Thursday, June 5, 2014

Newbie, newcomer or rookie = learning experience

Oh the joys of learning something new.  I have been so in love with my loom and the weaving, I have loved the whole process, and even though I have made a major blunder, I still do.  You see I was not thinking about fiber content with my last project.  The solid purple yarn, that left over yarn from my sweater had a bit of a slippery quality to it.  The weaving yarn is a wool/acrylic blend.  The two were not going to mix and I had the misfortune of learning this at the very end of my shawl.  

I wove the whole shawl, really paying attention to the sides, trying hard to make them straight.  I had better success with the sides than with my second scarf, but still need to work on this.  The thing about this shawl is I wove it too loose.  I knew it, the whole time I was working on it, but I kept going.  I feel a bit like Goldilocks, too tight, too loose and I am not at the just right part yet.

After finishing the shawl I was taking it off the loom when disaster struck.  The woven part of the shawl pulled and completely came apart.  Here have a look.


Look at this mess, the fibers were pulled all whacky and they just could not be fixed.


However, my sides are looking better so that is something! I have to focus on something good here.
 

This is the beginning of the project, see how it is supposed to look!
 

Ah well, live and learn.  I painstakingly tried to unravel the piece, but I soon found that if I pulled the long, purple warp threads out, two by two, I could save my fancy colored yarn.  There was going to be a casualty to this experiment and the purple yarn was it.


It was actually kind of fun to pull this all apart, I know I have a warped sense of fun (no pun intended).


So this is what I had at the end.  A big pile of purple yarn that was all chopped up and ready for the trash bin, and saved Berocco Lace yarn ready to be used again. 

I am not upset, this really was a learning experience for me.  Just like knitting or crochet, every project teaches you something and hopefully you can remember that something and not make the same mistake twice.  I have learned more about using two yarns with different fiber contents, learned more about the how loose or tight I like to weave, and of course what happens when the yarn snags at the end of the project, not a pretty or fixable outcome. And last but not least I have learned how to dismantle a project to save some yarn, even though I wasted a whole lot of other yarn. 

My plan for this afternoon is to warp another project.  Lucky for me I enjoy the process.

I want to thank Tracey Yarn and Pencil for a lovely award.  I appreciate you thinking about me Tracey.  I am honored.

Oh and Craftsy is having a big 50% off sale.  I just bought my second weaving class for $14.99.  You might find a class over there you might want to take at a very reasonable price.

Have a great day.

41 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's a shame it didn't work out. The mix of colors was beautiful.

You and I have a similar feeling about crafting, I think. No sense being upset about what doesn't work. Go find something that does. Sure does take the stress off a project.

My current yarn is teaching me a lot. Mostly it is teaching me to be more selective at the store. ;-)

Home Meadows said...

You have a great attitude about your "leaning experience". The yarn color combinations were very pretty. Hope you and your family are doing great! Heather

kathyinozarks said...

I was just going to suggest hand washing and drying first to see if that would help. and they I saw the piles of yarn-lol
it is always good to learn from something though-I do stuff like this all the time

kathyinozarks said...

oh my-did you unravel it while it was still on the loom? it will go better that way should you need to again-I have taken whole areas out while on the loom cause I messed up the pattern or my edges went in too much.
I was wondering if it had been hand washed first if it would have fixed it a bit too-but learning is part of the fun-otherwise we wouldn't grow-have fun I am making some soap this morning while waiting for this huge storm to move in

kathyinozarks said...

(delete this one and my first one Meredith-I was thinking that blogger ate my comment -lol its been doing that sometimes lately

kristieinbc said...

You are a good sport! And you're right about the sides - they look terrific. I think this is the dividing line between crafters and non-crafters. The ones who stick with it are the ones who are willing to move past mistakes and keep trying.

Karen said...

I admire your patience. I'm not so patient about ripping out seams, or doing things over again. I need to try to see it from your point of view! I do love the colors in this project.

Stitchy Mc Floss said...

Oh no! But I am glad you were able to save the Berocco Lace yarn...it's yummy!

I think your sides look perfect....and big deal it came undone..it's only yarn...and besides, you learn from your mistakes so it truly was a valuable lesson.

Hugs to you sweet friend. :)

Vera said...

Hi Meredith, I have to say your attitude is great! I probably would have thrown the entire shawl into the trash, but you managed to save the beautiful lace yarn and look at the whole thing as a learning experience! I'm going to tell my friend (who just starting weaving in the past year or so) to check out your blog -- she will appreciate your attitude for sure! Good luck with your warping this afternoon. Looking forward to seeing your next project.

CJ said...

It's a learning process, I'm glad you're enjoying it and that you saved your good wool. I'll look forward to seeing what you make next. CJ xx

Jennifer Hays said...

I love your attitude, Meredith. You're doing so great with this new craft. You'll get there soon and you'll be an old pro before you know it.

Acorn to Oak said...

I think it looked great! There are ways to fix that. OR You can always sew a line down the end, cut it, fold it over and sew the end safely inside. You can use the handwoven fabric for things like tote bags too. Plus, if it's a natural fiber, washing might snug everything in (not that end but the rest of it). Maybe beating a little tighter will help next time. But, seriously, I think it looked great! So happy you're having fun with it. :-D

byhooks4u said...

oh darn!!!

Stins said...

Trial and error... Also my way of learning ...
But I am impressed anyway! A little bit tighter and its perfect! Good luck with the next try, love from Mirjam.

Between Me and You said...

Oh but Meredith, it looked just fine and dandy to me but then again, I can't weave! Such a shame to waste all that beautiful yarn but we all have to suffer for our craft. I've made loads of mistakes with my dresses which I'm making but they are only known to me so I think I can get away with it and I have learned some lessons along the way so next project should be perfect!Good Luck with yours. xxx

Carla from The River said...

You sure do have a good attitude about it and that is what really counts. :-)
I am excited to see how your next projects turns out.
Carla

kathy b said...

Atta girl YOu life long learner you. !!! So glad you have a great attitude. I thought it was lovely before it imploded Mere

Mrs. C said...

Oh Meredith! My heart sank when i saw you ripped the whole shawl out! Sometimes the ends will get a little wacky... you could have sewn a row across the bottom to hold the yarns in place.... oh well... live and learn... your sides looked marvelous! If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again... :)

Betsy said...

what I have to tell myself, sometimes over and over again, it's the process, not the product. Although, don't get me wrong, the product is pretty nice too! I love the colors in your loomed piece. Purple is my absolute favorite of all colors and I'm sad it's destined for the garbage bin.

I'm so happy that you're enjoying your new loom Meredith.
Blessings,
Betsy

Gracie Saylor said...

You know, I am sitting here on a shaded deck in CA. The warm air is wafting by. The flowers and trees are waving to me, and at the moment I can hear the wind rustling the tree leaves, the hum of traffic on a nearby road and the chirp of a few birds celebrating the day as I am. I am feeling mellow and philosophical and appreciating your report of your latest learning experience :) I think that although I can give up in frustration on whatever creative process I am trying to complete, I sometimes appreciate the experience you have illustrated so beautifully, learning through trial and error. Thanks for posting and prompting me to remember the goodness in the creative process even when cut or tangled yarn is part of the result, Meredith! xx

Teresa Kasner said...

Oh darn it.. but you are practicing and that is good. I asked Kristi if she'd seen my little looms and she said she had to put a bunch of stuff in the attic and can't get back in there now. Hopefully we can get in there soon. I look forward to your next weaving.
((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Lynne said...

I admire your stick-to-it-ness. There's going to be a lot of pretty shawls and scarves coming off that loom.
Way to save the lace yarn!
Lynne

Judy S. said...

Sorry about the catastrophe, but at least you were able to salvage some of it (the prettiest yarn) and learned something in the process. It sure looked pretty during its brief existence!

RedSetter said...

What a pity but you have a great spirit of adventure to learn and make it right. I must admit the first didn't look too bad to me but I know that feeling if it isn't perfect then it would only annoy you.

My Garden Diaries said...

You are so right...it is in the process that we learn! And I must say that it was just beautiful!!! I can not wait to see the next one friend! Nicole xoxo

Susanne Tyree said...

We live and learn by mistakes, so you are right to not be too hard on yourself and to just carry on. Sorry I have been out in left field with blogging here lately. Thank you for being faithful to come visit me in spite of my absence. I plan to back track and read what else you have been doing. It may take me a few days but I will get it done.
Have a good weekend,
Susanne :)

mamasmercantile said...

Such a shame it didn't work out as planned. The colour mix was beautiful and I have to say it didn't look to bad to me. Better luck next time.

Elisabeth said...

It's such a shame your project didn't turn out as you'd hoped. It looked lovely, the colors you'd chosen are so cute! With crafting we often have to have a diaster happen in a project to learn how to do it right, don't we? Great save on the yarn by the way :) xx

Anonymous said...

I am just absolutely loving the weavings! :) Even if it did have to be unraveled. It looks peaceful, the process, just gorgeous Mere.

linda said...

Well it looked fine to me but what do I know, like you say it's all part of the learning process and I think trial and error is good it's the only way of learning, those knitted blocks I'm doing always need pulling back a couple of times before the penny drops. You will get it perfect in the end Meredith, I applaud your patience. :)

Unknown said...

I admire you so much, Meredith, every challenge in life, you face it with positivity and an open mind, from big life-changing situations to super-creative new passions. This weaving amazes me, even the mistakes are fascinating! I am going to enjoy watching your progress! Chrissie x

Toni said...

Oh my goodness!!! And it looked so lovely. Remind me to quit whining about knitting projects that go bad--at least they can be salvaged pretty easily.

Still, it's another learning opportunity, right?

Terriea Kwong said...

Weaving is interesting. I learnt a session and made two not long but quite special mixed yarn scarfs with a Japanese Saori loom. We learnt by mistakes then come perfect.

Kaiya said...

Your weaving looked so beautiful - it's too bad that the yarns didn't work with each other! I was terrified that the "pulling-apart" picture would lead to a huge, tangled mess. And I admire your cheerful, philosophical take on learning from mistakes.

Anonymous said...

I admire your patience and i love your attitude,,,,

gaia said...

This is what I like about learning new things; the result might not be good but you know that next time it will be better...Have as lovely day...Gaia.

Suzan said...

It looks lovely to me!! But you are correct - you have to make mistakes to learn!! I know the next will be better!! Though you can't improve on the color - only the technique!!

Tammy said...

I'm with all the above ... you definitely could have saved the shawl, but too late for that. I guess you wouldn't have been happy if you had done anything to try and make it work. You would have always felt it wasn't quite right. Gosh girl, you've got patience. I might have tossed the whole thing. Or would have felt guilty and would have thrown it in a drawer to be dealt with ... never. :) Ha! Hugs, Tammy

Lori Lynn said...

Well, I thought the original was beautiful! But I understand your learning experience :) On another note, I just ordered a spinning class from Craftsy!!!! On to my new learning experience.

Joyful said...

I do like your attitude about learning to weave. I think it is the right attitude to have otherwise learning is no fun!

Rose Red said...

Oh no! What a shame after all that work. At least you were able to recover some of the yarn, thank goodness.