Leigh's Fiber Journal

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Treadle Tie-Up From the Top For My Glimakra: Resources

As much as I love weaving on my countermarch loom, tying up the lamms and treadles is a real pain. Or at least it's extremely uncomfortable as it involves crawling around on the floor and contorting to connect everything in the right pattern. So when I ran across a video series on how to tie up a countermarch loom easily from the top, I was immediately interested. This post is to list whatever resources I found on how to do it.

The first resource an article by Kati Meeks in the October 2017 issue of Complex Weaver's Journal. I found back issues available on the Complex Weavers website, and ordered a copy. This is the article that started the system.

Next is a link to a blog post at Jean Elizabeth Studio:

Top O’ The Lamms Tie-up

The loom used is a Glimakra, like mine, and the post contains a lot of good how-to information.

And here is a list of videos from Jean Elizabeth Studio. These were made to clarify the blog post:

Top O' The Lamm Tie Up for Countermarch

Top O' The Lamm Tie Up for Countermarch Part 2

Correction for markings on Texsolv for Top O' The Lamm Tie Up for Countermarch

More Top O' The Lamm Tie-Up and Sleying the Reed

Also, I found a few more pictures at:

Kay Faulkner's blog, A convenient treadle tie up method for countermarche looms

Kati Meeks blog, I am re-draw-loomed And having a blast!

So that's what I have to work with for instructions. If I find additional resources, I'll add them too.

Friday, May 02, 2025

More Spring Color Palettes

Spring will soon give way to summer, so here are several late spring color palettes.

Redbud

Redbud color palette

periwinkle

periwinkle color palette

blue flag iris

blue flag iris color palette

Japanese maple

Japanese maple color palette

honeysuckle

honeysuckle color palette

by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal

Nature's Color Palettes: Spring Colors

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Stuck In Indecision

There are several factors involved here:

Spring. So many seasonal chores on the homestead: garden prep, planting, kidding, haying, spring cleaning, getting ready for new chicks. Plus maintenance jobs that are best done before the hot summer weather arrives, such as giving the barn a new coat of paint.
Being able to weave on the Glimakra is up in the air due to Dan saying he needs to get started on that project in the room, but not actually getting started. It will be a dusty, messy affair, so I'm reluctant to get a warp on that loom, even though there are some wider 8-shaft projects I'd like to get started on.
A non-related research project, which is taking a lot of my free time but needs to be done.

That leaves the table loom. Choices:

I talked about doing some early American overshot samples, but can't make up my mind on a pattern. Plus I can't find navy blue wool yarn locally, which hasn't helped in the enthusiasm department.
Bathroom rug, which I've been thinking about forever (or so it seems). My t-shirt rag rug attempt wasn't satisfactory, so I've abandoned that. But I have yet to find an idea that I really like.

So in the meantime, I'm doing some mending and hand sewing, all the while thinking I'd rather be weaving.

by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal

Tuesday, April 01, 2025

The Runner Rug Is Done

This was a tie-on project, using the remnants of the warp for the Dornik Herringbone throw rug. I used the same yarns to coordinate with the throw rug, but I wove this one plain weave instead of as a herringbone twill.

The stripes were created by tying green yarn at the beginning and end of each threading section

So green was tied onto adjacent 8 and 4 threads (both even) and the 1 and 5 (both odd). In plain weave, all even numbered shafts lift together and all odd numbered shafts lift together. So the green ends look doubled in the fabric. Sounds complicated using words, but it was really pretty simple.

Yarns: 4-ply cotton
Structure: plain weave
Finished size: 23" by 68" excluding fringe

Eventually, it will go beside my Glimakra. I say eventually because my husband has a major renovation project going on in that room, so except for the weaving I manage to get done, the room is pretty much out of commission!

by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal

Coordinating Runner on the Dornik Herringbone Threading

Runner Rug: Glimakra Warped and Header Reveal

Quick Update on the Runner Rug

Friday, March 21, 2025

Nature's Color Palettes: Spring Colors

It's funny because I always used to think of natural colors as being muted and subtle. With flowers, however, this is not the case! As you can see with these color palettes.