January crafting update and February goals
Feb. 1st, 2026 06:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
unicorndukeJanuary crafting goals
Coat progress, I attempted to use the buttonhole setting on my sewing machine and it did so badly on this wool. It just did an absolutely trash job. Not really its fault, the wool is really thick. So I'm sewing them by hand using Vincent Brigg's tutorial here. I need to figure out what color yarn I'm going to use for the stitches and then I'll be on my way with those.
Weaving! I got my loom into my crafting room with only one assist needed from my mom to lift the loom into the back of my truck. I was only to get it onto the porch and into the house all by myself. I left the previous project partially on the loom so I can just tie the next project directly on and can draw it through the heddles and reed without having to re-thread them. It is a time saver if I were faster at tying, which I've finally gotten there I think. The weavers knot takes some practice to do fast. I did run out of the green yarn, so I substituted two sections of gold on either side. My tension on this will be atrocious, so I'll have to weight a bunch of the warp but it's wool and I'm willing to work with it so it should be okay.
Decorations! My crafting room is now fairly organized, I'm getting used to the things I need to move around or change to use my sewing table and things. But I'm very pleased with it. I started hanging some art, very slowly using command strips. I figured this would be the best way to actually make sure things were secure instead of trying to put nails or screws into the plaster and lathe which only works so so. I won't say I'm great at hanging art, I tend to do functional rather than beautiful. But it is on the walls and that's what matters. The loom is pulled forward right now so I can work on the back of it, so I shuffled things around so I can use my sewing table where my crafting chair is. It's all a little cramped for my taste, but I'm hoping I can work through some of the backlog of things sitting around. Like, there's some fiber sitting around to be spun or processed that won't fit on the shelves. Things like that.
February goals
- finish weaving yarn inventory - spreadsheet already set up and entry started - entry all done except for two cones that I found well after the fact and still need to enter
- get loom into crafting room - done! and started putting a project on it already
- spin! and ply the two things I've got languishing - I have been spinning, but no finishes. I've done three bobbins and almost done with the fourth of the big spin on my CPW. Also been working on spindle projects
- knit the sweater, maybe try and finish it? I've got two crochet projects that I want to make - ugh, I was making progress on this until I hurt my finger
- finish the coat?!?!?! - okay, this was ambitious, but I'm now working on buttonholes, so I'm getting clsoe
- hang some art on the crafting room walls - hung three pieces of art!
- other - wound an 8 yard warp and have been tying it onto the previous warp that I left on there so I can just pull it through the heddles and reed. My tensioning sucks on this warp, so I'll have a lot of adjustments to make. But I'm mostly done tying on and I'm getting very good at the knot.
Coat progress, I attempted to use the buttonhole setting on my sewing machine and it did so badly on this wool. It just did an absolutely trash job. Not really its fault, the wool is really thick. So I'm sewing them by hand using Vincent Brigg's tutorial here. I need to figure out what color yarn I'm going to use for the stitches and then I'll be on my way with those.
Weaving! I got my loom into my crafting room with only one assist needed from my mom to lift the loom into the back of my truck. I was only to get it onto the porch and into the house all by myself. I left the previous project partially on the loom so I can just tie the next project directly on and can draw it through the heddles and reed without having to re-thread them. It is a time saver if I were faster at tying, which I've finally gotten there I think. The weavers knot takes some practice to do fast. I did run out of the green yarn, so I substituted two sections of gold on either side. My tension on this will be atrocious, so I'll have to weight a bunch of the warp but it's wool and I'm willing to work with it so it should be okay.
Decorations! My crafting room is now fairly organized, I'm getting used to the things I need to move around or change to use my sewing table and things. But I'm very pleased with it. I started hanging some art, very slowly using command strips. I figured this would be the best way to actually make sure things were secure instead of trying to put nails or screws into the plaster and lathe which only works so so. I won't say I'm great at hanging art, I tend to do functional rather than beautiful. But it is on the walls and that's what matters. The loom is pulled forward right now so I can work on the back of it, so I shuffled things around so I can use my sewing table where my crafting chair is. It's all a little cramped for my taste, but I'm hoping I can work through some of the backlog of things sitting around. Like, there's some fiber sitting around to be spun or processed that won't fit on the shelves. Things like that.
February goals
- hang up more art
- weave!
- finish coat?
- spin - finish the big project? ply and clear some bobbins, I need to free some up for big spin.
- Knit sweater
- fix blanket that my aunt wants me to fix, big problem is that none of the yarn I can find will color match it and it is 50 years old.
