tencel scarf warp continued....

Ok, here are the other two scarves on the tencel warp I talked about/showed in my last post. I'm almost done weaving but just can't finish up today, tired of sitting down in the studio, want to be upstairs in front of the fire.

Tencel scarves

I've been weaving on a tencel variegated warp for scarves, each will look a bit different since I'll be using different wefts. This is a 8H two block twill - I randomly placed the blocks as I was threading the heddles. This scarf, the first on the warp, I'm using a deep red-purple weft on......the next one will most probably be navy, then maybe forest green for the final scarf. I've also been spending lots of time at the computer working on a handout to go with the guild program I'm currently weaving for - need to get the rough draft done so my friend, who is presenting the program with me, can add more info and her thoughts......and edit all my boo-boo's!

Organizing.....

Much of today was spent organizing in one room of my studio - the sewing/beading/knitting/misc. room (other big room is the weaving room). Yesterday Sam put up 4 new shelves for me, brackets for 5th shelf are up but we figured wrong, need to pick up another shelf. The room was a mess after that so today I put things away and cleared off my two work tables of 'stuff' and moved it all up on the shelves - I can actually feel calm in the room now. I also put together some new scrabble pins - a special order pin thru my etsy shop - just have to post the picture here. The buyer picked the cutest charms & great bead colors. It's off in the mail tomorrow to her friend as a gift. I also made 4 pins for Valentine's Day - Love Scrabble Pins and X's & O's Scrabble Pins......posting one picture here. They'll be up in the etsy shop as soon as I get time.

Weaving and Knitting

The latest scarves to come off the loom are bamboo with a supplementary warp in seacell (a seaweed product). Bamboo is lovely, soft and have beautiful drape.

Last week I started a new knitting project, the Scotch Thistle Stole pattern from Heartstrings. I'm using my handspun for this shawl, these colors made me think of a thistle plant. Had a rocky start to the project as row 13 just wouldn't work out, I kept taking it out and reknitting but it still wouldn't work. I looked on the site to see if there was an errata, couldn't find one so I e'd Heartstrings late one evening. I woke up in the morning with this horrible thought that maybe I was just tired and it was me making the same error over and over but alas, bright and early there was a reply to my email that said, yes, there was a error in the early patterns in that row, since then it's been fixed. So, I was off and running working a little each evening on the shawl. I've now reached the halfway point - will put this aside and start the other side. Once both sides are done there's a (supposedly) invisible join in the center back. It's hard to tell the pattern in this picture since it really won't show until the shawl is blocked but here's a picture anyhow.

Now to decide what project is next on the loom - yesterday spent time planning 4 new projects all for the guild program......2 using bamboo, 1 tencel and 1 seacell/silk blend.

Hope abounds

Oh what an emotional day it has been - there is very little that will make me late for spinning - today the inauguration kept me home a bit later than usual. Even though I was dvr'ing the events all day I just couldn't seem to leave and miss the swearing in and acceptance speach, I wanted to see/listen to it at the same time everyone else around the world was. If I were still living back in the DC area I would have been downtown with the crowds for this history making event. Great hope for the future..........and finally once again a President who is intelligent and can speak! Although the late night shows will have to find someone else to make fun of, Bush was great fodder for them all.

Today's scarf

I finished the chenille/corn fiber scarf today, finally got to the loom room this afternoon to finish warping the loom and start weaving, weaving is finished, need to wash the scarf tomorrow. It's a lavendar rayon chenille with two colors of 100% corn fiber ribbon/tape used as a supplementary warp. I just played with where I wanted the corn fiber to show, very fun. I'm not used to putting on a warp for only one scarf at a time, for the most part I do production weaving.......but only bought a small amount of corn fiber for sampling. Tomorrow I'll get it washed and will see the results of how the corn fiber turns out - it can't take high heat but that's not an issue for this project.

All the weaving I'm doing for this March guild program will eventually be for sale.........well, almost all, am thinking I might keep the brown soy silk scarf (January 1st posting) but who knows.............

More scarves finished

I'm moving right along weaving for the March guild program. I finished up the two painted warp tencel scarves - have close-ups here to show, they turned out beautiful. Also wove a huck lace scarf in pink, the fiber is 80% milk protein/20% cotton. It's lovely, nice drape, very soft but way too expensive. I'm in the process of warping up the loom with a chenille scarf warp that I'll be using a corn fiber, tape/ribbon, as a supplementary warp. I didn't buy enough of the corn fiber to do anything but accent with it. I think the next project will be bamboo - one of my favorite fibers to weave with.

Back in my comfort zone...........

Well I'm back in my comfort zone weaving with a bit finer threads. That jadeite and seacell just aren't my cup of tea although I have found some more seacell (it's on order) that should be much finer - one combined with superwash merino, the other with silk. Maybe I'll love weaving with those fibers, might handpaint the merino blend. So what I'm weaving on today is a hand-dyed (warp painted) warp of 8/2 tencel - enough for 2 scarves. I dyed it several months ago along with many other warps of various fibers - love looking through the basket and picking one to weave during winter months. This one is dyed in shades of teals, blues and golden browns. I'm using 8/2 tencel for the weft too - one scarf I'm using a dark teal, the other scarf a navy........both are beautiful. This is an 8 harness plaited twill weave structure. A box arrived from Silk City Fibers this afternoon with more bamboo - hmm, why did I need yet more bamboo??? Oh, that's right, didn't have the exact colors of blue or red that I want for two different projects (ha!). But where will I find room on the shelves for it. One of these days I'll take pictures of my fiber stash and post them.

Jadeite Scarf finished - Seacell Scarf Started

Here is a picture of the finished jadeite scarf - it's fine, just not my style. Also a picture of the newly warped and started scarf using a yarn that is a combination of seacell, wool and silk. Also not my style to work with such thick yarns for scarves but it will make a nice example for the guild program. This scarf is being woven in a broken twill, hoping it will have nice drape, it's sett at 8epi.

Jadeite Scarf

This is what I did this afternoon - warped up the loom with a fiber called Therapi that has jadeite in it along with wool & silk. I'm still trying to find out the manufacturing process using the mineral/stone - hoping to get a reply from the company after the holidays are over and businesses get back to normal. The warp is the jadeite fiber in two shades of lavender - the weft is some of my handspun handdyed merino wool. I forgot to take a picture while weaving on the scarf, this picture is on the end of the warp, a quick sample for my records. This is a 8 harness interlocking twill pattern, not evident in this picture but it's a nice pattern. Am anxious to get the scarf washed to see how the drape is and what it will feel like, it's very soft before washing. I usually don't weave scarves out of fiber this thick.

More etsy shop updates

Finished up the etsy shop updates for the time being. I just listed some knitted scarves, hand-dyed silk/rayon scarves and a handwoven chenille shawl.

Etsy shop updates

Been busy taking pictures to list more items up in my etsy shop - http://eweniquelyewe.etsy.com/ Please stop by and visit if you haven't lately. So far a felted pink purse and 3 hats have gone up today - have some knit scarves, hand-dyed silk scarves and a handwoven chenille shawl still left to get in the shop, takes time to take the pictures, resize them and get items listed.

As soon as this is finished up I'll be heading to the studio to warp up the loom with a yarn that contains jadite - another new fiber to try in preparation for a guild program in March on the newer fibers on the market.

Soy Silk Scarf

The soy silk scarf I showed earlier while on the loom is completely finished - got it washed yesterday and twisted the fringe this morning, decided to add some seed beads to the fringe for a bit of sparkle. The close-up picture is of the front and back to show how different it looks on each side. Soy silk has a lovely feel to it, beautiful drape and shrinks very little but for the cost compared to silk, tencel or bamboo it's not worth it, the others cost substantially less per pound and are much nicer in my opinion. Perhaps the price will come down in the future as with all new things.