tencel

Weaving Wednesday

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Runner (2)

I surprised myself with the short amount of time it took to weave this runner.  I wound and warped my loom last Wednesday and took it off on Monday morning to fringe and finish.  There were a couple of rainy days but I don’t think I spent more than a few hours a day on it and not at all during the weekend.

This table runner is 18″by 72″ with a tencel warp and cotton weft with tencel tabby. This particular overshot was easy to do although I must confess I had to make two string heddles to fix a threading mistake.   That’s when weaving lessons pay off – I’ve been taught how to fix some of my mistakes without taking it apart and starting all over again.

I have one class left for the year and some of us will be doing some other fiber related craft since our weaving projects are finished. Meanwhile I’m thinking about what to put on my loom next.

Weaving Wednesday – Round Robin 8

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131112 Extended TwillLast night’s weaving adventure was extended twill.  The warp was 8/2 unmercerized cotton in a mint green.  I chose to weave it with a dark green tencel and was really pleased with the result.  I had been looking at these towels and different weavers choices in color and I have to say before I started weaving this I was not a fan.  It is a really quick weave though and once I was into it I have to say that it’s one of my favorites so far.  I probably say that every week about whatever I wove in class so take that for what it is.  This one was a little different in the fact that the entire time I was weaving it I was thinking about different ways to change this up.  I’m thinking of doing this with a striped warp and a dark weft, maybe towels but maybe a wool scarf.  The possibilities are endless and having something that looks complicated be so easy helps to get those creative juices going.

We are coming to the end of our round robin and I am pretty sad about it.  This has been a wonderful experience giving me (and I would say many others) the opportunity to weave out of our comfort zone.  The results are beautiful. Only 2 more towels to do and then onto finishing.  I had thought that these would make great Christmas presents but I’m not sure I will be ready to part with them by then.  Maybe a they will go off for birthdays later.

One of the best aspects for me was photographing them as I went along.  I now have the drafts along with the photograph of the finished product and in the long run that is all I really need.

 

Weaving Wednesday 13

/ handmadebyjo / 12 Comments

130812 Weaving (2)

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.

130812 Weaving (1)