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Wednesday, January 20, 2016

The Loom is in the House!

Oh, the thrill.
I found this gem in a thrift shop a couple years ago.
She was marked reasonably and everything in the store 
happened to be 1/2 off that day.
So I thought for about a minute - really maybe a whole minute.
I was driving the pickup that day for whatever reason.
It was fate:)
She has sat in the shop for a couple years, and
every so often, I would take the shop-vac to her.
 She was dirty and tangled when I brought her in.
I took the vacuum to her as well as a lot of 'Old English.'
I cut strings that were binding.
What is on her now is a rag rug that was started at some point in her life.
I just left it on there so I can take mental notes as I remove it all.
I have met one or two nice folks who have offered to help me learn
how to get her set up for weaving.
I have been asked what kind of loom she is and other questions about her
that I have no idea how to answer.
After cleaning her thoroughly,
I can still find no makers name plate or stamp anywhere.
If someone can tell me what I have,
please leave me a comment.
As long as she works properly, it really doesn't matter to me,
but it would sure be nice to know.
There is now a whole slough of words and verbiage I need to learn.
petals, rutter, appendix etc. haha
I do know I will need different shuttles that what came with her so
again any suggestions as to which ones are preferred would be welcome.
Any words of advise will be greatly appreciated.
I am anxious to see what kind of tangled mess I can weave now.
Of course now, all kinds of projects come to mind that I can make 
in all that spare time I have.
I needed another hobby like I need a hole in my head.
But I suppose, when we quit learning, we quit living - right?

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches



22 comments:

  1. I have no words or advice, but I do think that's really cool! What an awesome find!

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  2. I am sure you will have great fun learning to use this sorry I can`t help you with advice but I am sure there are others who can

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  3. Watch at the craft fairs for folks who have one set up. OR, ask a member of any craft guild members that you may have in your area. Also, here's a link that might be useful: http://www.woolery.com/store/pc/Weaving-Looms-c8.htm?gclid=CKab0Zj_uMoCFYU9aQodJosEWw

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  4. Congratulations! It is a beauty and you are going to truly enjoy her... I have a table loom but I have yet to use it :( mari

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  5. I have no advice I am afraid, but it is just interesting for me to see, as the people who built our house were weavers, and the original (metal) loom was still here when we moved in. Sadly it was out in the garden, and very rusty/ broken, but it is nice to think of the history here. Thank you for sharing your photos :-)

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  6. I love those kind of amazing thrift store finds!
    Good luck with your projects :)

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  7. Wow - I have always wanted one of those! When I was a little girl, I remember my friend's mother had one in the basement and worked on it quite often! Funny thing; I'm not sure I remember seeing anything she actually made! Anyway, I will be very interested to see what you do with the loom - please post pictures! Thanks!

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  8. I found a spinning wheel at a thrift shop once and it was in perfect condition. I am always on the lookout for a loom like yours...I hope you figure it out.
    Thanks for sharing on the Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop!
    http://oursimplelife-sc.com/simple-homestead-blog-hop-35/

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  9. The only thing I can tell you is that it is a floor loom. There must be a spinners/weavers guild near you, or you can Google for one. Interweave is a magazine dedicated to weaving. Also, you can contact Paradise Fibers and they will help you identify your beauty. They also sell looms so you can look at their pictures. I am a novice weaver on a rigid heddle table loom. Good luck to you and please keep us posted.

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  10. Oh I want to come over to your house!!! I took 3 years of weaving in college. I have a fine arts degree and spent half of my 4 years in the weaving-room at my university.

    I asked for a loom for a wedding gift 22 years ago & never got one.

    Have a blast - I'm tellin' you a loom is a time vampire. You will sit down and the next thing you know it will have been 6 hours. So fun!!!

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  11. it is a 4 harness loom?
    but there are 6 pedals, maybe for weaving in designs?

    go to harrisville designs website. they may have the info needed.

    basic weaving book --get a few through interlibrary loan to find one you like.
    make sure the books are about four harness floor looms.

    p.s. i would take more than 'mental' notes.
    take pictures, notes, and sketches.

    daughter tells me it folds up for easy threading.
    hers doesn't fold and she crawls underneath to thread, but her loom is all that could be afforded at the time.

    any shuttle will do. boat shuttles are easier to use but stick shuttles will do. stick are okay for narrow cloth since they are not going a long distance.

    can use folded cardboard for a stick shuttle. good for weaving belts.

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  12. I can't help, but I am so happy for you! What a treasure! Before long you will know all the verbiage and be using it to help another newbie. Congratulations on the new journey!

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  13. Oh that's an amazing find!!! And it looks beautiful next to your quilt covered couch!!!

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  14. It looks very much like a Schacht Wolf loom, although I don't think it actually is. I agree that it would be nice to know the brand, but it's better that it works! Very excited for you on that score.

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  15. That is an amazing piece. I wish you much happiness and future creativity!

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  16. What a neat find! Unfortunately, I have no information to offer! :)

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  17. It may be a LeClerc loom. Does it have any information on the sides or bottom. Whatever it is, it's a lovely piece.
    I would ask at a local shop or your weaving guild.

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  18. What a wonderful find! It's beautiful. Thanks for sharing on the Homestead Blog Hop!

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  19. My father built a similar size loom for my mother many years ago. He was amazing with woodworking. I remember using it to weave some small projects like runners and table mats (I was about 12 then). When we moved it went into storage and was never used again. It was finally sold when they retired and no longer had a garage to keep it. It was a sad day. I hope someone like you got it to enjoy. - Margy

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