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January 31, 2023 newsletter

Sweetheart Bronson Lace

When I was creating the content for Block Analysis that we learned in S6E9 of the School of Weaving, I had leftover warp and thought I’d play a bit more. Hearts popped off my graph paper and into the cloth.

So – just in time for Valentine’s Day – you can wear your “heart” around your neck even though you can’t wear your ❤️ on your sleeve. This fabulous scarf is fun to weave in 8-shaft Bronson Lace, which is the perfect canvas for creating these wonderful graphics. 

Jane


Season 6 Episode 9 Block Analysis

Back in the day – I was addicted to playing with Bronson Lace and testing my limits to see what I could create with it. When I was designing the Block Analysis episode for Season 6 Episode 9 – I found myself sliding into the hole again 😉 That’s when the Sweetheart Bronson Lace scarf was born and I knew you would love it. If you want to learn about the magic of playing with Block Analysis – now is the time. Winter days are still with us and you can brighten yours by getting the kit from Season 6 Episode 9 and putting on a warp for you to weave this fabulous scarf and still have lots of room left over to play with other designs you would like to explore.

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
Weave structure: 8 Shaft Bronson Lace
Material: 8/2 cotton & 20/2 Tussah Silk
Each kit makes: 3 Scarves

Loom requirements

Shafts:8

Reed: 8 dent

Weaving width: 18″


Jane will be on Handweavers Guild of America’s

Textiles & Tea – February 7th at 4:00 PM (ET)

We are excited to share the news that on February 7, 2023, our very own Jane Stafford will be doing a live interview on the Handweavers Guild of America’s Textile & Tea weekly conversation.

Tuesday, February 7th at 4:00 PM (ET) and is sponsored by our very own Sharon Broadley @Colour.Woven!

These conversations are with some of the most respected fibre artists in the field today. In their 45-minute discussion, the focus is on their artwork and their creative journey. They allow 15 minutes at the end of the conversation for questions from the audience.

The episode is broadcast via Zoom and Facebook Live. These broadcasts are free to view and open to all.

All episodes of Textiles & Tea are recorded and are available to be watched on HGA’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. For more information on previous episodes, click the link below. 

https://weavespindye.org/textiles-and-tea/


From Our Inbox

This terrific example of what can happen when you use a photo for colour inspiration and then play with the graphic using Asymmetry. PK’s latest creation just flew out of our inbox grabbing our attention. It also speaks volumes about the many tools we have available to us to use when creating our own unique cloth. PK also added a “skill” layer to her scarf by dyeing the yarn she used to weave it. Well done, PK!
Hi, me again!

I thought you would like to see how I used what I learned in Asymmetry, plus a tad of influence from your colour inspiration guide.

Waiting for my shipment of your kit yarns (since arrived – yay!) I decided to make a merino scarf/shawl using the Asymmetry ideas. This morning of the decision I received a photo from my daughter of flowers she just bought herself. Perfect timing for a colour influence.

This 4 ply 100% NZ merino hand dyed by myself. The base colour is soft pink, lichen green is the zinger, the rest is cocoa brown, mist grey and off white.

Thanks for the fun! PK


Asymmetry Episode

If you’ve ever wondered whether a simple design element like Asymmetry could become magical … just glance up at From Our Inbox above and you will get an idea of the possibilities! If you haven’t watched the School of Weaving Asymmetry episode yet, now might be the time to get inspired and create something uniquely yours, as PK has done. Forget all the “ifs” and just have fun creating your own design based on Asymmetry!


JST 2023 Calendar!


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 at Ravelry.

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January 24, 2023 newsletter

A Splash of Colour

As we near the end of January, we thought we all needed a splash of colour to brighten our days. So – this time we are focusing on a few of our most vibrant kits and if you haven’t woven a kit recently – one of these can’t help but brighten your day. When we think of bright colours – Granny Pam’s Tea Towels, woven with Bouclé, always pops to mind. Our Pretty Pansies and Inspiration From a Sari compete for attention and certainly add a bright spark to anyone’s kitchen. And ….. speaking of bright spots – I’ll bet you can guess that Jane’s Favourite Tea Towel was designed after a trip to India and my exposure to the amazing palate of colours found there. For a touch of luxury in your life – we have lots of colourful scarves you can drape yourself in. Our Simple Collapse series of scarves offer you choices – just pick your colourway – and, while you are there, check out the Ganges Sunrise Scarf which will surround you with the colours of a beautiful sunrise as you weave and wear it.


Granny Pam’s Inspiration

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Beginner
Weave structure: Plain Weave
Material: Cotton Bouclé
Each kit makes: 9 Tea Towels

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4

Reed: 12 dent

Weaving width: 22″


Pretty Pansies in Huck Lace

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Weave structure: Plain Weave & Huck Lace
Material: 8/2 Cotton
Each kit makes: 8 Tea Towels

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4
Reed: 12 dent
Weaving width: 25 ½”


Inspiration from a Sari

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Beginner
Weave structure: Plain Weave
Material: 8/2 Cotton
Each kit makes: 12 Towels and a bit of play time

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4
Reed: 12 dent
Weaving width: 24″


Jane’s Favourite

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Beginner
Weave structure: Plain Weave
Material: 8/2 Cotton
Each kit makes: 8 Tea Towels

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4
Reed: 12 dent
Weaving width: 24”


Simple Collapse Pucker Up

Simple Collapse Weave

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Weave structure: Plain Weave
Each kit makes: 2 stunning Scarves
each with finished dimensions of 12” x 75” plus fringe

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4
Reed: 10 dent
Width in Reed: 18”


Ganges Sunrise

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Weave structure: 1/3, 3/1 Twill Weave
Material: 30/2 Bombyx Silk 40/2 linen
Each kit makes: 2 Scarves

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4
Reed: 12 dent


From Our Inbox

This week’s “From Our Inbox” features Julie Evans, from the Los Angeles area of California, sharing a tip with us. She turned the plaid warp that was on her loom into napkins! Jane responded…..

Hi Julie,
Brilliant idea, that is definitely an idea worth sharing. I have put small cones in my bobbins too, many times but never on camera, so that is a great 2nd tip. Yay, thank you so much for sharing your ideas. So glad you are having fun.

Jane
Hello Jane and Team!
My name is Julie Evans, and I live in the Los Angeles, CA area. I’m currently working through Season 2, and I have the plaid warp on my loom right now. Like everyone else, I’ve been amazed how an olive green and red warp can transform when you add bright colors into the weft. I’m nearing the end of the warp, and I have re-sleyed it to 12 ppi, and I thought I’d make some napkins with 8/4 cotton. I’ve done this before on other warps, and I finished by sewing two preemptive seams, and then cutting down the middle. I thought I would split the warp into two while still on the loom, and weave both sides at once. It is a little fiddly, but it will make for much better napkins when finished. I’m using up 8/4 from a previous project, and as you can see, I was able to fit the cones right onto my shuttles. Not only am I using up some cones, I also saved some time by not having to rewind onto a bobbin. Thank you for your classes and kits; I’m learning so much!


JST 2023 Calendar!


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 at Ravelry.

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January 17, 2023 newsletter

Have you tried
Venne Eco Jeans yet?

If one of your resolutions this year was to try weaving with something you have never woven before, take a look at the fabulous Eco Jeans yarn we are featuring in this newsletter. This fantastic yarn is good for our planet because it’s made of 100% recycled jeans and used plastic bottles. Worn jeans, jackets and other articles of jeans fabric will get a new life. Not only is it wonderful for scarves but we’ve seen some beautiful examples of towels and shawls woven with it. And to give you more choice in colour we’ve added Sandalwood, Steel Blue and Deep Red to the Venne Eco Jeans yarn we carry. Weave something unique with it and share it with us for From Our Inbox as Sharon Hatelt has – see below. Sharon used Eco Jeans to weave hand towels and she loves them.


Cramming & Denting Eco Jeans Scarf Kit

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Weave structure: Plain Weave
Material: Venne Eco Jeans
Each kit makes: 2 Scarves

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4
Reed: 10 dent
Weaving width: 13″


Now available in 1 kg cones!

You asked us if we could bring in 1 kg cones and we did!

The Venne Eco Jeans recycled Nm 12/2 now in 1KG cones at JST!
We have a few of the following 1KG cones in stock for C$103.50 each:


Cramming & Denting Episode

Want to try weaving with a linen warp using Cramming & Denting method?


This School of Weaving sample is all about using multiple setts in one piece of cloth. We learn how to adapt our sleying and beating to create beautiful fabrics and we do it all in Linen 🙂 Things you will learn when watching the episode:

  • Linen is awesome!
  • Using multiple setts in one piece of cloth
  • We use our reed to create all the patterning in the cloth but have different sleyings
  • We learn to identify negative space
  • We are in charge of our beater and we have to beat each section appropriately based on what we want
  • We can mix silk and linen

You can purchase the Cramming & Denting Sample Kit right here and follow along with the videos!


From Our Inbox

We are featuring Venne’s Eco Jeans in this newsletter and some of the sparks that had us heading in that direction were from this email that turned up in our Inbox from Sharon Hatelt from beautiful Quadra Island. Anyone can weave these towels but take note – all of you table loom owners – these towels fit perfectly on most of your looms with the width in reed being 14″.

Hi Jane and crew:

I thought you would like to see my latest weaving: hand towels made from Venne’s Eco Jeans fibre. I sett it at 18 epi in Twill, machine washed and dried, and they finished at 13.5″ x 24″. They have a lovely hand, and being cotton/poly, I think will wear very well. The pattern is the Heriot Bay Local Tartan, modifying the original colour scheme to use the five Eco Jeans colours and then reversing them for the second warp. Interesting how just changing the colours changes the whole look. The towels have a lovely drape and hand.

Cheers,
Sharon Hatelt, Quadra Island


Sharon’s project specs: for 3 towels
finished dimensions: 13.5″ x 24″
weave structure: Twill
sett: 18 epi/ppi
252 ends with floating selvedges
warp length: 96″
width in reed: 14″

JST 2023 Calendar!


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 at Ravelry.

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January 10, 2023 newsletter

JST Calendar!

Are you looking for a way to bring a bit of sunshine into your days? Our fabulous calendar, loaded with stunning photos, is enough to make any weaver dream of warmer days and a beautiful assortment of yarn to weave with. Our 2023 calendar is now on sale for $19.95 so buy one to hang as inspiration near your loom! But…order one while they are still available…having these fabulous photos nearby will open lots of “what if’s” as you design your own unique cloth.


New Kit on our shelves!

Kiki’s Swedish Lace Tea Towels

Sometimes it’s just fun to feature a weave structure in a newsletter and see what can be created using that structure. That is the path that Kiki’s Swedish Lace Tea Towels lead us down…..as Kiki created another delightful pattern that we can now share with you in a kit. She created towels, as a member of Jane’s Dream Team, for our School of Weaving’s episode on Swedish Lace – Season 5 – Episode 5 – should you want to review the secrets behind Swedish Lace. Scroll down to see a description of what you could learn by watching this episode. Everyone who sees this pattern wants to make these towels and Kiki has graciously shared her pattern with you.

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Weave structure: Swedish Lace
Each kit makes: 8 Tea Towels

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4

Reed: 10 dent

Weaving width: 24″

Finished Dimensions: 18.5″ X 26-30″ long


SweDISH Tea Towels

The SweDISH Towels (get it 😉) were designed by another Dream Team member – Rebecca Logan. Enjoy weaving them in the colours of the Swedish Flag – blues and yellow. They blend Huck and Swedish Lace and are a lot of fun to weave using the treadling in the pattern provided with the kit or as you create your own design. 

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Weave structure: Huck with Swedish Lace
Material: 8/2 cotton
Each kit makes: 8 Towels

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4

Reed: 12 dent

Weaving width: 25″ ish

Finished dimensions: 21″ x 26″ ish, hemmed


First Time Weaving Swedish Lace?

We have another great episode on the School of Weaving that builds on everything we’ve learned about Huck. Swedish Lace is Huck’s cousin. They live on the same side of Lace Street. Swedish Lace units are the same as Huck’s but in Swedish Lace we are allowed to repeat those units as many times as we want. Ms. Swedish Lace is a little more lenient 🙂 When we understand how this works, it means we can use Swedish Lace and Huck in one piece….as you will see in our show and tell.

Things we will learn in this episode:

  • That Swedish Lace grows out of Huck
  • That our A units and B units can be repeated in our threading with the addition of a tie-down thread
  • That our A units and B units can be repeated in our treadling with the addition of an extra tabby pick
  • That we can use our Mother-of-all-tie-ups and weave it in weft spots, warp spots and lace
  • That we can overlay everything we played with from our Huck gamp and our Huck Colour and Weave gamp
  • That there just isn’t enough time to weave it all in one lifetime 🙂

Removing a warp from your loom to use later

We recently had a request for one of our School of Weaving members who wondered how she might be able to remove her dummy warp and keep it until she wanted to use it again. Well ….we had the answer for her on our Knowledge Base. We thought that this might be useful information for others – so here goes…….

Hi, 
Just finished weaving a second shadow weave scarf. The first one was my dummy warp in different colours. Now I want to start an all-new project. How can I save my dummy warp, which steps do I take best to take it off the loom and save my dummy warp for the next time I want to weave a shadow weave scarf?
Before you cut the cloth off your present loom, weave approx. 1 inch of good solid plain weave and then smother it in fray check or even white glue.  Wait until it is dry and very secure then make a plain weave shed and insert 1 lease stick beyond the glue line (in between your glue line and the reed), then make the other plain weave shed and insert the other lease stick.

Then you take the tension off at the front and squish it all together and tie up your cross. After you have your cross tied back into the warp you are ready to cut in front of the glue line.

Now you can take the warp off the loom. Release the tension from the back and pull your whole warp out the front. It is helpful to have a 2nd person if the warp is of any length. And you should put some cinch ties along the warp to secure it.

Once you have it all pulled forward you cut the warp at the back of the loom, and carefully, very, very carefully pull all the ends out of the heddles and reed. Tie a knot at that end and you can chain it up to your cross.

When you are ready to put it back on the loom. You put the apron rod through the cross end of your warp at the glue line.

Ta da!


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 at Ravelry.

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January 3rd, 2023 newsletter

Happy New Year!

It’s so hard to believe that we have quietly stepped into another year! It seems that I’m not the only one that can’t get my head around how quickly time flies by. My wish for you is to have a healthy, happy, 2023 that gets filled with good memories of time with family and friends. I wish you carefree times at your loom and feeling the joy of learning and creating, alongside our little School of Weaving family. I’ve enjoyed watching you develop friendships on the Forum as you weave and share your challenges and successes. I look forward to watching and hearing about your growth in your weaving whether you are a brand, spanking new weaver or are waiting to explore Season 7. Best wishes for a Happy New Year from me and my staff. 

Jane


In case you missed it

School of Weaving Season 7 trailer is out! We begin our new season with one more episode on Turned Twill on January 19th. Lots of time to binge-watch Season 6 before we dive into the extended Units, Blocks & Profiles for 2023! That’s right, we are layering colour sequences on what we learned in Season 6. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do so with our 7-day free trial.


Season 7 Episode 1

It is so much fun to start the year with another overlay idea. This year is about adding Colour and Weave sequences to units and blocks.

We’ll start with Turned Twill for the 3rd year in a row…adding my favourite Dark/Light sequence from Season 2 Episode 4, which was Dark/Light/Dark/Dark/Light. We’ll add it to units and then to blocks and make that cute little motif bigger and bigger and bigger. This should set your mind on fire. 

I also demonstrate how to wind 2 warps…a light one and a dark one and then beam both warps, at the same time, onto your warp beam. This method comes in really handy when you have a lot of colour changes in a warp.

Get ready to weave along with our next 8-shaft Turned Twill episode where we add Colour and Weave to the magic in the cloth. The kit for this episode is available now – should you want to have your loom ready and waiting to play along.

Things we will learn:

  • How to overlay C&W sequences from our C&W gamp S02E02 onto units and blocks, to make these motifs as big as we want.
  • We use D/L and D/D/L/D/L in the composition.
  • How to bring other sequences into the treadling.
  • We can also play with all those other tie-ups from S05E01 and S06E02.
  • How to warp with 2 warps, a dark warp and a light warp.
  • A discussion about whether we want to tie knots or warp with 2 warps.
  • One isn’t right, one isn’t wrong…they are just different ways to warp and it’s good to know.

Level of Difficulty: intermediate
Weave structure: 8-shaft Turned Twill
Material: 8/2 cotton
Each kit makes: 8 Tea Towels


From our Inbox

We start 2023 with a bang and share the photos that Lindy Brown of Crescent Head, Australia, has sent us. She has been “playing” with Turned Twill and wrote “I enjoyed the turned twill and colour and weave lessons, here are some of my turned twill towels, many of which I have gifted to friends. So many great concepts and design ideas in these lessons. Thank you, Jane and team”

Lindy was inspired by our two Turned Twill episodes…so far 😉 – Season 5 Episode 1 and Season 6 Episode 2.


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 at Ravelry.

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December 20, 2022 newsletter

❤️ A Christmas Story from our Archives ❤️

When my kids were little, I used to put a comic, or colouring book in their Christmas stockings….as they grew older, they became skateboarding or snowboarding magazines or whatever they were into at that moment….it became a wonderful tradition and it bought me a bit of time every Christmas morning.
 
When my eldest son was 16, he did something very special…he put a magazine in my Christmas stocking…it was called Organic Style. He knew how much I was going organic :), but the title “Organic Style” seemed rather odd….the ‘organic’ part was great…but ‘style’…how could organic be a style? 
 
Now….you have to imagine everyone sitting around, browsing through their magazines, sipping hot chocolate with me leafing through mine noticing that most of the stuff in the magazine wasn’t about organic anything and I made a comment…or two or three…this isn’t organic, how can they talk about ‘style’ when we’re talking organic…..blah blah blah…get the drift?
 
Well…..the room went quiet and I looked up and there was my beautiful son Eben staring at me in disbelief…his mother was being a total utter jerk. I realized it the minute I looked at his face and said “oh my gosh Eben, I’m so sorry, it is a wonderful magazine, thank you so much”

Here’s the best part……You have to remember that he was 16…..and with all the sarcasm that a 16-year-old could muster, he glared at me and said…”Well, gee Mom, I couldn’t find an old ladies with string digest”……I burst out laughing and thought it was the best response ever…he nailed it and I told him right then and there that if our little business grew enough for me to have a newsletter, I would call it “The Old Ladies With String Digest”.
 
Every Christmas we still laugh at that story and I still use the name for my newsletter. It is even more appropriate for me now that I have officially become an OAP’er, something I’m very proud of. I have survived and plan to keep on working and creating, being inspired and trying to inspire. The learning will never end and I hope that you will all be getting the Old Ladies With String Digest for many more years to come.

I’m thinking about changing the newsletter’s name to “From an Old Lady with String” or maybe I’ll just let it be, I still haven’t decided. BUT…..I want everyone reading to know that I love all weavers, toddlers, teenagers, under 40, over 50 and I especially love our weavers in their 80’s and 90’s and yes, we have a lot of them. They are my greatest inspiration. 

I also want to take a moment to thank you all for supporting our little business. We wouldn’t be here without you. Your generosity this year has allowed us to send another $12,000 donation to the Maiwa Foundation supporting textile artisans in India. These donations are greatly appreciated as you can imagine. 

Last but not least I want to wish you all a safe, loving holiday season. May 2023 bring more Peace and Love to this world.

❤️
Jane 


We will be closed for the holidays from December 24th to January 1st.
Last orders for shipping before the holidays is December 23rd.
Orders placed during our closed days will be processed on January 2nd, 2023.


Here to help

You can always find us on the Jane Stafford School of Weaving Forum or on Weave with Jane Stafford at Ravelry.

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December 13 , 2022 newsletter

The magic of Colour and Weave 

can’t help but be excited about sharing what we’ll be doing in Season 7! There are so many possibilities using “what if”…. and magic can really happen. Early in 2023 we’ll add to our knowledge of Fiberworks PCW and learn about some tools that I wasn’t even aware of.  You’ll have so much fun learning more about this amazing software.

December is the time we get to sort out the Studio, take a wee break and get ready for another exciting year ahead of us. In the meantime – check out the Episode 1 kit below if you want to be ready and waiting for Turned Twill with layers in Season 7, Episode 1! Episode 2 is Fiberworks and Episode 3 is Colour and Weave on Monk’s Belt.


Happy Weaving
Jane


Season 7 New Kits

Episode 1 Turned Twill With Colour & Weave

You’ve hung out with me long enough to know that I love Colour and Weave – and now I’m adding even more layers to Turned Twill. In the first episode of Season 7, we get to see what happens when you let C&W play in Turned Twills garden 😉 

Things we will learn:

  • How to overlay C&W sequences from our C&W gamp S02E02 onto units and blocks, to make these motifs as big as we want.
  • We use D/L and D/D/L/D/L in the composition.
  • How to bring other sequences into the treadling.
  • We can also play with all those other tie-ups from S05E01 and S06E02.
  • How to warp with 2 warps, a dark warp and a light warp.
  • A discussion about whether we want to tie knots or warp with 2 warps.
  • One isn’t right, one isn’t wrong…they are just different ways to warp and it’s good to know.

Monk’s Belt With Colour & Weave

The Monk’s Belt placemats were a hit last year and we loved seeing photos of what you wove on our School of Weaving Forum as well as our Ravelry Group. Now – we are adding new design layers to a fresh set of placemats (and we’re still able to weave a lovely scarf on the same warp). Oh … the endless possibilities of C&W……

Things we will learn:

  • How to overlay C&W sequences on Monk’s Belt.
  • How we can challenge our ideas around Monk’s Belt treadling and balance.
  • How to weave super thick placemats with only 2 shuttles.
  • How we can get lovely drapey scarves on the same warp without changing the sett.

A few other things title……

Gift Certificates

Gift certificates are the perfect gift choice which gives the weavers in your world a way to plan a project and choose the yarn they want to use to create their own unique “kit”. We have a selection of patterns available for purchase which could be the starting point of their next project 😉 Or – if you are the only weaver in your family circle – you could drop hints, print out this newsletter and accidentally leave it lying on the coffee table, or plant the idea with a family member who might share that information with others 😉 If you are hoping for the gift of a month or a year for the School of Weaving – these gift options can be purchased on the same page.


Michelle’s Zephyr Scarf Kit

There is something soft, warm, and delightful about Michelle’s scarf. With Zephyr yarn in both the warp and weft woven in Turned Twill, the resulting scarves are beautiful and cozy to wear on a winter’s day. 

The thing I like about Turned Twill is that you can put your colours in the warp and weave with just one colour in the weft, and yet you achieve multi-coloured blocks.  You can weave your profile square or change the height of your blocks by changing the number of times you treadle them.  This system allows for many different graphic possibilities on one warp.

Turned Twill requires an 8-shaft loom and is recommended for an intermediate weaver. 


Eco Jeans Cramming & Denting Scarf

This Eco Jean yarn is lovely to weave and uses Cramming and Denting in the design, and because this yarn grabs onto itself it happily stays in place. Should you want to weave this scarf in a different colourway – simply, put the Cramming and Denting Eco Jeans Scarves kit into your cart, then on the checkout screen in the “notes” section, let us know what colours you would like us to put in your kit. These scarves are light, airy, casual and warm. A perfect addition to jeans and a T-shirt!


Double-Ended Electric Bobbin Winder

This is a handy tool to have on hand that will make your weaving life easier. It holds bobbins and pirns in place while you quickly wind them as you prepare to weave. It also will hold the large Leclerc Styrene Spools that will easily hold a skein of silk. Once the silk is on the spool – it’s ready to be wound onto bobbins. Easy peasy!


Schacht Umbrella Swift – no counter

The Ultra Umbrella Swift is ingeniously designed with features you will love. It can be used with your bobbin winder to quickly move skeins of silk and other skeined yarn onto a large Leclerc spool for weaving or onto your ball winder if you also happen to be a knitter!

Please note this swift does not have a counter.

Features:

Ball bearings for exceptionally smooth turning.
Pushes down to open and will not flare out after the skein is emptied.
Stable slat pivots with solid steel pins.
Ingenious clamp mounts on most tables, even those with thick edges.
Built-in winding handle.
Holds skeins up to 93″ in circumference.
Can be used in either a vertical or horizontal position.
Tube and button slat assembling.


From Our Inbox

We love hearing from our weavers around the world… Hannie Derks from the Netherlands shared her interpretation of denting. She wove this beautiful scarf using 16/2 cotton in red and yellow colour gradients for the warp and added the luxury of natural silk by using it for her weft. It’s stunning Hannie – I wish we could feel its drape 😉 


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.


School of Weaving

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December 6, 2022 newsletter

Season 7, yay!

An Overlay of Colour & Weave Sequences and Texture on Units and Block Weave

Hello there my darling kidlets….so many of you have been waiting for this newsletter…so here we go!

As always, 2023 will build on all previous years with special emphasis on the Colour and Weave gamp we did in Season 2 Episode 4. We are going to take those Colour and Weave sequences and overlay them onto units and blocks. You’ll be amazed how you can take a sequence that may have been 5 ends and blow it up to be 20 ends or 40 ends. The motif stays the same, it’s just much bigger. We can also use those end-on-end sequences in so many unit and block weaves to add incredible depth and complexity to these structures. AND….we can add texture to so many of them, thick and thin in both the warp and weft. 

This is all being done on 4 shafts, with the exception of Episode 1 which is more on Turned Twill…I know…how can there be more….well, we’re only getting started. 😉

So far we’ve filmed the first 3 episodes…..Turned Twill, Fiberworks and Monk’s Belt. I can hardly wait to get the hundreds of yards woven for the next 6 episodes, it’ll keep me busy and off the streets. 🤣

I hope you enjoy the Promo…it gives you a lot of detail and some sneak peeks at what’s coming your way.

And, thank you so much for belonging to the School of Weaving….it is your subscription that allows me to keep making these episodes, taking things further and I have the honour to share it all with you. ❤️

Love ya tons,
Jane


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December 1, 2022 newsletter

Louet Octado & Megado Looms
ON SALE NOW until December 20th, 2022!

Are you a weaver who is tired of crawling under your loom to create or change your tie-up? Do you weave a yard or 2 and then decide you would really like to change the structure in your cloth by changing your tie-up a wee bit? It’s those “what-ifs” that are magic but can be hard on your knees and back. So … you shrug your shoulders and say “I just can’t get under there again” and stop exploring the possibilities. Does this sound familiar??

For the first time since 2019 – the Octado and the Megado – Louet’s Dobby looms – are on sale!!!

The ease of complex weaving on these looms often comes as a surprise to even the most experienced weaver! The Megado and Octado are simple, easy to operate, and robust enough to handle all your projects.

Dobby looms have a dobby system, which is used to program the lift combinations for your weave structure. The dobby mechanism replaces the treadle/lam combination of traditional floor looms. The pattern capability of a multi-shaft loom is vastly increased by using a dobby mechanism because it gives you an almost limitless number of treadles. The Octado is an 8-shaft loom and the Megado comes with either 16 shafts or 32. Once you decide on your loom, you then decide on the dobby system, either mechanical or electronic. 

Jane


Please note that the loom and dobby are sold separately.

If you wish to pay a deposit and/or installments, please contact info@janestaffordtextiles.com with the loom, width, and shaft number you are interested in and we will send you an invoice for the $1000.00 CAD deposit with the balance due when the loom ships.


Octado Loom


Octado Loom Electronic Interface

The electronic interface is also on sale until December 20th, 2022! It will give you almost unlimited shaft combinations using a computer and software. The following weaving software programs work with the Louet electronic interface – Fiberworks PCW, Weavemaker, WeaveIt, WeavePoint, Winweef or ProWeave.


Megado Loom

There are a few Megado left in the March 2023 shipment.

Next series of Megado looms is scheduled for June 2023 delivery.


Megado Electronic Interface

Megado electronic interface is available for both 16 shafts or 32 shafts and on sale now!


We also offer FREE shipping on all Louet looms within Continental North America.


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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November 29 2022, newsletter

Units, Blocks & Profiles – What a year!

None of us can believe that another year has flown by and we are getting ready to launch Season 7, the sequel to Units, Blocks and Profiles. We have covered so much ground and given you so much to absorb but…that’s the beauty of the School of Weaving format. I know that many of my students who have taken “in-house” workshops in the past are delighted that they can now go through everything we learned this year, at a pace that gives them time to absorb all the information.

We started our first project of the year with a bang by taking 8-shaft Twill to another level by playing with blocks and tie-up quadrants. We watched the magic happen! We took what we learned about Monk’s Belt and pushed it up a notch. We learned how to use the unit system for Overshot and how to adapt our designs using Twill shapes in the mix. We learned how to do name drafting, which is so much fun. We finally got to know and play with Crackle Weave, learning how to add layers to this eye-popping structure. Next came M’s & O’s with all the treadling elements you could incorporate in the structure to create a beautiful cloth. We took our first steps into the almost endless possibilities of weaving using Summer and Winter. Before we knew it – we were blowing our minds learning to analyze blocks and then weaving the fabulous Block Analysis/Bronson Lace scarves.

Now it’s time to just enjoy the holiday season and weave with all the knowledge you’ve gained this past year!
Thank you for coming on this journey with me : )
Jane


School of Weaving In-Stock Kits

8 Shaft Twill Block & Tie-up Quadrants

Level of Difficulty: intermediate
Weave structure: Twill Blocks & Tie-up Quadrants
Material: 8/2 cotton
Each kit makes: 12 Tea Towels

Things we learn:

  • ways to manipulate the tie-up box
  • we consider it in quadrants
  • how to frame Lace with Twill
  • how to frame Basket Weave with Twill
  • how to frame Plain Weave with Twill
  • we don’t fret about clean cut lines
  • how to play with graphic and colour.

Monk’s Belt

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
Weave structure: Monk’s belt
Material: 8/2 cotton & 8/4 cotton
Each kit makes: 12 Placemats

Things we learn:

  • Monk’s Belt uses 2 opposite twill units. A is 1&2 and B is 3&4
  • the number of times a unit is repeated lengthens the pattern float
  • the number of times a unit can be repeated is also dependent on the EPI of the warp
  • it is woven with alternating tabby picks between pattern picks
  • it can be woven on other threadings ie. point twill for a 3-end unit and Huck for a 5-end unit.

Overshot

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
Weave structure: Overshot
Material: 8/2 cotton
Each kit makes a warp for 3 Scarves

Things we learn:

  • the unit system for Overshot
  • how understanding Twill shapes will help us identify those shapes in Overshot
  • Tromp as Writ, Rose Fashion, treadling on opposites
  • using contemporary graphics in the threading
  • adding other Plain Weave elements to the overall design.


Crackle Weave

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
Weave structure: Crackle Weave
Material: 8/2 & 8/4 cotton
Each kit makes: 9 Towels


Things we learn:

     • Crackle weave is a twill-derivative structure
     • it can be woven with or without alternating tabby picks
     • how to interpret a Twill threading as a profile draft
     • doubling the units to double the size of the pattern
     • Overshot style treadling
     • on opposites treadling
     • classic Crackle threading, 3 wefts, (no tabby)
     • Bronson Lace treadling
     • Summer and Winter treadling
     • composition of graphic.


M’s & O’s

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
Weave structure: M’s & O’s
Material: 8/2 organic cotton & 8/4 cotton
Each kit makes: 12 guest towels or 12 placemats


Things we learn:

  • traditional threading for M’s & O’s
  • that we can thread Plain Weave selvedges and we can weave a version of Plain Weave selvedge… BUT, not both… you have to pick which one you want.
  • if you go for the version of Plain Weave we can use floating selvedges to spiff up the selvedge (we are using 4 per side)
  • that we have 2 units that can be repeated with care… I’ll explain in the video
  • that we can treadle: almost Plain Weave, traditional M’s & O’s, honeycomb, a version of Monk’s Belt, a version of Bronson Lace & repetitive sequences playing with all those things.

Summer and Winter

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
Weave structure: Summer & Winter
Material: 8/2 cotton
Each kit makes: 1 sampler and 8 placemats

Things we learn:

  • the unit system of Summer and Winter
  • what a two-tie structure means
  • how to make your hem exactly like the pattern in reverse
  • how to treadle in pairs X style
  • how to treadle in pars O style
  • how to treadle in singles alternate style (bricks)
  • how to treadle in Dukagang style (columns)
  • how to change your ground patterning by changing your tabbies
  • having neutral warp allows us to bring in any colour we want.

School of Weaving

Watch anywhere, anytime!

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JST 2023 Calendar

You now have the option to have the calendar shipped letter-mail to save on shipping. These images will inspire you all year long. Why not give them to your favourite weaving friends 🙂

$5 to ship in Canada and $7 CAD to ship to the USA.
Just click the “letter-mail” shipping option at checkout.


From Our Inbox

We were delighted to see Jacqueline Hitchen’s beautiful sample towels using what she learned in Season 6 – Episode 6 – Crackle Weave. Jacqueline wove them with Overshot and Summer & Winter treadling and we were pleased to see her results woven in her own choice of colours.


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.