Shuttle shelves and intensive weavers

I’ve just hosted a delightful intensive Saori class with two weavers from Queensland.  It was a long planned weavers road trip to my Old Bar studio. Three full days of discovery and tactile delights. Their ideas and approaches to cloth already primed in thinking the Saori way.

Both weavers came with some weaving experience but not with floor looms of this type. Both were spinners so knew the secret ways of yarn and how to work with it in any medium.  I think that spinning experience is an added step up for new weavers. Often spinners turn to weaving after several years in an effort to use their yarn creations beyond what knitting and crochet offer.

Denise made a Saori hat then bought a loom to match it!

Pam got straight in to weave a Quesquimitl with the most unusual colour combination of carbon greys, bitter oranges and a greyed green.

We also attached the Saori shuttle shelf to the loom. This is quite the weavers tool. Attaches to the loom in minutes and supports the shuttle at each side and provides the ultimate shuttle race extender. Very nice to use. It changes the way you hold your hand to throw the shuttle. Normally you hold the edge of the shuttle with your fingers but with the shelf you have a flat hand to push it from side to side. The shelf has a stopper to prevent the shuttle falling off when you use the beater.

Here is a short video showing how it works. Pam is paying particular attention to each row before beating due to draw in but this isn’t always necessary depending or yarn/shuttle use etc. It is surprisingly comfortable to use.

A warm thank you to both Denise and Pam for brightening the studio in weaves and ideas.