Slow and steady wins the race

I've managed to do a little joining on the panels of the purse. When I get a chance to sit down and do any, I get into a rhythm and it goes quite smoothly. But overall it is a little slow going. I've made the mistake of weaving into the wrong space, and had to pull out several warps before i could continue.



I thought it would be a good technique to show, so here is a video demonstrating how you do the join. The principle is the same as for reweaving warps. I hope the video is clear and it's easy to understand.



It's starting to look good though, so I shall soldier on! Of course I'll have to do this for the warps on the top edges as well. Either that or knot. I have decided I will line the purse, so will think of how to handle the warps along the top edge so I don't have to reweave. Once I'm done with the join (hopefully by Friday night time allowing), I will then be able to go and buy the lining. I want to be able to try it out rather than go with what I think would go well with it.

The other things to consider now are the fringe and the side joins. I'm thinking joining the sides using odd-count peyote. Square stitch could work but I think it would be a little slower to work up. Another option could be to loom two strips and join them on. For the fringe, I have an idea I would like to try for the shape and layout. I'm thinking Swarovksi beads of some sort, though that sounds rather vague!. In any case, the plan is to browse some sites of bead shops and see if I can find something that catches my eye. I'm open to ideas if you want to make any suggestions.

I received all the beads for the Nelson Mandela bracelet except for two. I don't know f I an make a start as yet. I still have to edit the pattern. But hopefully the loom will be wiped by Sunday. There's another portrait I need to work on - its on my large homemade loom. So much to do and so little time!

Good wishes for the rest of the week, and I hope you enjoy(ed) the video!

Two needle method for beading on the loom

As you probably know, the usual method of bead looming is to tie a length of weft to the edge warp then load your beads, and pass through them from the top. That's how I started, and the only way I knew. Until someone introduced me to the two needle method. 

In this branch, there are two methods. In one, the needles move in opposite directions. In the other, they move in the same direction. Since discovering these, I use then (mainly the former) 99.999% of the time. That obviously tells you I prefer them! I can work with a longer length of thread, skip beads less often (not that I did much previously), and seem to add new thread less often. 

The latter method, where the needles move in the same direction, is very useful when you're working an area of the same colour. You just load one half of the weft with beads and go on your merry way. This advantage is best seen with wider pieces. I used it in one of my previous portraits for the background. I got tired of counting, and loading using the bead spinner then having to remove some!

So on that note, here is my second video. I try and explain the first of the two methods, including a few close up pictures. I hope it's clear enough and gets your interest. I don't think these methods are talked about much, at least not as far as I've seen.



If you have questions, contact me through the blog. 

I mentioned the bead spinner above. I had the lightbulb moment (I'm sure I'm not the first) when I was working on that background. Imagine counting out 150+ beads of one colour, a shiny white. Yes, you can see the concentration wondering! So, if you have a bead spinner and are working in one colour, think about dustin off those cobwebs :)

Lastly, I found a way to work on the Mirrix in a horizontal position. Just pull out the legs and place the clips behind the loom. Bobs your uncle! I'll edit this tomorrow and post the photo. 

In the meantime, stay well and happy reading.

Getting to the good part!

The plan for yesterday included looming in the afternoon or evening. By the time I was done with shopping, cooking, washing and getting a packed lunch ready, it was too late to get in a decent amount. I was also tired - more probe to mistakes and redoing rows several times over!

With the purse on the loom (Mirrix), I'm working with 37 colours. The setup looks like below. It takes about 3-4 minutes to get all the colours laid out in order (lowest to highest DB number), and put away when I'm finished. I have been using this setup for a while, and it works for me. 5 colours in each row numbered from 1 to 9 then A and up. I've used it enough to memorise which letter or number is at the start of each row. I don't need to count very often I'm so used to it.

When I first worked with two mats worth of colours, I stuck a piece of paper to the wall in front. It just had the start number/letter for each row, serving as a reminder. The getting out/putting away can be tiresome, so I need to think of a way to store them so they're ready to be used without too much faffing around! I'll have to think about that a bit more.



I have done two things with this. The first, and new, is to loom from the bottom up. I didn't reverse the rows in the word chart so I'm reading from the bottom up! I haven't confused any rows yet so that's good. But I think I prefer to work top down. I guess that's what I'm used to. The second is I worked those first rows with a single needle (usual method of looming). I normally use the two-needle method regardless of whether I'm working on a bracelet or wider piece. The needles travel in opposite directions.

There is another where the needless travel in the same direction. That is very useful for areas of solid colour. You can load beads onto one half of the weft, and use the other end to pass through to secure them. The advantage is being able to use a longer length of thread without fear of it becoming tangled. I also seem to add thread less often. it's better seen so I'll try and show it in my next YouTube video.

On that note, here is the progress. That's a hand appearing on the left! The excitement starts now! There's one colour I need more of, so don't know how much I'll be able to loom tomorrow. I'm getting more on Wednesday so can continue soon.

Till next time, happy beading :)

Saved warp thread

I my last blog post, I talked about two projects that I rally want to loom, and how I couldn't choose which to do first. Someone then suggested I could get them both on the loom. There are two options for this. Firstly, I could loom one, then advance the completed weaving and then loom the other. secondly, I could warp as usual and push the warping bar all the way down. Then I would be free to use both sides of the loom simultaneously. The latter sounded more like what would be the suitable method.

Now, the two projects are 152 and 162 beads wide. I don't want to jump in at the deep end, as it's crucial for me to get them absolutely right. With that in mind, I decided to try out this way of using the loom before proceeding with the portrait and purse. I warped as usual, then pushed the warping bar as far down as I could. It doesn't quite fit underneath the loom so it juts out slightly at an angle.

I encountered no problems in warping and moving the warping bar. I then loomed two rows at top and bottom of the warps for the (two) projects that would go on the back. There was no need to do this for the front project, as the coil was enough to space the warps. I did add a line of beads on the front of the bottom bar, but found I couldn't quite place the warps in it once I had moved the warping bar downwards. However, this can be very effective in spacing the warps towards the bottom of the loom, if you don't have the bottom spring kit. Thank you to the person who suggested it to me (you know who you are).



As you can see I am able to work on three projects at the same time. Without the extra warping bar kit, a substantial amount of warping thread is used for warping. This is one way to reduce this warp wastage, as long as the warp colour chosen matches what you plan to loom. So, a little forward planning helps. As I often like to (or inevitably) work on several projects, this makes things easier for me - I don't have to keep swapping looms to work on each, and my thread doesn't go to waste.





So, I think this could be something I use again in the future if I have multiple projects that can fit on the Mirrix at the same time. For now, I have the two bracelets at the back, and the front of a photo purse to complete. Some warp cutting is necessary for the bracelet on the left, but I may leave that till the front project is all loomed. I'll make up my mind as I go along.

I'm off to nurse my cold and get some sleep. Hopefully I can do some more tomorrow evening. The purse (front) takes some time to set everything up - more than 26 colours need to be laid out on bead mats, in a particular order. It's a little boring but needs must! Sweet beady dreams!

Which would you choose?

It seems a habit to collect more patterns than I can bead. I like this one. Oh but wait, what about that one in those colours? Hmm I can't do that one, I don't have the colours to hand. This seems a habit on occasion! And it's reared its' head again. There are two projects that I would really like to loom on the Mirrix. The problem is which one to get on there first! Both are very important and close to my heart.

First is a black & white portrait of my Husbands' late parents. This is LONG overdue (thank you for being patient Husband!). I first planned to loom two portraits and have them in a spinning frame. Then I remembered a great photo of them together, that would work even better. I graphed it sometime last year - is it really that long?? - and I'm ashamed to say its not been loomed yet.

The other is a large purse of two wedding photos - my parents on one side and my late maternal grandparents on the other. Yes you read that right :) The idea came to me when I graphed the photo of my parents. I didn't want anything plain the other side, so first tried a photo of my late grandmother. Then I remembered seeing their wedding photo in a memorial booklet! Perfect! I think my mum would really love it. By the way it's a surprise! She'll only find out about it when I give it to her :)

So you see the problem I have. Now, if I stopped procrastinating and cleared my large loom I could actually work on the at the same time....I think that may be the best course of action. Most of the colours in each one are the same so I'd order them all together.

I think I'll start buying them slowly while I finish off what's on the large loom. Then I can start on them. Now, you can help me by deciding which one should go on the Mirrix. The portrait is 152 wide and the purse 152 wide! The loom should be able to hold 162 warps. So, please take a vote and help me decide :) In the meantime I've warped for another tapestry weaving attempt. This is wider. Hopefully I can actually use it.

On that note I bid you a good night. The looming dreams have gone down a lot now :oD

Everything needs trying at least once

I cut the blue bracelet off the Mirrix the other day, and wanted to try using the shedding device with the next looming. I think that was a little too ambitious for the first try. Before I began, I watched YouTube video on setting up the loom for bead weaving with a shedding device. The warping was easy enough, and is now embedded in my mind.

I thought it was all systems go! Unfortunately one of the sheds was not defined. I did follow instructions to place the second lot of heddles to the right of the first lot of heddles, but it wasn't working! Through sheer frustration, I removed the second lot of heddles and started again. I continued attaching the heddles the next day, and sat back happy. I went to check the sheds and NO!!! It wasn't working!! I removed all heddles and cut the warps off! I warped for 9 beads wide and stopped for lunch. I read through the sheet that came with the loom, as well as the PDF from the Mirrix site. There was an AHA! moment. I'd rotated the shedding device the wrong way after attaching the first set of heddles! I also used the trick of passing the spring bar through the warps. I set the heddles and when I checked the sheds...THEY WORKED! I worked the first row as in traditional looming, then proceeded with working with the shedding device. I think this needs LOTS and LOTS of practice to get the hang of. It seemed ok with one or two rows before going pear-shaped!

I found it difficult to get the beads between the warps, and then get them to stay put as I pushed them down towards the V formed by the shed. I seem to have misplaced some, as you can see in the photo above. I find it too time consuming and difficult to work with. And the warp threads show more when you use the shedding device - theyre doubled. All this is most likely due to my not doing it properly. I think for next time (yes I like to punish myself), I may use larger beads to get the basics down. In the meantime, there is another bracelet in browns, gold and white, on the loom. Much faster :)

But Will It Make You Happy? A Loom?

I was browsing through the New York Times last Sunday when I came across an article, "But Will It Make You Happy?" It began describing a woman who had a lot of (a normal amount of) stuff and made a decent amount of money but was caught on the "work-spend treadmill" and so one day she began to give stuff away and live a simpler life.

The article went on to discuss the age old question... Does stuff make you happy? Researchers, according to this article, have discovered that there are several factors that contribute to what purchases make you happiest. Unsurprisingly, spending money on experiences rather than "things" make people happiest.

I started thinking about this in terms of Mirrix. Do Mirrix Looms make people happy?

It didn't take me long to realize... of course they do! Buying a Mirrix Loom is not just buying a THING, it's buying an EXPERIENCE. When you spend $155 on a loom you are both acquiring a thing and a lasting experience. It's the best of both worlds. You will find joy purchasing your new toy, in the process of weaving and with the result of your efforts.

Email me elena@mirrixlooms.com and let me know how Mirrix can make your loom buying and loom owning experience even better in order to make YOU, our loyal customers, even happier! And let me know... Does your loom make you happy?

xo xo
Elena

Where do you begin looming?

As I shared in an earlier post, I have strung my Mirrix so I can complete a split loomed necklace, using warp weights. I have just completed my first few rows.

I prefer to begin my first rows of bead looming at the 'top' and work my way 'down'. Others have mentioned they like to start at the 'base' and work their way 'upwards'. When you are planning a design to include increases and decreases, you must start the first row at the widest part of your pattern. Once that section is complete, you can then work upward, from the top and downwards towards a finish.

Notice how the warp weights are being used to hold the upper half of my looming. At this time, I need the warps to be stabilized for looming my widest base, but once I begin decreasing and creating cut work designs, I'll be moving these warps. That is where the 'weighted warp' idea will hold merit.

In one of my earlier posts, I attached the warp weights to the bottom of my looming. In this pattern, I attached them to the upper section of my loom, keeping the base of the warps secured, or tied to the loom. It has to be one way or the other, but not both. In this design, again, I am working my techniques to the upper sections. I'll include more photos as my design progresses!