My first weaving project.

[undyedyarnpire]

 I started weaving on a new rigid heddle loom I got for the holidays. My first project was a scarf, as recommended by everyone. 

This is the resulting scarf:
 

And here is the background of the project: 


I used handdyed yarn for the warp (Knitpicks Strolll "bare", dyed with food coloring.) Just the red/pink skein:  

 

The weft yarn is 2-ply handspun corriedale (fiber dyed by Spunky Eclectic for the May 2008 fiber club shipment, spun in Sept 2008, yarn named "Rose Rot"):
  

This is how it looked in progress. The paper underneath the loom is the standard 8.5x11, placed for scale.



  

Now I am attempting to form the 8" by 48" strip of woolly fabric into a bag. I have seen the Doni's Deli bag, bags from placemats, and come up with a theoretical diagram myself. But I am having a lot of trouble envisioning how it would work. There is not a really good way to just keep it as a scarf because the corriedale yarn is extremely harsh after weaving (not like corriedale is especially nice anyway. I have no idea why it got popular since it is the same price as something better. My opinion, obviously.)  I wrote a whole post talking about this, but I have interfacing, lining fabric, a sewing machine, and someone with sewing skills who can help me. (The sewing machine scares me.)


So, since no one else has posted anything here yet, let me say that I will gratefully accept any and all praise. I realize this is not the polished work of a professional weaver. I realize it's effing pink. But I think it came out completely awesome and it would be great to hear from people who agree with that.

However, if you have practical suggestions on either the weaving, the process of the weaving (which was horrid and so unenjoyable that I am considering selling my loom),  or on how to actually build a bag from a tiny piece of fabric.

Comments

[thistleingrey]

I like the greens (looks like green, anyway) coming in amidst the pink hues. Congratulations on attempting and completing something in a new-to-you type of craft.

[weaverbird]

That scarf *is* awesome! An impressive first effort! Your beat looks nice and even, and your selvedges are very good for a beginner. Well done! You should be proud. *g*

Sorry the process wasn't enjoyable, but I urge you to try at least one more warp before you get serious about selling your loom. You have plenty of experience handling yarn (judging from your photostream). Because of that, I am guessing that the weaving-specific skills needed to make warping and weaving fun will develop quickly. Remember your first skein of handspun? (Mine was lumpy and wildly overspun, but oh, I was so proud of it!) Or the first time you tried to, say, do a skein of Navajo three-ply? Weaving is like that; once you get the muscle memory it becomes a breeze.

As for the bag, I think that the method used for the placemat (with the box bottom) will work very well for shaping the body (leaving out the fussy tabs she uses for her handles). Then you can split the remainder of the fabric in half lengthwise, join it end to end, line it and have a nice long strap, which you can sew to the short sides of the bag body and have a nifty shoulder bag, without wasting a single square inch of your precious handspun/handwoven. If you have trouble picturing what I'm describing, let me know and I'll hunt up some images to illustrate what I mean.

[nashira]

I think it's pretty good! I like weaving but only have cardboard looms to do it on. Handmade looms can make for wonky fabric sometimes. xD