What's on the Looms?

I received my new Louet Octado loom in five large and very heavy boxes at the end of May and spent several weeks building it, getting it warped, working on the computer connection and learning the software.  I'm haven't hardly learned all the software ins and outs as yet but I can make it work.  I'm so excited to have kitchen towels on this new loom.  For me, it's the perfect beginning to what I hope will be a long weaving partnership.

This pattern has all the warp the same natural color and each towel will be a different color.  The towels each have a stripe of pattern along each end and because I have this new computer controlled loom, each pattern will be different.  All it takes is making sure the new pattern is in the computer and then it's an easy click or two.  I'm just finishing up towel #2 and will be on to towel #3 soon.

My old favorite loom, the 40" Gilmore, is warped with linen face cloths.  I made a real rookie mistake when I put the warp on the loom.  I picked the yarn for the selvages for it's color and not for it's strength.  Oops.  Now the movement of the beater along with the normal amount of draw in is wearing away those threads.  I've had to go back to using a temple.  That's the wooden thing across the weaving.  It is there to keep the outer warp threads from being pulled in towards the center of the towel.  The finished width should be the same as it is in the reed except for whatever the shrinkage is.  I think a temple is a complete pain in the rear but it does have its uses.

The Saori loom hasn't seen much action recently.  This is the same black warp and the same black/brown/beige weft that I've had on there for months.  I'm sure at some point I'll get back to it.

And finally there are my Cricket looms.  I have several warped up, mostly left over from the interesting and quirky group of ladies who came out here for a weaving lesson back in February.  They were totally wonderful and I loved what they did.  Like the Saori loom, I'll get to the Cricket looms at some point.  For now I'm thrilled to be weaving on my big looms.

Tomorrow is the beginning of the Tour de Fleece!  Get your spinning wheels and spindles greased up and ready to go.  More about the rules tomorrow.