Weaving!

I have also been weaving in my spare time on my new/used Kircher Rigid Heddle Loom!  I had to watch a few youtube videos on how to warp a Rigid Heddle Loom and since this is an old loom manufactured in Germany, the instructions they make available on their website are all in German.  Unfortunately I don't speak any German but luckily I was able to figure out a workable warping method.  Warp refers to the vertical strands that create the length of the woven object.  The Weft refers to the strands that create the width of the fabric.

Here I am stringing the warp through the Heddle to the end of the table where I have clamp to wrap the warp around.

After all the strands of warp are threaded through the Heddle, you cut through the loop of all the strands that are wrapped around the clamp and you wind up all the warp on the opposite end of the loom.

As you can see above, I have wound the warp on the end of the loom and then turned it around so the cut ends are facing me.   There are 2 strands running through each slot on the Heddle, you have to remove the top strand and thread it through the tiny hole to the left of it's partner.  Do this will every single one, this is quite time consuming!

When this is done, you create groups of threads and tie a knot in them, you can then thread a spare piece of yarn through the middle of the threads and the knot will hold it in place while you attach it to the front beam of the loom. See below:

You can adjust the tension of the warp threads by tightening or loosening the string.  I will post some more pics of the actual weaving a little later and I will show how to finish the piece so that it looks nice on the ends.  Happy Crafting!!

Pond Update!

We got a break in the rain recently which allowed me to work on my pond addition!  Now last year, my son and I dug about 70% of the new pond and this summer I made it a bit bigger. I added some levels, opened the wall of the original pond created a channel between the two ponds and put in an upper pond which will be the waterfall.  It has been terribly exhausting and I realized that I can't dig and lift big rocks for 4 and a half hours and not pay for it later!  So I think this will be the last addition to my pond as I doubt I will have the strength and energy in another 8 years!  While this project isn't complete it is pretty close, so here are some pictures.  Here is the upper and lower levels of my original pond that I put in about 8 years ago.

 Below you can see the lower level of the original pond and the upper and lower of the new pond directly behind.

 You can see that we lined the pond with old carpeting.  This makes the best underlayment as it is flexible, doesn't decompose and protects the flexible liner from roots, rocks and burrowing animals.

 The upper pond did not come with a built in fall so we will have to create one.

The liner is in, and as it fills you add rocks and you trim the extra liner away when you are all done placing the rocks.  I have a lot of rocks to place, a new waterfall to build, and the old waterfall which has been leaking the last couple years will be dismantled and rebuilt as well.

As you can see rocks have been removed exposing the old liner which will have to be removed and replaced.  I have a lot of work to do!!!  I keep telling myself how pretty it will be when it is done and how I will never make the pond bigger again!!!  For now I am taking a break from this project for a little while and I will post pics later as it progresses!