Make your own Loom - 7 September 2022

by Lily Kamas

What are you setting out to do?

I was a bit worried about the beginning of this project because I had to miss class on 8/31 due to a medical appointment (#bonegraft).

For this experiment, I have collected some different types of book weaver's (bookmark, chopstick. I also chose my book, and it is the most recent book I've read, called "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k" by Mark Manson. I traveled to Art Parts in Boulder, Colorado, to acquire some donated yarn. I gathered a multi-colored blue cotton yarn, a shiny crimped white yarn, and a multi-thread purple yarn cluster.

Process Notes

It's critical to make observations and take time while you are exploring materials and techniques. We want to submit a collection (at least three, but more are welcome) of your notes on the process. Each note should include a photo and observation or idea that emerged. I tried to figure out the proper technique, especially since I have long nails. Eventually, I used an extra thick needle and tweezers to help pick up each warp. After setting everything up, I started wefting with this beautiful purple yarn. After an inch, I added some multi-colored blue yarn to tie everything together.

tying the loom onto the book
threading the ruler through the wefts
purple threading
blue added threading

I was also trying a few new types of documentation during this project, including the use of a tri-pod, artifical lighting and using time-lapse/gif content.

Book Loom Process Images & GIFS

Reflection

I enjoyed this project from the get-go, especially sourcing the materials. Going to Art Parts was a super fun experience, and I embodied the book's purpose by choosing materials that made me the most excited to work with, regardless of their texture, color, or shape. I struggled initially because I needed to use suitable materials to move the loom, which made it difficult to pick up the correct set of warps. Not all of my wefts were perfect, but it still looked quite lovely, espeically the purple bundled yarn strands. With the purpose of the book on my mindset, I focused embracing the process instead of focusing on the imperfections. If I had more time on this assignment, I would want to try more weaving patterns, but I was more focused on the structure of the loom and how the mechanics worked. I will be excited to see pre-made looms, that are explicitly made for weaving and not reading :-)

Thank you for reading my response! If you wish to see my other projects for Experimental Textiles, click here!

P.S. I will update the css as soon as possible I apologize for the poor formatting