This is a tale from my long and sordid past. When I was a mere twenty-something, I fancied myself to be quite the crafter. I dabbled in everything: tatting, embroidery, crewel, knitting, and it was the hey day of my sewing years.
The other day I was reading Yarn Harlot and had a total flash back — the post was about loom weaving. OMG! I remembered that I own a loom!! I have owned a loom for decades, but have never even taken the bloomin’ thing out of the box:
You can see that the box has suffered many moves over the years and yet the loom itself is brand new…untouched as it were.
Why has it not been removed from the box, you might ask? This:
“Owners of Natural Erica Looms should apply a finish before assembly.” Okay, then, buh bye!! I shut that box so fast it would make your head spin and I have not opened it since!! The thought of sanding and varnishing and whatever else just turned me completely off from weaving. They are out of production but available here and there — someone else bought “my” loom at a garage sale for $5!!!
My fantasy about weaving was that I would knit a sweater and then weave fabric to make a matching skirt ala Harris Tweed. Oh, well. Maybe I’ll get it out someday and actually put it together, but for now, back in the box, Erica (“No, no, not the box!!”).
I’m with you. Those directions would have scared me off a loom, too. And for years I’ve thought how lovely it would be to own a loom. But not one I have to *gulp* varnish!
Comment by Valerie — December 12, 2009 @ 6:32 pm
lol…ya know, I have that same loom. I purchased it in 1976. I actually finished mine. I loved weaving so much that I went on to becoming a weaver.. actually got a college degree in textiles and ended up buying a 64″ double warm beam countermarche Swedish loom…here I am at age 53 still have those looms but guess where they are….completely collasped and stored in a closet….I think about returning to weaving….but knitting is so much easier! 🙂
Comment by Candace — December 12, 2009 @ 7:27 pm
Hand-knit sweater with hand-woven skirt to match? Awesome! Except for the skirt part — haven’t worn one of those in the winter in decades. Srsly.
But I am being tempted by La Harlot’s weaving, too, and I used to have a table loom similar to yours. Wonder where it is…
Comment by kmkat — December 12, 2009 @ 7:37 pm
Find a handy man, honey. Let him finish and put it together. I ordered a Schact loom today. I need a better way to showcase my handspun.
Comment by rudee — December 12, 2009 @ 9:33 pm
You know, they sell looms that don’t require you to do any finishing. 😉 I bought one years ago at Depth of Field, and even took a weaving class. Made exactly one scarf, and then never used it again. A few years back I found pieces of it here and there in the basement and threw it all away. Turns out I don’t need a loom. After about 10 years of nagging a good friend of mine, she finally wove me a scarf. Unrelenting nagging and bribery in the form of thrummed mittens and a Quincy hat.
Comment by Rox — December 12, 2009 @ 10:03 pm
I love finishing. A nice soft cloth, some varnish and soft music? I’m in my own little world.
Comment by 2muchfun — December 12, 2009 @ 10:20 pm
Another approach to the fabric and knit garment out of one fiber is to buy the fabric, sew the skirt, and cut more of it into strips to knit or crochet. I actually did this once, long before I was too concerned about the bulkiness of a shell knit from fabric strips. It was fun seeing the two riffs on the same fabric.
Comment by twinsetellen — December 12, 2009 @ 10:30 pm
Hey, who is 2muchfun and where can we reach her to hire her!
Comment by Nancy — December 12, 2009 @ 11:35 pm
Gee, couldn’t you just use a wool with lots and lots of lanolin in it for your first couple of projects and make sure that you touch the frame a lot? Surely that would be as good as a varnish! Right? It sounds good…
Comment by Lisle — December 13, 2009 @ 12:21 am
Oh, hell – just live it up and weave something without finishing the loom! Do you always swatch? Do you always weave every end in before wearing something? Are you perfect in every fiberly way? (If you are, I’m never speaking to you again.) The loom will not spontaneously combust if you use it before finishing. Weave something, then finish it. Weave two or three things, then finish it. Or never finish it. The gods will not strike you dead, trust me.
Comment by Lynn — December 13, 2009 @ 10:42 am
I think I could manage a half-assed job finishing the loom which might be better than leaving it totally unvarnished and possibly yarn catching on the fabric. Or maybe taking a class to see if a love of weaving “takes”. Or selling Erica and buying Ashford. But I really like Rox’s idea best. Some of us are born to weave and some of us are…not.
Comment by Chloe — December 13, 2009 @ 2:53 pm
Really? It doesn’t sound hard to finish the loom. I’d recommend the shellac. I use it to smooth my wooden and bamboo needles when they get a little rough. Just put on a plastic glove, cover your work surface, and apply a thin layer of shellac with a cloth. It dries in an hour. No sanding required, unless you want to do a second coat.
Of course, next you’d have to assemble it andfigure out the warping. That’s where I’d hesitate. But then, I have no interest whatsover in weaving.
Comment by Luni — December 13, 2009 @ 5:56 pm
Rub wax paper over it? Would that be enough of a finish? I know River John recommends that to maintain his needles. They are shallaced though, but still…
Wait a minute. I’ve got it. Its almost antique. And everyone knows antiques are more valuable in the original condition, box and all.
Comment by Needles — December 14, 2009 @ 10:07 am
I have a Beka loom and a Brothers extended length knitting maching still in boxes. Purchased at Depth of Field in the 70’s. Even hauled the knitting maching to Africa where I was staying for a year and was sure I would serenely knit my year away while husband was working. The machine returned to the USA in the same box – never opened.
Comment by Sue — December 15, 2009 @ 5:05 pm
I hate barriers to progress. . .
Comment by Kym — December 16, 2009 @ 4:14 pm
What’s the point of making it “natural” if you have to shellac it? If the texture is so rough it needs to be sanded down, it’s a poor product. Weavers in the middle ages didn’t put a finish on their looms and they wove clothing worn by royalty. If you want to weave, put it together and play.
Comment by =Tamard — December 17, 2009 @ 12:15 am
I have that exact same loom! I have never put a finish on mine yet I use it quite a bit. Mine was nice smooth wood so didn’t need so much as a tiny bit of sandpaper before use. If it does feel a tiny bit rough just rub it down well with some denim cut from some old jeans. Works like very very fine sandpaper.
Comment by sue — December 20, 2009 @ 12:42 pm
I would recommend not doing varnish at all. I love varnish immensely, however understand how much effort it takes. Tung oil or Boiled Linseed Oil would make a perfectly acceptable finish and take almost no effort. All you have to do is wipe down the surface with a damp cloth, and apply oil (I usually use a rag). For the first couple coats it will soak right in. Then after a few you kind off wipe off the excess. I know the idea of multiple coats sounds terrible, but they go really fast and you don’t necessarily have to wait a day or more between coats. Anyway, enjoy your blog and also thinking of taking up weaving. I too have a loom but am missing the heddle.
Cheers!
Comment by Christine — December 20, 2009 @ 7:27 pm
I bought a Spears child’s loom in 1975 and took it to Fiji. That’s where it all began. Like Candace, see comment 2, I went on to weave and weave and weave on bigger and bigger looms. Am now concentrating on knitting.
Comment by Janet — December 26, 2009 @ 6:03 am
Would you be willing to photocopy or scan you manual for the Erica loom, I have one, minus a lot of pieces and may see if I can get it up and running. I’m missing the box and sadly the manual
Comment by Kerry K — October 19, 2015 @ 10:12 pm