More heddles than you can shake a stick at
Sorry, couldn’t resist the pun! Since I decided to try a two-faced rug this time I needed to use three heddles along with my shed stick as opposed to only one. Two-faced rugs have a different design or pattern on each side and are thicker than usual rugs (they are traditionally used for saddle blankets). The heddles are tied to the warp strings in a variety of patterns (e.g. every fourth string) and it took some time to get it all straightened out so I could start weaving. While the others were already way into their first inch I needed to start with an inch of “special rows” (two over-two under as opposed to one over-one under) and by the end of the class I only had about half an inch of those. I’m a bit unsure how this is going to work out, but it doesn’t hurt to add a bit of challenge. Actually I added another challenge – side selvedge cords which I had Navajo-plied from Brown Sheep yarn on my wheel.
In other great news – John surprised me by picking up an umbrella swift and ball winder for me while we were at class at the Fiber Factory.
On the way home we saw some rain with thunder and lightning. Of course by the time we got home it was all over and there actually hadn’t been any rain at all at our house.
