It's Hard to Keep up with a Blog with all these Baby Blankets

I like M&O pattern for baby blankets.  The floats have never been a problem and the pattern adds great color and texture.  This blanket was done in all cottons.  The binding is a cute and colorful Owl print.

Orchard #2 in Boundweave

I recently finished the second orchard done in the boundweave structure.  I learned many things from my first piece (see post from 12.2013).  One of the most valuable lessons concerned my wool choices.  For this piece, 95% of the yarn is Collingwood rug yarn.  It is the perfect size.  However, the colors available are muted.  So brights, like the apple red, yellow and green, are from knitting yarns.



Also note the pig which required a break in the pattern repeat.  Wasn't sure it would work, but it really does call attention to the smudge of pink.

The structure is 6 shaft boundweave.  Warp is linen sett at 8epi.  Weft is wool.  Finished size is approx. 26"L x 15"W.

It is highly probable there will be one more Orchard in this series.  Meanwhile, I am looking into a modified brocade technique as the next experiment.

Tool to save LOTS of time

Being a weaver, I am not up on all the great tools available to the sewing/quilting crowd.  A few months back, while cleaning out some things from the house of an elderly Aunt, I came across a little box marked 'tape maker'.  Inside were three metal flattened cones of differing sizes.  I had not a clue what they were.

Luckily, a sister-in-law who quilts was there and told me they were used to make bias tape.  WOW!  It was like striking gold.  I make bias tape to use as blanket binding or seam binding.  I have googled making bias tape so many times and have never heard mention of any tape maker.  So I wondered if it was too good to be true.

When I started to make the bias tapes for the rosepath blankets, I dragged out the little box to give the tape maker a trial run.  Stuffed on the bottom of the box was one sheet of directions (dated in the 1980's) that made it all look VERY EASY.  And, so it is!!!

I cannot tell you how many hours I have already saved being able to iron the tape in ONE PASS.  Basically you thread your bias strip through the metal tip and iron the tape as it comes out.  Done!

This is one crazy, useful tool!

The blanket shown is the third of the Rosepath threading.  I did widely spaced stripes using pink, teal and multi-colored  cotton.  The binding is some flower-power Owls in the same colors.

MORE Baby Blankets

It has been a few months since my last post.  I have been busy doing three more baby blankets.  All were done on a Rosepath threading with various treadlings.  For two I used some lovely peach cotton I picked up at a 'stash reduction' sale.  The cotton was in skeins and was close to a 5/2 mercerized cotton in weight.  The warp was an 8/2 cotton in natural.  Owls are big this year.  The binding on the one pictured below featured owls and birds.

Dornik twill yardage - feedback from the study group

Overwhelmingly, to my surprise, the study group felt it was important to showcase the space dyed bamboo side of the fabric.  I thought it was a little too stripe-y for my style, but the feedback was that it does not present as stripes since the warp was well mixed.  At the very least, it was suggested that some of the space dyed be displayed by either a fold over collar, or in a garment that allows view of inside.  I took that advice and used a pattern with a  fold over collar.  Thanks to the group for their feedback!

Dornik Twill Yardage

I may have mentioned that I belong to a weaving study group.  We call ourselves the 'Cloth Study Group' which really means yardage.  We are just over one year of meetings and the group has been a wonderful way to share and learn.  Most of the yardage woven over the year has been used in garment construction.

I like a tailored jacket so I decided to weave some yardage to make a jacket.  I used two hanks of space-dyed bamboo in blues/greens as the warp along with two vintage novelty wools for weft.  The wools are special in that they were found when clearing out the home of an elderly Aunt who contributed to my weaving addiction.  The wools contained small amounts of other fibers that resulted in some stretch.  Since the wools were in skeins I assume they were knit/crochet wools.  For this reason, I was sure to use a temple.

I wanted to use a 1/3 twill to place emphasis on the wool weft.  I always like the 'uneveness' of a broken twill.  On my counterbalance loom, it was better to do the tie-up such that I was looking at the back of the yardage during weaving process (right side in photo).  This was probably best since it was more interesting to look at the summer-y stripes than the alternating wefts.

I am quite happy with the yardage off the loom.  It remains to be seen how it comes out of the wet finish.  I am hoping for limited shrinkage.  The bamboo and wool together are medium weight and I think it will be nice for spring/fall.

Shepherd's Check

 Shepherd's check is a traditional pattern that works well for chenille since it is a balanced weave with a float length of one.  It also seemed like an easy/quick break from brain storming an upcoming yardage project.  I put on a warp of royal blue alternating with grassy green and gold.

Once I started weaving the check, it seemed a little too traditional so I decided to use the check (with a couple of variations) only at the ends of the scarves.  The center of each scarf was woven in plain weave which produces a stripe.  The interesting attribute of the stripe is that the edge is wavy and it looks like a rib in the fabric.


The finished scarves look more interesting when worn due to the look of texture in the stripe.  I may go back to this pattern and do some more scarves in school colors.

This amazing picture is of the installed Ground Cover Public Art Project in Phoenix, Arizona.  The flower picture was created from 300 blankets made in various fiber forms.  The blankets will be donated to homeless people after installation.

Fabulous.

Orchard Boundweave

The boundweave has been gifted and the recipient totally loved it!  Whew!  It was a little crazy to take on something new for a gift, however, I learned so much during the process that I already have plans for a #2 in the series.

The piece (from top to bottom) has a blue sky over some small mountains.  Next is the apple orchards with apples falling into the press and the juice flowing from the press into bottles.  I used some beads (hand applied) to create some effervescence above the glasses.

Nothing more rewarding than a gift well received!

Pictorial Boundweave

Family health issues have keep me away from posting.  But I have tried to keep a project on the loom so that I can decompress with my favorite pastime.

Boundweave is known as very slow weaving.  Multiple weft shots pack down to create one finished row.  The weaving gets even slower with pictorials made using a point twill threading on 8 shafts.  Each shaft is raised in order (either forward or reverse) and a weft shot deposits one "pixel" of color over the warp for that shaft.  After 8 picks, one row is formed.  Repeat.

I choose boundweave for this project because I was not ready to tackle the basics of tapestry weaving, and I am a fan of folk art.  The boundweave creates folk art like pictures that can be used to construct a theme or story.  When the piece is complete, it will be easier to see the story so I will explain it at that time.

This is my first attempt at pictorial boundweave.  I have long admired the figures and motifs that other weavers have created for cards and wall hangings.  There has been a steep learning curve on the right yarns to use.  Also so much fun to watch the pictures emerge.

It is the right time to have a slow project on the loom!

Turquoise and Red for Summer POP!

 

My eye latched on to some fabric in turquoise with red stripes.  The colors seemed to capture the summer sky and sizzle of hot temps.  I thought it would make a very sweet mini wrap.

After much research, mostly on ways to maximize the warp stripe, I decided on a warp faced plain weave done in bamboo.  I added a few silver threads for sparkle.

The project was very quick to weave and finish in with a mobius twist.

The colors as shown in the warp photo are closer to the actual colors. (I am still working on my photo retouch skills). Cute and just right to warm the shoulders.

Study Group Yardage

I have been in a recently formed study group for a few months.  Our focus is yardage for use in garments, although making the garment is optional.  To make our first project easier, we chose to use twill structure ... not much of a restriction there.  I knew I wanted to do a jacket or a vest.  Since I prefer more fitted styles, I chose a broken twill that would not require too much extra effort to match a pattern.

I also found a threading/treadling that produced different front and back pattern.  I have my yardage complete and as you can see from the photo, I will be able to use the front (on right) for the body, and the reverse (on left) for the shawl collar.

I hope to have the garment complete in the next few weeks since the weight will be great for spring/fall.  Will post pics.

The warp is rayon chenille, sett at 18epi.  The weft is rayon chenille.

Boundweave rug

I finally finished my boundweave "sampler".  And even though it is slow weaving, I love the result.

This is the rug that was in progress when the harness cord broke.  I did three rugs as a sampler to try boundweave.  I used carpet warp for the warp and three strands of cotton chenille for the weft.  While I know cotton chenille will shrink in the 15-20% range, I forgot to consider the longer floats would contribute to shrinkage.  After washing, there was a definate 20% shrinkage in width.

The cotton chenille creates a fluffy, thick rug which I like.  If I use cotton chenille again for boundweave, I will choose a pattern that minimizes floats, use a closer sett (this was 10epi) or add in some plainweave to reduce shrinkage.

Equipment failure

As I was coming to the end of my boundweave rug warp, I pressed a treadle and one of my harness cords gave up!  I probably should have checked them before starting the rugs.  Luckily I had some appropriate cord and was able to fix this in about one hour.  I may make up a few spares to have handy for the next time.

As an aside, it is funny how weavers often treat their warp like it is fragile.  I can tell you this warp was no worse off for its one hour supporting those harnesses.

Blanket for Boy Baby

In the past few years I have done a number of baby blankets ... all for girls.  It was a welcome change to do a boyish one this time.  This was also one of my fastest projects. On and off the loom in 2 days!

The cotton warp is yellow and white  stripes in a twill threading. The cotton weft is a pale blue.

I love the way the jungle animals on the binding peek out.  The mom-to-be loved it too!

Another blanket is in the finishing process and will be posted soon.

Then on to some yardage.

Tabby, Tabby, Twill

Getting projects completed has been slow so far this year!  I just completed the last of three chenille scarves, twisted the fringe and wet finished.  The warp is rayon chenille using three colors.

I used three different wefts. Far left is a pale yellow chenille weft in plain weave.  Middle is a silver/blue bamboo also in plain weave.  The scarf on the right is a pale grey tencel in straight twill.

The photo does not really show the difference in sheen.  As expected, the tencel scarf has the most and the all chenille has the least.  The tencel has a very silken look.

Two of the scarves are gifts, and the one in the middle I will keep for a fresh spring look!

You got me going in circles

My friend B made a stop at Yarn Barn last summer and picked up some lovely dyed bamboo.  The skeins were dyed in various, variegated colorways.  I had asked B to get a blue/green, which she did, but she also picked up a red/orange skein.  I decided to use the red/orange in a draft that has been sitting in the to-do pile for some time.

The draft is for a four shaft twill that creates a pattern that reminds me of little medallions.  I love that it is only four shaft for ease of setup, yet the finished scarf looks much more complex.  The scarf pictured was done with a black wool/silk weft.  I did a second scarf with navy wool weft.  I was very pleased with the result and think this pattern will become part of my regular rotation.

More yarn

Like all fiber addicts I have lots of yarns.  One needs to have choices.  Sometimes I buy retail from shops either in my area or when I am traveling, but usually I order online.  Over the years I have ordered from WEBS.

Recently I found myself in western Mass and realized that it was WEBS country so I scheduled time for a stop.  Everyone in the area seemed to know about WEBS and gave it positive reviews.  PLUS, they have a very comfortable waiting area for the spouses.

I went online and made my list based on what was in stock. Since I was traveling by air, I tried to keep my selections down to a couple of pounds.

It is a very large building and has a dizzying selection of yarn, equipment and books.  I really had fun wandering through the front showroom, and the back warehouse.  I was able to get just about everything on my list.  Also, the sales folk were very helpful and pleasant.

My one tip, which may only apply if you are looking for cones, is that you should call ahead to make sure they have what you need at that location.  I was unable to find the navy alpaca/silk that had been listed as in stock on the website.  When I asked I found out that they have another warehouse (I want to browse through that one) that has all the overflow.  If it is not in the retail warehouse you have to order.

I wish I had a WEBS in my neighborhood!

Too Subtle

I wanted to try a shadow weave in chenille.  I decided to do a sample to evaluate the colors I wanted to use, the structure (sett, ppi) and the effort required to produce one scarf since shadow weave requires two shuttles.

This is one time that the sample really paid off since the colors I chose do not provide enough contrast to really appreciate the effort.  As you can see from the picture, the pattern -- diamonds --is barely visible.  A little too subtle....for me.

I know someone will love it.

Cotton Chenille Boundweave Rug

cotton chenille boundweave

I started weaving more when I got hooked on rugs.  First it was rag rugs. Then I took a class with the wonderful and talented Jason Collingwood.  His class took me from cotton warp and rags into linen warp and wool.  In addition, I learned precious technique tips.

Recently, I decided I needed to try Boundweave rugs.  I had been reading Clotilde Barrett's "Boundweave" and it seemed natural to try the sampler in the book by making some rugs.  I am using a cotton rug warp with 3 strands of cotton chenille as weft.  Since I expect at least 10% shrinkage from the weft I chose a 36 inch width.

I have finished one rug.  I am trying a variety of color sequences as per the sampler from the Barrett book.  Doing on-the-fly 'design' is quite stressless!  Even though boundweave is slow, it is satisfying to watch the patterns emerge.