Sheep Shots: Off the Loom

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Off the Loom

Over the past couple of months, I have been doing a bit of weaving on my Flip (Schacht Rigid Heddle) loom and have a few things to show.

First up is a scarf made of several different odd balls of shades of purple and navy for the warp (chenilles and rayons and silks and something called "seta") with sock wool for the weft.

Overhand knot. Nice long fringes.

I love the faux ikat in the stripes. That's the seta ribbon-y stuff.

Next, two of a set of 4 placemats in various odd balls of mercerized cotton for warp. I used a soy blend for the weft.

I made a similar set for a friend but neglected to take a photo before I put them in the mail.

Used a zigzag stitch with the sewing machine to finish the edges, rather than knot the fringe.

Another scarf.

This one in some sort of blend in lime green and pinks-> burgundy for the warp and Brown Sheep Lambs Pride worsted in a variegated (kettle-dyed-looking) shades of pink forthe weft. You can see how it striped in the weaving. Interesting.

I was hoping that the warp would felt up a bit, but it didn't. I did not test the yarn before warping, so I had no idea when I threw it in the washer (in a mesh bag) for 5 minutes of cold water aggitation what the final result would be.

Final result: The Lambs Pride softened a bit; felted a bit. The unknown yarn that I used for warp sat there like a lump and didn't do a thing.

Here's a closer look at the weave structure and the twisted fringe. The green is much more obvious in person than it is in these photos.

I believe I used a 5 dent heddle to weave. The 8 would probably have worked just as well, though the fabric might have not been sufficiently drapey.

Obligatory bathroom mirror shot showing one possible way to wear it.

There's a huge basket of other odd balls calling my name. Some were "collected" on various trips, others are leftovers from projects past. Some were gifts. Some I purchased. All are lovely and deserve to be used.

Labels: weaving