There were more warps to my taste this year, and with choice number one, I was a happy girl. For the morning session I chose a plainweave towel in order to get the feel for the loom again. My selvedges were... okay. Some of it may work itself out in the wash (literally,) but I clearly need to concentrate on that. Vynehorn and Henna and I got done earlier than some of the other ladies, so we did some browsing in the shop, had our lunch, and went out to take a walk on the Bridge of Flowers. It was a beautiful day for it.
After lunch we got to pick a second project. One of the things that I had regretted from last year was that I picked "safe" weaves for both sessions, so this year I decided to try something a little more complicated and picked a rep weave for my second project. That was... different. Concentration was definitely required. Two shuttles, four treadles, and counting. My selvedges really went to hell - I was concentrating on shuttles and feet (and the 4:30 deadline to be done for the day,) and didn't have as much attention to spare. I never did really figure out the little chart they had for where to park the follower shuttle to make sure that the outermost warp thread was caught every time, but somehow I figured out what needed to happen and just did it. I suppose as long as it works, all is well. It was fun, and if we go back next year I'm definitely going to aim for the more involved pieces. I even finished with a tiny bit of time to spare. Just enough to pick out some more 8/2 cotton to bring home. Every time I walked through that hall, another color stuck to my fingers...
They had a tiny loom out in the shop that looks SO tempting. If I read the description correctly it can be expanded for up to eight harnesses... I need to be practical. IF I do enough with the rigid heddle, AND I can convince myself to free up that much real estate in my sewing room, I MAY think about it. In a few years.
I SO don't have enough time for all the things I want to do.
The drive home was uneventful, despite the fact that all the roads in both states were just swarming with police with radar. By the time I dropped
So here's what I made. I need to sew in the thread ends and hem them. Of course, I still need to hem the towels from last year...