Navajo Weaving, Diamonds, dreams, landscapes

You gotta go! This is a sensational show--and I've seen a lot of textile exhibits in 30 some years as a weaver. This exhibit, the first in a series of three installations, running over the next year, showcases the extraordinary Joe Ben Wheat Textile Collection at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, Henderson Bldg, Boulder, Colorado. Congratulations go out to curator Judy Newland!

The exhibit designer should be congratulated for bringing the pieces out from the wall--which somehow gives them more life and impact. I found the pieces and the installation thrilling. But don't take my word for it. This is worth planning your vacation around. And while you're here to visit the exhibit, call me and come for at factory tour.

More Shacht Goings On

To celebrate Spinning and Weaving Week a bunch of Schacht Folks spent part of a Saturday demonstrating our products and spinning and weaivng at our favorite LYS Shuttles, Spindles, and Skeins, in Boulder.


Dave, Ladybug builder, posses by one of his recent creations.

Kayla (of spinning wheel land) and Cindy (production manager) demonstrate spinning. Kayla sits at our fabulous Ladybug Spinning wheel--which she soon thereafter sold.

Gail shows how to warp up the Cricket rigid heddle loom--lickety split.

Double weave on the Schacht Flip Loom

Above: double weave sampler: the herringbone pattern results when both layers are woven together. Below: Threading for double weave: measure and wind the warp with the first heddle, install the second one and thread it (see Schacht Winter 2007 on-line newsletter for warping details).

You can weave double weave on a rigid heddle loom—and it’s especially convenient to weave on our Flip loom because of its two heddle capabilities.

To begin, warp your loom as for two heddles (check out our Schacht Winter 2007 on-line newsletter for the details) with this special instruction. Warp two colors together, thread color A in the Heddle II holes and color B in Heddle I holes. Essentially, in rigid heddle double weave, you need a heddle and pick-up stick for each layer. Below are the basic instructions for preparing and weaving double weave.

Equipment: Schacht Flip rigid heddle loom, two rigid heddle reed of the same dent (8, 10 or 12), two pick-up sticks, two shuttles, another two pick-up sticks are handy (making four total).

Preparation

Pick-up pattern for dark layer on top:

1. Place both heddles in the down position.
2. For pick-up stick A: Pick up all of the dark raised threads to the left of the light threads (working along the fell of the cloth makes it easy to see which threads to pick up). Transfer threads to another pick-up stick behind the heddles and slide it to the back of the loom.
3. For pick-up stick B: place both heddles in the up position, slide pick-up stick A forward to behind the heddle and slide pick-up stick B into the narrow bottom shed.

Weaving

Weaving two separate layers:

Lower layer (light layer)

1. Pick-up stick B—use light weft
2. Heddle I in down shed—use light weft

Upper layer (dark layer)

1. Heddle II up—use dark weft
2. Pick-up stick A—use dark weft

Exchange the layers, light layer on top:

If you want to change the layers so that the light threads are on top and the dark threads are on the bottom, you’ll need an additional two pick-up sticks. (The first two can stay in place at the back of the loom until needed again.)

1. Pick-up stick C: Place both heddles in the down position and pick-up all of the light threads to the right of the dark threads.
2. Pick-up stick D: Place both heddles in the up position and slide pick-up stick C forward to behind the heddles and slide pick-up stick D into the resulting lower shed. Slide both pick-up sticks to the back of the loom.

Weaving:

Lower layer (dark layer)

1. Pick-up stick D—dark color
2. Heddle II down—dark color

Note: in order to be able to weave with Heddle II in the down position, bring both heddles in front of the heddle block, pull up on the front heddle and push down on the back heddle. This is a little awkward, but I can do it with one hand and then use my other hand to insert the shuttle.

Upper layer (light layer)

1. Heddle I up—light color
2. Pick-up stick C—light color

Off to Tampa

I’m off to Tampa for Convergence, hosted by the Tropical Weavers Guild under the umbrella of the Handweavers Guild of America (HGA). Schacht will have a booth in the commercials and I hope that if you are in attendance you will stop by and say “hi”.

We’ll be kicking off Schacht’s 40^th anniversary, so come visit us just to chat, congratulate my hubby Barry Schacht on all of his many contributions, and also watch him demonstrate his pet product, the Incredible Rope Machine (we’re not sure he knows he’s doing this yet…!), register for our product give aways—which we’ll be doing on the final day.

Every other year I look forward to seeing weavers and industry folk I’ve known for years both as Handwoven’s editor and currently as sales and service manager for Schacht Spindle. It’s also wonderful to meet new people. I like to hear about and see what you are excited about. Hope to see you in Tampa.

Sneak Preview—The Cricket Student Loom

I’ve been playing around with crickets. Not the insect, but our new Schacht Cricket Student Loom. We’ve designed this nifty, compact little loom for the school market, but I think any weaver who wants a compact loom to take along will love weaving on this honey of a loom. I even wove (always pushing the deadline) in the car last week on my way to visit Brown Sheep in Mitchell, Nebraska.

This loom will come with all the equipment needed for weaving, including shuttle, threading hook, warping peg, table clamps, and instructions. We should have The Cricket ready to ship this fall, in plenty of time for holiday gift giving.