I warped my small sprang loom again using dyed wool yarn, once again determined to make this one a little better than the last. I warped on a few more times to make it wider to help combat the natural inclination to twist.
Photo description: small bent cane sprang loom with orange and yellow dyed wool yarn interlinked in a single direction (all S twist on the top, all Z twist on the bottom)
This attempt was an improvement on the previous tries. I achieved an even fabric, even though finishing the middle is still vexing me, it was less wonky than the last times. I tried a different method too: chaining each side separately, rather than both together. It still needs work.
Photo description: chain looped center of the sprang fabric, with a stitch holder in the last loop
I used the extra yarn from warping to sew up the sides, and strung yarn through the top to make a drawstring bag.
Photo description: small wool sprang bag shown empty and closedPhoto description: same bag shown slightly stretched because it is holding a mandarin orange
The sideways stretch of the bag is easily double the height. There is no stretch vertically, which I need to take into account when designing a piece. This tiny bag would do well to hold dice. I’ve seen some larger bags made with wood handles that would outperform a similar bag in crochet because crochet stretches in all directions and tends to droop over time.
When you don’t have a bow for a present, but do have the plastic bag from the store and some fast food napkins, you can make a bow.
Photo description: bow made on the go from a Lowe’s bag and twine made from paper napkinsPhoto description: green plastic bag, unbleached fast food napkins, scissors
I usually have some napkin twine in my car as an emergency craft project. I prefer the unbleached napkins because the resulting twine is more aesthetically pleasing, not strong, but artful. I tear about 1/2” strips from the napkin, fold it in two, twist the single strand away from me, and twist the two strands together toward me.
Photo description: half inch strip torn from a paper napkinPhoto description: adding in a new strip of paper at the middle, between the existing strandsPhoto description: a small section of paper napkin twine, knotted at the end
To make the bow, I smoothed out a plastic shopping bag, the kind with handles, and cut it into four equal width sections, two long, two short.
Photo description: plastic bag cut vertically into four sections
I start with the long sections and fold the ends to the middle with about a half inch overlap.
Photo description: plastic bag section folded with the ends to the middle and overlapping
I repeat the fold for all four bag sections, then stack the four pieces with the longest on the bottom. Often, cutting the bag results in mis-cuts, sections of bag that don’t go from end to end. I pull these out as added decorative elements.
Photo description: all four sections of plastic bag folded and stacked, with some off cuts pulled out as “ribbons”
Using my paper napkin twine, I scrunch together the center of the plastic bag stack and tie the twine around using a square knot on the long side (back of the bow).
Photo description: plastic bag sections tied together with paper twine
Then comes the fiddly bits (for me). Each loop of plastic from the stack gets opened up and pulled away from its partner(s). This fluffs the bow and gives it volume. I work from the back forward, and one side at a time.
Photo description: back two loops of bag separated, pulled gently 90 degrees apart, and roundedPhoto description: finished emergency bow made from a shopping sack and paper napkin twine
When my kids were young I turned to making more jewelry. The projects were usually quick (under a couple hours), easily stashed out of reach, and didn’t involve things like knives or torches. Wire is one of my favorite crafting media, and I still like this wire wrapped stone with braided wire necklace I made in July 2007. I feel the photography on this piece also shows skill improvement.
Photo description: triangular polished stone wrapped with twisted wire “roots”, combined at the top, then split and braided to form the sides of the necklace, finished with a magnetic clasp
Ironically, when my kids were babies, I stopped wearing necklaces and earrings so they wouldn’t be targets for little hands. Over that time I developed a neck sensitivity and can now only wear a very light necklace for an hour tops before it bugs me and has to come off. Heavier necklaces like this one don’t last 30 seconds.
Happy Fourth of July, may your neighbors celebrate quietly and early, and may your animals be calm.
P.S. My apologies for email subscribers on a partial post yesterday. I started writing tomorrow’s post, stuck my phone in my pocket, and the post published itself, incomplete. The full post should go out tomorrow, barring more technology hiccups.
I’m determined to add Sprang to my crafting repertoire. This round, I secured the bottom of my small bent cane loom with some paracord so it was less loosey-goosey. I added life lines using hemp string, and used hemp for the header and footer ties. (Why hemp and paracord? That was what was next to me. The paracord is too thick for the lifelines (to me), so I replaced them with thinner hemp.)
Photo description: restructured small sprang loom with Izzy the cat investigating the string
Using wool yarn and making a wider sample did help with the bias twist a little while I was working. I did some interlinked rows, and tried some intertwined rows to the middle.
Photo description: orange wool yarn woven on a small sprang loom using lifelines and bamboo skewers
I went to finish the center with a crochet chain and everything went wonky. The chain crawled upward on the yarn, making the two uneven halves even more uneven.
Photo description: botched attempt at finishing the middle of the sprang with a crochet chain stitch
When I took the sample off the loom it curled unevenly, wonky and crumpled.
Photo description: sprang sample off the loom, twisted
I wove in the ends, catching the live loop of the crochet chain when I went up the side, and blocked the piece by wetting and pinning it to dry.
Photo description: blocked and slightly less wonky bit of sprang work in orange yarnPhoto description: same bit of sprang, opposite side, shown stretched, it really has a very pleasing sideways stretch
Undeterred, I made a third attempt. Rather than the chain finish, I tried warp and weft plain weaving the center part. Abysmal. The plain weave has no stretch and completely threw off the stretch of the sprang. I mention it only so I remember that I tried, and rejected, the method. It doesn’t even deserve its own post. I’m not giving up, though.
I’ve been wanting to attempt making sprang fabric for awhile now. I even made a small sprang loom from a trimmed elm branch. Sprang is a type of weaving where all the threads are warp threads (vertical), with no weft (horizontal). The threads are twisted around each other and the fabric is worked from the top or bottom simultaneously (what is done with threads at the top happens in opposite to the threads at the bottom). AI tells me that sprang dates back to the bronze age, although it seems like the summary was gleaned from Wikipedia, which at least gives me a list of references that confirm this art is ancient.
I had some #10 crochet cotton next to my chair (crochet is probably my youngest craft), so decided to use that after watching a video from Sally Pointer, who is an accomplished heritage educator.
Photo description: starting to weave sprang, I was warned that sprang holds special fascination for cats, and Izzy the cat was quite enthralled with the many stringsPhoto description: sprang in progress with the loom on the floor and several rows completed
I achieved several rows without too much panic, but then the fabric started to make a hard bias twist that made it difficult to sort where the threads needed to go. I gave up and removed it from the loom, took a picture, and consulted a Sprang group on FB.
Photo description: partially woven sprang made from cotton thread, removed from the loom to show the twist
I was assured that twisting is what sprang does, and to try wool which blocks very well. While scanning the group posts, I also noticed that some weavers secure the edges to the loom periodically, which would also help manage the twist. I was told that narrow bands are particularly susceptible, and another way to manage the phenomenon is to switch twist direction, which is a more advanced technique. I have my marching orders.
Critters and Craft 