Clasp Weft Bookmark

I have this really great hand-dyed JOY 20/2 yarn that I just love. I have enough for a full scarf project, but it has been talking to me. So........ I have combined it with some 20/2 tencel for a clasp weft on this bookmark.

I am about at the end of this warp. Do I tie on and weave more or "?".

Dancing Brown Bookmark

I am treadling the crackle pattern shafts and NOT keeping track!! I am just going with the flow and dancing on the treadles. I am using tabby sometimes, sometimes not. My weft threads are metallic sewing thread and 10/2 bamboo. Sometimes I am putting both threads in the same shed, sometime not! At 30 epi I can do this and it not look tooooooo funny!!!

Bookmarks

Two more bookmarks. I think I may have to hunt for more blue or this will be one very small bookmark!

Book Em, Dan-O!

Thinking to put on a fast and quick project..I wanted some bookmarks....NOT!!!

I had a threading error one half inch in, then after fixing that, I discovered I had a denting error.....so pulled it all out and started over.... then I "tried" to thread the heddles back to front. Yikes, I don't know how you all do that!! But I am weaving bookmarks now!

I had looked at some of my bobbins that had left over bamboo and tencel on them and decided there was enough for bookmarks and not much else. Don't you just hate throwing away pretty bamboo and tencel? I even have some of the JOY yarns on some bobbins.

I have threaded my loom to a crackle draft with some crammed dents. Makes a nice change from my woven shibori explorations. I am weaving them 2 1/2 inches wide and 8 inches long with hemstitching and one inch fringe. I should have a rainbow of bookmarks when I am done.

Seems like I am hemstitching more than weaving. LOL. 

I am using plastic blinds as spacers. They are one inch wide, so each fringe will be one inch. 

Woven Shibori does a Dance

Ever wonder what it would look like if you wove with color and then dyed with another? Here I have attempted just that. I wanted to see if I wove with a white warp and a colored weft then dyed the pulled shibori cloth I could get something different than the usual look. I was a little surprised I got the green, but should not have been. I think for the 'real' towel I will dye with just the blue. I wove this small sample to play with. But I do have one woven towel in the wings. It is waiting for a dye workshop later this year.

Here I have a white warp and am weaving with red. The purple is the resist threads that I will pull out later and throw away.

I have dyed on one side with yellow. I am going for  red-yellow-blue, or red-white-blue. 

I have pulled my resist threads.

Here I have applied the blue dye.

Well, I did get the red white and blue on the left. But I think I got red-yellow-green on the right because I had not rinsed out all the yellow dye. After all, yellow and blue make GREEN! 

Moral to the story..... just have fun. You never quite know what you will get. That is the beauty of woven shibori. You sort-of know, but not really. If you want a one-of-a-kind cloth than woven shibori is for you.

Woven Shibori in the Bathroom

I have not posted for a while, but I have been weaving.

Here is my version of curtains in a bathroom! I threaded my loom to Bronson Lace and fiddled with the tie-up to get some long floats. Using 8/2 cotton warp and weft, sett 20 epi, 5/2 cotton resist threads.

I have dyed both sides and have to let it dry in the sun. I had a nice warm day last week for this.

Close up of turquoise and brilliant blue dye 

I am taking out my resist threads. I will throw them away.

The resist threads are all removed. Here I am soaking my cloth in synthrapol to help remove the excess dye.

Drying on the back porch.

Ironing the pleats out.

Ta Da! Curtain for my bathroom window!

More Woven Shibori

I now have my 3 yards of woven shibori pulled and ready for the dye. I am still thinking it might be what I need on that bathroom window. But that will have to wait a while.

So now, I have lashed back on and will try my hand at starting and stopping the resist threads. Remember, where I will not have any resist pattern, my base plain weave cloth will be a solid  color.

Here you can see that I have three shuttles going. One for the plain weave base and two with resist threads. You do not have to weave that resist thread from selvage to salvage!You can go part way to the center then back, you can go in and out any where your resist pattern will let you. You may have to cut your resist thread here and there, but that is OK. Just remember to leave a little loop or long tail to grab to help pull the resist threads later.

You could also just lay in your resist thread instead of using a shuttle.

Yes, this is slow and there may be a faster, better way than I am doing. So think out side the box and weave on!

Remember, where there is only white plain weave it will be a solid color. Your goal is to have the dye be resisted in certain areas. Using a twill treadling or overshot treadling helps you get that pattern onto your plain weave base cloth. (Of course your base cloth could be twill but that is another long story!)

Another thing I have done is to tie some of the resist threads into their knots while still on the loom. The distance is so short, that I think this will help me later when this is off the loom and I am pulling those resist threads.

Rep Weave Up-date

Another project I am working on is Rep Weave. I am getting my loom ready for the April 1-2 Rep workshop. We have Kelly Marshall coming to share her talent and information with us. I have not 'lashed' on but a couple of times, so I am anxious to see if this works. Dawn gave a great lesson on this at one of our guild meetings. I sure wish I had listened better.

I am looking forward to weaving some REP in April. I love my colors!!

Woven Shibori Up-date

I have been working on this woven shibori project for a while. I hope to make a curtain for my small bathroom window. 

I have three yards woven. I couldn't wait to see what I had, so I cut this off. I should have another 3 or 4 yards I can weave. 

Now I have started to pull the resist threads. Yikes! Now tell me again why I wove 3 yards???  Oh yeah, I need that much yardage to make a curtain for that window. 

My warp and weft is 8/2 cotton sett at 20 epi. I have the loom threaded to a Bronson Lace and played around with the tie-up to get long floats. My base cloth is plain weave.

Diva March Show and Tell

Wow, what a great program Marilynn gave on Broken twills.

Now for some show and tell from the March 2016  Diva guild meeting!

Tomi wove some towels for a charity event in her home town. We are sure these will bring a high auction price. 

Anita created a hat using her hand woven fabric for the crown.

Jan had these really cut small bowels woven on a small circular loom. 

Carol has been playing around with the JOY yarn. Great color work.

Kathy did some Rep weave for a table runner.

Kathy also wove some great kitchen towels.

Rossanna wove this beaded fringed moire scarf. 

Broken Twill

"Broken Twill - or if it isn't broken should we try to fix it?"

Those were the words Marilynn started with when giving her program on Broken Twills. She discussed the standard 2/2 twill, broken twill, Dornick twill, and Crystal twill. We learned the rules that must be followed for a twill to be called 'broken' or 'dornick' or 'crystal'.

Broken twill

A discussion and note taking

Dornick twill

Crystal Twill

The different yarns (some are not really different) from different vendors!