Deviating From The Pattern

I've been wanting to try the Fulled Wool Scarf project from Weaving Today for a while now and just never got around to it. The pattern is by Madelyn van der Hoogt.

I didn't have enough wool for warp, so I warped with 3/2 pearl cotton at 10 epi. Here is the initial sampling using various wefts...

I ended up using 3/2 cotton in a silvery grey as weft. 

For the next scarf, I changed the tie up and treadling and got a herringbone type pattern. I used linen for weft.  The pattern was a bit squished so I added a tabby pick after each pattern pick.....

Using the tabby really makes the design pop and gives it an almost 3D look. 

I can't wait to see this one after wet finishing 😀

Happy Weaving!

Summer & Winter Weave On 4 Shafts

I've been wanting to try summer & winter weaving for a while now. I started drafting patterns in early January. When the last warp was finally finished, I wound another 11 yard warp, this time in 5/2 pearl cotton. I used a sett of 15. For overshot, using 3/2 as warp, I used a sett of 10. The recommended sett is 12-18. I figured that for summer & winter, since it's also a tied weave with a thick pattern weft, I should do the same with the 5/2. It's recommended sett is 18-24 so I used 15. Next time I might open it up even more to 13 or 14. 

Once threaded and tied on, I decided to sample each treadling available when using 4 shafts. I have included the treadling sequence in brackets below as blocks A & B. Tabby, shafts 5 & 6, is used alternately with every pattern pick. 

From top to bottom, 

1. Dukagang (A 1111/2222  B 3333/4444)

2. Brick (A 1212, B 3434

3. O's (A 1221, B 3443

4. X's ( A 2112, B 4334) 

I went with X's (which gives you O's on the other side) and used Brown Sheep Fingering wool in a gorgeous teal for pattern weft. 

I LOVE it!!!!! 

 

When I finish this scarf I'm going to do one in Kauni yarn but I haven't decided which color. I'm going to use the brick method for more crisp lines. I can't wait to see what it will look like!

Happy Weaving!

Overshot, Rose Fashion

Still working off that 11 yard warp, I decided to play around a bit. I decided to weave off the rest in rose fashion. I corrected my threading error and changed the threading on the end to work with the "rose" pattern. I also added a twill border, 2 repeats of 4 threads on either side. 

Here is the draft......

My tie up was : 4&3, 3&2, 2&1, 4&1 and using treadles 5 & 6 for tabby.

Here is a piece using Kauni yarn as pattern weft.......

I really have to get a better replacement pin for my temple ;)

This piece has a dk weight alpaca/wool knitting yarn as pattern weft.....

I'm trying to finish this warp, but as you can see, it's quite chilly at the loom today. 

Hopefully I'll finish it tomorrow. Up next, summer & winter scarves.

Happy Weaving!

Overshot Coverlet

I'm currently working on the 2nd panel of what will be a pretty large overshot coverlet. 

The warp is 3/2 pearl cotton sleyed at 10 epi. The weft is Cascade 220 heather blue. 

Here is the draft.......

I lost the pin for my temple and was trying to make due using a screwdriver but it was too fiddly and I ditched it. 

I cut the 1st panel off the other day....

I finished the 2nd panel last night. As you can see from the picture, I had some tension issues on the left side of the 1st panel. I was much more consistent with my tension and ppi for the 2nd panel. This resulted in about a 4 inch difference in length :(. 

Not on to be discouraged, I decided to seam them anyway. 

As my husband says, it looks good from far, but is far from good. I plan to try and stretch and iron it flatly into submission  after some wet finishing. 

Though I only could find one mistake with the actual weaving, there were some fatal flaws from the beginning. #1, I skipped 6 threads in the pattern while threading. Happily it was a symmetrical mistake which is why I didn't catch it right away. 2nd, I should have added one extra thread in the pattern for the left edge of the panels, the edge to be joined. Since there was one too few, the seam is even more obvious. 

So, what have I learned from this gargantuan project? Double check the threading several times, constantly measure motifs & ppi to ensure consistency and when a master weaver says that they never weave overshot without a temple, listen!!!!! 

I did wind on a massive warp so I hope to get a 2nd, albeit smaller, coverlet out of this learning experience. Since the 1st coverlet was done in star fashion, I'll do the second in rose fashion. 

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Weaving!

Weaving Overshot With Tree Bark

Updated 2/21/16

Yes, I said tree bark. To see how I harvest and prepare the fiber for weaving, see my old post on making cordage with tree bark. The fiber I used came from a Tulip Tree sometimes called a Tulip Poplar. I have NEVER cut down a tree for its bark; Mother Nature knocks them down for me. This is how I usually find the bark.....

So, let's get started. 1st, you will need the tree bark. In this case it is the inner tree bark, not the hard outer bark.

 In order to weave with this fiber, it needs to be wet. I soaked mine in water and squeezed out the excess.

Now, to the loom. I used 8/2 linen for the warp and tabby weft. The tree bark was my pattern weft. 

I wove a few inches in plain weave and then began the overshot. I used the same pattern as my previous post; Periwinkle.

I chose a few pieces of bark that were roughly the same size and began laying the weft with the help of a stick shuttle.

I left the selvedge in its natural state to illustrate that I used individual pieces of bark. I made sure to use floating selvedges and took care that the tabby weft locked in the bark pattern weft, as shown above. 

Here is a closeup of the weaving on the loom (still damp at this stage)

Here it is off the loom and dry...

This was my 1st attempt at using bark for  weaving. My brain is spinning from the possibilities. You could use cordage made from the bark as weft for a sturdy rug. I've spun the bark on a drop spindle before so you could go that route as well. I think there may be a handwoven tree bark rug in my future ;)

Happy Weaving!

Weaving With Linen

Cotton, wool, bamboo, even the dreaded acrylic from time to time. It seems I've worked with just about every fiber except linen. I've seen flax grown, harvested, broken, combed & spun. I have just never used it. Not looking to make a huge investment, I bought 3 8 oz spools of 8/2 linen. I know that this is mainly used for tapestry weaving, so we'll see what happens. 

While warping the 1st thing I noticed is that the thread has zero give. None. I asked about linen at the yarn store and the only advice I got is that you need to have perfect tension when weaving with it. Threading was a breeze. I hate threading heddles. Hate it!!! Threading with the stiff linen made it easier to see which thread was next and easier to get through the heddles. 

I wound the warp carefully and tried to tie on as evenly as possible. I am using an overshot pattern called Periwinkle . Here is the draft.....

After weaving one repeat of the pattern I noticed a threading error. I cut the incorrect threads and re-threaded and re-sleyed them. I tied a knot in the warp threads and secured them to the weaving with a T pin. It worked!

The repair is at the lower right side of the fabric. For this 1st sample, I used 3/2 pearle cotton in black for the pattern weft. 

For my 2nd sample, I messed with the treadling a bit and used Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport in a blue as pattern weft.....

The next sample is the same treadling as the wool but with twine as pattern weft. 

Finally I used hemp as patern weft and changed the tie up to weave in Monk's Belt.....

Now, the wet finishing. Since I've never worked with linen before I was at a loss as to how to finish it. I saw a few things online that mentioned cold mangling. When I asked at the yarn store, they said they'd never even heard of that before. I decided to cut off a small piece of weaving (where I had made my repair in the beginning of the warp) and then I threw it into the washer and then the dryer. The transformation was amazing!

The design became more defined and both the linen & cotton softened considerably. 

Though initially scared of working with linen, now I can't wait to use it again :)

Happy Weaving!

Happy New Year!!!

In the last year, I've been overwhelmed to see the progress of my little blog. It's humbling to know that people all over the world take the time to look at the things I make. My love for crafting is something that I have had since I was a little kid. I was lucky enough to have a crafty grandmother who shared her secrets and a mother who had the foresight to save everything so I can see now how far I've really come. 

As I start a new year, and quickly try to finish off my last warp, I wanted to thank each and every one of you for stopping by. As my journey through the world of fiber arts continues, it's nice to know that there are others out there who take interest in that journey. I thoroughly enjoy sharing my mistakes because I truly feel that you do not learn unless you make them and grow from them. 

I look forward to sharing more fun things in the coming year. Stay tuned for upholstery and an in depth look at doubleweave, both on the 4 shaft & rigid heddle looms as well as lots & lots of more overshot ;)

May this new year bring you peace, love and joy! 

Thank You & Happy Crafting,

Lynette