Narrow Straps...

 These are not intended for shoelaces.

They are meant for someone a bit more feminine. 

More than someone...a few young ladies that I know. You can read about one of them at http://www.bootcity.com/rodeogirl/ ...a tough little feminine thing!

Hmmm, I wonder which color she will pick?

Simple, simple, simple and yet so cute.

Inspired...

...by love!

Aqua is a color of support for a dear friend and loved one of many. I'm seeing aqua everywhere, but mostly on toenails. Since I'm not really a painted nail kind of woman, I turned to what I enjoy. 

71" in length, 5/16" wide 

White nylon, Peaches and Cream Variegated Cotton, and Perle Cotton

Since NO one is wearing laced up shoes just now...this will become something else. 

I have learned that I LOVE weaving for a specific individual. Why?... I get to think about them ... a lot!

For instance last year for Mother's Day I wove spa cloths for the women at church. I spent hours thinking about them. Remembering their service to me, my service to them, what I've learned from each one, etc. My heart softens with those memories and I'm so grateful to have known them all!

Now...do any of you have suggestions for usage of this strap? 

And the Winner Is.....

Drum roll.........

Kari!

Thanks everyone for participating!

Working on the next little project  now...can't wait to see what it is going to be!

Labels, Spa Cloths, and Contest!

 With a bit of help from my DIL, we made some labels. (OK it was really all her!) These are super easy BUT I don't know how well they will hold up in the wash. Stay tuned...I'll let you know.

These were made using transfer paper and ribbon. I was going to sew them on flat, under the seam, but then thought the edges may fray and create a mess.

Instead, I folded them in half and tucked the raw edges under the stitching.

Ya know...this wacky name allows me to do crazy things. ;) 

I had a small spa cloth order and have a few left so I thought we would have a contest. Leave a comment with your contact info and a random drawing will be held on Monday. 

You will receive 2 spa cloths...Good luck! 

Time to clean these up...or another way of saying it is...time to go pick.

These are made with hemp. They get two washings and two pickings before they leave.

CTS!

Yes...it's time for a short break, at least a few hours, to let my carpel's relax!

Stats: 

111" warp

86" weave

5/16" wide

2 laces

Hmmm...what next?

School Colors

Yesterday I was a little occupied by other activities, namely spending a few hours with some of the Grands and computer work in the afternoon. I just couldn't retire for the night without weaving SOMETHING. 

I grabbed some familiar colors and went to work.

A few hours later...TaDah! 

Ready to go! Here are the stats:

Beginning warp 63"

Finished weave: 

Approximately 42", width 1/4"

Mostly nylon with a few strands of Cotton (cotton gives it a good grip...should stay tied well.)

Biker Bootlaces

Do you have a penchant for riding motorcycles? I do not! BUT I have a cousin, maybe more than one, that loves to ride. She lives in the great state of Arizona so the views are awesome!

She is going to be my shoelace guinea pig. Looking forward to the feedback. 

Laces: Warp 94" 

6 Hot Pink #2 nylon strands, 1 Bright Pink super wash wool strand, 

4 Black perle cotton strands, and 7 Black #2 nylon strands

Finished Length: 70"

Finished Width: 3/8"

Finished the tips with heat shrink tubing.

Does brown paper bag paper come in copy sheets? I must do a search.

I've Got Good News and Bad News

Wanting to try my "new to me" two harness loom...you know to get to know it better...I put on a very narrow warp. Yippee...I think I'm going to LOVE this loom for the reasons that I purchased it!

That's, of course, is the Good News today. 

I was using a slubby cotton for my weft. Within an inch of starting to weave the yarn broke. Rats, but mental note..."This is not a strong yarn, don't use it as warp." Just to show you how slow I am this morning...I get in my different stashes and try out three different weft threads and finally decide on the one you see on the shuttle below. Weaving away I notice a loose warp thread, quickly discovering it's more than loose it is broken. What?! Oh yeah..DERRR...I used the slubby cotton, 5 strands, in my warp!

So that's the Bad News...sorta starting over! 

On the brighter side...isn't this the cutest shuttle ever! It is not made from a hardwood so I don't expect it to last long. 

UPDATE: Finished!

60 inches of weave. 3/8 of an inch wide.

You may notice a bit of chunky edge....another lesson for me. I found a different (stronger) slubby, black yarn that I used for warp. It may have it's place in the interior of a strap but not on the edges. Unless that's the look you are going for, of course, which I was not on this piece.

If you are wondering what is the point of weaving something like this, check out SpinnerWeaver's blog on my blog list. Annie has a page that lists uses for a band.

Sweeeeet!

Ian's Shoelace Site was super helpful. I used the heat shrink tubing on these and they work fine for my snow boots. To make laces for my hunting boots I need a different aglet system. Or perhaps just a few less threads. After using a flame to shrink the tubing I took a suggestion found on Ian's page...I placed the tubed end between a sheet of paper and used my curling iron to shrink it a bit more. If you go this route...it doesn't take long...keep a close watch on it. I better get busy and weave another one!

Well, well, well...10 additional inches...perfect. Actually I'm not too worried as I try not to use these boots as much as possible. (Living in New Mexico is helpful...not a lot of snow in the last several years.) I'm happy with the results!

Spa Cloths

Finished these today.

They look a bit anemic but that is because of my lack of photo taking and editing skills. 

I have washed and picked them twice...never a guarantee that they are completely free of a scratcher. 

Eight is a good number...don'tcha think?

New to Me

I purchased a two harness loom a week or so ago on Ebay. It arrived today in the mail and I couldn't wait to get started on the cleanup and put together. So far so good...I think all of the pieces are in the correct place.

 

Lest you think I figure these things out myself, I must confess, my husband is the real power behind the throne! Tomorrow I hope to finish putting together and possibly getting it dressed. 

Just Past Warped

One cloth woven....seven to go!

100% unmercerized cotton and hemp.

I love the scrubbiness of these!

Listening to the live audio of "The Man In The Moon" on TheBlazeRadio.com ... it just began.

Tigers!

I've been thinking about school colors and mascots. So my Tiger friends, what do you think?

This strap started with a 95" mostly Perle Cotton warp...with a few nylon edges tossed in. The weft is Perle Cotton. There is 65" of woven with plenty of fringe. Width 1-7/8".

Happy Independence Day!

This is a great Patriotic pattern, taken from "Inkle Weaving" by Helene Bress (Illustration 37b.) 

The above strap is 100% Perle Cotton. Beginning warp was 95", finished woven 64", with a 4" or 5" fringe. Finished width is 1-5/8". This would make a great camera strap!

TMI moment: A couple of years ago I made this same strap into a belt. I have used fashion D rings and believe me they hold very well. Don't be in a rush to the porcelain!

I decided to weave this with nylon as the outer warp and also the weft. Using the same pattern and thread count left me with a narrow strap so I plumped it up a bit with a few interspersed cotton warp threads. It is still a bit narrow for a belt and if you really want a stripe to pop, give it an outline not a border! Measurements same as above with a width of 1-1/2".

Now I wish I could report on the efficiency of the nylon belt but I haven't completed the transformation as of post time. Hmmm...tomorrow is Independence Day isn't it?! I better get busy!