Warping On

I know I mostly talk about weaving but I have been busy and just noticed this.

Google has an experimental search that lets you use keyboard short cuts to navigate.

These are they same keys used for a programming editor called VI or VIM (the new improved version of VI). What I find most interesting is that the arrow keys do not work only the letters. Maybe its just me but its easer to remember that the UP arrow is up not the letter J. I also could not get the <Esc> key to work it just kept my cursor in the search box but I am using FireFox on a Mac.

This is the first time I have seen a Goolge product that did not work in they way it was described. I guess I could cut them a break it does say “Experimental” search but its Google I expect more.

Recently I posted on how I wanted to make a “Fun with color” project. I have finished my sample and it looks good.

It does not look great but thats what samples are for. Here is my current sample.

I found out that it needed floating selvedges. And my idea of switching the color in the middle to make the two diamonds look different does not work very well because the diamond in the middle looks bad. So I am going to keep the colors consistent for a more even looking scarf.

I was going to weave this in a pink and light blue color scarf but I think I might just use the black and white and I really really like they way it looks. The only problem is that this fabric is not very soft and I like my scarfs to be softer then this fabric. I will try to beat it a little less and see if it still looks good at 10 epi.

I have started my next project. It took me a while to pick what I wanted to make and I decided to try a Shadow Weave and I am going to make this.

I am going to have 2 side by side. This pattern is in the Handwoven issue 124 “Color and Weave” page 35

I have decided to make a sample in black and white before I weave my real scarf which will be pink and light blue.

Here is the sample half warped onto my loom I have to say I got this far in about an hour and then I let it sit for a week

I just finished warping on and I will start weaving soon. I will let you know how it goes.

I have finished my satin scarf. Actually I finished it about 2 weeks ago it just took me a week to get pictures of it and then it took  me another week for me to get off my lazy butt and post (Even though I am sitting on my lazy butt to write this).

Anyway there is not a lot to say I finished my scarf and it looks GREAT. Really GREAT! The scarf also feels really nice it is very soft and silky. It was a fun project and I think I will try it again some time. I have an idea to use some of my linen rug yarn as warp and try to make a satin rug. I have no IDEA if it will hold up or stay together but I want to try it.

Here is what it looks like:

I think it looks very very nice.

I have been working on a satin scarf for a while and I thought I would post about it.

I learned a few things from my sample and the scarf

1. Use Floating Selvages
2. Look at the other side when weaving (You cant see mistakes on your side)
3. Ripping back is not that bad
4. If you miss a mistake it is possible to fix it if your scarf is not to tight

After weaving for a while I fond a mistake 3/4 of the way back and thought AHHHH!! I don’t want to have to rip back 3/4 of my project. So I decided that I could fake it after with hand weaving in a piece of yarn. Then as I was weaving it occurred to me I should fix it now that way if it did not work I could still rip back. After 3 attempts I figured out I could replace the strand I had missed and now my scarf looks GREAT. You can’t see where the mistake was.

Here are the pictures of it in progress

Technorati Tags: weaving, satin, scarf

So my wife Mrs. Warping On knows a lady Anne who is getting out of spinning and was selling her equipment. After we talked to her we asked if she was getting rid of her fiber.

She said she would think about and a few days ago we got a package in the mail and here is what we got.

That is ALOT of fiber. My wife and I are excited that we have all of this fiber to play with. Yea!!!!!

Thank you Anne!!!!

I recently found a new photo editing tool Picnik.

This tool is exactly what most people what/need for editing their photos. It will let you adjust the exposure and color , crop and resize your photo. The tool has an automatic options as well as a few sliders that give you some control while keeping it very easy to use.

It is integrated with flickr so you don’t even need to create an account.

• Just go to picnik
• It will ask you to authenticate your flickr account
• Then you can view or edit your flickr photos
• And you can save them as new or replace the old ones
• If you don’t have a flickr account you can upload you photos edit them and then download them

The user interface is very easy to use and it just makes sense.

Also its FREE!!!!

So if you have photos and want to edit them give it a shot

I Finished my satin sample a few days ago I took it off of the loom and finished it.

Here are the pictures.

I just started my real scarf and it looks great. I will have pictures of that on the loom soon.

I have a bunch of yarn that I bought when I was first starting to learn to weave and now that I know a little bit more when I look at it I think to myself “What was I thinking”.

I have 5 cones of rayon chenille that I don’t know if I will ever use. The yarn is so slippery that I cant really use it for anything but plain weave and right now I am kind of over plain weave.

So I sit and stare at my cones of yarn and think WOW I can’t believe I spent money on these. I think this happens A LOT the problems is that I was so over excited by the great deal that I was getting on the yarn I did not think or even really know (At the
time) if could I use it.

I also have 3 cones of linen for making a rug that I don’t know if I will ever get around to making. At least I like the material and I think I will someday be able to do something with it unlike my rayon cones which just stare and me and say “What Were You Thinking”, but at least with these cones I think I will be able to use them at some time in the future.

I might sound like I am being rough but I think its a good lesson that I NEVER seam to learn. When I get excited about something new I will go out and buy A LOT of stuff for it before I even know if or how to use it. So now I have 5 cones of yarn that I will never use and need to get rid of

This past Friday I got to climbing outside with my brother in law Mike. I don’t normally climb outside I mostly do gym climbing at a place called Mission Cliffs and this past weekend I went outside. My brother in law has been climbing for 20 years and he took me climbing in Kernvill. We climbed 3 pitches where a pitch is single length of rope. Mike lead and I followed and I had FUN.

The second pitch had a 30 - 40 foot chimney that took me a while to figure out how to get into. After I finally got my body into the chimney I was able to make progress and crawl my way to the top. I love chimneys I am not exactly sure why, they are fun and you get to use your entire body not just your hands and legs to get your self to the top. When I got to the top I was able to climb out and finish the pitch.

After that we finished the 3rd pich which was a inch wide crack that took me to the top of the third pitch. Then we walked off the mountain and we were done.

I had a GREAT time and can’t wait too go again