Category: Weave Page 14 of 34

I’m using the CNCH 2010 Return to Sender yarn for this variation of the same draft. It will be submitted as Return of Return to Sender for CNCH 2012.

I’m loving how the colors flow from one to the other. I wound off the entire skein onto bobbins, preserving the order. I am weaving with the bobbins in reverse order to maintain the color progression.

I’m pretty happy with the even beat. See the nice straight diagonal lines?

I will have a lot more fabric than the intended project so I will likely make 2 or 3 somethings out of this. We’ll see which gets entered into the gallery.

Fresh off the loom -- before fulling

After fulling, before pressing

Amazing the difference wet finishing* makes, isn’t it?

* Washer on hand wash mode and dryer with towels  for 10 minutes.

(Click to enlarge)

I re-sleyed the warp at 18 epi. It’s a bit better and closer to square (14 pattern shots per inch) using 8/2 cotton. I might get there using a 10/2 cotton.

From the bottom:

• Mountain Colors Silk & Ewe (multi)
• Henry’s Attic Pony (red)
• Handspun BFL (variegated brown)
• Koigu (blue/turquoise)

All except for the handspun were scrap yarn. I didn’t weave very much with the Pony because it looked so puny on the loom, but it fulled up quite well in the wash (sink full of hot water and squeezed and wrung for about 5 minutes by hand). So did the handspun.

I was ready to give up on the handspun idea until I saw the finished fabric. If you ignore the mistake in treadling, it has potential. I’ll have to see what it looks like dry tomorrow (this) morning.

What really struck me about this sample is that it is starting to look like one of  my speed swatches from Janine Bajus‘ Fair Isle workshops! I really like how the little bit of Pony made the bottom half glow. Somehow the 3 different yarns at the bottom pulled together into a cohesive whole.