aber weil alles, z.B. im Supermarkt, zweisprachig geschrieben ist, weiß man nicht, ob man jetzt Catalàn oder Castellano lernen soll. Am 01. September beginnt unser Sprachkurs, der wahrscheinlich die ersten Probleme beheben sollte.

]]> http://devovolleyball.com/2008/07/27/pools-for-olympic-beach/ Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:12:57 +0000 devo http://devovolleyball.com/2008/07/27/pools-for-olympic-beach/