While cleaning - purging and re-organizing a hall closet that holds quilt fabric and other odd crafts I found a plastic shoe box with my pin looms. Note: All other fiber such as knitting yarn, warp and weft yarns is in a closet in the family room. I am still organizing the quilt fabric and have not finished the closet because I became distracted by playing with those little looms. 

I pulled the left over skeins from knitting projects out and have started to weave up squares for a couch throw.

BUT wait there is more!!

I joined 2 pin loom groups on Facebook. The first is just a general support group and the other is for making a Temperature Blanket. In a nutshell it is Data Visualization as Art - there are all sorts of projects like this; Google it and get lost on the web.

Well, being an engineer who loves data AND being a weather dork who likes to track rain fall I was instantly in.

I spent almost a week selecting my yarn and setting up the temperature ranges. I wanted a single color way that had 15+ colors so I could do high and low temps with most temperature bands being 5 degrees.  I went with Knit Picks City Tweed DK. Next, I had to select colors for the temperature bands and based upon historical data estimate yardage for each color; then I placed my order for it and it will be here next week. I am going to weave squares with the warp and weft being the high and low temps for the day and rain or snow I will insert a white warp thread for each inch and a weft thread for each 0.1 inch of precipitation. The last task was to figure out the layout and I settled on a modified linear calendar and I will use triangles around the outside.
Here are pictures of the yarn colorway, the temperature bands and assigned color(s), and the blanket layout.

Last week I came  the conclusion that the way the brake system was configured, for the two beams would not work in the way it was set up when I took ownership. Being an engineer, I can usually "see how things work" or NOT and figure it out but this had me stumped. 
I had the diagram from Macomber on how to set up 2 beams with one being a drum and the other being a ratchet but the setup on my loom was different. In the Macomber diagram the drum brake was on the regular beam and the ratchet was on the sectional beam; mine was reversed. ​I eventually, by jury rigging two shorter pieces of chain together, had the ratchet brake and regular beam working - see the last three pictures in the first gallery below. 

I sent the pictures of what I had off to Eddie and Linda, at Macomber, to see what advice they could give me.

After trading a few emails, the conclusion was YES, what I had was not what was a good configuration. There were several suggestions:

• Get another drum brake and put it on the plain beam and then BOTH beams would roll when the pedal was depressed
•  Get another ratchet and pawl and pedal and put that on the sectional beam (take the drum off) and each pedal/beam combo would work. 

OR, which was my idea.. Just get each beam working independently with the one pedal and just switch out the chains. I gave the shop elf the task of getting me ONE longer piece of chain.  This morning, with a clear head and knowing that getting both beams to work with one setup, I tackled the problem - AND I WON; I have solved the problem(s).

• Using the longer, new chain, I hooked it up to the pedal and the spring on the pawl of the ratchet. When the pedal is depressed, the chain is pulled down and the pawl is opened and the beam can roll in either direction for winding on or off when the warp is advanced. 
• For the sectional beam, I hooked the springs attached to the base beam to the metal bar attached to the frame that the beam is attached to, this provides downward pressure. Then I attached the cable, which is wound around the drum and provides the pressure/fixture that keeps the beam from rotating, from the beam  frame to the metal support bar. Then the support bar was attached via another small chain (there are extra links hanging in the picture; it has been trimmed) and 2 eye bolts to the upper metal lever (not in the picture but it would be at the top).  The metal lever, not in the picture, is then attached to the pedal via another chain - this is on the other side of the cross beam and castle.  So now when the pedal is depressed, it pulls the chain down and it lifts the metal lever which pulls against those springs and that loosens the pressure the cable has on the drum and voila! the sectional beam will rotate

IN this picture, both set ups are shown so I know how to set it all up but currently the sectional beam is disconnected.

The Loom Room, yes we have given what was the back bedroom a name, is still a bit of a mess but yesterday I started the loom upgrade. The parts I ordered from Macomber arrived earlier in the week so I decided to start on the loom this weekend. 

To start I replaced the aprons. This entails removing the old apron(s) and the staples that attach it to the beam. I used a set of pliers to grab onto the staple and to pull it out but in many cases it was impossible to get a grip on it so I actually ripped the apron off the beam; thus allowing a needle nose pliers to get under it and then I could push it up a bit until the regular pliers could grab it and remove it.

Then I placed the old apron on top of the new apron and using a colored pencil, I transferred the placement of the staple. Since the line of where the apron is was to be placed was still visible on the beam, I then put the first and last staple in using a hammer and needle nose pliers to hold the staple. Then I worked my way across the beam, driving in the staples into the existing holes. 

The next task was to replace the old, crumbly pad on the beater and under the jack levers.  The pads on the beater were held by tack nails and so they were easy to remove by just pulling them out. The pads under the jack levers were glued on and with just a slight tug they peeled off. Getting to these was also easy since I had removed the heddle frames so all the jack levers were in the up position. I just laid down a line of glue and placed the new ones where the old ones had been but due to the jack levers being up, I could not use them to apply pressure to hold the pads in position until the glue dried so I used painters tape to hold them down and prevent them from sliding.

Next up was restringing the sectional beam. I put my raddle on the edge of the castle and then ran strings from each hook in a section up to the raddle and back to the hook and then tying it off. Afterwards I wrapped each string around the beam and hooked it on a post so they are tidy and not hanging loose.

The last and frustrating bit was hooking up the brake system. The loom has 2 beams one regular and one sectional, the regular beam has a ratchet and pawl break and the sectional has a drum/friction break.  The sectional beam was hooked up to the release pedal when the loom was moved to the house but I could not get the beam to rotate when the release pedal was depressed AND some of the eye bolts were bent and it just looked like it had been put together to hold it and not to necessarily work.  I pulled out a diagram from a Macomber document of how to setup a second beam with a drum break and how my loom is configured does not match; in the diagram the drum break is on the top beam and mine is on the bottom.  I worked on this for over an hour and could not get a functioning configuration with the sectional beam and drum brake hooked to the release pedal. ​

Then I decided to take the original pictures and I sent them to Macomber along with my questions about how do I get the drum break to work and do I need to move things around to accomplish this? I expect to hear from later next week.

In the mean time, I did work on hooking the regular beam to the release brake, and that works like a charm; there wasn't a chain long enough to do this so i used 2 small chains and a S hook in between.

Finally, using painters tape, taped the cable for the drum brake down so it isn't flopping around and I put the extra chains, eye bolts, wing nuts and springs in a bag until I can configure everything properly

Here is the final picture of the loom. I put the beater bar back on and put one of the new reeds in.
Today I am putting the new inset eye heddles on the frames and I will re-hang them. 

Having cleaned and de-schmutzed the loom last weekend - this took at least 4 hours on Saturday.
I then spent quite a bit of time working on that list, from last week, purchasing things I wanted/needed.

First I sent off a list of replacement parts I needed, to Macomber and after a few episodes of email and telephone tag, they are now ordered and paid for and should be here in a week or two. 

I then went looking for a raddle. Yes, I could make one or buy one from Macomber but I wanted to see what one would cost since, if it was a reasonable price; why not purchase it. I did some Googling and i found a 3D printed raddle that is in sections, so you can get as long or as short a length that you need. I bought 6 - 6" sections, 2 - 2.5" sections, and 2 ends for clamping it to the loom. 

Then I found beautiful turned Warp Weights, which I knew I would need eventually. I have in the past used old film canisters but these are just to sexy to pass up.

Then I went looking for a warping board but not a warping board. I did not want a warping board that is large, bulky and has to be hung on a wall or take up too much room when not in use. Since I also have a rigid heddle loom and it came with ONE warping peg, I went looking for more that I could use with a table. Lo and behold a large peg system does exist! Again, a hand crafted, made in America, maple warping peg set. This is enough to get me started but I might need a few extra single pegs for when I do a really long warp.

​Lastly I purchased insert eye heddles, which I think are better when doing rugs as the larger eyes are easier to slay and don't abrade the rug warp at all. To fund these I took ALL 2,000 flat, standard, heddles off the frames and bundled them in groups of 100; the counting and bundling took at least another 4 hours; and sold some of the on Facebook. Along the way I found 5 repair heddles, so they were set aside for if/when I need them. I sold over 600 of the flat heddle and I only purchased 100 insert eye heddles but that's enough to get me started.

Now, while I wait, I am playing with my weaving software, which I have not touched in 5 years, to plan my first project.

This past week I have started to assess the loom, below are lots of pictures of what I found and it basically comes down to this. It needs to be cleaned and only some minor work done to it.  YES, I could weave on it right now but with a wee bit of love and attention before I start any projects, would be beneficial.

NOTE: A lot of this information in the Sarah Haskell's Macomber Looms Manual, which is worth the $12.50 it costs. 

So here is what I am going to do. 

• Remove the eye bolts and springs which connect the back beam breaks to the break pedal, this is so I can open the back beam and lay it on the floor (done last weekend)
• Remove the treadle hooks and harnesses from the loom (done last weekend)
• Open the front and back beams (done last weekend)
• Remove the reed from the beater and remove the beater bar from the loom (done last weekend)
• Remove the old cotton warp from the sectional back beam (did that last weekend and it was very dust packed) 
• Remove the old tape from the treadles so they can be cleaned and washed
• Wipe down all the chains that hold the heddle harnesses and that connect the treadles to the jacks
• Wipe/wash all the wood with Murphy's Oil Soap as recommended by other Macomber loom owners
• Apply daubs of Vaseline to the jacks where the bronze bushings meet the metal rod known as the Jack post
• Apply silicone spray to the lamm and jack rods so they glide through the wood slots 
• Wipe down the break drum on the sectional beam and inspect the ratchet on the regular beam
• Remove the heddles on the 8 harnesses and set aside any bent heddles. Wipe the harnesses down, apply silicone to the harness tops and bottoms so the heddles, when put back on, glide smoothly.
• Remove the old bumper pads from the beater bar - these will be replaced with new ones
• Remove old pads from under the upper jacks each side of the castle
• Remove the skirts from the front and back beams - they are functional yet old, yellow and bordering on crumbling
• Remove the felt strip from the top and bottom grooves of the beater where the reed sits, need to confirm this with Macomber!
• Clean the 3 reeds (10, 12, 15 dent)

Then I have to order the following, probably next week:

• Bumper Pads for the beater
• Beater Handle (new to me) as the beater does not have one
• Felt strips for the reed holder in the beater
• Pads for under the upper jacks 
• Front and Rear Skirts
• New strings for the sectional beam - I may have to make these
• Wheels (new to me) as the loom does not have them and it would make moving it, for cleaning under it, easier
• Extra Treadle Hooks

Of course after I am done cleaning, I then get to put it all back together, after the replacement parts arrive, why do this twice!

There are things I need but I don't want to order just yet as they maybe given to me when the rest of the accessories are sorted by the person I bought the loom from

• Warping board
• Tension box
• Raddle, for use with the regular beam or I will make one
• Extra treadle hooks, there were only 10 in use when I bought the loom
• Handles for the drum and ratchet brakes
• Maybe get a 5 dent reed since rug warps are thicker and a finer dent reed can be abrasive!
• Insert eye heddles, I had them on my other loom and like them better for rug warps

Having had my second cuppa coffee, it is now time to start the cleaning

.I learned to weave over 15 years ago. I have had and still have several looms over the years

I learned the basics of weaving on an Ashford Knitters Loom, which is a rigid heddle type loom. 

Then I took a class at the UCSD Craft Center where I worked on a LeClerc Dorothy 4 shaft table loom and I was able to learn and explore different weave structures.

I also started to weaving at the Vista Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum, in the weaving barn. For over 5 years I wove on an LeClerc 48" wide 8 shaft, 10 treadle loom. While working on this loom I was able to learn many advanced weave structures and made may friends who were weaving in the barn.

Along the way I was given a 2 shaft Lilly table loom; I purchased a small 4 shaft 4 treadle (Dorset) floor loom which is now in Japan; and a Pioneer 16 shaft table loom but it was only 12" wide; an Ashford 36" wide 8 shaft table loom which I have been using for the past few years to make towels, place mats, shawls and more but I can't weave rugs on it as it is not wide or sturdy enough 

But deep down inside, I have always lusted after a larger floor loom and this week I realized that dream. Through a friend here, in Texas, I was able to purchase a Macomber Loom  with 8 shaft, 16 treadle that has a regular and sectional back beam. I have purchased it from the grandson of the original owner.  I have sent the serial number (from the side of the loom) to Macomber and have found out that the loom was originally made in 1958. 

Over the next weeks and or months, I have to take apart the loom to clean it and to replace some very old parts. Then I can "set it up" and plan the first project on "Mac" which may be a rug, of course.

Some of the looms I have owned, worked on and have and some of my weaving's

......... for an indefinite leave to pursue my main artistic passion.

I have many hobbies some of which are:

• Sewing (mostly clothing, some home goods,  and small stuffed dolls)
• Quilting (a specific type of sewing)
• Reading
• Knitting
• Weaving
• Cutting Cabochons (for use in my metal work)
•  And of course being a silversmith
  

Over the past years I have set a few aside because lost interest or other hobbies became more important to me.

I have not sewn a quilt in over 5 years but I have a list that is very long of ones I want to make when I get more free time (read that as RETIRE).

The tole painting I gave up due to lack of interest, my busy work schedule and new hobbies I liked more.

I started knitting so I had something else to do when I was traveling for work.  Now I mostly knit when I watch TV and yet I can set it aside for months at a time and still come back to it when the mood pushes me that way. 

When I stopped traveling over 7 years ago, I started to weave as a way to make specialty fabric blocks to add to my sewing. I then made scarves, towels, rugs, place mats and such. If it is fiber related, I most likely do it. But spinning not so much as it does not keep my brain occupied. 

I then set weaving aside because I tore my right rotator cuff and could not weave for over a year. After I went to Haystack 3 years ago, I took up weaving again.  This came about because I stopped working in metal (due to the cardiac issue I developed) I spent an entire year of Saturdays weaving at the Barn (insert link) and as my cardiac issue got under control, the metal came back into my life. I went to the barn to weave on Saturdays for almost 2 years.

Sometime last year, I cut back my time at the barn and only went every other weekend but would be there on a Saturday and a Sunday when there was a big event at the museum. 

On (most) Saturdays  and Sundays when I was not weaving, I was working on my skills as a silversmith. This was either taking a class or workshop or making a practice piece to learn a technique or refine a design or a small commissioned item.

But now, the time has come to focus on one thing.

And it is with a sad heart, I now set aside or take a long pause from going to the weaving barn (wait!  don't fret I can still weave at home!) The time has come for me to focus my energies on becoming a better Silversmith, and thus these extra days that I would have spent weaving will allow me to not only  take my skills to a new level but to finally start making items to sell online.

I will miss everyone at the Barn and if I am in the area I will swing by for a visit.

I have certainly learn a lot about weaving and have even done some weaving using silver wire and none of this would have been possible without the barn and the other volunteers there.

Don't worry, the Fiber Fiesta is on my calendar for next year. 

My sweetie-pi is a away for the weekend and so I had big plans to keep myself busy...

Last weekend I really did make it down to the barn and was able to get some weaving done. I did not get as much weaving done as i would have liked though.  

Why?? It was the second weekend of the Spring Steam Engine and Tractor show so there were many, many visitors in the weaving barn and so I was answering a lot of questions; which I don't mind doing and in some ways I actually enjoy doing. But when you have your mind set on weaving at least TWO placemats and only one gets done over 6 hours there is a bit of personal disappointment. 
Overall I did have a good time sharing what I know and explaining what I was making which in the big scheme of things is all good. 

I am also into my second week of the new project at work and not only am a developing a new application I am learning a new (for me) architecture pattern called MVC (Model-View-Controller) using Microsoft .NET. Let me say that even thought I am liking it, it is a bit frustrating since it is a major shift away from what I have been doing for the past 10 years with "traditional" software development. 

And today I did not go to the barn, again even though I had planned to. I have picked up a website build/design job from a friend so I was off at his place taking pictures to use on the website. When it is all done, THEN I shall post links to it and you can see more of my work.   

Afterwards, I went to the Volunteers For Minerals booth at the San Diego County Fair, at Del Mar and volunteered 4 hours of time helping with sales and hanging out with some of my friends.

Last week I said I was going to weave at the barn this Saturday but I did not. 
There were several factors: 

1. I had to get my car smogged and that was at 8 am which meant I would not leave for the barn until 9:30 or so. 
   
2. The Spring tractor show was happening at the Museum which means lots of interruptions and not much weaving. Mind you, I don't have an issue explaining what I am doing but considering the next item, my weaving time was important to me.
   
3. I was getting my quarterly hair cut (yup, I only cut it about every 3 months) and with that at 4pm, I had to be out of the barn at 3pm.
   

So get there some time after 1o am, spend some time catching up with friends, start weaving at 11, then leave at 3pm results in less than 4 hours of weaving, and so I decided to stay home and work on another metals project. 

At work, I started my new project this week. This project is even in a new department so I spent most of the week moving my office stuff to a new cubical in a different building. Then I had to do all sorts of paper work to move my developer account to the new computer; fill out more paperwork to get another computer for testing which I don't know when I will get; do some training for access to certain data; and then load gobs of software onto my regular development computer; and write a small requirements document for the first task.  Hopefully next week I can actually write some code cause this week the total was a fat ZERO.

For your delight, here is a picture of my new do.