She's Alive!

OK, I'm starting to weave again.  Not rugs (sorry, Diane), but a scarf.  Do you remember the Spunky Eclectic BFL gradient I spun during last year's Tour de Fleece?  I can't imagine why you'd remember, but anyhow, hless' recent blog post about a gradient scarf she spun and wove after finishing her book reminded me that I had always meant to weave a scarf from this yarn.

So, I wound a warp tonight - here's a close-up:

 

That's the warping board on the right. I have several handspun yarns that are possibilities for the weft, but I don't know which one - if any of them - will work well, so I'm going to have to sample (oh, the horror!  I never sample!).  This will be a twill weave, so the weft will matter a good bit.

I'll post again this weekend as I move along through this.  Talking, so to speak, to you three is helping me get moving.  Also, I'm realizing that moving somewhere, anywhere, is better than standing still and wondering where to go, at least to my mind.

I should have known

Well I did know, in a way. When I asked about sizing the cotton singles warp and someone said "size the chained warp", I did have reservations. Something in the back of my head was saying "Danger! Danger Will Robinson! it should be under tension when it dries, it really should" but I couldn't come up with a precise reason - the chained warp was twisting a little but not much, as the twist was semi-dormant - and anyway, I tend to believe apparent authority. If someone who seems to know what they're doing tells me to do something, I tend to do it.

So I made a batch of flour size from the recipe in the BBoH and soaked the warp in it. I stretched it over a radiator to dry: not under tension, but as straight as I could manage. Every hour or so I separated the threads, trying to stop them drying in clumps stuck together by, basically, wallpaper paste. When it was fully dry I stretched it a bit, tentatively, and took it to the loom.

It didn't look too bad in places. The raddle cross in particular was almost good, in fact. But when I looked closely, there were problems.

Patiently and carefully I started separating the strands that are stuck together. Regardless of the outcome I will say right now, loudly, that I am proud of my cotton spinning. Those threads are well and truly glued together, but in 90 minutes of tugging and pulling and generally messing them about, only three snapped. I think I can spin cotton warp. It's reassuring. Because I may have to spin more, as I can't find the other ends of two of those broken threads. At the moment it doesn't matter, as nothing is going to pull out/unwind, it's stuck together in too many places. 
But even if I unstick all of it - I can do that, it's not impossible - I don't think this will weave well.

See the little corkscrews? They're actually set with with size. If I pull hard enough to straighten them all, bad things will happen because too many threads are catching. I think worse things would happen if I threaded the warp and tried to tension it: the little voice says it will be difficult or impossible to get even tension on this as it is, and I am learning to listen to it. So I'm waiting for some dry weather. I'll put the warp to soak in cold water for a couple of days with a view to rinsing out a lot of the size, and then I will rig something to dry it under some kind of tension. And I'll see how that works. Sooner or later I WILL weave my handspun cotton singles, because I WANT TO. And I'm discovering that, while I've always thought A. is a stubborn so-and-so, I can be even worse.


But i confess I'd really like the next weaving project to go well, which is why I'm doing the math and thinking it through.

After all, even the semi-failures aren't all that bad. I'm sort of looking forward to an outright success! The tea towels in their native habitat. Slightly peculiar shapes, but perfectly functional. The 24epi is a little bit stiff, the 22.5 is about right, but I'm guessing the hand will change over time. I'd hoped some of the samples could be used to clean our eyeglasses, but they shed too much lint. I'm guessing that's a function of the cotton and how it's spun, another reason to spin and weave my own. Also dye it. That's on the list of things to do. Lynn, I could farm all sorts of projects out to you!

Well. So. And now what?

As you've noticed, the Karmic Goose finally found its way home.  As with most big projects, I feel both proud and a bit bereft.  A little deflated.

And the shawl I wove for Sara's new book is off in Colorado, awaiting photographing or whatever.

So, I don't have any major weaving project in the forefront of my anxious mind.  Yes, I want to spin and weave a Shetland-wool blanket for my friend Isabelle to take off to college, but that's ... five months off?  Plenty of time!  (Not, but let's ignore that.)  And I don't know what I want to do next.

Apparently, I need a commitment to someone else to kickstart my creativity.  Abby, Sara, Isabelle, probably others further in the past.  And that's an issue, as I see it - what do I want to weave because I want to weave it?  What do I want to explore?  What matters to me?

I don't know. 

Transformation

Point: Knitted fabric is not like woven fabric. Knitted fabric, unless one is planning to full it, is effectively done as soon as it's knitted. It gets a wash, it gets blocked, but the transformation is not normally something dramatic (lace aside - but that's a blocking thing, so not quite the same). This week, I added another tool to my weaving toolbox.

I think you all might remember my Horoscope Shawl that I brought along to SOAR last year. I dyed the colors myself and the yarn is a 14/2 Alpaca/Silk blend from WEBS. I did the shawl in plain weave - and the sett was aimed toward a balanced cloth. I wanted something that was warm and that would drape. When it came off the loom, I washed it by hand, let it dry and then gave it a good press. Here's a reminder:

And then the disappointment set in. It was itchy. I had a harsh feel to it. And, as if to mock me further, the unwoven yarn that was dangling as fringe was as soft and lovely as it could be. Grump.

I showed to Sara and also mentioned that I had more yarn. Her advice was to wind another warp, sett it more tightly and then weave it off with something fine. You know, like silk. (shocker!) Also, wash the original cloth in the washer and really give it the what-for. I filed that away for future reference and started plotting my next move.

Fast forward to a month (or so) ago and my first weekend in Palm Springs. We all brought samples of things that we had woven and I threw in the shawl as an example of a failed piece. I brought it out, explained what it was and what I'd done, added in Sara's recommendations for follow-on work and then asked what others thought. Jeane promptly took it out of my hands and stuck it in the washer. We put it through a cycle and then hung it to dry. That softened it up a bit, but it was still a bit harsh. And, then I promptly forgot it at Jeane's place.

I was down there again last weekend and we pulled it out. Next thought was to give it a brushing to see if that would raise the halo of the alpaca. So, into the washer it went again, we spun it out and then we gave it a good, firm brushing. I'd not done this before so the thought never occurred to me. That said, once the brushing was done, we gave it another firm steam press and - WOW. It's still not what I'd call buttery soft, but it's absolutely a different fabric. Again. It's supple, it drapes and the halo on it is incredible. Amazingly, I now actually *like* it! We then started talking about what do to with it, since I really didn't like it as a shawl, and we started plotting about garments. "If only you had a few more yards, we could make a jacket." said Jeane. Somewhat coincidentally, I'd taken the leftover yarn and wound it into a warp before heading down. I added a counting thread as if to sett more densely and that would have yielded something around 13" wide after finishing. Yes!

It's not a horoscope this time; rather, it's a collection of stripes that let me use nearly every scrap of what was left. I added some spacing with some more of the leftover yarn that I used for dyeing, which is a lighter gray than the previous piece. I also decided to sett it the same as the original as Jeane found a cone of some tweedy wool (though it feels like there's silk in there as well) in a navy blue color that is a similar weight as the alpaca/silk. I threw the whole thing on the Gilmore (yay for getting something on that loom! and that's a whole separate post) yesterday and started to weave it off. You know? I love it!

There are some really interesting stripes in there. The copper and blue one, just to the right of center really catches my eye:

The red/green/olive one in the middle is also quite dramatic, but I just can't get a good picture. You'll just have to wait to see it in person. The weaving is all done; I'll be cutting it off the loom today and putting it in the wash. If I can find the scrubbing brush, I'll get Chris to help me brush it as well. Or, I may leave it - as a contrast. It depends on how that weft reacts to the washing.

So, I'm well on my way to having something for a jacket. The garment will be slightly structured, but still casual and perfect for just throwing on and knocking about in. I should have just over four yards of 15" wide fabric by the time it's done, so I think I can manage it. We can piece the sleeves and other bits and it'll be another good exercise in the pattern drafting department. This will most assuredly be ready for SOAR (not for CNCH, but I'll bring the fabric along!). It can't go in the gallery as none of it is handspun, but it'll be worth talking about regardless.

I must admit, it's been great to have an opportunity, on a regular basis, to sit with other weavers/knitters and really brainstorm and think about possibilities. This group has been full of surprises - each of us learning from the other.

Inspiration for weaving design

I'm new to weaving, so this is all subject to change without notice (although I might post about it).

I seem to have two three different classes of inspiration.

First and perhaps obvious is an existing fabric, such as those produced by the Ardlanish weavers. The hand is lovely, the use of natural colours is lovely, and I'm lucky enough to have a couple of small swatches to remind me of how they've achieved some of the effects, for example using the hair from a double-coat Hebridean as an accent against the darker wool.

The second is equally obvious, at least for a handspinner: the yarn itself, such as the cashmere/silk blend in my last post. I spun it as a knitter, but as a baby weaver it seems to me that weaving will do far more to show the subtle variation in colour - such a fine yarn could only have been used for lace knitting, where the contrast generated by the large holes would camouflage the variegation. And combining it with something else will make that yardage go further! Now I idle away the time waiting for Pshop to save big files by running through possibilities for weaving it; if not the possibly-too-harsh wool, what yarn should that be? In my head I dug through the Habu stash and found some bamboo laceweight with incredible sheen - and a cone of stainless steel wire covered with rusty-brown silk.

Thinking about how I could use those with the cash/silk lace took me straight back to Inspiration No. 1, reminding me of a fabric I saw briefly in the Decopur Linen film a couple of years ago; toward the end there's brief mention of a cashmere/linen blend. Now, I understand how difficult it would be to care for such a fabric... and yet it intrigues me. The softness of fine cashmere combined with the crispness of linen. Cashmere that would take and hold a crisp edge? A sheet of softness that would retain a crumpled appearance rather than drape? It could be really, really interesting. I'm not thinking in terms of garments, just of something that might be Cool Fabric. Combining the stainless and bamboo with the cash/silk would be a chance to play with the concept. So I'm doing some thought experiments. How 1" stripes of steel alternating with cash/silk in the warp, similar but alternating with bamboo in the weft would work, as opposed to perhaps alternating steel with the other yarns to create something that wouldn't hold the creases quite so strongly as if the steel alone were used. I need to check the yardage of bamboo and of steel, as that will probably determine how I use it.

The third is perhaps a result of my background, and might not work for you. For a long, long time, as I look at something I am thinking about how I could render it in paint or ink. How could I convert that landscape to watercolour, that bone to pen & ink. Something seen in full colour, 3-dimensional, in my head becomes flat, the 3-dimensionality a matter of selecting the right colours to invoke dimension in the brain of the viewer. I was intrigued to discover that now my brain is starting to convert things to woven fabric.

I drive past this hill on the way back from the gym. The soil is paler than that, in parts almost natural cotton-colour; in my hand the chalk in it almost feels like cotton, or more like cotton than wool! Can I design a fabric that would be that landscape to me? Maybe a textured cotton weave, warp-dominant, or with some other patterning that emphasises one direction over the other. Should there be stripes of darker colour as lines of the plough? How could I bring the sky in? Stripes of sky blue?

Semi-regular organic patterning such as this hedge make me think of twills. A warp of browns, pale and very dark, with green noils for the budding leaves. Weft could be as striped as the view, or I could choose just one of those colours... I like the chalky soil best.

Here's another:

Twill diamonds will refer to the leaves, framed by sky-blue silk (thank you, Diane!). I have the wools and silk noils to blend for the leaf yarn, but have yet to decide how to pattern it; a scarf or stole could be a gradient from dark green to flame-red and yellow. A piece of fabric could include the colours as distinct stripes, or as random patches/flashes in an overall darker green. Lots to think about.


So basically there's a big chunk of my brain that still wants or needs to paint, and is happy to use woven fabric to show others the world as I see it.

As I promised

I promised I would post photos of the Thunderstorm Shawl once I finished it - here you go!

I give this a good solid grade of B. Structurally, it's fine, although I'd like it a little longer and a little more drapey. It softened up some after washing, but not a lot. I wove 72" on the loom (or maybe a little less; I didn't keep good notes, bad me) and it's 67" plus fringe now after washing. I don't wear shawls well, mostly for lack of practice, but I'm not sure how to deal with this one. I think I'll take it to spinning at SpindleRose's this afternoon and see if people have any suggestions.

As for the color, I'm happy, but not perfectly happy. I think the dark purple stripes are a little measly; I'd like them to be thicker. Also, on the left side of the upper photo, do you see that pale blue stripe just inside the dark purple stripes? I wish that wasn't quite so wide a pale blue stripe and I wish it weren't next to the dark purple stripes. I'm surprised I got that pale stripe; I spun two quite different lots of the colorway and then wound an end from each lot together as I measured the warp, so it's odd all the pale blue ended up in one spot. I'll try to remember to LOOK at a warp once I've sleyed it, and not just plunge onward in a frenzy of excitement.

Now, don't get me wrong - I like this project a great deal and I'm not slighting my work and my talents one bit. I'm just setting my sights even higher, and I think you understand exactly what I mean.

Not my colours

So yesterday I decided I'd had enough plain weave and cut what I'd woven off the loom. Only two towels-worth, but still: the longest, widest bit of cloth I've ever made, and I sort of like it now. It's still not my colours

 But it might suit the kitchen:

The colours are most accurate in the mirror; in the kitchen they look as I thought they'd look. Maybe some mud is called for... or perhaps the dregs of a bottle of red wine?

I re-sleyed to 25epi as the recommended set for this as twill is 24... and guess what? it's horrible.
I discovered halfway through the towel that I'd misread the colours when making the warp, missing out what they call 'dark purple' and I thought was black until the sun reappeared in February. Plan was to weave the twill with the dark purple, but not only is it horribly open at 25epi, the dark is Too Much.

I wove an inch of plain weave to start and now I'm eyeing - and feeling - it thoughtfully. I've found a double beat of the reed forces the weft down nicely for a balanced or nearly balanced weave. The band was a mistake if I was to weave twill, as it's forced the first bit of the fabric to be too wide. Which i knew from theory, but now I've seen it. At 25epi the fabric is significantly stiffer than it was at 22.5epi, but I sort of like it. I think it might soften with use and wear well. So I'll just weave the rest of the warp off like that. I'm guessing you're probably tired of this warp, but I'm not - I'm still having fun learning stuff.

In case you are aren't bored, here's something very similar to something you've seen before:

I went to the local Guild meeting on Saturday primarily to visit the Weaver's Bazaar stall and see the wool colours in person, because no matter how I arranged it, the set of wools I had was lacking something. I found it: the plum red. Now I can plan how to do this. I'm slightly surprised by how very particular my colour sense is when I put it to the test. When I have time I will work out a wrap.

I bought a colour card and a few balls of colours I thought I'd need for reference. I also took along a skein of handspun cash/silk, a Spirit Trail one-off. I've been thinking of making a scarf from it, but had to find the right companion. The stash was not helpful: silver silk is too bright, dark merino/silk is too dark. I may have found an answer even if I don't use the wool. I'm not sure it's soft enough to partner the cash/silk, but on the other hand, the cash/silk will make it soft so perhaps that doesn't matter? Thoughts?

I know, it's bland. Taupe, to be precise. But every colour I tried was too strong for the subtle shades in the handspun. Black is striking ... too striking, cream is worth further consideration (maybe I should spin some merino for it in my copious spare time), but every colour shines against that neutral. Or so it seems to me.