To Weave a Throw

In between my last post and today, I designed, measured, threaded onto looms, and started weaving two new warps: one botanical and one a throw. Many people comment on what it must take to ready a loom for weaving, so I thought it would be fun to post a blog on this topic.
The inception of the process does not follow a singular path, but varies.  Sometimes it starts with an impulse of colors and/or types of yarns, other times it might be what plants catch my eye, and occasionally a comment from someone who sees my work and and wants "something like that".
The latter spawned my newest warp for a series of four throws.
B wanted a throw like the one I made in October, but a different color.  "How about blues?"  "Okay!"
Here's what the warp looked like as I was winding it on my warping mill:

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I wound twelve yards each of six different yarns to give me 46 inches of width on which to weave four throws.  Total 546 strands, six strands at a time in four bundles, to increase the efficiency of the processes of measuring, counting, which took just under a couple of hours.

Next: transferring the yarns onto the loom:

 

This part takes several hours, and requires a good deal of concentration so as not to miss- thread a heddle or cross-thread the warp.  I break it up into 30- to 45- minute segments so I don't lose concentration and also so I don't end up with a stiff shoulder!

Once the heddles are threaded and the reed sleyed, it's time to tie the warp onto the from beam and weaving can start.  (Mind you, some would say  it's all "of a piece" , meaning the weaving starts when you start measuring your yarns. This is true for me.)

Here's the first of the four throws:

B, I hope you like it! It was a joy to weave, as always!

Next post: Romancing the Sages.....