Category Archives: Wool

Problem-Solving in the Works

06 Monday Mar 2017

Posted by in Planning, Thrums, Wool

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A couple weeks ago, I wrote about my thrums dilemma and eventual inspiration to weave a bench pad in rosepath boundweave. On Friday, I pulled the pad off the loom and yesterday, finished the hemming.

Thrums waiting to be woven

Thrums waiting to be woven

The bed covering in the painting “Lallah Rookh” is my source for inspiration. It has, as one of its motifs, an elongated flame shape on a solid ground. Because I had a limited supply of thrums for patterning, I focused on that shape rather than trying to duplicate the entire covering. I supplemented the thrums with other wools from my stash for additional colors. From this image, I went to past magazine issues for specifics.

I have seen different tie-up methods for boundweave. Tom Knisely threads boundweave in the typical rosepath arrangement and treadles the colors in blocks which float two ends up, two down. (see “A Boundweave Rug” p. 34 November/December 2010 Handwoven). This results in a reversible fabric.

Flame taking shape

Flame taking shape

However, I chose the tie-up from “Rugs in the Scandinavian Way” in the May/June 1987 Handwoven Magazine for no other reason than I just wanted to see how it would work. Here, Phyllis Waggoner uses a boundweave tie-up that lifts three ends against one. With this set-up, the backside is definitely a backside. Her rug shows several design bands in varying colors, one of which was a distinctive flame motif. Sometime, that would be a fun rug to weave in its entirety, using the block treadling to produce a more reversible fabric, but for now, I needed to focus on that flame pattern and maybe a smaller diamond.

Backside of the boundweave, right off the loom

Backside of the boundweave, right off the loom

Weaving progressed slowly, not just because boundweave is a slow weave, but because I was working with weft in one-yard lengths. Lots of loose ends! Every end had to be overlapped and tucked to the back of the web while weaving. Here is where I made a decision based on expediency: because the back side would not be seen, indeed would be tied down to my loom bench, I decided not to worry about all those loose ends. If this had been a piece on which both sides would be seen, I would have used a needle to weave those ends in after taking the piece off the loom.

Because I didn’t know how long the flame motif would end up, after weaving the hem and header, I started the border just a couple inches in from the beginning. As it turned out, one repeat was going to be too short, and if I wove a second one, the pad wouldn’t fit on my bench. An added smaller diamond on one end resulted in a more useable length, even though it does bother my “symmetry” sensibilities a bit.

The finished boundweave bench pad

The finished boundweave bench pad

This was definitely an exercise in problem-solving that resulted in something useful—which is what I wanted from my thrums.

What challenges are you working on this week? Share your discoveries!

Storm Warning — or How to Spend a Weekend Indoors

15 Sunday Jan 2017

Posted by in Blankets, Doubleweave, Planning, Wool

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What do you do when an ice storm looms (no pun intended)?

Wool on the cone

Wool on the cone

Dire predictions preceded Winter Storm Jupiter, so named by the National Weather Service. Ice is nothing to fool around with, so we did what most everyone did this weekend—we stayed home.

It was a perfect excuse to work on a wool blanket, something nice and warm.

Before the holidays, I agreed to weave a full-size wool blanket for a customer who attends 1800’s era reenactments. This is a little out of my experience, so it required some research.

Wool Blanket on the Loom

Wool Blanket on the Loom

Because the customer will be using this blanket outdoors, it has to be warm and sturdy. I chose Harrisville Highland Wool (900 yds. per pound) and straight twill for the weave structure. A 24” square sample helped me determine how long to soak and agitate it to get the desired finish.

The size is wider than my looms, but weaving it double-width makes up for that. I had to watch the bottom layer to avoid skips and catches as well as a messy selvedge.

And I weave cotton more than wool, so I had to brush up on how to treat this lovely yarn respectfully, to make it bloom into full potential.

Wool twill blanket off the loom

Wool twill blanket off the loom. Finished sample is in the upper right.

Yesterday I pulled the finished warp off the loom with a sense of accomplishment. I still have to hem it and make any necessary repairs before fulling the finished blanket, but it was a pleasant way to wait out an ice storm.

The Wool Review

03 Thursday Sep 2015

Posted by in Scarves, Wool

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Cranberry Scarf

Cranberry Scarf

This week I’ve been working on some wool scarves since we are moving into the cooler fall weather. I had some slate Shetland wool and some cranberry Jaggerspun wool, both 2/8 weight, that I thought would go well together. And for an added interest, I put in a few threads of some iridescent black rayon which has quite a “hairy” look. I thought a little fluff in the scarves would be nice.

I sett the warp fairly loose, just 16 ends per inch, to give the wool room to bloom in the finishing process. (What a difference from the 52 epi satin weave on my other loom!) I also focused on beating very lightly, 15 picks per inch. I didn’t want to make a stiff board – I’ve done that before and that scarf was not very pleasing!

I haven’t woven that much in wool and I approach the finishing cautiously. Wet-finishing (basically washing) is necessary to make the fiber bloom. The combination of heat and agitation opens up the fiber. Not enough agitation and the fiber remains somewhat stiff. Too much agitation and it felts. So I had to experiment to find the “Goldilocks” amount of finishing for this wool. What is “just right?”

Cranberry sample

Cranberry sample

Fortunately, I had half a yard of warp at the end that I could play with, so I wove it up the same as the scarves and took it to the wash machine. It didn’t look like it was finished yet after one minute of agitation, so I left it in for another minute. Then I laid the sample out to dry flat.

The wool opened up nicely, resulting in a soft and light-weight fabric. The rayon fibers did not fluff like I’d expected, so I gave the surface a little brushing. More vigorous brushing would be necessary if I really want the rayon to come to the surface. It will probably work its way out as the scarves are worn, but for now, the rayon just gives the surface a slightly grey cast. The rayon also didn’t shrink up the same as the wool, so there is a little rippling. That is to be expected when combining different fibers, but I’m glad I didn’t use too much of it.

Now I had a little more confidence in how to finish the actual scarves. I chose to agitate in very warm water for 1 ½ minutes only and rinse in the same temperature water. This is not a project I could pop in the washer and walk away—it needed to be watched to prevent felting.

Slate Scarf

Slate Scarf

All in all, this was a good learning experience. I may have more wool to work with in the future since I have lots of fiber to spin in my closet. From this comfortable starting place, I can consider more wool projects in the coming year.

What is your latest learning project? Share your progress!