Nov 22nd

Progress, but not fast enough. I'm weaving! I wish very much that the loom had treadles. I could go so much faster. Or perhaps, given a choice, I should have opted for the computerized loom. But then I wouldn't have had a warping beam for each of my fibers. Speaking of which, I also wish the loom had a better system for bringing the woven cloth forward around the breast beam. I go back and loosen all three warp beams, wind the cloth back until one of them tightens, go back and loosen that one again, wind the cloth back again. go back and tighten the warps, and I'm ready to weave again.

Also because the loom has 16 harnesses operated by levers at each side, it's practically impossible to operate it other than standing up. Sitting down, all the leavers are in a row in your sight and it would be all too easy to make mistakes.

I have come up with a good system to help me get each shed right with the right fiber. I printed the lever lifting plan out over and over and write the fiber sequence beside it. I put a line after each group of 4 sheds and check them off as I do them. The repeats are separated by a space.

All this being said, I now know that I will have the loom, in its present arrangement, which took considerable effort to get to, only until December 9 when the school closes for the Christmas holiday. By that time, I estimate, I may be able to weave about two yards of my warp. They need the loom for classes in the second semester, so I must move on. I also hear that they only need it for three weeks, so if I am really ready to rethread all the heddles again, it may be possible to get some more work done afterwards, IF they don't need to use more than the one warp beam remaining empty.

I have learned a lot, but with me and weaving, it does not matter. I am an addict. The more I weave, the more I want to weave. And I don't have the money to get what I need to activate my home loom and will not have it unless I get a job that pays more. I suppose I should commit myself to working full time for a while and committing the money to getting the home loom up and running, but somehow there's always another more urgent use for such money.

Ah for a patron. Every artist needs one.

And when the loom must be given up, I will move on to the knitting and embroidering machines and see what I can do there. As with each other challenge, I shall try to consider it an opportunity. I just wish that, having considered the lack of treadles as an opportunity and planned to take advantage of it, I had the time at the loom to follow through with that. There is never never enough time at the loom for me.

Speaking of which, I must go and get dressed to go and weave today. Alons.