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<\/p>\nMy elbow continues to heal; slowly and steadily. \u00a0I’m doing work with weights to rebuild the muscle (rebuild? \u00a0I don’t think there was much there before …) so I thought it was time to get a warp on the AVL. \u00a0Something simple but colorful to keep me interested. \u00a0I settled on a two-block twill threading with big and small stripes.<\/p>\n
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I can change the vertical size of the blocks easily; and I can also change from a straight twill to any other four-shaft pattern, so this 18-yard warp will sail by quickly. \u00a0I’ve done the first four towels already and it was a joy to be throwing a shuttle again.<\/p>\n
But! \u00a0I couldn’t stop thinking about the backstrap class and\u00a0I wanted to cement those learnings by doing something quick – from start to finish so I chose a sensible and useful project: \u00a0weaving my own backstrap! \u00a0I cut apart a broom handle for loom bars, found an old pillowcase to use as a backstrap, dug up some dowels for shed rods and got busy. \u00a0Yarn was stash from previous projects (Takhi Cotton Classic, if you’re curious) and I quickly wound a warp, got it started and then took it along to my weekly meet-up on Thursday afternoon:<\/p>\n
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I’m almost finished here – but you can see I’m happily clamped to the table and weaving away. \u00a0Portable! \u00a0Fun! \u00a0Useful! \u00a0Exactly what I’d hoped. \u00a0I finished it up the next day and now it’s waiting to go through it’s trial run:<\/p>\n
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Two more things and my backstrap kit would be complete. \u00a0I made more swords using some maple stock from the woodworking store. \u00a0A friend cut out the blanks on his band saw, and then I used a belt sander (clamped upside-down in a vise) to sand down and sharpen the edges. \u00a0Finally, a quick going-over with fine-grit sandpaper and voila! \u00a0Swords.<\/p>\n
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I won’t know if they’re good until I use them – but I have more blanks so I can easily make modifications. \u00a0Lastly, all those bits and pieces need a home – so I made a bag.<\/p>\n
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It’s a shoulder bag – very deep with a draw-string closure. \u00a0The fabric is a remnant from the bedspreads I made over the winter; the shoulder band one of my early tablet-weaving attempts that ended up too thick for it’s intended purpose and the drawstring my first band from Applesies and Fox Noses.<\/em> \u00a0Perfect use of things I had lying around. \u00a0I’m embarrassed to say how many times the seam ripper had to come out to get that box-corner bottom right! \u00a0It’s big – maybe too big – but I’ll find out when I use it. \u00a0And I want a different band for the drawstring, but I can do that, too. \u00a0For now, it’s good enough.<\/p>\n Today it’s grey and rainy – perfect weather to try out my new backstrap and weave up some more towels. \u00a0And I’m all set to do just that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My elbow continues to heal; slowly and steadily. \u00a0I’m doing work with weights to rebuild the muscle (rebuild? \u00a0I don’t think there was much there before …) so I thought it was time to get a warp on the AVL. … Continue reading