OK, I admit it. Housekeeping is not my favourite (or even tenth favourite) activity. I can think of LOTS of things that I would rather do that clean or tidy.
But I do it a lot more frequently now that I weave.
When I sit down to design a warp, I first need to tidy off my desk, so I can put any sketches out, and I can stack up my sample cards and books to get the colours on the screen as close as possible to the colours that I will eventually order. (we all know the screen to real life comparison isn’t great, but I do my best).
Then I need to get my spreadsheet out, to see how much of which colours I have in stock, so I can work up a yarn order.
Once the order arrives, I need to clear the kitchen table, and move my laptop over there (cleaning off my desk first, because the laptop is generally in the middle of a pile of school papers and such) with my scale, so i can enter it all into my invetory. I also mark all the newly entered yarns, and all the “old” inventory yarns that will be used in the spreadsheet, and pull everything together in one box.
When I start warping, I need to either clear a place for the empty and full spools, as well as the spools of ordered yarn (when I am using the spool rack) or bring the warping wheel up from the basement, and make space for that in the living room (which needs tidying, so I can move the furniture around), and set out my lovely box of joy along with my warping order.
Once the warp is beamed, I dust and vaccuum the loom, and the area around it, so it is ready for a new piece. (I usually do the whole main floor, because really, I have the stuff out, and it isn’t that large of a space, maybe 600 square feet).
Then I move all the furniture back, and get working. A week or two later, I have the piece complete.
I need to take it off the loom, but first I move the furniture (again) and clean the floor (again), so I don’t pick up any extra dust and leaves and Cheerio bits with the fabric. (handwoven scraps make AMAZING dust cloths, by the way)
Then I move over to the kitchen table, which has been freshly cleared, wiped down, and swept underneath, for the above reasons.
Inspections, measuring, repairs etc happen here. then I serge the ends of the pieces, and go clean the bath tub.
Once the tub is clean, I soak the fabric in it for a few hours to make sure no dyes will run, and to minimize tracking.
Next step it to take it all in a freshly emptied laundry bin down to the basement, and put it through a wash and dry cycle.
When the fabric is still damp, I take it out (in the still empty laundry bin), and bring back up to the kitchen table, which has again been subjected to more cleaning, because at this point, SOMEONE must have had a snack on it, and probably used some glitter glue on something too. (By the way, please, for the love of whatever you hold dear, do NOT EVER send me glitter glue)
The fabric gets another inspection of both sides while damp, and is then moved over to the ironing board in the kitchen (which SURPRISE, has had the floor cleaned just before the fabric moves over there). I do another inspection, and final trimming of threads as I iron.
Then it all goes BACK to the (hopefully still clean) kitchen table for hemming, and marking with my mark, final measuring, photos, and packing.
So all in all, over the course of 2-3 weeks, my living/dining/kitchen areas get cleaned at least 3 times, my desk gets cleared a couple of times, and the bathroom (or at least the tub) gets done once.
Not too bad, eh?
Rock Lake Weaving 