I built a loom

Ok hopefully I am back in the blogosphere for a long stay. This blog instead of focusing on knitting, crochet and spinning like previously it's main focus will be weaving and sewing, as this is where my interests have taken me.

I am now a very proud owner of a mighty wolf 8 shaft loom and I cannot even begin to express my excitement. Since schacht is an American company my loom came all the way from the states, flat packed!! (Or knocked down as they call it). This meant I had the task of building it when it arrived. I started building in the afternoon last Monday and finished it by noon on the Wednesday. It felt like a mammoth task and the stakes were high as breaking it would be expensive.

This is how it came, with all the pieces (and a helpful dog).

I would like to say that the instructions where easy to follow and the picture clear and easy to understand but sadly this was not the case. Its fair to say that I read each instruction about five times before I did it. There where several times when I realised I had done something wrong several steps down the line and had to go back and correct it. But even if progress was slow it did gradually grow...

Here it is just after I put the jacks in

But by wednesday it was finished and I was so proud that I had built it. I also feel like it has given me a greater understanding of how it works and what each piece is for. Hopefully this will make me a better weaver!

Without further ado, here is the finished loom!

Now when I showed this picture to fellow weavers on Ravelry someone told my loom wasn't finished! As a loom wasn't finished until it was dressed! Fair enough! So with excitement I rushed and built my warping board. I wound three metres of Jaggerspun zephyr in the colourway Curry. I ran out of warp just shy of enough to make a piece 20 cm wide.



So now the warping began... I have to say I watched numerous videos on how to warp a loom and I opted for the back to front method. I also discovered that for warping I kinda needed a raddle! I don't have a raddle :( I spent ages wondering what I was going to do! In the end I picked up my phone ordered and ordered one. So it will take two and a half weeks for my raddle to come.

AS IF I AM GOING TO WAIT THAT LONG!!! I JUST BUILT A LOOM!!!! I MUST WEAVE ON IT NOW!!!!!

So I decided to go ahead and try and warp it without a raddle. It worked too :)

It took me quite a while to do this but its my first time and I assume I will eventually get faster anyway now my loom was built warped and ready to go!

And whilst I was doing all of this my dogs where doing this...

Happy weaving!! xx