This was woven on a picture frame set with evenly spaced screws and it took about two weeks or a little less to weave it up, since I had to take a lot of breaks with my shoulder joint. (not to mention I had the flu for a week in there, and it was tough, no thank you I don't want that again anytime soon). It is a random pattern of a couple of colors of acrylic yarn, made on a navy acrylic warp. I know a lot of people prefer to use cotton warp - but I like the way the same yarn weaves up evenly, and the fact that when I wash it (which I've done with a few others) it comes up soft and even then, as well.
I left the 'self edge' from the bottom of the weaving on the side I wanted to put the buttons on - it looks a little decorative and yet it is rough and shows how handmade the item is. I knitted the strap in a simple alternating stitch (not quite idiot cord) that stretches out nicely and is strong (on two double-pointed needles cast on 3 - knit, purl, knit - turn over, repeat - until length is proper) I fussed up a way to put the buttons loops on because well, if they come loose, it's no big deal I just put them back on. The buttons are a nice find out of my vintage sewing box I scrabbled around the bottom of it until I found something I liked.
The resulting purse holds my regular wallet, my phone case and a few other little things, which is just big enough. Any smaller, (the finished cloth was 15 by 10) it would have been too small
It took several hours to get all the edge tails woven in and then I did a sort of complicated edge treatment on the dark blue edge there that I got better at the further I went - and will have to try to remember how to do it better next time. I started out too much fuss, and it got easier and neater as I progressed to the left.
Then it was just a matter of turning it inside-out and whipstitching evenly up the sides so that I got it looking finished on the outside, attaching the knitted handle and putting on the buttons.
I was telling myself that every single time - every time! - I start to make a piece of fabric like this I ask myself 'But, what will I actually do with it when it's made?' I know there are a lot of things to do with it - but every piece takes so much work I start out from the point of futility sometimes, that if I wanted something, I could probably find it so easily - what do I want - do I want anything - why I am taking up this 'endeavour'? Do I really need another bag? I use the ones I have. I use my socks, shawls, rugs, blankets, hats, gloves, net bags and woven ones, baskets, hampers, pillows, dishrags and potholders all over the house almost every single day. So, why am I still so 'stingy' with myself thinking of what I must accomplish with the time spent? The only thing I can figure out, perhaps, is that it is an attachment sort of thing - I am making certain that I am going to proceed, and use the item even before it is made, by investing such thoughts into it, defending it, and continuing to work to the finished item. And then, when I use it, I reinforce that 'I wondered if I'd ever use this when I started it..' with 'see, here it is, and it is useful'. I'm an odd duck... but I know I have my ways.
The Bits :
Oh one other little thing - I won a 'spinning tools - learn to spin' basket from a fiber site I started following. I don't know when or totally what I am getting in the mail but we'll see! I do know there is a drop spindle in there, and some fiber. It has been 20 years since I had a real spindle, and I wasn't very good back then. I did make one out of K'nex and work up some Jacob sheep yarn with Esme during the homeschool years - I might still have that package somewhere around here as well.
One of my tasks today that I don't know if I'll get to it - is to find a box of screws I've hidden away on myself and put a few more posts into my small picture frame loom I did not finish making. I scrounged around last night for it but did not find the screws - only the small frame and the screwdriver I had been using. I'm sure I've hidden it away on myself 'in a safe place'... I hung up my little painting in the writing nook, as I had taken it down from one place and then put something else up there. Not much else to do - still getting over the last tiny bit of the cough from that flu, because it got into my sinuses.. and the weather is improving but still not good enough to be outside. Later we have to get some groceries, but I have to wait for the bank to deposit things.
my Painting on wall : Johanna's Woods, in acrylic
We lost one chicken yesterday, Esme was sad. I told her it's Nature sometimes that we don't know what gets them - she was a big fat fairly happy chicken with a little bit of a limp that started three months ago and had not gotten any worse or any better even through that terrible cold snap and freeze she was out with everybody else eating and hopping a little but not singled out and definitely not wanting us to separate her (I thought one day I might try to see what her foot issue was and she had NONE of it). She was just sitting in a corner, on an egg, and gone - perhaps one of our eldest group which is about seven years old now, but we weren't entirely certain (half of our flock is that same breed, and they are hard to tell apart otherwise)
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