Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Coming to the End (Of the Year)
I love the camera on my phone! Taking and posting pictures no longer involves fighting with (the now defunct) Kodak. But it also means that the colors are sometime a little muddy.
Witness the woven scarf to the left. In Real Life, it's actually quite bright. It's woven. The yarn is alpaca. Lime, turquoise, purple. Faux plaid, don't you think?
Three skeins of Filatura Lanarota Alpaca DK Splash. From Smiley's. No longer available. Made it on my 10" Cricket rigid heddle loom.
I still have some of the red/pink colorway that I am debating for another.
To the right, the Spiral Log Cabin blankie. You can search on Ravelry for the pattern. It was a quite mindless knit (stopping only occasionally to count ridges).
About 10 skeins of yarn, 5 each of two colors: cream and denim.
Yarn is also from Smiley's, Filatura Lanarota Easy Wool (wool/ack blend). All that's currently available is black, but this is their house brand, so keep checking back for other colors.
And I finished my walking hat.
Filatura Lanarota (do I sense a theme) Puno, a 100% alpaca in a berry heather and a denim heather. I love this stuff!
Double thick, reverse stockinette. Yum!
Same hat, turned inside out.
The Other Half has requested one.
I think black and camel. Or black and charcoal.
Still working on stuff to close out the year. Mindless small stuff. Still stash-busting whenever possible. Watch for the year-end report in about a week.
Labels: big people clothes, FOs, stash busting, weaving
Monday, December 01, 2014
What Has Sheepie Been Weaving?
Three dishtowels, cotton chenille. The pattern may look vaguely familiar. It's a variation on the cover project of the November/December Handwoven. Same warp on all three. different weft on each: green, blue, mauve (top to bottom).
I left out the pick up stick patter.
Another set of 3 dish towels these in cotton, plain spun for the warp, a thick and thin for the weft.
I don't know if the embiggen feature will show it, but there's an almost "argyle" (diamond) pattern formed by the thick parts of the weft.
The yarn is Filatura Lanarota Alpaca DK Splash from Smiley's. It's not on their site any longer. Don't bother to look. It's well-aged and yes, I am stash busting.
I probably have enough of this colorway to make a second scarf if I use a solid for the warp or weft. Or I might knit a beanie to match.
Labels: big people clothes, stash busting, weaving
Saturday, January 05, 2013
Off to a Good Start
Eyes right: first woven project off the Flip in 2013. Three cotton dish towels in an unmercerized cotton purchased (I think) from Webs and aged nicely in stash. Finished size, approximately 15" X 24".
First knits off the needles, car and TV knitting. A pair of dishcloth cotton baby bibs in Bernat Handcrafter cotton, Beach Ball Blues.
Bib on the top is sort of cobbled together with i-cord ties.
Pattern for bib at the bottom can be found here.
I finished both in record time (today, in fact) and used about 1.5 balls (about 2.5 ounces) for both.
A teensie baby sweater in the dreaded "pinque" colorway, because it seems, we are getting one of those pink-wearing small people in the spring.
Yes, the Tiny Princes (Original and Too) are being joined by a Tiny Princess.
We are excited!
Yarn is Filatura Lanarota Cool Cotton from Smiley's.
Labels: 12 sweaters, baby things, weaving
Saturday, December 29, 2012
It's Been a Long, Long Time
I've been away from the blog for so long that I had to think long and hard about how to download photos (especially since Kodak has gone belly-up) and then, to figure out how to log in to Blogger.
So, hoping this works, because at the very least, I'd like to be able to tabulate 2012 fiber-wise.
I've been knitting and weaving, and I entered the fair again this year and did very, very well. Sadly, I took few photos and most everything that I made has long since been sent to its intended recipients.
Some of the newer stuff, though, was photographed and for your viewing pleasure:
A scarf of the long and narrow variety, woven of various novelty yarns, mostly viscose and silk.
The fringes of said scarf showing the variety of yarns.
A set of dishtowels. Same warp, differing weft. Cotton chenille.
Current On The Loom project. More dishtowels, this time in a smooth cotton. Love the faux plaid that the space dyed cotton is making up into.
I am hoping to get back into blogging regularly into the new year. I look upon this as a documentary of my fiberlife. a journal, if you will. I do it for me. If it affords pleasure to the random reader, great.
So, hoping this works, because at the very least, I'd like to be able to tabulate 2012 fiber-wise.
I've been knitting and weaving, and I entered the fair again this year and did very, very well. Sadly, I took few photos and most everything that I made has long since been sent to its intended recipients.
Some of the newer stuff, though, was photographed and for your viewing pleasure:
A scarf of the long and narrow variety, woven of various novelty yarns, mostly viscose and silk.
The fringes of said scarf showing the variety of yarns.
A set of dishtowels. Same warp, differing weft. Cotton chenille.
Current On The Loom project. More dishtowels, this time in a smooth cotton. Love the faux plaid that the space dyed cotton is making up into.
I am hoping to get back into blogging regularly into the new year. I look upon this as a documentary of my fiberlife. a journal, if you will. I do it for me. If it affords pleasure to the random reader, great.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
The Work of the Weavers Encore
Just set up the Flip with my latest scarf project. I am attempting to use some pretty nifty odd balls and grab bag finds to make pretties taht I will probably wind up giving away.
This is the latest effort.
Finished, it will be about 7" wide and (I hope) 5' or more long.The length will depend on how long the weft holds out.
Yarns I am using: top to bottom (or left to right, depending on your orientation) are the weft Lily Kool Knit, a vintage cotton that is so old there is no zip code on the address! and for the warp, Katia Blues, viscose and nylon, Berroco Glace, all viscose, and Berroco Jewel FX, viscose and metallic.
It's working up into an interestng fabric.
Using a 5-dent heddle because of the slubs and stuff in the warp. And I want it to be drapey. I am not beating the weft as tightly as I could for the same reason.
Stay tuned.
Sunday, January 01, 2012
2011 Recap
This year was no different, though the numbers are (at best) disappointing. It's been a b*tch of a year, and as a result, crafting took a back seat to work (you know, the stuff that gets the bills paid) and exhaustion.
Things are looking up now, and I am hoping for some improvement on all fronts.
My "resolves" for 2012 include:
*weaving a rug (even if it's just a bath mat) and trying a new (to me) weaving technique. I have the tee shirts; I have the Rotary cutter; I have the linen rug warp. Bring it on!
*12 in 12 (sweaters) and making at least 1/4 for me!
*random acts of knitting/crafting gifting
*25 (at least) catnip mice for my favorite local animal rescue charity
*there's something about removing 10% of my body weight again this year (back to South Beach--started today) and destashing bunches. We shall see.
So, I know you've been waiting and here's what 2011 saw:
11 sweaters (I am counting 10 actual sweaters and one baby dress)
18 afghan squares for charity
1 complete full-size afghan
1 bag (woven)
2 holiday banners
10 baby bibs
9 pairs of booties
1 Christmas stocking
10 face/dishcloths
2 doilies (fair entries)
9 hats
2 baby blankets
3 pairs of mittens
2 woven napkins
1 pillow
6 woven placemats
1 felted potholder
2 baby caps
1 scarf
2 shawls
3 pairs of slippers
1 pair of socks
2 toys
That's 100 FOs all together. Better than last year (86) but the second worst year since I've started tracking. I used a total of 389 ounces of yarn (24+ pounds)--25,611 yards, or 14.5 miles (3 miles less than I drive to work each day. Maybe that should be my 2012 target--17 miles!
Labels: baby things, big people clothes, eleven sweaters, fitness, weaving, yarn diet
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
Saturday, November 06, 2010
Some Finished Stuff
Here's a picture of the next three woven dishtowels. I hesitated to post this so soon, as they were just put in the mail to the intended But what the heck. If I wait, I'll forget and my loyal reader will never get to see them.
Same as before: long warp, then differeing patterns for the weft.
Cotton chennille.
And here's a stash-busting mitered square blanket that I will be putting in the mail to Afghans For Afghans as soon as I finish the sweater that's on the needles. Fall campaign for youth is in full swing. Blankets, sweaters, socks and mittens are the most requested items.
This one is odds and ends of wool and other animal fibers. I believe there's a tiny bit of soy silk in a couple of the squares.
Worsted weight, size 8 needles.
Sadly (or gladly) I have at least as much odd bits of wool left as I used.
Labels: afghans for afghans, FOs, weaving
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Something(s) To Show
I've been weaving!
These dishtowels were made on my Flip with the 8 dent heddle. Cotton chenille with crochet cotton for the hems.
The Other Half really liked my first effort, so I made some more. I warped once then used a different weft pattern on each to make them fraternal.
(And truth be told, I'll make some more, but the others are a gift, so I won't show and tell until they get to their destination.)
This one was made of multiple strands (I think 4) of a very fine cotton yarn, something along the lines of a 20/2, or about the weight of fine sewing thread. i'm thinking that I won't be making more of like this.
It was a good experience, just not one I'd want to repeat and so I probably won't.
Labels: weaving
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Only Small Things
This week, I managed to finish a facecloth/dishcloth in Peaches and Creme (color: Salmon Royale). The pattern is called Speed Bump and since it's not mine, I can't share it (or even offer a link). Reverse engineering will get you there, though.
Cast on the number of stitches for the width you want, then work alternating bands of stockinette and garter stitch.
Voila!
The week's other FOs are woven. Place mats (2) and a table runner.
I used crayon colors of crochet cotton for the warp and white-white chunky cotton for the weft.
These are fresh out of the drier and could use a hit from the iron. Maybe I'll do that before I use them to set the table.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Weave Me Some Magic
I've been plotting the current weave for a while.
Our kitchen calls out for some brightly colored placemats in the summer.
And so, I dragged out the bag of odds and ends of crochet cotton (see below) that was part of a major Goodwill score a year ago and started sorting.
What I settled on was these crayon colors. The thread in each seemed slightly heavier than the typical size 10 (more like a 5?) and the colors look good together. For the weft, I am using some Bernat Chunky Cotton in white.
There were some glitches (mostly minor). First, there was the massive tangle of warp that I had to tease out before tying on to the cloth beam. Then, when I started to weave early yesterday morning and discovered that my perfect warp (oh, my lord, the tension was the best I've done so far!) was threaded only through the slots (not the holes) , I had to go back and untie, untangle again, thread, tighten, tie. Well, you get the picture.
First mat is nearly finished. I need to find something to use as a separator so that I can weave the second. I am really pleased with the way this is coming (I say that a lot, don't I?)
Here's what's left of the crochet cotton. I used some already in other projects (the striped dishtowel, the ill-fated washcloths) and I still have a bunch. Price tag is still on the bag to give you an idea of the magnitude of this bargain.
Since I do very little crochet work (and that, certainly not with thread), I suspect that this will be used up in weaving, or, when I get sick of it, I may dump it.
So far, though, I am more than satisfied with this purchase--all of $13 for enough yarn and thread to fill the trunk of my car. And the best part? What you see here is all that's left!
Our kitchen calls out for some brightly colored placemats in the summer.And so, I dragged out the bag of odds and ends of crochet cotton (see below) that was part of a major Goodwill score a year ago and started sorting.
What I settled on was these crayon colors. The thread in each seemed slightly heavier than the typical size 10 (more like a 5?) and the colors look good together. For the weft, I am using some Bernat Chunky Cotton in white.
There were some glitches (mostly minor). First, there was the massive tangle of warp that I had to tease out before tying on to the cloth beam. Then, when I started to weave early yesterday morning and discovered that my perfect warp (oh, my lord, the tension was the best I've done so far!) was threaded only through the slots (not the holes) , I had to go back and untie, untangle again, thread, tighten, tie. Well, you get the picture.
First mat is nearly finished. I need to find something to use as a separator so that I can weave the second. I am really pleased with the way this is coming (I say that a lot, don't I?)
Here's what's left of the crochet cotton. I used some already in other projects (the striped dishtowel, the ill-fated washcloths) and I still have a bunch. Price tag is still on the bag to give you an idea of the magnitude of this bargain.
Since I do very little crochet work (and that, certainly not with thread), I suspect that this will be used up in weaving, or, when I get sick of it, I may dump it.
So far, though, I am more than satisfied with this purchase--all of $13 for enough yarn and thread to fill the trunk of my car. And the best part? What you see here is all that's left!
Labels: weaving
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Highly Unsatisfactory
Here's an "after" photo of the baby washcloths I attempted with cotton chenille.I decided to cut them apart and hem (by hand) before laundering (machine wash and dry). Honestly, the other option was to launder the whole strip and finish after.
I don't think it would have made a bit of difference in the long run. Even if the initial product had looked better, they will still need to be laundered.
What I learned from this project: Machine sewing! That's the ticket!
Of the 7 cloths, only 2 are salvageable. And only if I stitch down the hems.
Lesson learned!
Labels: weaving
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
And On To the Next Project
A while back (few weeks ago, maybe?) I bought a bunch of unmercerized cotton "yarn" (and I use the term very loosely) at The Great Cone Sale (no link provided: I don't dare even go there to capture the link. I do not need/cannot buy any more weaving supplies!) at Webs.
This stuff is thin. Like sewing thread. So I used it double for the warp and and 4-stranding the weft. I have no idea what I will produce. It's slow going, but very Zen.
Okay, dishcloth(s), the dilema is whether it will be hefty enough. We shall see.
Labels: weaving
Monday, March 29, 2010
What We Learned
I know this should be intuitive, but if you bring the weft yarn right up to the edge warp thread every single pick, you'll get a smoother selvedge.
D'oh!
Thus concludes today's lesson.
Labels: weaving
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Learn Something New
This week, I warped the loom for multiple projects--a set of baby washcloths.
I warped approximately 10" wide, 10 ends and 10 pick per inch.
Following on my success with the dishtowel, I used crochet cotton again to weave the area that will be hemmed. I allowed 20 picks for each edge of each cloth, figuring that I would trip as needed.
It's going well, as I start the 4th cloth.
Labels: weaving
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Off the Loom
I cut my latest weave off the loom last night, spent some time on the finishing (no fringes on this one) and tossed it in the washer, then the dryer.
I worried a lot about 1) lint on the rest of my laundry (it's cotton chenille) and 2) whether it would survive (an earlier project didn't, just saying).
You can see it survived! And I now have a fairly nice cotton dishtowel for my efforts. We won't talk about cost. The yarn --89 g-- was pennies. The time factor, a whole lot more, though I saved myself hours of therapy, so I'm thinking it was a wash.
I used the coned cotton chenille I purchased from Webs a while back (and then again) in loden and straw for the warp and straw only for the weft. 5-dent heddle. I used crochet cotton in natural to weave a 2" header at each end which I used as the hem to cut down on bulk. Hemming was by hand.
I'm pleased with this and with the fabric I wove. We'll give it a test-drive this week in he kitchen.
I have (a lot of this) yarn left and more in a light blue (griffin) and a pinky-purple (mauve) that I'm thinking about making into many washcloths to use as baby gifts. Yes, it's that soft.
Labels: weaving
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Learn Something New
As a rank beginner at weaving, I have committed to learning something new or different with each project, building upon previous experiences.
My loom is a simple one (Schacht Flip-rigid heddle) and I am already considering some of the possibilities like adding a second heddle.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. . .
I was contemplating some nice cotton dishtowels, and even got so far as to partially warp with 4 strands of a lovely denim marl (10/1) and thought better of it. Actually, I decided that learning experince was best kept for another day.
I bought a bunch (and I do mean a bunch) of cotton chenille during a couple of the Great Cone Sales at Webs. I have never been there in person, which is probably a Very Good Thing as I can do plenty of damage right here at my computer!
This dark green and cream is only a fraction of the chenille I have on hand.
I warped the Flip with 8 green on each edge with groups of 4 cream-4 green) between for about 20" (which I expect to pull in to at least 18" when I cut it off).
Now here's the learning bit: I know that I do not want to fringe this chenille, so after I wove the header (recognize that yucky gold ack? That's the last of it ::whew::) I hemstitched and wove an additional 2" with crochet cotton for a hem.
I don't remember where I picked up this tip, but it seemed to make sense. The hem area will be less bulky. Stay tuned!
Labels: weaving
Friday, February 26, 2010
Delayed Opening
The Snowicane (or whatever they are calling this one) caused delayed opening at my workplace (mostly so that parking areas can be cleared).That extra time today afforded me an opportunity to warp my Flip.
I am redoing an earlier scarf (the one that got "over felted" in the washer because I forgot it was in there) but instead of plaid, I am making it stripes.
I also kind of like the contrast of the header that I wove first, but since this one isn't for me, the weft is gonna be navy ::sigh::
Trying to add some new learning experience to each project, I decided to follow Liz Gipson's suggestion in Weaving Made Easy (good one, by the way) and do a hemstitch across the starting end (and again at the other end before I cut it off the loom).
We'll see how this affects the finished scarf.
Labels: weaving
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Weaving Along
Here's the first Finished Object from my loom for 2010. I used Patons Classic wool in Denim Marl and Burgundy for the warp and Denim Marl alone for the weft.Then, following Liz Gipson's directions in Weaving Made Easy, I fulled the finished scarf, creating an even, dense, but still drapey fabric.
The ends were finished with a twisted fringe before fulling, instead of a cut fringe after. Once it's dry, I'll probably trim the individual fringes shorter (they're about 5" right now and kind of wonky).
Each time I weave and finish I learn something. In this case, I finally have the right reed (8-dent) for the yarn weight. Next time out, I will weave a deeper header. The footer (header on the finishing up end) was a nice depth and helped hold everything together properly.
I really like what a trip through the washer did for this scarf.
I have several cones of chenille that I bought to make into hand towels. I believe that will be my next project.
Labels: weaving
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
The Things You Can Learn From Books
Bedtime reading these days has been of a technical nature: Hands On Rigid Heddle Weaving (Betty Linn Davenport) and Learning to Weave (Deborah Chandler).
Let's say that I am learning a lot!
For example (eyes left): this is how I have been balancing my loom--on the edge of the desk and on my knees.
The knees part is working just fine, thank you, but here's a tip I picked up from Chandler:
That little leg. It holds things steady.
D'oh!
What an improvement! Okay "a lot" might be stretching things, but it really made a difference.
I have a stand for my Flip on order (or should I say, on backorder). Everywhere I looked on line, it was out of stock. I finally gave up expecting it in time for Christmas and just ordered it!
It's the Other Half's Christmas present to me. It will get here eventually and all will be even better.
And for those keeping score, here's the scarf. I discovered one knot in the ribbon that I missed while I was warping. Then the bobbly stuff broke (oh, noes!), but only one warp thread.
I fixed it (not entirely according to the rules) and it stayed fixed until I got past that spot.
And for those keeping score, here's the scarf. I discovered one knot in the ribbon that I missed while I was warping. Then the bobbly stuff broke (oh, noes!), but only one warp thread.
I fixed it (not entirely according to the rules) and it stayed fixed until I got past that spot.
The scarf is going to need a lot of babying to get the bobbles and the fuzz where they need to be. I'm not displeased.
Labels: weaving
![[HeettheFeet20083.jpg]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRH_T42wVcDuEXnRRcJTi8Xx0pZMjwaEvKKUYxkKGb3RbfVJvbBKJaplnruL4Y1lQGy9LWjb2KhOsPi10kdPRppP6_O47YprEco3m4iD3JMmT1o-7Hc6zuCWJT-0gxesUCp_H/s1600/HeettheFeet20083.jpg)
![[mittnz2008buttin.jpg]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkbBquqYIEHAWQxsnQtaptULuJ-jj-mlpdjbffH9r1n1liR1r8yRRkXMgJLBxbeo0x3w2wU_gLhjFzrxzKrMmVgUGSqAzkP89jlWOA04Xhr2pWmVGIDgt8VGWAK-FZMfwB6j6/s1600/mittnz2008buttin.jpg)
![[heet2009-1.jpg]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4SiW5ds26X6RV2guuohZ5nCdtljV9Pj8cVQCebCBg8EYaQR_DXHlIgLihx-5ddowYTS8hM11_JCwqlbN0qLGhUHjIsea9xw5v9tu4Cdnn0dHCRU5NXLAN-VH_o7jT1WW3w74R_w/s320/heet2009-1.jpg)
![[mittnz 2009 button.jpg]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuGtaAayAUpfk3b8FnVyyIvB5jI1YxPMmcN2M9PyQo9MfDK9JVxgFz2z7rLFuGjebz7CBV-frRyUYMXFzFLmwtP_xmCwd9HEgKylZaZwzwfSV8xTZ5a6vayaG0oEbFxgjYFTa5w/s320/mittnz+2009+button.jpg)