Measuring up

What a LONG winter/spring it has been! I have had an extremely busy season with lots of fantastic opportunities to teach weaving to all ages and abilities. My oldest student this year was 102! Here is a photo of her weaving, notice the careful pattern and symmetry.  She carefully cut each piece of weft and wove it in place. Simply inspiring! I'll include a couple of other photos, just 'cause I am so proud of the hard work my weaving friends have done! I'll be posting more photos on my own website soon!

At the Macomber shop Eddie has been SUPER busy working on all your looms and parts orders. But he always seems to have time to answer your questions that have me stumped. Recently I had his help in unraveling the mystery of tie up hooks and all the various sizes.

Here are the 5 sizes of different tie up hooks with labels and on a ruled cutting pad. I hope this helps unravel the mystery. Basically the Regular size hooks only come in 2 sizes - CP and B model. The newer Super hooks have 3 sizes - CP, B4 and B5. It is important that you use the correct hook for your loom....it really does make a difference in your shed.

3 sizes/Super hooks, 2 sizes/regular hooks

20" 10 H CP with blocks on outer treadles

 I learned something new this month. A weaver contacted me with a question about the small blocks that were on her 20" CP. On the outer right and left treadles there are thes small blocks of wood.You can see them here. So the reason that the 10H 20" CP has thees blocks is that the treadles on the outer edges are too close to the loom frame to use easily. Eddie says they have no other function and so you can remove them if you like. Thanks Gay for this great question!

And finally I have some great images of looms with with parts labeled, so those of you who want to know the terms for your loom parts will have something to study! Thanks Sue Jensen and Morgan Clifford for all your help! I will create a whole separate post so that these images get the spotlight they deserve.

And lastly I want to remind you that YES.....the eye of the heddle is lower than the front/back beams. This design feature creates the amazing shed that Macomber Looms are known for.

Note how warp dips down in loom center.

"Good Grief" Mandala Morristown, NJ

Happy weaving to all of you ~ Sarah

Happy New Year!

Trying to make friends with a snake, India 2008.

Happy 2013 ~ The year of the snake! I'll admit it, I am not a big fan of snakes. But when I traveled to India in 2008, there is the ever-present tourist opportunity to get your photo taken with a boa. Do I look slightly awkward? I cannot recall my exact thoughts, but I do recall trying to be "relaxed". 2013 is the Chinese year of the snake, and I will do my best to bravely step in to this new year, to face  obstacles with a smile and strive for a balanced attitude in the face of the often slippery, non-linear direction of the snake.

a page from my journal

I begin this New Year with working off-loom finishing a piece that has been in the works for months. I started with a drawing back in June, was able to weave this image in November and removed it from the loom about two weeks ago.

Weaving towards the end of the warp

Now I am working on tying the knots for the lower fringe, sewing in all the ends on the back.The finished piece is 48" wide by about 36" tall. It is woven with indigo dyed lined, rayon and metallic threads. I'll post images when it is all sewn and ready to hang.

Work in progress. Note lap top for my air dobby.

Correct position for the cloth beam ratchet brake.

Over the past couple of months I have had several requests for images and info for the CP front brake system. The dog, the wire spring and the ratchet are parts that often do not hold up over the long (up to 40 years!) life of the CP loom.

Notice in this photo that the wire spring is holding the dog in place on the ratchet. I hope this helps!

Gently squeeze top of super hook

Another question I often get is about the tie-up hooks: how to make them stay on the lamms, especially the old style lamms. Over time the top crook on the super hooks will get opened. I suggest that you give this top crook a gentle squeeze with a pair of pliers. This will make the hook grab the lamm more tightly.

Tap the super hook up to release it from the lamm.

Then when you need to remove the super hook to change the tie up, you might need to use a gentle tap with a small hammer to release it. This method should help with any pesky loose tie-up hooks, either on old style or newer lamms.

Anti-backlash cord with overly stretched spring!

CP cloth advance handle, upper one is very bent, lower one is perfect.

Lastly, often when I am over at the shop, Eddie shows me parts that he is repairing or replacing for customers. He gets a big kick out of some of these well loved parts. Here are two from this fall.

So here is a hearty wish to all of you for a peaceful, healthy 2013. Thank you for your kind words, your orders for parts and looms. Please be sure to visit my other blog ~ Gowdey Reed and my website.

May the snake inspire you to travel in creative directions, not always following a straight path.

Namaste, Sarah