Weaving a hand spun throw on my Ashford rigid heddle loom

 Winter is coming so I warped up another hand spun art yarn for the warp and weft throw on my Ashford 32' rigid heddle loom with the the freedom roller.

I balled up my art yarn skeins it use for the warp, and used my 2.5 size reed on my BUY ASHFORD RIGID HEDDLE LOOM HERE

 i used all hand spun yarns with the exception  of a commerical mohair harn i used here in and there 

CONED MOHAIR YARNS CLICK HERE 

 IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A LONG ENOUGH ROOM TO WIND YOUR WARP YOU CAN DO WHAT I DID WALK OUT THE FRONT DOOR TAKE A  MEDIUM SIZE IRWIN ADJUSTABLE BAR CLAMP  AND CLAMP I IN PLACE OF THE WHIMPY PEG AND CLAMPS THAT COME WITH ALL BFRANDS OF RIGID HEDDEL LOOMS . CLAMP IT  ON A CHAIR OR LIKE I DID THE DECK RAILING 

  Now to choose my weft hand spun yarns 

 I always love weaving with my ski shuttles click here  they come is 2 sizes 20" and 25" either size is indispensable  i only use the bifurcated ( 2 separate cleats ) style so that i can wrap yarns or fabric etc in a figure 8.

the low profile of the ski shuttles click here fits in the shed and allow the shuttle to glide along with out drag like stick shuttle do.

instead of using the reed/heddle  to beat i use my fingers, or a comb .weaving combs 

why? on my throws the set is so open that it allows for this technique also it save wear and abrasion on the hnad spun warp yarns.

 

 all this weaving of bulky yarns would not be possible with the unique ashford buy freedom roller for ashford loom herenormally a rigid heddle loom holds but  a few yards but with  bulky yarns you can barely get 2 yards on the cloth beam . I  got 6 yarns finished cloth here using the freedom roller, you can get even more, it is amazing. 

 i measured 1/2 of the cloth on the beam it was 4" so a roll of cloth 8" or more fit on the freedom roller!!!!

 OFF THE LOOM READY TO CUT IN HALF 

  AND I HAND SEWED TO GETHER WITH A KNITTING DARNING NEEDLE both sections 

 SOAKED IN HOT WATER FOR A HOUR WITH EUCLAN WOOL WASH CLICK HERE

 Drying on the deck rail in the autum sun

 fringes tied all done!

PEACEFUL WEAVING AND SPINNING IN CALIFORNIA REDWOODS

JILL NICKOLENE SANDERS

WWW.SAORISANTACRUZ.COM

find rigid heddle looms in my second Etsy shop here

  studio is still closed for classes because of covid19  but i can ship orders or do drive way covid pick up 

Hand spun sally fox cotton Hand woven Saori jacket, a 4 year journey

 In 2016 I decided i wanted to spin cotton art yarn… then weave it into yardage for something!. and thus my journey began. I love Sally Fox organic cotton that is grown in colors, not dyed. the colors get deeper with subsequent washings in hot water bringing out the  color intensity.

here is the culmination of that journey . My saori woven and my design cotton jacket . more about the spinning and weaving below 

Student trying on jacket in 2022

Video 

back in 2016 this was was my first  cotton spinning stareted for what would be this jacket 

 I spun the first year on my LOUET VICTORIA WHEEL  click here 

 here is the left overs from reeled silk spinning waste called silk noils which  i carded  t gether to blend with sally fox  green cotton 

the batt of the coarsely  carded cotton silk blend ...

now roughly spun into my singles into a art  bulky yarn 

along with the green and and white cotton i spun recycled blue jeans that were were carded with white to spin a indigo singles too .

 here is my ASHFORD ESPINNER3 HERE IN MY ETSY SHOP  WHILE WE evacuated for 12 days

because of the czu lighting fires here in the santa cruz mountains  at our daughts home .

i took my ashford espinner 3 with the woolee winder and my recycled fiber to spin when we left i was not sure sure i would ever see our home again . My grand daughters doggie was fascinated and stayed close to watch!  a very portable wheel that takes up very little space. can run on a battery too.

i spun the next year many spindles full on my Bosworth attache charkha

the spindles fit right into the special shuttles boswarth makes to weave with 

as you can see on top of my saori loom shelf is the bobbin holder rack bobbin holder rack here

i have saori bobbin wound too. 

for the bulk yarns i used my saori saori LARGE boat shuttle here 

SAORI LARGE BOAT SHUTTLE WITH THE EXTRA LARGE BOBBINS WITH ENDS ( THE SHUTTLE TOWARD THE BACK)  medium shuttle is in the foreground 

 i wound the yarns into balls from my spinningwheel bobbins using my NANCY'S KNIT KNACKS BALL WINDER HERE

 more spinning sally fox cotton breeders brown

 breeders white 

 had to wear a face with spinning cotton because of the short fibers not good for your lungs 

 8 oz done  of breeders white coton 

it went directly onto the the second warp a bit narrower i wove using blocks of colors and slits .

here are ther 2 finished weavings i used to sew my saori woven jacket 

 100%  all hand spun weft woven  organically grown jacket .

PEACEFUL WEAVING IN THE REDWOOD MOUNTAINS IN SANTA CRUZ CALIFORNIA

JILL NICKOLENE SANDERS

WWW.SAORISANTAC RUZ.COM

MY ETSY SHOP