Last month I opened my garage aka studio in the Cheshire Open Studios Event.
During the open studio, a visitor asked about a bigger rug, how large a rug could I weave? The loom has a max weaving width of 1.2m, which fortunately is pretty well as wide as my arms will reach with a rug shuttle. With no delay (or with only a few weeks delay to restock on warp and weft yarn) a 4’x6′ is now under way. The scaling up in terms of materials is quite scary, the amount of warp and weft scale with the area of the rug, so the increase from standard 3’x5′ goes from 15 sq.ft. to 24 sq.ft., ie more than half as much again.
Weaving is now well under way (24″ woven so far) and I’m pleased with the progress of this rug even though it has stretched myself and the loom to the maximum. (I’ve laid in the edge warp threads outside the reed to get the last half inch of width and have brought out 2 long metal bars as tie on rods. I rarely use these, but need them here for both the extra width and strength. Luckily, the new temple that I bought last year will extend to 48″ with ease. The rug is nominally to be 6′ but golden ratio would suggest that 6’6″ will be a more pleasing, I’ll have a think when I get near the end.
Update 16/11/2012 …. 54″ done, target 72″ to 78″ … must do better (had a lot of weekend events getting in the way, but may get it off the loom for finishing this weekend).
Just a final note that occurred to me after the Open Studio Event. A music forum that I follow has been have a discussion of the difference between a violin and a fiddle. One answer was £500. I have been considering the difference between art and craft (see my previous Art Yarn Blog) and after visiting the Open Studio’s Exhibition in Frodsham, I think that the same definition applies. The difference between Art and Craft is about £500!