Fiber Musings – Page 68 – Random thoughts of a fiber enthusiast – mostly fiber related, sometimes coherent

Choices

On 16 Mar, 2012

I don’t have enough yarn to weave the entire bag with any one of these skeins. I will be combining something with the blue skein. But which one?

I really like the brighter of the two skeins with the orange and green, and wasn’t too impressed with the other one while I was spinning it. But there is something about the pink that really makes it pop. It’s more subdued but I really like the combination. And there was a blue that I didn’t even realize was there until it was placed next to the blue skein.

In the left two skeins, the values are similar. I worry that the colors compete too much.

In the right two skeins, there is a subtlety that doesn’t show up in the photograph. I worry that it’s too subtle.

What are your thoughts?

Floral Dance, take 2

By Ann

On 13 Mar, 2012

In Weave

(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 Â 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.

Floral Dance

By Ann

On 12 Mar, 2012

In Weave

Remember the Monk’s Bag? That was my muslin for a handwoven version. The draft is called Floral Dance from Anne Dixon’s The Handweaver’s Pattern Directory.

I put on 7 yards of unbleached cottolin, which should be enough to make 2 bags plus lots of sampling.

Believe it or not, I got the 30 end per repeat threading correct on the first try. I’m really really happy about that. What I’m not happy about is the sett. I started with 20 epi and it’s just too dense. My pattern isn’t coming out square unless I use a cobweb tabby weft (the top half of the top repeat). So, I have cut the sample off the loom and will be re-sleying it at 18 and see how that works.

I’m also not happy with my pattern weft. I just grabbed a partial bobbin of leftover yarn from another weaving project that approximates my hand spun yarn. In fact, I used it as a spinning guide. You know what? It’s gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. So much so that I’m tempted to buy more of this yarn to make a bag out of it. Why am I unhappy? It’s Handmaiden’s Sea Silk. Outrageously expensive for a bag that has an alternate name of “Beggar’s Bag.” Who uses hand painted silk for a Beggar’s Bag?