8.15.18. Finally started weaving these baby blankets. There will be one for our soon-to-be-grandbaby Evie, one for Kelley’s sister Jacque’s soon-to-be-grandbaby, and one for Steve and Suzanne’s soon-to-be grandbaby. I wound the warp quite a while ago, and I don’t remember how long it is. But I’m sure I have enough for four blankets, even allowing for mistakes and mishaps. I had originally planned to weave this on the little antique counterbalance, but I decided that the warp, at 34.5 inches, was just too wide for me to be comfortable with that 36 inch loom. It can have its trying moments. So I was left with the Standard, which was warped with krokbragd rugs. I had a hard time making myself finish one of the rugs. There was too much warp for one rug and not enough for two, so I dithered about that for a while, and finally cut the warp off. So glad.

I divided the 824 ends of 10/2 unmercerized cotton into 8 bouts. Then there was the problem of weighting them. I ended up, although I had concerns, using 4 5 lb weights and putting two bouts on each weight. It actually worked just fine. The Georgia Yarn Company yarn was wonderful to warp.

Threading and sleying went really well. I found three threading errors, when I sleyed (because I was actually checking!!!!). I made a couple of repair heddles, tying together two Texsolv heddles, and had to do a bit of rethreading and resleying. Tied on to front rod.

Then on to tie-ups. I had to rehang one shaft, which I had removed for krokbragd. That went just fine. Don’t know why I was intimidated at the thought. Then on to tie-ups. I’m grateful for my knee replacements and for my recent weight loss, because I could get under the warp and onto the treadle beam and back up out of the loom with no pain and no problems. I guess I’ll hang the other four shafts and just go for it again soon.

Started weaving to check for errors and I heard a warp end ping. WTH? Repaired. Then two more pings, right at the center of the warp. I knew I hadn’t gotten the heddles centered exactly right, and I thought that was the issue, so I centered again and rehung the lamms. While I was under the loom, I finally noticed that I had forgotten to lower the bottom bars of the shafts on one side of the warp after I sleyed. Aha! Lowered them, adjusted treadle tie-ups, and I was off again. Honestly, one day I will get everything done right on the first try.

The weaving is going great, now that I’ve gotten the hang of it. My fell is not totally straight. I have a smile, more like a grimace, and I’ve broken the left selvedge warp several times, so I have added weights to both sides hoping to pull things back into alignment.

I love the draft. Using 6/2 instead of 5/2, so maybe they won’t be as fluffy as the picture in the book, but I think the blankets will be beautiful, and I love weaving overshot.

8.21.2018. Had a rocky time with the first blanket. It is now a practice blanket. I could not resolve the smile at the fell issue, even with weights. And I had constant warp breakage. Then, near the end I found a couple of mistreadlings, so I unwove to correct them and the abrasion on the warps caused lots more warp breakage. I gave up--finished weaving and cut off the loom.

8.26.2018. I retied the warp and started weaving the second blanket. Not a single broken warp end! The weaving on the blanket went really well, and I finished it in just a couple of days. I did notice a threading error 60 ends from the right border when I was nearly finished weaving the blanket. Geez. Practically invisible--I had to search and search and really work to figure out the problem. Finally realized I had omitted 4 ends near the place where the pattern joins the border. After I cut the blanket off, I rethreaded and resleyed. Then I took four ends off the other side. I didn’t want to just add the four ends and weight them off the back, because I really hate weighted ends dangling off the back of the loom, and, in spite of everything, this is an incredibly enjoyable weave.

The sage green blanket is really beautiful. The 6/2 yarn from Yarn Barn is much softer than the blue 6/2 from Lunatic Fringe. So of course, I ordered some blue yarn from Yarn Barn. Not exactly the color I wanted, so I am trying one more time. The next yarn should arrive tomorrow. Now I have quite a stash of 6/2 cotton.

I have finished and mailed away the sage green blanket. Trying the blue again tomorrow after I tie on. Again.

9.9.18. Finished weaving the blue blanket for Evie. I just love it. Tomorrow I will cut it off the loom, wash, and hem. I hope Nick and Alex will like it.

9.15.18. Prettiest blue baby blanket! A bit stiff. but I’m hoping it will soften up a bit with washing. Maybe the sett is a bit close. I’ve started on the lilac blanket. Very sweet.

10.9.18. Finished the lilac blanket and 19 inches into the bright blue one. I swear it will be the last, no matter how much warp is left on the loom. I’m thinking to keep this one for the baby to use when she is here. The lilac one will go yo my brother’s new granddaughter, due Nov 7.

10.17.18. All done! Off the loom, wet finished, hemmed, and ready. I made four blankets, plus one full size sample, full of errors and warping messes. Sage green, aqua, lilac, and bright Ming blue. The first yarn I tried, from Lunatic Fringe was not satisfactory. The four yarns I liked, 6/2 unmercerized, were from Yarn Barn of Kansas.

I love the blankets, but they are a big stiff, which surprised me. They might benefit from a slightly looser sett. But they’re really beautiful, and I hope that they’ll soften a bit with use and laundering.

Sage blanket for William John Millar Barlow, Kelley’s great nephew.
Aqua for Evelyn Kerr Blanton, my granddaughter.
Lilac for my great niece due November 7.
Bright blue because I put on a huge warp.