There are a couple that I have picked up and have been mighty pleased with. Handwoven's Design Collection #18 Treasury of Towels, and Ashfords' Textures & Towels are both really great ones. Have begun a collection of the past Handwoven collections and magazines - all of which have proven to be very insightful (but of course, I am just a baby in weaving). Have yet to repair the looms and hoping that will happen later this month so I can begin working on projects. Have a feeling many will be getting woven gifts for the holidays next year.

Apologize to Meg for me! :please please:

Any ideas on what I should be looking for>? Found a great price on 40" & 50" looms, but only 4 heddle (oh yes, and free shipping to boot). Thinking I may want the 8's for more pattern design, but really have no clue. Very interested in making handspun cloth, blankets, dish/hand towels, cashmere scarves, etc. Any suggestions?

Have been working like mad on the handspun (beautiful autumn multicolor of romney and mohair) with the spindle, as I finally had to let my poor old girl retire for a bit. Bits and pieces kept coming off, so debating on getting another (newer) castle wheel and allowing the other for more display, or just getting a rehaul done on poor ole' bessie and slaving her back to work. Not sure just yet as to what I want to do. Much easier to do laceweights on the spindle anyhow....but the thousands of yards is what is getting me. Really appreciate the input here.

Back to spinning, thanks for letting me ramble....

My latest two projects are spinning a mix of Merino and Silk that I had dyed a medium blue into a very fine threads to knit into stockings for my daughter, and a batch of very soft Jacob short that was dyed in greens and spun into a medium-fine strand that will also later be plyed and then knitted into stockings. At least it gives me something to work on while waiting in lines and really makes people wonder. Gotta love it.

Anyone else?

According to my instant reference on tartans, Duncans are entitled to wear the tartan of the Robertson clan - masons and other surnames having no Tartan of their own can choose any they wish) and there may be one for Duncan, though this is not positively identified.

But don't fall for all that victorian tourist BULL. Tartan in it's earliest forms did allow some colours to be identified with certain clans, because the plants which provided dyes grew in their lands and occured regionally in many cases, but the originals were very dull, generally browns and yellows, more like the rather realistic reproductions used in Braveheart.

Also the idea of the plaid was that it was a single long piece of wide cloth which could be used as a sort of wrap around skirt, thrown over the shoulder and fastened with a single brooch or clasp. This doubled as a blanket when on the move, and could easily be discarded when running into a fight.

This with the pipes is part of the reason highlanders were so feared in battle, it's a bit worrying when a big heavy naked brute, or hundreds of them start running at you shouting all sorts of gaelic profanity, and all to the unfamiliar and frightening sound of the pipes.

Many germans apparently ran just from the noise of the pipes during WW2 (large pinch of salt required for this paternal tale), fearing some unfamiliar and dangerous new weapon. 3 or 4 yards of plaid should do you though I'm no expert. Beware - the real stuff was more like hessian than todays nice soft wool.

The material came off the loom about twelve or fourteen ells long some say it was then halved and stitched to form six ells of double width material (an ell in Scotland was just over a yard).

Or a double weave on the loom itself was also used.

When it was worn it was kilted (bunched might be a good description) to provide a good thickness of material around the vital organs.

The Great Kilt as worn today is usually around four to six yards of broadcloth and between 56 to 60 inches wide.

Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Tapestries

Tapestries have been around for many centuries, yet few realize just what labor was needed to complete these glorious and magnificent works of art, especially in such a technologically challenged period in history. They were originally created for the visual beauty, as well as, for their function of helping to insulate cold, damp castle walls and provide a small measure of privacy. The designs were usually chosen to commemorate a special event, person or deed, myths and tales or just every-day activities such as feasting, garden pleasures, hunts and tournaments. Possibly the most well known tapestries are the Lady and the Unicorn series, woven in the turn of the 15th century in the Loire Valley.

Tapestries became status symbols amongst the aristocracy in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Kings and nobles took them on their travels from castle to castle for reasons of comfort and prestige. They often changed hands after battle, and since the victor's door and window openings might be a different size the acquired hangings might be cut up or even joined to other tapestries. The churches also took advantage of using them as a way to help educate their illiterate followers, with very few of these originals remaining to this day.

In the creation of tapestries, the first step would be to obtain a true-to-size “cartoon” or black and white outline sketch of the subject from an artist. This design would be approved by the one who commissioned the work, then sent off to the carpenters for the making of a frame. Once the frame was chosen, the cartoon and frame would be handed over to experienced weavers of all ages to begin warping the loom with handspun wool or linen and then the transferring of the cartoon onto the warp threads, with the use of handmade inks and quill pens. Depending on the size of the piece commissioned, this process could last a few weeks to a few months or more.

During this time, others would collect handspun and naturally dyed wools and silks, with which to use for the weft threads or pattern of the design. Medieval weavers extracted their dyes from plants and insects in a range of less than twenty colors. For example, red came from madder, poppies or pomegranates, yellows from saffron and blue produced from woad. On very elaborate pieces, very fine metallic wires or threads were introduced to accentuate various pieces of the tapestry, but these specialties were usually only afforded by the very wealthy.

The process of weaving intricate designs was usually handed down from father to son or to apprentices only, being seen as a time honored craft that was a specialized skill. This made tapestries very expensive in general to the public, due to the labor and skill involved. Weaving a tapestry would begin at the bottom and work up, going from side to side until each row was completed. It often was necessary for many weavers to be working on the same project, side by side, on a massive loom that was hung from the rafters above. This process could take up a year or more depending on the size of the project and number of people commissioned to create the piece. For a skilled father and son team, it could take two months to weave just one square foot of tapestry!