Sorry for my Absence

Hello all!  I have to apologize for my absence from this blog.  Since the last post I have moved from Manchester, England back to Toronto, Canada.  It was a big move and an emotional one but I am glad to be back in my home country and, for the time being, my hometown.  Unfortunately, I had to sell my wonderful amazing loom and leave it behind in Manchester.  It was extremely hard and I miss it terribly but it went to a good home where it will hopefully be used quite a lot and be the bearer of great things :) 

I am on the lookout for a new loom so for the time being I will not be able to create any new woven wonders.  How sad it is...  Hopefully I will be able to find one soon (preferably a table loom as I am now stuck for space) and we will work wonders together :D  If anyone knows of any looms for sale in the Toronto area please let me know!!  Leave a comment on this post or email me at steph_ablett@yahoo.ca  WISH ME LUCK!  Thanks for stopping by!

Bubbles, Bobbles, and Bright Beautiful Colours

There is a certain amplified pleasure when a pattern you have designed turns out successful. Its a kind of achievement that brings you joy throughout the whole process of making the project. This project started with a simple pattern idea which I have always been intrigued by....circles. Its not something that works out particularly easy with a four harness loom. Actually, it was something I was told was very tricky to achieve without any less than 8 harnesses. Well, thats not true my friends :D Here they are!

I started with an interest in a pattern I found on Handweaving.net - a brilliant database of all sorts of weaving drafts and patterns. I found a draft which contained quite simple circles in a checkered design (see above). It was taken from the text 'A Manual of Weave Construction' by Ivo Kastanek circa 1903. The website lays out the basic weavers draft which is super easy to follow. The only thing they never explain is whether or not you need to add a tabby weft into the pattern, but, if you have the basic weaver's skills you will know that any weft using the same treadle more than once in a row has to be secured with a tabby weave. Therefore, when dealing with circles, it was quite obvious that a tabby weft would have to be carried on throughout.

When I started this project I was becoming obsessed with the combination of magenta and orange. I was using the combination in brooches, hair clips....I couldn't get enough. I decided that I needed to use the combination for this project with the inclusion of black as the weft. The contrast of black and the magnificent duo seemed to work perfectly for me. It really POPS out at you! There was another colour added for a delicate sparkle :) I used a hand dyed tencel yarn in purples and pinks. It was hand dyed by the wonderful Tammy at YARNTOPIA TREASURES on etsy. She also has a store on ebay as well (but etsy is better! hehehe). This purple tencel worked its magic as the tabby weft in the scarf. You catch hints of it here and there through the pink and orange circles - as well as much of it on the opposite side (where the pattern is reversed and the circles are black). I don't know if you have ever seen or worked with tencel before but it is fantastic! Like vegetarian or vegan silk! Very soft, very shimmery and sheen, and very eco friendly! How fantastic! So...needless to say I jumped on the chance to use it in this project :D

The only thing I was a bit disappointed with with this project is the thickness and stiffness of the fabric. I don't always love using acrylic yarns as they are usually quite cheap and not the nicest of textures. I was quite pleased with the magenta and orange duo together but the black yarn that I used was an acrylic wool mix (75% acrylic, 25% wool) which made it a tad scratchy and stiff because of its chunky nature. I know that it is also because I packed the weft quite tight. I wound the two colours together, counting as a single thread in the warp. Therefore the two colours were put through one heddle as well as through one dent in the reed. The reed was 10epi but I probably could have gotten away with 5epi and it would have been much more loose and flexible.

Notes for next time though! I am certainly very pleased with the project - I even decided to keep it! :D So if you see someone with ginger hair walking down the street with this scarf on...say hello! Its me! hahaha.

Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to look at my blog. Be writing soon! Bye!

Peacockalicious

I've just come from looking at an amazing array of peacock splendors on etsy. The treasury was based on peacock shapes and peacock feathers, patterns, and all sorts. I have been entranced in peacock patterns lately. I just finished getting a rather painful but perfect peacock feather tattoo. I love it!! For now I will post the link and photos for the peacock treasury on etsy, later on I will add a new photo of my finished tattoo :D This is far from the ordinary post of weaving wonders but I thought I would add it for something new :) Thanks for reading!! Click on the image to view larger!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=54501

Elegance and Lace

Well....I have finally finished another loom project. I have to apologise for my absence from the blogging world. I have been preoccupied with life's ups and downs and have not had the time or moment's peace to sit down and write a blog entry. I am proud to announce my newest project though!

This is my latest scarf...the cotton lace scarf. I have used one of my favourite yarns (a cotton slub yarn) that has the best effect when woven. The yarn varies in thickness throughout which gives great character to the woven piece. The cotton is used for both weft and warp in this piece but are two different colours. The weft is the white cotton slub and the warp is an ecru cotton slub (just all natural cotton). It is extremely light and extremely soft and cozy! I decided to give the scarf some characteristic by leaving spaces in the weave. It is a type of lace weave by the way the weft and warp separate and shift as you weave the piece. On either side of the scarf I have given larger gaps which I filled with an elasticated lace ribbon. It was an interesting material to work with and one that I had not worked with before. The ribbon is hand sewn to weft threads on either end of the scarf to hold it in place and woven intermittently throughout the piece. Because the elastic ribbon is pulled tight throughout the scarf, the ends are gathered slightly and given a bit of ruffle (as shown in the photo to the right). I would have liked a greater ruffle effect ideally but I thought that this created an interesting feature to the scarf. It also creates a bit of give in the scarf as well.

This scarf is great for spring and summer. It is very lightweight and airy. It has a very elegant look to it so can be worn with fancier outfits for dressy occasions. It can definitely be warn casually as well though! A great accessory for any outfit! I just love the feel of the soft cotton. It is a luxury to wear it! The scarf is wide enough to lay over the shoulder as well, if you wanted to wear it more as a shawl then a scarf. The width is about 8" in total. All together it is a successful project! I hope you like it as much as I :D

THANKS FOR READING!!

New Extention on the Flower Train

HAIR CLIPS AND BARRETTES!!!

Something new and exciting to share :) I am sorry that I haven't been up to date with projects and such. Life has taken other turns and dips and dives and I haven't been in the spirit or headspace to write properly. Here we are though!! And I have new products that have just been released at Weavermania Productions! Flower hair clips and barrettes! They are the same lovely flowers as the brooches but made into barrettes and made smaller and cuter for snappy hair clips :) Ive made a bunch of matching sets, as well as some with alternating colours. They are really fun to make but am sad to say that I have to use heavy duty adhesive to secure the flowers onto the silver clips and barrettes. They contain no holes or spaces for a needle and thread so I have to therefore glue the flowers to their surfaces :( I have indeed secured them well though!! You should not have to worry about loosing the flowers at all. The flowers themselves are made with much care and precision and now they are heavily glued to the surface of the clips. I don't like the fact that it is not eco friendly but one small tube will go a LONG way!! I promise! hehehe.

I think these clips are great for kids as well as adults! Some are made with wools, others with acrylics (for the anti-wool vegan). I myself am vegan but have delved into a craft which is heavily dependent upon wool. I buy from local suppliers and find what I can at charity shops and the like. I find you can only do what you can and have to find a balance that is right for you. Anyways, this isn't a post about being vegan...its a post about lovely hair accessories :) I have a bunch of other ideas about how to make these little clippies. I will try to do my best to keep you posted on my new projects!!! I have a lovely scarf on the loom right now which is going to be allllllll mine! hehehe! I'll take some photos and explain the process next!!

Thanks for stopping by!!!!!

The Treasures a Treasury Can Bring

I just had to write about my final appearence in a treasury on etsy!!! What joys it brings to feel appreciated and respected, hahaha. Not that I didn't before but being chosen among the lost amount of amazing artists on etsy makes me feel extremely honoured and special!! You just need to click on the title and it will take you to the treasury list!! It's titled Swamp Thang, geared towards the rather swampy, green hues the collection is based on. There are some really great pieces listed there.

Spring is in the Air

I had to write another blog about the brooches because I've started a new batch! Bright, beautiful, and welcoming the new season! Spring coloured brooches for one and all :)
I sold the collection of brooches I had to the 8th Day a week ago so I had to start a new batch. They have been going quite well considering they are just sitting in a basket on the counter. So my new batch are as bright as can be and awaiting homes and outfits to dazzle and complete! I have had so much fun photographing these little items. My new digital camera is chalked full of photographs of various brooches. I am so pleased with the macro settings on the camera! You can get within an inch of the subject and obtain amazing crispness and quality. How great is that?

Well it excites me anyways! And so do customers!!! I have finally had some sales on Etsy! Hooray!! Two customers with repeated sales! Sounds good to me! My first buyer was Jenny, who runs IndieQuarter (http://www.indiequarter.com/blog/index.php). She purchased a small brooch from me a few weeks back and still hasn't received the package!!

Because of this she purchased another brooch (this time a large one) which I sent off yesterday. I hope she gets both of them soon!!! Here are some photos of her purchases :) She wanted to stick to browns, like her first purchase (on the left), but I chose to use some rich, dark browns for her second (on the right) to give her some variation. I hope she likes them! My second customer is the lovely Julie of SiohbansDreams (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5304688). She bought one brooch, then special requested three more! What a wonderful gal :) Here are her brooches, as requested. My favourite one is the blue brooch (to go with her denim jacket) but I really like the black, white, and grey one as well. Especially because of the fab polka-dot vintage button in the middle. Tres bien.
If you, reader, are interested in special requesting any brooches, please visit my shop on etsy!! The link is at the top of the page :) I would be more than happy to make whatever colour variation you like (limited to three variations per brooch) with or without super duper buttons! hehehe. Ideally I would like to take some special requests for scarves so I can weave like a mad woman but I won't get too picky here :) hehehe.

THANKS FOR VISITING!!! Sorry I haven't been blogging steadily, I have been on brooch duty for a few weeks! See you soon!