“The purpose of the Olympia Weavers’ Guild shall be to provide a forum where active weavers may share information, knowledge and techniques, and provide each other with guidance, encouragement, and inspiration.“ This statement from the By-Laws of the guild and seeing the idea in one of the magazines we receive in the library launched the idea of the Tip Jar.

Thanks for sharing your favorite tips you learned this year during Showcase, the programs, study groups and breaks. In addition there were many ideas that came in to improve the guild during the business meeting which, this summer, will be captured and organized with the rest of the ideas to improve the guild that came the past two months.

The blog Joy of Weaving has “The Best Tension Device”, http://joyofweaving.com/articles/best-tension-device-ever to provide extra tension for a plain beam using 1” dowels and some hair ties.
For how to use it see: http://joyofweaving.com/articles/how-to-use-a-tension-device

Harrisville version: http://harrisville.com/weave/weaving-accessories/tensioning-device-floor-loom/ They describe it as especially good for those who warp alone.

There was a question on Boundweave which is way above my understanding especially when there were tips to maintain sanity but here are some of the basics I found in “The Weaving Book – Patterns and Ideas” by Helene Bress

• Bound weave is a loom-controlled, weft-faced weave. It is a trebling system and not a threading system. It can be done in most threading systems. http://www.weavingtoday.com/weaving-projects-patterns/the-beauty-of-boundweave
• The weft goes from selvage to selvage. The warp sett must be wide enough to allow the weft yarn to pack down and cover the warp. Usually, the warp is a hard, strong, smooth yarn. The weft is a soft, loosely spun yarn. Weft is place into the shed at an angle, and it should beat down to cover the warp. If it is not covering well then bubble the weft or change either the sett or the weft yarns. A strong, heavy stiff fabric results and works well for hangings, pillows, purses, runners, rugs and upholstery. https://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/periodicals/wj_77_04.pdf
• It can be done on Huck, Twills, Overshot, Plain, Monk’s Belt, Rep and Indian Saddle Blanket Weave.
• Krokbragd is a charming Boundweave variation. The word is Norwegian, and literally means crooked lines or crooked path. Generally it is threaded to a 3-harness Point Twill and treadles as a rotation weave.http://tangleweave.blogspot.com/2009/11/making-of-krokbragd-tote.html
• Bound weave is not known for its lovely selvages. A floating selvage will serve you well. http://www.weavingtoday.com/blogs/ask-madelyn/working-with-floating-selvedges

Enjoy the summer and take advantage of opportunities to fulfill the 2nd purpose of the Guild:

“Guild members will be encouraged to share their interests in weaving with members of the community by promoting community education and participating in special events and services.”

This month’s tips are from the guilds study groups. Enjoy their sharing.

**To make a wool felt ball to use in your dryer to soften clothes roll up a double fist full of clean wool fleece/batting/roving. Put the ball in a nylon stocking and tie a loose knot. You can put several balls in one stocking. Throw then in the washer with your load of towels to be washed in hot water. Then put them in the dryer. Until the knots and you have your wool balls that will now be fist size and you can use when you dry cloths. I saw them 3 for $17 on-line. If you have wool yarn see: http://www.diynatural.com/how-to-make-wool-dryer-balls/

**Don’t struggle along, ask someone for help!

**When peeling boiled eggs. Put the boiled eggs in a glass jar and shake. Take eggs and and peeling is easy. http://athriftymom.com/how-to-peel-an-egg-in-less-than-5-seconds-with-a-glass-jar-kitchenhacks/

**Keep clear notes and if possible take pictures of your projects in various stages from warping to finishing. When weaving a new pattern or using a new yarn, my notes have been quite helpful (especially when I can locate them).

**When working out a new idea make a small sample. But for the tip below you will want the whole batch.

Vicki’s Lemon Drops
1 box lemon cake mix( I use lemon supreme)
1 box instant vanilla pudding
4 lg eggs
11/4 cups sour cream
1/2 cup milk
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat mini muffin tin with cooking oil.
Beat the ingredients in a bowl with electric mixer until smooth.
Fill each tin 1/2 full ( I used a cookie scope)
Bake 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool tray on wire rack 2 minutes and turn the muffin pan over onto the rack.
Wash your muffin tin and respray with cooking spray, cooking next batch. I usually get three trays of muffins
When muffins are cooled completely make glaze.
Glaze
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp grated lemon peel( 1 whole lemon)
2T melted butter
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice(1large lemon)

Place wire rack over waxed paper. Beat the glaze ingredients until smooth.
Dip each muffin in the glaze. Place lemon drops back on wire rack to set.
Make sure you try to eat some be for serving or you may not get to try one.
Enjoy

Study groups are great place to learn and share and we give big thanks to those who host.
If you want more information on these tips who shared them let Gail Trotter know. getrotter@comcast.net

When creating your own color combination for Kumihimo, take a photo of the starting ”setup” so that you can reproduce it later. Attach your samples next to the photo print-out.

Use fusible thread when seaming – weave in a few picks – A Margaret Coe trick that she shared in 4 shaft weaving on Facebook. For more ideas on this tip see: http://joyofweaving.com/articles/weaving-tips-invisible-fusible-thread

…credit to Margaret Coe for the tip, I’m including her picture that she posted to demonstrate.

OWG’s library has a DVD “The Loom Owner’s Companion – Know and Love Your Loom!” by Tom Knisely. It is a excellent resource if you are having problems with your weaving and not sure why. Many problems with loom or other tools are described and how to repair. All parts of the loom, types of looms and tools purpose are described and how to maintain them. When was the last time you did preventive maintenance on your loom? This DVD covers what to do to keep your loom in working order. It is a must see. For a preview see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwu1pgZnXfA

In the basket study group one was observed using small bundles of sea grass and mentioned that when a large bundle is purchased the first thing that was done was to cut up the large roll into the typical length used. This was followed by comments: “Why didn’t I think of that!”. I used that tip recently and was happy with the results. If you are with a study group or with others and your hear a great idea that you want to use, write it down and drop it in the TIP JAR at the next OWG program or mail it to getrotter@comcast.net. It could be about weaving, who to travel with or maybe a great gardening tip. What are we learning?

Delightful ideas fell out of February’s Tip Jar

* When tying on a new warp to previous project warp, leave the old warp though the heddles and the reed. This will help the new warp from tangling while winding it on!!

* Beat is very important in weaving. If your draft calls for a square pattern, you need to regulate your beat so that the packs per inch roughly equal the ends per inch so the pattern comes out square instead of rectangular.

* Picking washed fiber can be done with no tools but using a dog brush or a flicker will produce fiber ready for roving See: flicking

For more techniques on preparing fiber see: prepare fiber

* To get some beautiful shades of gradual color change in your yarn, ply in a prescribed sequence. For example in a 3 ply blend Yellow, Blue and Red like: Y Y Y, Y Y B, Y B B, B B B, B B R etc.. A sequence can also be a warp or weft structure.

If you would like stripes see: stripes

* In Sheep to Shawl at the Washington State Fair the weft is produced the day the shawl is made, so tends to be the same color. A tip the weavers heard from a judge is to use the color of the weft for the warp floating selvages. It makes a nice edge and the weft and warp bury down in together. In “Let’s talk color” they used this idea when there were color changes in the weft and they have other related tips when the weft changes color. Check out:
lets-talk-color

For more ideas on good selvages see:
improve-weaving-selvedges

* Tamie said she swore by weaving programs when designing for Sheep to Shawl. If you are interested in using computer programs talk with Carrie about what is happening in the Weaving Design Software Study Group.

* Two person warping is a great practice and can catch errors early in the process. Invite a friend to help and have a warping party. Wine after warping is recommended.

* Did you enjoy the oatmeal black walnut cookies in February? Someone did and the let the Tip Jar know.

TEN DOZEN OATMEAL COOKIES

2 cups shortening
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. soda
6 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Beat shortening, sugars, eggs and vanilla until creamy. Add flour, salt and soda and mix thoroughly. Add oatmeal and nuts and mix. Form into rolls 1to 1-1/2 inches in diameter, about 12 inches long, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill completely. Slice with sharp knife about 1/4 inch thick. Bake on non-greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, then remove to cooling rack.

Note: I use more nuts than called for. This time I made 1/2 the recipe and used 1 cup black walnuts. It is the black walnuts, as opposed to regular walnuts or pecans, that give the cookies their particular flavor. Sometimes I break the big batch into several smaller ones and add different things to each part, such as chocolate chips, raisins or date pieces. I think you can do pretty much whatever sounds good.

Power Scour was recommended for cleaning fleece. Look for it at some of our advertisers like http://www.paradisefibers.com/unicorn-power-scour.html and a little tea tree oil cuts grease.
For a review of cleaning fiber products see http://yookiwool.myshopify.com/blogs/yookiwool-blog/17674572-wool-wash-review-unicorn-kookaburra-eucalan-soak

Adding Sizing to single ply use Xanthin gum For detailed instructions See page 109 of “The Spinner’s Book of Yarn Design”, by Sarah Anderson our presenter, available in the OWG Library and the Timberland Library.

Looking forward to hearing more TIPs from the workshops Sarah Anderson taught.

Thanks go to Marjorie sending out the great pointers for putting writing in your weaving.

Other requests came in and are in research.

Date & Time: Feb. 25th at 11:30

Date & Time: Feb 26th at 9:00 am
Location: 6022 Northill Loop SW, Olympia

Deb Naslund is hosting our first felting study group meeting. Please give her an RSVP and let her know if you are coming dnaslund127@gmail.com

We are going to get started with simple needle felting either for a greeting card or small ornament. And we will plan the next study group felting technique and location for Spring.

Raging Carey shared with us some of her lovely dyed wool for us to use. I have foam and some forms to experiment for shapes.

Bring a lunch and if you have them:
– bandaids
– dyed wool, alpaca fiber/yarn you have
– pre-felted wool or other to attach your needle felt items
– felting needles
– 3 inch or thicker foam (not styrofoam)
– felting books or pictures for inspiration on design or color

We will all share what we have to get you an idea of what kinds of kits or tools you might like.

Check out 5 of the OWG sponsors that have felting needles/kits
http://harrisville.com/felt/accessories/

http://www.paradisefibers.com/felting/felting-tools.html

http://www.yarn.com/webs-books-patterns-kits-felting/

http://www.yarnbarn-ks.com/For-Felters/products/835/

https://halcyonyarn.com/felting/equipment

Darma Trading has felting needles and a wool scarf that could be used to put your needle felt object on. See their technique:
http://www.dharmatrading.com/home/needle-felted-wool-scarf.html?utm_source=2016_01_02-featuredtutorial&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

Flora Carlile-Kovas will be our OWG program speaker in April. If you get a chance go to RAGS Wearable Art fund raiser and see her work.
Where: Larson Mercedes-Benz of Tacoma, 1701 Alexander Ave. East, Fife
RAGS Gala: Thursday, March 10, 6-9 pm, For tickets See http://www.ywcapiercecounty.org/wearable-art-sale
Free to public:
Friday-Saturday, March 11th-12th, 10 am to 6 pm
Sunday, March 13th, 10 am to 4 pm

3 more felt artists for inspiration:
http://zoneonearts.com.au/?s=felting&x=7&y=3

Tying on to an existing warp is a great way to assist the next project but it takes time to perfect and there are multiple ways of accomplishing the task below are some descriptions. Pass on to the Tip Jar which ways works for you.

• Text description: http://janestaffordtextiles.com/weavinghelp/tying-on-a-new-warp-to-one-already-on-the-loom/
• Tying on with diagrams http://peggyosterkamp.com/pegys-weaving-tips-tying-warps-part/
• Photos: http://loomtalk.blogspot.com/2013/03/tying-on-new-warp.html

Finishing techniques can vary with purpose and fiber content. Let the Tip Jar know of the finishing techniques you most prefer.

• Taking off the loom and more: http://trashmagination.com/finishing-a-weaving-project/
• Hemstitch: http://peggyosterkamp.com/peggys-weaving-ips-tips-hemstitching/
• Sample the finishing too: http://www.weavingtoday.com/blogs/ask-madelyn/archive/2010/10/20/finishing.aspx
• Elegant Fringe: https://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/articles/tw_7_2-01.pdf
• Finishing wearables: http://www.weavingindiana.org/PDFs/EleanorBest/FinishingWearables.pdf

January 8th: Tapestry with Cecilia Blomberg, reknowned Gig Harbor Tapestry Artist and founding member of TAPS, Tapestry Artists of Puget Sound, Ms. Blomberg will share her recent and continuing work of weaving a series of thirteen portraits of saints for the Catholic Chapel at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

Tacoma Weavers Guild – 10 am, followed by a speaker or program, brown bag lunch, and Show & Tell.
Tacoma Weaver Guild

If you would like to car pool from Hawks Prairie Park and Ride at 9am let Gail Trotter know. getrotter@comcast.net

The video is about how they recreated a tunic which was discovered among items revealed from the melting of a glacier in Norway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15IxF53AZfE&feature=youtu.be It is in Norwegian, but has English subtitles.