I mentioned in a previous post that I wanted to rework a section of the weaving between the repeats…well, I found a way that only required one repair (string) heddle to be created in each section, which still was a pain in the tuchas but I went with it. So I had 6 sections of 9 threads each which first I counted out, to make sure I was shifting the correct threads. Fortunately they were in batches of three, so I counted, recounted, found an error, recounted again…then I could move one…..
Satisfied now I had the right threads, I removed them from the heddles, trying desperately to keep them in order, I re-threaded 8 of them and made a repair heddle out of silk and threaded that one last.Then I re-threaded those into the reed.
Just getting started with green silk 
A little further along
Once I got started weaving with this lovely green silk, I decided I wanted a darker and deeper and richer shade, like some of the threads I tried in the sampler. I loved how the turquoise came out and also the deep violet and royal blues. I decided to over-dye the silk and some of my rayon cones. I spent a day and a half winding hanks off of many cones and had a dye day in between weaving…I do find its good for me to break things up and do different things each day.
Some Dye Day Pics
Three kinds of silk 
5,000 yards each of Cotton and Rayon, I did not get to the cotton
I thought I would get to everything but the cotton will get done another day. So be it. I also had 4 t-shirts I had tied up previously waiting to dye with this batch as well so my day was full.
3 kinds of silk, drying 
Rayon 
Rayon 
Rayon hanging to dry
Here is the overdyed silk getting incorporated into my work:
All the colors 
silk 2 & 3 I think 
The three silks 
Silk 1 & 2 I think 
silk 1 & 2
So this is the journey. I am getting faster at walking the treadles, using both feet in order, working the advancing point twill pattern. I still unweave to fix bits, and I still have to count from some starting point to figure out where I am in my pattern…I find a center, either a one or an eight and I count. There is no paper. I have no paper.
Just 1234323454345654 etc….with L and an R between each. I do know that evens go with R and odds go with L and from which side to throw so there’s that. I say all things considered I am making good progress.
🙂
