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October 25, 2022 newsletter

Garlic or …..

Now, do I have your attention??? 😉  We love growing our own garlic and enjoy having it handy in the kitchen. IMHO – there is no better place to store it than in a basket I’ve woven after being coached by Salt Spring’s basket weaver extraordinaire – Joan Carrigan. But … these baskets can also be made in different shapes and hold other things – use your imagination to create a basket that will hold almost anything. The kit makes 3 baskets,  so – you could weave 3 for yourself or … IF you can part with them, you could have 1 or 2 made and waiting to be gifts 🙂 They are so much fun to make and I loved weaving something that has a human history that is as old as our time on this planet.
Jane

Learn how to weave a basket with Joan and Jane

There are two ways that you can learn

-as a subscriber (and for free) of Vimeo’s Joan’s site (she has some very informative videos)

-or…if you are a member of the School of Weaving – by watching Season 2 – Episode 9 on the School of Weaving. You can download the PDF there.

Christmas Crackle Placemats & Runner

Everything moves in a circle here at JST. I was doodling around with Crackle and was inspired by the colours that Arlene Kohut had used in the Just Monk’ing Around Tea Towel Kit Berry Bowl version that I had to try them on the Crackle. Then I asked Rebecca Logan to bring her wonderful graphic sense to the pattern and weave them up the way she wanted to. I love this type of collaboration. The patterns are always the result of many weavers joining minds. How cool is that! I hope you enjoy weaving these wonderful placemats.

Loom requirements:

Shafts: 4

Reed: 10 dent

Weaving width: 16.2″

Each kit includes:

Weaving instructions (including draft)

3 cones of 8/4 cotton – Merlot

2 cones of 8/4 cotton – Dark Brown

3 cones of 8/2 cotton – Cherry


Are you planning to get seasonal tea towels woven for your kitchen or as gifts? Then, now is the time to get that warp up and ready to weave those festive towels. And…have we got a choice of kits for you! You can have fun weaving with solid red with Just Monk’ing Around in Berry Bowl or choose either green or red for the Holly & Berry Kit now available in regular cotton!

Just a head’s up, the Postal Service is a bit slow at the moment, so order NOW to get your kits and yarns to weave before the holidays!

Just Monk’ing Around Berry Bowl Towels
also in Kiwi or Surf’s Up


School of Weaving Episode 9 live this Thursday!
Block Analysis 8 Shaft Kit

Want to be ready?
Buy the whole kit here!


Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
Weave structure: 8 Shaft Bronson Lace
Each kit makes 3 scarves

Kit includes: Weaving instructions (including draft), 3 skeins of 20/2 Bleached Tussah and 2 cones of 8/2 Bleached cotton.

You will need approximately 200 yards of Dark Grey 8/2 cotton for your motif isolation threads. They can be any darker colour you want. Choose from your stash!


From Our Inbox

As well as being a productive weaver – Karyn Davis of New Zealand is a gifted photographer of her world travels and backyard. I’ve had a peek at the blog link that Karyn has listed at the bottom of her email to us. We love hearing from our “kids” from near and far. I also love hearing how someone like Karyn – who is isolated from a local weaving community – has been able to learn and grow while belonging to our School of Weaving.  She has methodically worked from Season 1 and learned her new skill, one step at a time. She is paving a good solid foundation in weaving while reaping the rewards as she masters her new David loom. 

Jane
I have been working my way through Jane’s videos for a couple of years now – I started at the beginning and am currently part way through Season 6. I haven’t made all of the things, but I have loved those that I have made. When I began learning from the videos I had been weaving for a couple of years on an old Ashford 60cm 4-shaft table loom that I bought used for $50. The videos are perfect for me as I live in a rural area with no weavers nearby.

A year ago I decided that it was time to change to a floor loom, but which one??? After a lot of research (Jane, thanks for your wonderful loom videos in Season 1) I decided to go with a Louet 110cm David III. It finally arrived at the end of June and I put it all together. I had seen the Season 5, Episode 1 video on Turned twill, so decided that this was the place for me to begin learning to use my beautiful new loom! I decided to play with the full loom width and all 8-shafts – I used 5/2 mercerised cotton sett at 15epi to make a baby blanket for the brand new granddaughter of a friend. She chose the colours, I sent her some design ideas created on my computer and off I went! The dimensions of the finished piece are 97x126cm (108cm in the reed). I am REALLY pleased with this piece – the colours are gorgeous, the patterns are great, it was fun to weave and the finished fabric is SO soft. And as always, the magic is in the water!!

Thanks for your fantastic videos, Jane. I look forward to continuing learning from them,
Karyn Davis

My weaving adventures
https://weavingfromparadise.guildford.nz
Warp 30 – 1st piece
Warp 30 – 1st piece completed
Warp 30 – 1st piece completed

Don’t be shy – share your creative designs with us 🙂

We’d love to see how you’ve taken what you’ve learned through the School of Weaving using JST Kits and/or our yarns and made it your own. Send us your photos, including the story behind your cloth. Click here to share your information, photos, and adventure with us. With your permission, you might see your work featured in a future newsletter!


We offer FREE shipping on all Louet looms within Continental North America. We also offer the option to pay a $1000.00 CAD deposit on your loom with the balance due when the loom ships out to you. This gives you the flexibility to make smaller payments toward your balance, at your convenience.


Here to help

Have a weaving question? Find us on the Jane Stafford School of Weaving Forum and on Weave with Jane Stafford on Ravelry.

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October 18, 2022 newsletter

Hot off the Press!

Free Bench with any Louet loom purchase at JST

(Offer valid for a limited time)

Purchase any Louet floor loom from JST now through the end of October 2022 and receive a complimentary Louet bench to match your loom. Your FREE bench will automatically be added to your order when you add a Louet floor loom.

Louet has been working very hard to increase production and we are excited to announce that most David and Spring looms are in stock and ready to ship! Louet is now shipping looms UPS express from Holland which means once the loom ships it will be at your door in approximately 5 days! 

David looms are in stock and ready to ship, Spring 8 shaft looms are in stock and ready to ship. Spring 12 shaft looms will be delivered to customers at the end of November.

See the videos below where Jane introduces and points out the features of the new David 3 and Spring 2.

We also offer FREE shipping on all Louet looms within Continental North America. We also offer the option to pay a $1000.00 CAD deposit on your loom with the balance due when the loom ships out to you. This gives you the flexibility to make smaller payments toward your balance, at your convenience.


Watch the videos below on the new David 3 and Spring 2

Jane will introduce you to the new looms with the updates and improvements on each of these fabulous looms.

Louet’s David Loom 3

Louet’s Spring Loom 2


From our Inbox

This week we showcase Joanna Bateman from Pound Ridge, NY.  She is mastering the art of layering lessons learned, from other projects, onto cloth that is uniquely hers. We love what she has created by layering the structure and some colours from the Ruckle Beach Wrap kit and weaving these fabulous tea towels. Beautifully done, Joanna!

I was just ironing these and remembered the newsletter saying submissions were welcome for ways we’ve used JST’s genius in our own lives! I made these tea towels (and one napkin with the leftover warp) using the design of the Ruckle Beach Wrap. I love the dark – dark – light sequence in the middle and think the design translates perfectly to kitchen textiles. I’m planning to make a set of napkins at some point in another colourway – keeping the black and white center but replacing the gold with I-don’t-know-what! Naturally, I used Brassard 8/2 cotton for both warp and weft.

Joanna

School of Weaving

Watch anywhere, anytime!

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Not subscribed yet?



Here to help

Have a weaving question? Find us on the Jane Stafford School of Weaving Forum and on Weave with Jane Stafford on Ravelry.

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October 11, 2022 newsletter

New Colours in Eco Jeans Yarn

We’re excited to let you know that our Eco Jeans line has expanded with two wonderful new colours that can’t wait to play with the fabulous colours that we already have in stock. These yarns are kind to the environment – having been made out of recycled jeans – and are also cozy to have next to your skin as the weather changes. The added bonus is that they are affordable! Just think of the scarves you could create using one (or both) of these new colours that you could include in a design of your own. Then, if you could part with a scarf, it could become a gift for someone special, later this year 😉 Just imagine the hand this yarn will give you – it’s super soft, slightly thicker than 8/2 cotton and has a bit of texture.

Jane

Check out our full collection!

This fabulous yarn is made out of recycled jeans, jeans clothing and uses PET plastic bottles. Old clothes are given a second chance thanks to this unique production process. Denim fabric is made very small, but no thread can be spun from this loose fibre. A thread can be spun by adding used, finely chopped PET bottles to the loose jeans fibre. This results in a sturdy linen-like thread with a soft structure. So much fun to work with, along with the added bonus of being kind to the planet while you are weaving! Originally available in “real” jeans colours, but is now available in 7 colours – Deep Red, Deep Navy, Slate Blue, Cloud, Sandalwood, Anthracite and Platinum.


Eco Jeans Scarf Kit Back In Stock!

Our original Eco Jeans Scarf Kit is back in stock! This fabulous scarf kit flew off the shelves when we first had it in our newsletter. Now is the time to order one so you have it handy when you get a chance to weave this beauty.


From Our Inbox

We’ve received an inspiring email from Kim Daniel of Kirkland, WA. Never let it be said that you can’t accomplish a lot on a table loom – we were blown away by what Kim has been busy creating on her loom, in just a little over 2 years! Scroll down to see what Kim has been making as bridal shower gifts – such a great idea as well as being the colour inspiration for the napkins.

I started weaving in Feb 2020 after being inspired by a day spent with a weaving community in Peru a few years ago. When my class got canceled partway through, I looked online for resources and found JST. Wow, did I ever learn a lot! Thank you Covid!

My favorite combination is an 8/2 warp with a boucle weft. I think it makes lovely soft tea towels. I’ve recently been making napkin sets – pair them up with a set of melamine dishes or a platter and they make wonderful bridal shower gifts!

I work on a 4-shaft table loom on a stand. I’ve added treadles so I can use my feet instead of the levers. It goes much faster and it feels like a ‘big person’ floor loom, lol.

Friends and family are thrilled with my new passion and I appreciate having so many people to ‘gift’ my creations to.

Kim


School of Weaving

Watch anywhere, anytime!

iPhone   Apple TV   Android   Android TV  Fire TV  Roku ® Website


We offer FREE shipping on all Louet looms within Continental North America. We also offer the option to pay a $1000.00 CAD deposit on your loom with the balance due when the loom ships out to you. This gives you the flexibility to make smaller payments toward your balance, at your convenience.

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October 4, 2022 newsletter

New JST Kit!

Squares & Rectangles Tea Towels

This pattern comes to you from the loom of Janet Cameron of Salt Spring Island. I have known Janet for years, and her weaving is stunning. She is also Elizabeth’s Mom (Elizabeth is our indispensable JST Office Manager).

I first met Janet Cameron at a conference in Edmonton in 1999 when Janet took the Colour and Design workshop.

Janet beside Jane, Edmonton 1999

When she went home she designed a draft with what she had recently learned and put on a beautiful warp for the new draft she had created. Elizabeth, who was around 8, wove the last part of the warp off.

Elizabeth’s weaving age 8

Fast forward 19 years, Grant and I were going through the cash at our grocery store with a huge order, and the teller asked us what we were doing with all the food. Grant said, “my wife runs weaving retreats,”  the teller responded, “is your wife Jane Stafford?” The teller was Elizabeth and the next time Grant was in there he slipped her my phone number and offered her a job. Janet moved to Salt Spring to be closer to her granddaughter Olivia and Olivia’s Mom and Dad too 😉 It’s a small world and a pretty wondrous one too 🙂 

Elizabeth age 8

We thought it would be fun to put an example of Janet’s weaving into a kit for you. I love the hand and drape of these towels, they are very absorbent, soft and pliable – like a good kitchen towel should be. You’ll have a lot of fun playing with the Turned Twill treadling options and the graphic while you weave these towels.

Jane.

In case you haven’t ‘met’ Elizabeth in person, we thought we’d share a photo of her today at our studio.
Jane and Elizabeth today

Squares and Rectangles Tea Towel Kit

Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Weave Structure: Turned Twill
Yarn: 8/2 cotton & Bouclé cotton
Each kit makes 12 towels

Loom Requirements:
8 shafts
8 dent reed
22 3/4″ weaving width


A Few More Turned Twill Favourites

Can’t get enough of Turned Twill? Why not stock up on a couple of the kits below – like the 8 Shaft Turned Twill Garibaldi Flats kit – OR – Tea Towel Time with Jane either in English Garden Version or the original design. Both of the Tea Towel Time with Jane kits can also be woven on 4 shafts. The first 10 towels were woven in plain weave and 2/2 twill but I changed the tie-up for the last 2 towels. For you Turned Twill lovers, you could weave them all using the turned twill tie-ups provided. Just think of the pile of tea towels you could have in your gift stash for the busiest time of the year racing towards us 😉

Tea Towel Time with Jane – English Garden

Tea Towel Time with Jane – Original Design

Garibaldi Flats – 8 Shaft Version


Want to learn how to weave Turned Twill?

Our School of Weaving has you covered!
This kit has all you need to follow along with our Season 5 Episode 1 lesson.
Check out the videos right here!

Season 6 Episode 2 lesson on 8 Shaft Twill Block and Tie-up Quadrants Kit is also available!

School of Weaving
Watch anywhere, anytime!

iPhone   Apple TV   Android   Android TV  Fire TV  Roku ® Website


We offer FREE shipping on all Louet looms within Continental North America. We also offer the option to pay a $1000.00 CAD deposit on your loom with the balance due when the loom ships out to you. This gives you the flexibility to make smaller payments towards your balance, at your convenience.


Here to help

Have a weaving question? Find us on the Jane Stafford School of Weaving Forum and on Weave with Jane Stafford on Ravelry.