Picked up my new Ashford Rigid Heddle loom last night and decided that, even though I have no time whatsoever to get it assembled and try it out right now, to at least open the box.
I'm glad I did because I wanted two each of the heddles, but didn't make myself clear when I ordered it. :( So I've ordered two more heddles, which will hopefully be here by the time we get back from Oliver, BC and Doug has time to put it together. (That's the part he likes about my being a weaver - he gets to play with the equipment.) :D
My friend is going out of business, so we talked about my taking over her Ashford dealership. If I'm going to start teaching weaving on rigid heddle looms, it would be really nice to be able to supply new weavers with their equipment.
So after wallowing around for a few years wondering what direction to take with my weaving, it looks like a path has opened in the forest. Since I've picked up spinning again, too, being an Ashford dealer might be a very good thing to do.
Anyway, I've asked for more details about what it takes to have a dealership, so we'll see.
Currently reading the Hald book on ancient textiles - as predicted, it's intriguing but not terribly enlightening. Sample, sample, sample!
14 comments:
Congrats on the new loom and dealership opportunities; you will still be enriching the lives of others in the realm of weaving, won't you!
Ashford have some great products, I love their inkle loom and just bought a 2nd hand Traveller spinning wheel. The spinning wheels are dependable and versatile. I haven't tired a rigid heddle loom, so look forward to reading about how you get on with this.
Well, I've avoided small looms since 1974, so this will be a brand new mental attitude for me, that's for sure! :D
With two heddles I can do things other than plain weave, although I seem to be stuck on pw regardless of loom right now. :^)
cheers,
Laura
Sounds like Doug and Mike have a lot in common. I think Mike is as excited about putting together the new jacquard as I am about weaving on it!
Nothing like living with an enabler - er - loom mechanic. :^)
Cheers,
Laura
I love to read your blog. My husband bought me an Ashford Joy. Its a lovely portable wheel.
It will be very interesting to me to see how you get on with the rigid heddle loom
Dude, you've caught rigid-heddle fever! Woot!
Well, not quite - Doug looked at the loom and said it needed to be 'finished' first! Hopefully once we get home from Oliver Craft Fair........ :)
Cheers,
Laura
Wonderful news! I love your phrase, "brand new mental attitude." New beginnings, new growth, new weavers who will be so very lucky to benefit from not only all you have to offer but on seeing an accomplished weaver who finds new paths to explore.
Woo! Great minds think alike and all that. Have been toying with the idea of becoming an Ashford and/or Schacht dealer myself and opening a little shop with spinning and weaving supplies in my neck of the woods, particularly since becoming enamored of small RH looms myself. Will be very curious to hear how this all moves ahead for you!
I'd love to hear more about your opinion of the Hald book. "Not enlightening" is not how I'd describe it. One of my students and I were discussing what books we'd want if stranded on a desert island, and that was #1 on both of our lists.
Oh, and by the way: that's my Halloween icon - I just haven't changed it back yet. :)
By 'enlightening' I meant that there isn't a lot of info on how to actually *do* the textiles. Were the yarns blocked (wetted) before weaving? Were the fabrics significantly fulled?
Lots of intriguing info, but of course the only way to find out how to do it, is to *do* it. :)
So yes, I found the book fascinating but I'm just going to have to continue spinning yarn, hoping I'm doing it correctly, and then weave some samples....
Cheers,
Laura
Re: he Hald book: in some of the (slightly) more modern books, at least they give the # of twists per cm. In *no* arceological (sp?) book I've ever seen, they have given any hint of the grist of the yarn...
(We, too, can weave at (say) 10 ends per cm. The result would be Very Different if we used a 20/2 cotton or a 2/2 (nm) wool...)
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