Finished and Ready
Orange Peel
Weaving Wednesday 13
I managed to warp the loom this past Saturday and wove some on Sunday and a little on Monday. After splitting wood I was less than enthusiastic, I really just wanted a nap.
This has a tencel warp with a verigated wool sock yarn for the weft. It is really quite lovely – the tabby warp in tencel looks like little glass beads when the light hits it just right. Speaking of warping and weaving I made another mistake threading – can you see it? I didn’t until I’d woven about 6″ – and that was my point of no return. It is what it is. I don’t find it glaring and it wouldn’t stop me from wearing it. Another exercise.
I have 10 days to finish this. Barring any unforeseen crisis I shouldn’t have a problem doing it. It’s nice to be weaving a more complicated draft. I really love doing overshot. It reminds me of knitting an Aran pattern in a way. You have to knit many rows before the pattern appears, then it keeps you interested. Once you’ve repeated the pattern 5 or 6 times the piece you’re knitting is done. This does much the same thing, by the time you are in a rhythm with the treddling the piece is nearing completion.
When this is done I will probably weave another wool overshot throw, then I have a striped twill throw in mind. Christmas is coming.
Weaving Wednesday 11
I was a mad weaver last week. This piece started out as an experiment in sett really. I had a draft but wanted to use something other than what it called for, because I didn’t have access to the required materials and I just HAD to weave SOMETHING.
The warp is a Berroco’s Ultra Alpaca Fine which is a wool/alpaca/nylon blend, the color – Potting Soil Mix. The weft is Berroco’s alpaca in red. The pattern is an overshot called Orange Peel. The name alone made me want to weave it in orange.
I am proud to say that this project went off without a hitch – from warping to finishing. It also happened in 5 days.
We were going to a nephew’s 30th birthday party on the 6th (yes, I am that old) and I needed a gift. After asking Bill if he would wear it (no, he can’t put anything around his neck), I decided to give myself that deadline. The biggest problem I ran into was finishing. Living in a house with no air conditioning in the middle of a humid heat wave is not conducive to air drying a 72″ wool scarf. I confess to putting it in the dryer on air for a half an hour without adverse results. I also didn’t realize how hot I would be twisting fringe. The results were worth it.
This piece is yummy – so soft and warm. I’m sure it will get used in San Francisco. I was a little sad to see it go but had woven it with the recipient in mind, those are always the best projects.
Now I have to admit that I’m just a little on edge because there is nothing on my loom right at the moment. I have a number of choices right now but I think I will weave a gamp of Harrisville wool that I just purchased. I figured Harrisville was the way for me to go because I love the way their wool is spun and dyed. So 18 colors, 72 inches – I can’t wait to get it started! On the other hand if this heat keeps up maybe I should consider making something in cotton.
Weaving Wednesday 10
I finished the cotton towels I was weaving in Rowe on Saturday and was desperate to warp a new project. I decided on an overshot scarf in the Orange Peel pattern. The warp is fairly short and only has 146 ends. I was not ready to do a huge warp for another throw just yet so I made a little trip to Metaphor Yarns in Shelburne. They have some really beautiful yarn – really beautiful. I was looking at a draft before I left that used tencel as the warp with sock yarn as the weft. After poking around the store I found some fingering weight alpaca blend and figured I would change the sett if I had to (pretending I actually understand what I’m doing well enough to do that). The warp color is called potting soil and it’s lovely. I chose a red alpaca worsted for the weft.
Sunday morning I was on fire – I warped that loom in record time and am proud to say not one mistake – woohoo! I like the way this overshot pattern is going. The scarf will be 70″ in length with a twisted fringe on either end (since I know how to do that now). The fabric is fine and will have a nice drape. Best of all , it will be warm!
This is when I truly am thankful for the lessons learned this past year in my weaving class at Firewatch Weavers. I am able to plan out my project. I know how much fiber and of what weight I will need to create what I have envisioned in my head. I know how to read the draft no matter how it’s written because truth be told not all drafts are created equal.
It is amazing to me that I can follow these steps – by myself – and have results like this. The problem I have now is this is what I spend my days dreaming about – sitting at that loom and throwing a shuttle (or two).
Fort Pelham Farm 