Picking Away

I finally made it back to the AVL and this warp today.

Normally a 100 yard long warp wouldn't faze me, but this one?  It's been a challenge.  

It began last autumn.  You remember?  About the time the renovations began, and then mom got sick and died.  And I just got completely knocked off my feet in so many ways.  I finally got back to it in the new year, but the loom wasn't behaving well and the issues became just too much for me and instead I turned to my trusty, reliable Leclerc Fanny and a very simple (plain weave) series of towels.  A series that I have only just put to bed.

Administrivia consumed me for a few days but today I took a deep breath - and fired up the AVL.

Why do I say 'fired up'?  Because the loom is fairly high tech - for hand weaving.  It has the computer assisted dobby, but it also has air assist for the treadle (and fly shuttle although I'm not using that on this warp).

The loom requires a different sort of effort than the Leclerc and by the time I'd gotten about half way through the second 'towel' my neck was letting me know it wasn't very happy with me.  So instead of weaving three, I stopped at two.

I'm hoping to build back up to three per day so I can clear this warp off the loom and put the next one on - a warp for table runners.

Not only am I out of table runners (other than the ones that match the place mats) I also have a whole bunch of naturally coloured cotton that I really want to use up.  So I will be combining the two goals in one.  That warp will be 40 yards, which should give me a decent number of runners for the upcoming craft fairs.

The warp has been crunched, the yarn pulled - I just need an empty loom.