I’ve had another one of those days where the top of my head has just been lifted clean off, and I’m shifting all sorts of scheduled blog posts to tell you about it.

Today was the monthly meeting of the local weaver’s guild – I can’t hardly believe we have one, given that I live Back of Beyond – and although it’s a Mundane group, y’all need to know about it.

First, the hostess had four looms out for us to look at, two with projects on.  The big draw, and my main head venter was her new Oxaback countermarche loom.

I need to stop here and point out that heretofore, I have not been interested in a full-sized loom.  If it’s a choice between a floor loom and a dining room table…the table is much more useful.  However, look how beautifully it’s made…


And here’s what she’s made, waffleweave toweling like what I want to make for us…


I got to try it out, and after being talked through which pedals to press for a basic tabby weave…


(it’s set up as 4-harness, but it goes up to 12)
I did a few rows, and it’s SO smooth…


See that 3/4" at the top, that’s what I did.  Even and smooth and easy.  And FAST.

I’m thinking about how to add onto the house for a loom.  Other wonderful things at the meeting –
Hostess turns out to have attended the weaving camp I want to go to.  She had samples of stuff they’d done, mostly LINEN.

This one is 6 singles (I think that’s 6 threads, not plied, per inch).  That’s a cone of the linen, 1400meters, costs about $16.

Here’s 8 singles, still linen.


This one is 16 singles, and ‘mangled’, in ‘huckabuck’ weave.  (A mangle is a type of finishing process for fabric that smushes the wet fabric and makes it very flat, and brings out the sheen in the fiber.  Think of an oldfashioned washing machine, the rollers on top could be used as a mangle if you put a small item through flat.  I’ve seen pictures of antique flat mangles.)  Hostess said she had to weave this over a humidifier because the linen threads were so fine.  This makes sense given what I’ve discovered about spinning linen when wet.

Not linen, but incredibly fine threads and gorgeous weaving work, here’s something out of sewing machine thread…

Gorgeous.

I also came home with goodies.  I was loaned the DVD "Beginning Four Harness Weaving" from the guild library.  I was given two books, Warping All By Yourself, and Four Harness Weaving.  Finally, I and another member split a treasure of terracotta-colored thread*, 20/2, unknown fiber.  This will be great for a practice piece, and it came on many spools, very handy for my spinning work.

Now I just need a spool winder.

*Some will recognize my talent for acquiring ‘pumpkin’ colored stuff.  I wear orange ribbons in my hair as a warning, folks.