Teaching Our Daughter-in-law to Weave

It's always enjoyable having our daughter-in-law Rebecca come up with Edwin.  She is always interested in learning something new.  The last few times, we have gone out to the studio and I have shown her some simple weaving.  This time, she is working on the Atwater-Bronson lace pick-up.  After about 4 picks of needing to beat harder, she caught right on.

I showed her how to read the pattern for the pick-up, on the clipboard next to her, and then showed her how the pattern works.  It didn't take her long at all to memorize the treadling.

She has finished over half of the four rows of blocks! 

While Rebecca was weaving, I finished all the hems on the three towels and dishrag.  I like how they turned out.  To me, they have a vintage look to them, especially with the colors, and the one that has the small border.

Here is a close-up of the details of my variations.  Click the picture to make it bigger.  The dishrag was just woven with a straight 2/2 twill.  The colors are pretty true in these photos.

It's nice to have an extra day off tomorrow.  Maybe I will finish hemming one of my lace towels, and work on my fabric.

I would like to start planning some more yardage, wool, to make Teddy bears.  I'm debating using up some ugly yellow colored estate sale yarn in my stash.  I'm debating whether to dye it a better bear color before warping the loom.  I think I will do some calculations for warp length and width and wind the warp first, and then decide whether to dye it.  That way, I'll know for sure I have enought yarn dyed.

Towel From Rachel's Dyed Yarn

I finished the first towel from my daughter Rachel's yarn that she dyed quite a while ago.  Since it is plain weave, with only two borders with color changes, the weaving went fast.

Asymmetric isn't really my style, but sometimes I'm in to trying something different.  I guess it doesn't look too bad.  I wish the wide blue stripe was just a little narrower though.
I should be able to get a couple more towels out of this warp.  I'm not sure what I will do to make the next ones a little different.  I'm out of the blue, so that is one detail they won't have.  Maybe I'll try twill next.

Here is a closer view of the yarns, showing the thick and thin and the narrow border (about 1").  I warped this at 20 epi, 2 per dent in a 10 dent reed.  The thin spots on the yarn are twisted pretty tight, and are thinner than an 8/2 yarn.  I hope it is absorbent once I wash it.

Thanks, fellow weaver Michael from Wisconsin, for the idea to use a drummer's stool.  I borrowed Bob's stool tonight, and it was pretty comfortable.  I know I won't get to keep it, since he needs it for gigs, so I guess I will start checking some out and maybe get my own.  It didn't irritate the backs of my thighs, but the lump between my legs was just a bit too wide, especially for treadling side by side treadles.