Learning to Weave

Many years ago, I bought a loom. I don't remember the particulars of how we got it home, but it somehow ended up in one of the rooms of my parents house, assembled but lying fallow. 

The first practice weaving we did in class.

Shortly after this, I moved to upstate NY to live with my sister Heather, and I didn't bring the loom with me. 

It eventually got dis-assembled, and I assumed I might never learn how to weave, though I wished to. 

It wasn't until I got married that I began to have hope. Nick would often mention weaving to me, and how exciting it would be to set up my loom someday. 

I still wasn't sure how this would ever happen, but then a local yarn shop, Heindselman's (which has been in business since 1904) offered a weaving class, and I signed up. It started in September. We did a couple of practice pieces, then selected materials for our final project! 

our second project.

I have recently finished my final project, and wore it today for the first time. 

setting up the loom is the hard part!

My teacher will be helping me set up the loom - again at my parents house - and she's also going to teach me how to weave overshot. So watch this space for a further post about weaving. Both Nick's great-great grandmother, my great-aunt and uncle on my dad's side, and my sister Heather used the overshot method, and I will be sharing more about that in my next post. 

working on my shawl

twisting the tassels at the end

Nick and I went out today to take pictures. It was such a beautiful, windy autumn day. Autumn has lingered all month, and I am so grateful for that. Winter is coming, and there was a hint of that in the cold breeze and the gray sky. But there are still so many trees full of their autumn glory, and it was beautiful to be out on such a beautiful day. 

Look at these yellow leaves!

A closer view of my shawl.