Kelly Casanova Weaving Lessons

Kelly

5 Steps to Successful Weaving!

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It is my belief that anyone can be successful in weaving if they really want to. It is important to break the learning process down into achievable steps. Remember that you can’t begin at someone else’s finish!
Here are my 5 steps to successful weaving!

This post contains an affiliate link. I only recommend products I use and love.


1. Basics first.
Start out simple. Acknowledge that, as a beginner, leaping into a difficult project straight away is probably not the best way for you to get started. If you do, you may end up feeling discouraged and that you’re “no good at weaving”. When learning something new, it is rare for anyone to jump into an advanced level, you need to take the baby steps, then walk, then run!







2. Patience.
You see the images from weavers on Pinterest and Instagram. They look so fabulous that they inspire you to try weaving for yourself. That is natural, that is how I started. But to get to the point of being able to weave anything like the beautiful images, it may take quite some time, and it may not be easy. Mistakes are an important part of the learning process. Know that you will improve, if you practice and give it time.





3. Persistence.
Would you believe me if I told you that I have almost given up on weaving a number of times? There were times that I was so frustrated and had no one to help, that I thought surely I must be just too stupid to learn this, or that I felt I was wasting my time. I’m so glad I never did give in though! Imagine where I would be now – a beginner level weaver with too much equipment gathering dust, and a feeling that I had failed. Keep going. Get stuck? Go back to the basics. Find help. Buy that new book you need, some online classes, or find people in your area with similar interests. There is a way. You can do it!





4. Resources.
I could say that I am a self taught weaver, but realistically that is not really true. I have learned this craft through reading many books, studying articles, drafts and discussions online, and by taking online classes. When I got my first loom, I had no idea where to start. I didn’t know any weavers. I was too busy caring for my family to be able to attend a guild. So, I found the right resources that helped me get going. As I improved, I found more resources to help me level up. Resources are out there – lots of them, you just need to find the right ones for you. 





5. Community.
Funny for an introvert like myself to have “community” as one of the keys to success. I’m the type who avoids social settings wherever possible and hates the idea of group meetings or activities. Like many other typical introverts, social occasions are physically draining and just mostly not enjoyable. However, that doesn’t mean that I hide in a hole and don’t see or speak to anyone! 
I never would have realised the importance of community until I started weaving. My community is online and I am so grateful for it. I have daily contact with hundreds, if not thousands of weavers across the globe and of all different levels of ability. We teach and learn through one another, share information and discoveries, and most importantly, we inspire one another. It’s a beautiful thing to have the support of others who are just as passionate about weaving as you are. 
So, whether you love real life interaction or virtual interaction, find the people who are going to help you succeed in weaving!




I hope this article was helpful to you! Perhaps you are looking for some new resources? Here are a few to get you started:


My Youtube Channel


My Online Weaving School


My Weaving Lessons Facebook Group



What is Clasped Weft? A step by step tutorial.

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Just when you think you’ve tried everything in weaving, you come across something different, like Clasped Weft.
Clasped weft can be a great “next step” for newer weavers with a few plain weave projects completed and who are ready for something a bit more adventurous.
The cool thing about weaving clasped weft is that, similar to Colour and Weave, most of the work is in using colours to make your weaving look fancy, when in actual fact it is quite simple.
The clasped weft technique uses 2, 3 or 4 interlocking weft colours. Using 2 colours to begin with is the easiest and least complicated approach. If you have done any tapestry, you may already be familiar with the interlocking technique.
*This post contains affiliate links. for more information, see my disclosure policy.

We mainly use a plain weave structure (though clasped weft can actually be used in other structures, such as twill). It is a perfect technique for a rigid heddle loom, because, although it’s simple, it looks special and has big impact.


Before we go through the tutorial steps, let’s look at some (rather poorly drawn, sorry about that!) diagrams to get a clearer idea of how this works. The drawings are over simplified, as I haven’t drawn in the warp and weft interlacement, but I have drawn in the edge warp threads:

Clasped weft with 2 weft colours.

Clasped weft with 3 colours.

Clasped weft with 4 colours.

Now let’s go through the tutorial steps so that you can get clear on how clasped weft is actually woven. Today, we are just focusing on working the two weft colour technique, as I believe this is the best place to begin if you’re not familiar with clasped weft or haven’t attempted it before.
Begin with two contrasting weft yarns of the same weight. I have used one with a dark navy colour and another that is variegated with bright colours.
See the tips section below for more on why variegated works perfectly.
My warp and weft yarns were all light worsted/dk/ Australian 8 ply weight. Wool, acrylic or cotton are all fine.
One weft yarn is loaded onto a stick shuttle, in my case this was the dark navy. The other colour is left in a ball or on the cone. My variegated colour was in a skein and so I wound it into a yarn cake with my ball winder.
A yarn cake (also known as a centre pull ball) is particularly good to work with for clasped weft, because it sits nice and flat on the floor and won’t roll away. The yarn also feeds off the yarn cake seamlessly, which makes the whole process that little bit easier. If you have a ball, you may want to sit it in a box or basket on the floor to contain it.
Place the ball of yarn on the floor at your left. It doesn’t matter if you place it on the right or left, but for the purpose of this tutorial it’s on the left.
Because the ball (let’s call it the contrast yarn) is on the left, we enter the shed with the stick shuttle on the right. Again, it doesn’t matter whether you are in the up or down shed, but I am beginning in the down shed.
Take your stick shuttle across from the right hand side to the left as though you’re going to weave a regular plain weave pick.
When your shuttle reaches the left hand side, pick up the contrast yarn and place it over the top of the stick shuttle.

Take the shuttle the rest of the way through the shed at the left – as you would for your normal plain weave pick.

On the right hand side (where your shuttle entered), tidy up and prepare your weft yarn as though you’re going to beat the pick in. If you’re not familiar with how to do this, watch my free video on How to Weave Neat Edges.  DON’T BEAT.

Take the shuttle straight back into the same shed. Don’t change sheds, and don’t beat! Take the shuttle through, back to the right where you first entered the shed.
As you return the shuttle to the right, you will find that the navy yarn is linked or clasped with the contrast yarn. This means that the contrast yarn is pulled into the shed. Now you get to decide how far you will pull the contrast yarn into the shed. A little? A lot? Your choice, depending on the effect you want to achieve.
Hold both yarns under tension on either side to manipulate where you want the two yarns to go.
When you’re happy with the yarn positioning, beat the picks into place. You will notice that both yarns are now doubled in the shed.
Change to the next shed (in my case I had been working in the down shed, so I go on to change to the up shed).
Continue weaving in the exact same manner in the new shed and repeat until you’ve finished weaving.
Isn’t your head just swimming with all the possibilities of this wonderful technique?
Clasped weft can be extremely planned or extremely random. It looks wonderful both ways and is just so much fun to weave.
Here are a few recommendations for best results:
1. Use contrasting weft colours.
Light and dark will make the weaving pop. 
2. Use the same weight yarn for both warp and weft.
You will get better results and avoid the not so pretty lumps and bumps that can occur at interlocking points.
3. Variegated yarn is perfect for this.
For the 2 colour clasped weft technique, a variegated yarn with a contrasting yarn looks really cool! (See photos below and above).

              4. Using the same colour as the warp for one of your weft colours works great.

Too much colour can confuse the contrast of the clasped weft lines. In the tutorial, I used the same navy yarn for warp and weft no.1. I then used a contrast yarn for weft no.2.

If you like the look of clasped weft as much as I do, I have some great news for you! I have 3 free Youtube video tutorials that will teach you each of these techniques. Start with video 1 so that you can practice the technique, before moving on to the others. 

Clasped Weft with 2 colours
Clasped Weft with 3 colours
Clasped Weft with 4 colours
I mentioned that the clasped weft technique can also be used for other weave structures. This can create really interesting and impressive special effects. One of my Etsy patterns, The Cityscape Scarf is a perfect example of a clasped weft combined with a twill.
Try it out and let me know what you think. Leave me a comment here or under any of the Youtube videos, I love to hear from you!
Until next time…
Happy Weaving!

Weave Along Round Up

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The Krokbragd Mug Rug Weave Along (try saying that with a mouthful of cake!) has been a great success! While many students are still working on their mug rugs and some have yet to start, I have been seeing so many wonderful photos of their work, that I couldn’t wait to share.


What I really love is the variety of mug rugs I’m seeing and the range of interpretations of my original design.



Charlotte, who has been with me a long time, and is a very prolific weaver, came up with several variations on the original design. She even figured out how to weave sheep and then shared the draft with the other students, several of whom were inspired to weave their own sheep!

Mary went with some darker colours and white highlights. So lovely!
This is one of Kelly’s (a different Kelly!) interpretations. I love that she included many different colours, but that they all work together so harmoniously.


And another, different rug from Kelly. You can see Charlotte’s sheep and my tulips (from this Youtube tutorial).

And finally, these beauties from Connie. So lovely!

Robyn decided on a bold and traditional design for this mug rug. Love the colours!

Perhaps you’re looking at all these gorgeous mug rugs and wishing you had joined in? No problem, you still can! 
All the details are here.

Thanks to everyone who joined in and threw themselves into the challenge with such gusto, it has been so exciting for me to see.

This weave along leads beautifully into the next class, which will be a krokbragd bag with two heddles. I’m working on that right now, it should be ready in a couple of weeks.

Until next time….

Happy Weaving!



Monk’s Belt Magic!

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Sampling can be a sensitive topic among weavers. Why, when it takes you so long to set up and weave a piece, would you subject yourself to dressing your loom “just for a sampler”? 
Believe it or not, as a newer weaver, those were my thoughts exactly. When I read or heard a teacher recommending sampling before beginning the actual project, I would secretly snicker to myself “yeh, right, as if that’s ever going to happen, I just want to get to the REAL weaving!”


But if there is one thing that weaving has taught me over the years is patience! Oodles of patience. And, I’ve messed up enough times to know that, at least for some projects, sampling is a super good idea.

*This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

So, that brings us to my recent Monk’s Belt sample. Monk’s Belt is a very old weave structure and has been used in a variety of ways, according to time period and types of looms available. 


My sampler used 4 shafts and 6 treadles. The threading is quite simple, as you thread in blocks, which means there is plenty of repetition. My warp is 8/2 cotton, sett at 20 epi. The finished sampler measures 7 x 44″. Tabby is used throughout.

Monk’s belt designs are usually instantly recognisable, due to the bold, geometric shapes created by series of floats (these are where the block threading comes in). My aim in doing a relatively long sampler was to give myself plenty of time to experiment with treadling, but especially with yarns. I started out with yellow, mercerized cotton. I quickly found that this was not ideal, as it tends to sit quite straight as a float, rather than blooming and blending with itself. I also found that a single weft was not sufficient to make the pattern pop, so for each subsequent yarn type, the weft was doubled, to a much better effect.
The blue in the above photo is bamboo, which I found to be one of the most optimal yarns due to the thickness, sheen, softness and beautiful bloom.
The multicoloured weft above is hand dyed tencel, which gave a lovely effect, but like the mercerized cotton, doesn’t quite stack up in the “bloom” department. 
Bamboo again, and you can really tell the difference, it’s as though it was made for this! I had been following some standard treadling, but for this one I started branching into my own treadling, writing it down as I went.
I had been using single colours and decided to try 2 colours for the blue/green part above. I love the effect of 2 colours! Technically, I was using 3 colours if you include the purple (warp colour) I used for tabby.
Ah, silk! I combined orange and magenta 60/2 silk and my own treadling pattern for this one. Even though the silk is very fine, as a doubled weft it gave very good coverage. The blend of colours is also very eye catching.
For this one, I went back to my green bamboo for the pattern weft, but instead of using my purple 8/2 cotton for tabby as I had previously, I changed to my 2 strands of silk. This gives the effect of cute, luminous dots among the main pattern.
I have had some gold chenille sitting on my shelf for a while, and thought “aha!” Perfect time to try it, this will look brilliant. Except it doesn’t! I had pictured something quite sophisticated looking, but instead got strange. furry caterpillars that look slightly “off” in colour.
Not that I mind, this is the beauty of sampling – now I know that I don’t like chenille in a block weave!
The blue at the top is bamboo once again, but this time I swapped out the purple tabby for green bamboo. It gave an interesting effect but the green bamboo was a little too thick and kept my weft floats apart more than I would like. However, the texture is pretty cool and really changes the look of the weave.
The versatility of Monk’s Belt is awesome. Because you are set up for plain weave (tabby) as well as the pattern, you can break them up and just use the pattern as a border if you wish. I think plain weave towels with a border such as the one above would be really striking.
More treadling and yarn experiments, there is just so much you can do!
The big test was how the fabric would feel after wet finishing. I suspected that it would be quite stiff and more suited to cushions, bags etc. But, happily, I was wrong. The fabric softened up wonderfully and has a lovely drape. It looks great on the back too. It struck me that a sampler like this, with a bit more length, would make an amazing scarf!
I hope you enjoyed this post. I have made a companion video just for my Weaving School members, where I go over this blog post in more detail. If you are a member already, you will find the video HERE.
If you wish to join up, I would love to have you! Monthly  , 6 monthly and Premium memberships are available and include hundreds of hours of classes, access to a private Member’s group on Facebook, giveaways, live videos and a wonderful community of weavers.
And, just before I finish up, I have a couple of book recommendations for you. These are affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you click through and purchase, but I do actually own and love these books.
The Handweaver’s Pattern Directory by Anne Dixon.
Anne has a couple of pages on Monk’s Belt, different threadings and treadling options, as well as excellent photos to show you how the weave looks.
A Handweaver’s Pattern Book by Marguerite Davison
Marguerite has quite a few pages on Monk’s belt with a lot of different drafts. The drafts in this book can be a little more difficult to read if you are not accustomed to reading older drafts.
Until next time…
Happy Weaving!

Lacking inspiration? Do this!

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We all have those days, usually when we’re overworked and overtired, when we want to do something but don’t know where to start. We don’t feel inspired and we wish an idea would just magically come.

Let me tell you my failsafe method for getting rid of the “no inspo blues”! 

My kids actually taught me this one. Every time I want them to do a big clean up of their bedroom or play area, they start to get busy but within a short amount of time I hear. “Mum, look what I found!”  “I actually forgot I had this!” And eventually, it becomes a battle to keep them focused on the task of cleaning up because they’re excited about rediscovering old games, toys and books.
Once the clean up is finally done (this whole process can be similar to having teeth pulled) they are much happier. Not only have they found things that they’re excited about, they now have a clean, uncluttered space to use those things in.

See where I’m going with this?

When I feel tired and uninspired I often find myself wandering into my studio, looking around, sighing, maybe working on a couple of unfinished things half heartedly.
But, once I get out the duster, pull everything off the shelves, clean and rearrange, then the change within my head starts to happen.
I’m reminded of all the beautiful yarns and threads just sitting there waiting to be used. I put these yarns into order so that they are better displayed and I can easily find what I want. I start to get ideas for new projects. I restack my reference books. Hey, I haven’t looked at that one for a while, let me just have a flick. Ooo, I love those colours, I wonder how I could incorporate that into my weaving! And once I’ve done the shelf, I notice how messy my big storage container has become, so I tackle that next. Oh, and what about the table? How can anyone get any work done on a table that is covered with stuff and getting dusty? 

It’s not too long before my messy place is clear and clean. In turn, my mind now feels clear and clean. I have mental plans for my next steps forward and I know it’s going to be all the more enjoyable because everything is in it’s proper place.


So, next time you’re lacking inspiration, get into your creative space and get organised! Then, get making!


Krokbragd Weave Along coming soon!

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Have you heard the news? I am currently working on an exciting weave along! The project is Krokbragd Mug Rugs for rigid heddle loom and I feel like a pig in mud (if you know me at all, you will know how I love krokbragd!)

Because I like to accommodate for weavers of all levels, the weave along will include two methods for weaving the mug rugs. One class will be for those who want to use one heddle, a heddle rod and a pick up stick. Class two will be for those who want to use two heddles. The finished mug rugs will be just the same, but the different methods will give you choices about how to weave them.
The mug rugs are minimal on the yarn, you only need small amounts and limited colours. Because of the interesting designs, you get something pretty awesome looking for a small investment. If you are interested in reading more about Krokbragd, I have written another blog post on this beautiful weave structure. 
This weave along will be for members only. To become a monthly member, visit this link, or to become a yearly member, go here.

You can also read more about the weave along here.

Once you are a member, you have access to the Member’s Community group on Facebook. 

The best way to stay updated is to join my email list.

A full materials list will be available prior to the commencement of the weave along to give everyone the best chance of starting together.

I’m hoping to commence the weave along early to mid August.

I really hope you can join me for this one, it’s going to be so much fun!

Kelly’s hand woven, perfectly hemmed technique.

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*This post contains affiliate links
I won’t tell you how long these towels have been sitting on my creative table waiting to be hemmed. What is it with final techniques and me? I go to all that trouble to weave something beautiful and then let it sit there for who knows how long before I get around to hemming!  
Anyway, lets focus on the positives. The towels ARE hemmed now, and I’m going to share my simple but effective hemming techniques with you!
Firstly, always weave a little extra where you intend to hem, and don’t forget to factor in hemming allowances to your overall calculations. I like to make a little contrast weave at the beginning and end of a piece that I’m going to hem. Here I’ve woven plain weave borders at either end. There are 2 advantage to this – 
1. The contrast looks nice.
                                                                       2. The border is less bulky and therefore makes a more crisp and pleasing hem.
You can see that my raw edge is secured on a serger to prevent any unravelling during the wet finishing process. It is helpful to give the whole woven piece a good press before beginning, it’s always easier to work with pressed fabric.
This is what I call my “dog ear” technique.  Fold in a corner on each side of the hem and press down with an iron. There are 2 reasons for this also – 
1. The corners can get ugly and a bit ragged in the washing process – I want to hide them!
             2. Towels have a tendency to be wider at each end. This reduces a little of that “flared out” look.
Once my dog ears are pressed down neatly, I take the raw edge and fold it over, usually around 1/4″ but more if it’s particularly raggy. Press with the iron.
Now I fold again, this time 1/2″ or more and press. Now all raw edges and corners should be completely encased and hidden. Once pressed, you can also place pins along to hold everything in place if you wish.
Take it to the sewing machine (different towel in this photo but the same process). I use Gutermann sewing thread. I learned early in my sewing journey that life is too short to sew with cheap threads that will break over and over! Sew with a straight, medium stitch close to the folded edge (roughly 1/4 – 1/8″).
You can use a different stitch if you want to, I just like the professional looking finish a medium straight stitch gives. Don’t forget to reverse stitch at the start and finish.
For an almost invisible finish, you can hand hem with a needle and thread, you can find that tutorial here.
Seeing as we’re on the subject of towels, if you’re on the hunt for your next towel project, you may want to try one of my classes or patterns.
Online class:
Happy Fibonnaci Towels
                                                                       Colour & Weave Towels
      Diamond Stripe Towel Weave Along (currently only open to members of the Online Weaving School)
PDF Patterns:
Lux Hand Towels
Happy Fibonnaci Towels
                                                                           Diamond Stripe Towels
                                                                        Bright & Beautiful Towels
Drop me a comment to let me know if this post has been helpful to you, I love feedback!
Until next time…
Happy Weaving!

I have a rigid heddle loom, why would I consider buying a floor loom?

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I was asked this question in one of my Facebook groups. I started to type a response, then decided it would be better answered in a blog post as it’s not a simple question!


It is true that the Rigid Heddle Loom is capable of a lot (even an 8 shaft pattern if you really want to) but there are many reasons why I love to have both a RHL and a floor loom. 





I wrote a series recently that compared different types of looms that you may wish to review:


The Rigid Heddle Loom


The Table Loom


The Floor Loom


Now, I said the rigid heddle loom is capable of weaving 8 shafts, but does that mean that I would actually want to? To achieve that would mean multiple heddles, multiple pick up sticks and a pretty painstaking process that would have me leaping on to my floor loom in no time. Because the floor loom is made for this, it’s set up for more complex weaves, that is it’s job. So, while the RHL can be utilised for more complex weaves, that doesn’t mean that it’s the ideal choice.





Next, the RHL has yarn size limitations. The smallest dent heddle currently available is a 15 dent by Ashford. Yes, you can still double threads or use extra heddles to increase the available sett, but that is another difference to a floor loom and a consideration if you like to weave with fine threads.


Finally, the floor loom is a full body experience. That sounds a bit weird and new age doesn’t it?! But what I mean is that you are using your head (eyes to read the pattern as you weave, if you need to), your hands to throw and catch the shuttle (your body naturally sways slightly from side to side as you get into the rhythm) and your legs (as your feet move or “walk” the treadles to operate the shafts). It’s actually a bit of a workout!


Because of this “full body” approach on a floor loom, you are able to operate many actions at once. And that is the real beauty of floor loom weaving, the harmony of actions that allow you to work fast to achieve sometimes quite amazing results.


Don’t forget that there are pros and cons to all types of weaving and I try not to promote one over the other because I believe each weaver needs to find the right fit for their particular needs. If it seems that I am promoting the floor loom in this article, it is only within context of answering a question.


To recap, why would I buy a floor loom? 
1. Intricacy of pattern
2. Finer threads
3. Speed and efficiency


I hope this article helps you, thank you for reading!

Baby Blanket Project

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I finished my baby blanket just in the nick of time, the day after my gorgeous new nephew was born. I already knew the baby was a boy and chose the colours accordingly. 
 
I told Nicky from Thread Collective what I wanted to weave and she recommended Venne Organic 8/2 cotton. I’m so glad I went with it, it may be a little more expensive, but for good reason! It is soft but I didn’t have a single broken warp thread, it was strong and just lovely to weave with. 
*This post contains an affiliate link. Please see my disclosure policy for further information.
 
 
I warped with the royal blue. I’m not sure why, but I started discovering errors from this point on. Too many distractions perhaps?
 
Error 1: I missed a part of the threading sequence in one spot. 
The fix: I had missed threading 3 heddles, so I made the missing heddles out of tapestry cotton and inserted them in place. Then, I measured out the missing warp threads, threaded through my string heddles, and weighted them over the back of the loom. Not ideal, but it worked!
The weighted threads.
Error 2: I re-sleyed the reed 3 times (yes, 3!!) because I kept missing a slot or doubling up. This was really frustrating as I just wanted to get weaving at this point. Even after the 3 re-sleys, I still ended up with one slot doubled up with threads. So, the blanket has a fault running through vertically. Rather than go back and re-sley again, I decided to just live with it!
My idea for weaving was to experiment with the weft, initially I thought I would do one shot of turquoise and one of green. I didn’t like the way that looked though. I experimented further (this is why it’s always great to warp a little extra for sampling) and decided on 3.5 inch stripes of blue, alternating with 1 inch stripes of green. It has a nice balance.
 
Here you can really see the hearts, aren’t they cute?! This is one side.
And this is the other side. Originally I had planned to back the blanket with flannelette once it was off the loom, but in the end I couldn’t decide which side of blanket I liked better, so no backing. It will be a light blanket instead 🙂 
You can find a copy of this draft here. It is also pinned to my Weaving board on Pinterest.
The weaving draft is very easy to follow, both the threading and treadling follow repetitive, simple to memorise sequences.
 
The dimensions of the finished blanket are:
Width – 27.5″
Length- 44″
 
The approximate cost of the project:
I used almost a whole 250 gram cone for warp. For the weft, I alternated between the turquoise and green cones, using less of the green. I estimated the total cost at around $55AUD, which covers the threads, postage cost on the threads, sewing supplies and label.
 
What I learned:
*I don’t work well with deadlines. On one hand, needing to be finished by a certain date is a good motivating factor but on the other hand, rushing causes stress and mistakes. 
*I learned that I definitely want to work with Venne organic cotton again.
*I would also like to use this draft again and I think it could be adapted to all sorts of projects. 
*I already knew this, but this project reminded me that weaving with quality threads is expensive!
*Perhaps most importantly, I learned that, once again most mistakes or errors in weaving are totally fixable if you can just find or think of a work around.
 
If you are interested in floor loom weaving or are a newbie floor or table loom weaver, be sure to check out my Introduction to Floor Loom Weaving course to get you up and weaving!
 
This pattern draft is not from a book, but if you love to weave baby blanket’s, I recommend 
Hand Woven Baby Blankets by Tom Knisely.
 
There is a huge selection of blankets, from 2 to 8 shafts and many different yarns and colours. It’s a lovely and inspiring book. 
 

Make do and make a start

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This post contains affiliate links. I only recommend products I use and love.
I thought I’d share with you a little reality check today. It is easy for us to imagine that people we see on social media, on websites, on Youtube or anywhere on the internet have it all together and their lives are pretty perfect. We imagine them to have all the things we need or that they are somehow “better” than we are – all because they have learned how to present themselves in a certain way that looks great to the rest of the world.


How does this tie in to weaving? In so many ways! How often have you wished that your loom was bigger or better? Have you gazed longingly at other weaver’s beautiful pictures online and wished that you could do that too? Have you grumbled at your lack of space/time/finances to “make it all happen”. 


Well, I’m here to tell you that, just like life, weaving is a journey – often long and sometimes difficult. 
When people find out that I homeschool my children and have been doing so for their entire lives, they are amazed and say things like “Well, you are an expert then!” Nothing could be further from the truth. Every day is a new start with people and needs ever changing. It’s a constant process of re-evaluation and starting over. Of asking God to please help me through this day. Of learning and applying new things. 


And I think this is normal. We don’t step on a plane expecting to arrive at our destination immediately. We have to be patient to get the reward!


To illustrate my point, I will show you my film studio from today.  Much of the time, I can’t film in my studio space as it’s a shared, walk through room.

So, I set up in our bedroom so that I could close the door. It’s a bit dingy and it desperately needs a paint job, but it’s a room with a door, so I’ll take it.  Lets have a look at my setup.


I film with my son’s Nikon D7100 and his Video MicPro microphone. The tripod is mine! The loom is mine too 😀 The chair was a freebie that my husband got for me when his old office building was closing down. The OttLite belongs to my husband. When I finish the video, I edit on my son’s computer using his software. 

You can see that most of what I use to film videos for my Online Weaving School is borrowed and fairly basic. But, it all allows me to do what I do. I may never have a great setup, no matter how much I want it, and that is ok, I am grateful to be able to do what I do without the bells and whistles. 

I can polish my photos and videos so that they look pretty good on your computer. I get to work from home, doing what I love and spending the days with my children. Does this mean I have the perfect life? No way, it just means that I’m prepared to make do and make a start.

Today I was working on filming for my up and coming Boot Camp for Weavers course. I’m beyond excited about this, a little apprehensive, having never done something like this, but very excited. It gives me so much joy to see a new weaver get up and weaving with enthusiasm and confidence, that is what I want for all my students! There will be more information about the course as I near completion. 
How did this blog post get so long? My fingers seemed to have a mind of their own and if I don’t finish up my family will be eating burned chicken tonight! If you got this far, thank you for taking the time to read.

Until next time….

Happy Weaving!