Just because...

I mentioned I was working on a 16 warp braid the other day. I finished it, took a good look at it and thought ehhh....I can do better. So I warped up again.



This time I used heavier cord rather than S-lon for no reason other than the 1mm satin was sitting closer to me than the S-lon.

So far...

Well I thought I had tons, more than I needed. Apparently not. 103" inches worth. I estimate I need at least 200" minimum. I guess I will be stringing a while longer. Thank goodness I have a second batch of the beads!

Simple changes

I switched my cord to thinner silk and a big eye needle and away I went. I was able to string several feet of beads, in no time. I'm not done yet but it's progress. On other beaded braids, I have strung each strand separately. This time, I've chosen to string all the beads, then cut it into strands. Since I wasn't sure how far my bead soup would go, that seemed to be the most logical choice.

Uh-oh...

I chose beads, I chose cord, I started stringing.....I lost my mind. I don't think so! Cord is too thick to use a needle and get it through the beads. Stringing one by one without a needle...well I would be doing this for weeks. Okay so that is an exaggeration but definitely days. I like my choices but too time consuming for me. Back to the drawing board...

That's more like it!

20 some-odd inches in less than an hour. I guess that S-lon cord really doesn't like being started until you wrestle it into place. The 'sticking' goes away once I am in a few inches. This has happened every time, with this cord, so I guess I can say I am not jinxed after all. I like how the cord works up just not getting started with it.

I'm cooking this morning so had to put it all away. While waiting for water to boil, I am putting in some thinking time on what next. The inkle loom is empty still. The braid I am working on will be done either tomorrow or the next morning. If am going to make a beaded braid next I need to get hustling on stringing beads. Decisions, decisions.

I am making a couple pans of broccoli lasagna, it that water will ever boil. One pan will be cut up into serving sizes as soon as it cools and head to the freezer. The rest we will eat on it for a couple days and freeze what remains. I love to bulk cook. It is such a time-saver and keeps us fed on super busy days.

Ever think....

that you are jinxed? I'm beginning to think so, with a particular braiding cord. Silly, of course. This is the third time I have worked with this cord and third time the braid makes me nuts. I am working on a 16 warp braid. 2 hours (woohoo! mega playtime!) and I only progressed 4". I think I have won though. A few minutes before quitting time, it was finally flowing properly. I am guessing this cord just doesn't like the first few inches but then settles into doing it's job. At least, that is my hope.

The seed bead braid is done. It went very quickly. Oh so pretty! I can't wait to get photos of it and even better, actually finish the ends. I'm still short on ideas on that but something will come to me. Since it is a square braid, the ends are bulky. I don't think manufactured ends are going to fit well. I suppose I will get the pliers and wire out one of these days.

Marudai braiding...

A Marudai, black and mauve embroidery floss and more time than it should take. I still had a few inches to go when this photo was taken. It is finished now at 5.5'.

Another braid about 75% complete...thousands of seed beads! I'm at the frustration stage of it now. The closer I get to the tama, the harder it is to keep the tension right. I've been getting creative as to ways of keeping the beads snug.

One guess.....

Did you guess...braid? Yes, I will move on eventually (maybe?) but right now I have braids on the brain.

Made this one last week, I think. Satin cord. Somehow I didn't write down the set-up. A bit disappointing as I have gotten so good (ha!) at keeping track. I remember I wanted to try it again with a bit of tweaking. The white was supposed to be more diamond shape or I just thought I could get it there with a bit of a change.

I finished my card woven band this morning. I'm trying to decide today what to warp next. I don't think it will be card woven and it will most definitely be shorter. I enjoyed this one but it took longer, than I wanted, to complete it. So many things I want to try weaving!

The braid on the marudai is essentially done, too. Maybe 5 minutes remaining. I'm stringing ten gazillion seed beads for a braid. The furry help makes progress slow. I have 4.5 strands strung so far. Those tiny little beads are just too much temptation according to the furry one. Pat, pat, pat, spill, scatter!...kitty laughter ensues. I'll warp up some hemp or s-lon bead cord, in the meantime, as that is quick.

Card Weaving

Inch by never-ending inch. Second band on the inkle loom almost done. Card woven with 5/2 cotton. There are actually two designs on this band. It is several feet long so I moved on to a different design about half-way through the warp.

If you look up at the top of the photo, you can see a bit of the Kumihimo braid I am using to tie up my cards when I finish for the day.

Think!

Apparently I had a brain freeze last week. I had a pile of braids to steam. Without thinking, I plopped this pretty black and white braid, on to steam, right next to a red one. It's silk! Dumb, dumb move. The red, of course, promptly bled on the white and since they were being steamed, the color set before I noticed the problem.

I was horrified! I know better. I have dyed hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds of fibers over the years. It was such a dumb, thoughtless, mistake. Of course, it had to bleed right into the middle.

Oh, well. Since it is silk, it will be no problem to over-dye the braid one day. This means it is not a total loss, just a big moment of frustration. Maybe it happened, just so I would have an excuse to make more braids??? Nah...I don't need an excuse, I'm obsessed with them currently.

I was bad...I shopped

Ok it was planned shopping but still...
I bought copper pipe to build a better tablet loom. Cost was about $25 more than I had planned on. I knew that was possible due to the metals market increase but was hoping not quite that much. While I was there I picked up dowels to make a backstrap loom.

Tried to find some #3 cotton crochet yarn, though not much luck. Not a whole lot of craft/art options here. 3 Wal-Mart's but only one has a tiny craft section. They had 3 colors, total of 5 balls, so I closed my eyes and bought 2 colors, 3 balls. Not enough to do much more than sample but I can see how I like this weight. The yarn I ordered in when I bought my inkle loom is thinner. Proper weaving yarn in #3 I have to order by the pound and that was way more than I want.

I went to the quilt shop(it's a pharmacy of all things, with thousands of bolts of wonderful quilting fabric and smallish selection other crafty odds and ends. It's a wonderful place.) hoping they would have some as I remembered they have about 10' shelving of yarn. All they had was crochet thread though. They do have a full line of embroidery supplies though so I picked up some DMC floss. I can weave or braid with it. I also poked through there huge selection of threads and picked up a spool of rayon thread to play with.

That's it for my semi-local shopping options so I'll be satisfied with my selection. It's not like I have tons of free time anyway.

I'm off to tend to my milk. I'm making a gallon of yogurt. We just love homemade yogurt.

Sunday ramblings...

Typical crazy week for me. I've been weaving each morning for a little bit. I'm about halfway through my current warp, that I am card weaving, on the inkle loom. Braiding as I had time.



This braid came out nice. 1mm satin cord again. 4 each of red and black. It started out life as a rectangle braid. I quickly discovered that the design I chose had too many resets of the cords, for my minimal patience, when using a disk. To use up the cord on the bobbins I just switched to a simple round braid. Instead of the normal smooth spiral, it step-spirals. I like it.

My marudai(braiding loom) arrived this past week. I set up my cords Friday but didn't sit down with it until this morning. I may be in love. I thoroughly enjoyed the process. The smooth motion, the rhythm....the speed! I only warped enough cord for an 18" braid so it went too quickly. I was actually disappointed to run out of warp! I just finished winding my next warp, much longer this time. I need/want a cord to bind my tablet weaving cards. The one I am using is a bit too short/thick.

I am headed to the hardware store late this week. I hope to pick up everything I need for a backstrap loom (the wood parts only) and copper to make a tablet loom. I hope to have enough time to swing by the fabric shop, to see if they have any crochet threads or embroidery floss I can use as I am craving color options.

Now I'm off to attempt to mark some things off my 10' long to-do list.

Spiral braid

I'm still making braids like mad. Just one of them...

It's my favorite of the week, a 12 strand spiral made from 1mm satin cording.

I've been weaving most mornings for at least a few minutes. I'm about 10 inches into my second band and it is going fine.....I think. I say, I think, because I didn't realize I had a problem with the first one until I cut it off the loom. This one is wider, 20 cards. I didn't realize how much harder it would be to turn the cards. Half the time I am just having to split the deck and turn in sections. I have carpal tunnel and small hands working against me, so I just have to break things down into smaller bites.

The first band I played a lot but it came out rather cute The edging is too loose so I am working on correcting that problem with the second band.

I learned to count to 4!

The joke, after I taught myself to knit years ago, was I couldn't count to 3. I am very strong in math, always have been, so this came as a rather big shock. I can track pages of numbers with perfect accuracy but, in knitting, I couldn't make it to 3. I just could not find the numerical rhythm in following a knitting pattern. Charts helped a lot but still...anything larger than a repeat of 2, it could be bet on, I was going to mess it up.

Moving on to card weaving.....discovered I couldn't count to 4! Thankfully I was able to solve that (I hope!) this morning. I'll be giving it one more go tomorrow morning, if I don't oversleep. If still successful, I will move onto a more interesting design. I've been making a card woven band on the inkle loom. The weaving itself has been no problem, I am very consistent so just a matter of being able to track the design properly.

My black, red, and white yarn arrived so I am all set for weaving yarns.

My book 250 braids... arrived yesterday. It looks great. I've added a few more to my list of 'must try' braids. Included with that shipment was some Imposter silk. I'm interested in how it works out for braiding. I can't say, I like the feel of it, at all. The color is lovely though.

I finished an 18 strand flat Kumihimo braid yesterday. It is going to require blocking to look it's best but it is rather appealing.

I caved and shopped again!

My resistance finally snapped. I just ordered a Marudai, 16 tama and another small shuttle.

I have a couple more books I still want to order but I think I finally have everything else I want for now....except yarn/thread/cord. I actually have plenty of cord and silk threads to keep me busy for a long while. Yarn, well, I will be needing a wee bit more for weaving.

I have black, white, and red cotton weaving yarn still on back order. Once that comes, I should be set for a while, or at least until I start craving more color variations.

Bet you can't guess...

what I am going to write about! Braiding? Really? Why would you ever think that?

Ok yes it is another braid. I really like this one. The photos don't do much for it but it is really pretty in the hand.

Details:
Red Black and white 1mm satin
cut 5'.
Set up BWRRBRRR
Basic round braid
26" knot to knot. Diameter 6-7mm.



I broke and ordered more books. Inkle Weaving by Helene Bress. I would greatly appreciate it if someone would tell me where I put it though! I shuffled the books around on the bookcase, filing books I'm not currently reading or working with, to make space for the books that have come in over the past few weeks. Now I can't find it. I will, it's just playing hiding and seek right now.

I ordered more braiding books too. 200 Braids to Loop, Knot, Weave & Twist by Jacqui Carey and Braids: 250 Patterns from Japan, Peru, and Beyond by Rodrick Owen.

I warped the inkle loom for card weaving yesterday morning and started weaving this morning. I discovered that even after double checking the cards I still threaded 2 incorrectly. I then spent too much time correcting it. Started again, only to discover that one of the cards I fixed now has a twist in the warp in front of the cards. Typical false starts. Oh well, I have that card un-knotted and will fix it in the morning.

Guess what?

Yep...another braid.
1mm satin cord, red and black
Cut to 5' each.
1 strand black, 7 red,
Set-up: BRRRRRRR
basic round braid
26" knot to knot. 5-6mm diameter.

Yet another braid...

Kumihimo braid #110
Done on disk.
1mm satin cord in red, white and black
4 strands red 2 each of white and black
Cut 5' long.
Ran out of white first, black a couple inches behind. 27" remaining of red though.
Set-up WWRRBBRR

Pattern
Beads & Braids by Jacqui Carey
Spiral Braid One, Sample 2A

While the red does spiral up it doesn't truly look like the pattern. The white and black sort of poke out. As a whole the braid is pretty but on close inspection it looks a bit odd. I am hoping that steaming might help.

Finished knot to knot 18" diameter about 5mm

Enthralled...

I am loving this weaver's blog. http://backstrapweaving.wordpress.com I don't say that often, in fact, maybe never before.
Even without much interest in weaving, I think it is a fascinating peep into South American culture. Now I am interested in weaving, so am thoroughly enjoying myself reading all her back posts and studying the photos. So much so, that while I have considered and rejected the idea of backstrap weaving in the past, I am finding it irresistible.

I am still working long hours so just a minute here and there to play. I completed another Kumihimo braid this afternoon. This one has pretty much cemented the idea I want a marudai (braiding loom). I do not like adjusting my cords back to home base. It totally throws any rhythm out of whack. It's not awful, of course, I just crave a smoother motion.

My inkle loom and weaving cards should be here Wednesday, I can't wait!

Ply-Split Braiding

I had just a few minutes this morning so I started a new braid. Second piece is definitely moving along faster than the first. I seriously underestimated the amount of cord needed so it is going to be really short. I do like the design though. I absolutely love the cotton cording. I want to use some it in other techniques.

I am afraid this technique is not holding my interest. It's not difficult, it's not frustrating so I'm not sure why not. I am still going to keep working with it since there is still much to learn about it.

The braid on the left was the first braid. The technique makes it curve naturally.

The braid on the right is called Oriental Waves. I found working with the top hooked into a clip board helps keep the cords steady. Not really necessary, just felt less fiddly.