The ARTD/SSSS Yarncrafters Club

[Ann Marie]

Correct or not, that looks really cool.  Love the colors, too. 

[Laufey]

Learning a new tool always takes a few tries but it does look cool. Can't wait to see what you'll make!

By the way, are the weaving tablets difficult to use? I've only seen other people weave with them and I've been wondering if I should try learning that too...

[Eris]

Heheh, why thank you! 

So I made more just because it turned out to be so much fun, even though the mail carrier isn't due to be here for a couple of hours so I don't know if the loom is coming today or not: Ta da!

The stuff that is closer to the cards is newer and the stuff that is closer to the belt is older. You may be able to tell that the stuff that is closer to the cards is beginning to look more regular in size and the pattern is starting to show up better because I'm starting to make fewer mistakes.

By the way, are the weaving tablets difficult to use? I've only seen other people weave with them and I've been wondering if I should try learning that too...

I've only tried a very simple pattern, but so far the hardest part is getting everything set up and started; once you get going, the process is remarkably forgiving of mistakes*, and once you find your "groove" (so to speak) it becomes pretty easy, albeit I say that while I'm not making a perfect product, hehe. I bought the book Card Weaving by Candace Crockett, which was a big help in figuring the whole process out, and I really couldn't have done it without said book.

If anyone has any questions about tablet weaving, I'd love to try to help out. So far it really has been wonderful fun so far, and I'm going to go print out some additional patterns today to mess around with. I hadn't expected to be able to do so well with my homemade backstrap loom, but I found a position (kind of lying down) that doesn't hurt my back, and away I'm going. I'm still really looking forward to getting my loom, but this is clearly a form of weaving that doesn't require a loom if someone doesn't like the idea of a loom. I'm using a backstrap loom made of a belt, my loom supplies (yarn, cards), and a sawed in two broom handle! Ms. Crockett's book also instructs on how to use a door handle if one doesn't want to use a sawed in to broom handle or some other stick, hehe.

*I'm actually kind of amazed that the beginning of my band turned out as well as it did because I kept doing things like forgetting which way I was supposed to be turning the cards, losing one of the cards for I don't know how many turns and before finding it, dropping all the cards, accidentally turning some of the cards but not others, etc etc. When I realize I had made a serious error, I just said, "Oh well, it's a practice band," and kept going, but I still expected my errors to have serious repercussions that they didn't seem to have.

[starfallz]

Very cool with the tablet weaving!! I look forward to your inkle loom work.

[KMK]

Those badges are incredible.  They're probably too labor-intensive for you to go into business selling them on Etsy.  But if I had spending money at the moment, I'd certainly buy one.  (I can *sort of* sew, but I bet it wouldn't look as good if I tried to make one myself.  Even the stitches fastening the safety pins to the back are so neat and regular!)

Come to think of it, would you share the instructions with us at some point?  I might actually try this someday.  But I'm not sure if I should put the cloth in an embroidery frame first, make the design, then cut it out and blanket-stitch it to the felt...?  Cut out the circle first, pin it to a work surface, and then stitch the design before adding the felt backing...?

It might be too intensive to sell completed but you could put together kits with supplies and instructions that people could buy and complete.

[Laufey]

Since people were interested here's the depth of my chapter break desperation.

Ahem. Sorry, it doesn't look that impressive at this point. The pieces on the floor are the back piece and one side done to the point of armpits, from where they measure 79cm down. Typically an Icelandic sweater is made of one piece only but the backpiece alone was so wide I could barely work on it with two pairs of knitting needles, so I opted for making it out of separate pieces and later on joining them together at the shoulder part where sleeves also come in.

The edges roll up like crazy. From looking at Braidy's cloak it seems to spread out freely at the hem so I decided against making the typical hem ribbing you'd otherwise make for a sweater, and instead I'm planning on blocking it well and then crocheting around the hem to make the hem stiff enough for the pleats to stand out.

I was surprised at how fast it actually was to make the sweater thus far. The part you see on the pair of needles was started just yesterday evening, the bigger pieces took roughly a week to complete. I'm using fairly large knitting needles and yarn (size 6 needles, Álafoss lopi for yarn) so that might be one reason. Anyway what I mean to say, if you were planning on knitting a Braidy cloak it's totally feasible, don't be scared away from this project by the feeling that it's too much work. It's not an impossible amount and personally I'm an impatient knitter... I forget my projects all the time if I get bored with them so you can trust me on this.

[mithrysc]

Ahhh that is amazing!

Maybe...maybe one day...

*starts saving up for yarn*

[Sunflower]

Wow, that's incredible!  How many skeins of yarn has it taken so far?  And what color of Alafoss are you using? 

I like the way it fans out and ripples towards the edge.  It looks like a sea creature's mantle!  Are you increasing the width/stitch # by a consistent formula?  (e.g. each row adds a stitch every 3 stitches...?)

I can see this becoming a *very* popular knitting pattern.  Keep up the good work!

[Laufey]

I'm using 1232 as the main colour and 0051 white, but the production of dark blueish green (or at least the exact one I'm using) was halted a few years back. I was lucky to have a few skeins in my storage... I could imagine using 9967 in its stead though.

As for how many skeins I've used so far... at least two of white, one of green-blue and the main colour, hmm. Around 8 is the best estimation I can make. It'll need a few more of those to complete the whole thing (sleeves, collar, hood) and some more white for the collar part too.

I'll steam the ripples out, alas! I'm working on the sweater from the hem up, decreasing every tenth loop on every tenth row. Easy to remember that way. I think I started with 350 loops or so but at the end of the decreases I have only 55 left for the back piece. Front pieces started with 100 loops and ended up at 30. I can eyeball the exact patterns once it's all ready and put it here for others to use (with instructions on how to tailor this to preferred size).

[starfallz]

Since people were interested here's the depth of my chapter break desperation.

I am in love!!

[Eris]

-steals-

[Laufey]

NO STEALING
Or I'll make myself a new one. Because I'm the master of threats.

Btw since we got stuck in our house in yesterday's storm the project has now grown with another side panel and one sleeve, but I'm all out of yarn now. Hopefully I can go buy more today, I'm getting a bit fed up by these storms.

[Eris]

NO STEALING
Or I'll make myself a new one. Because I'm the master of threats.

>

Btw since we got stuck in our house in yesterday's storm the project has now grown with another side panel and one sleeve, but I'm all out of yarn now. Hopefully I can go buy more today, I'm getting a bit fed up by these storms.

Good luck getting more yarn! 

[Laufey]

Progress shot, all sides still rolling up like crazy, can't wait to finally steam-force everything tidy. I'm thinking I'll be finished with this project soon!

On worse news we're going to have more storms. This winter's been just crazy with them, it's like not a week goes past without weather warnings, roads being closed, someone's car getting blown off the road and so forth. Seeing how today and tomorrow will be anything from 20 m/s to 50 m/s winds I guess I better go stock up on wool for my next project before the weather gets here...

[Sunflower]

Wow!  That is amazing, and beautiful.  How fast do you knit?!?! 
I love the patterning around the neck, sleeves, and hem.  I hope you'll share the pattern with us someday.

There really isn't a name for a garment of this type, is there?  Can we coin one?  A Braidy-cloak?  Circular sweater?  Is there some good Icelandic portmanteau word?