New Project, Still Spinning, and More!
After the successful launch of the green circle towels, I decided to start what should be an easy weaving project for myself. In one of my Ravelry weaving groups, someone posted a photo of a tunic that she had sewn from handwoven cloth. Intrigued, I found the pattern and purchased it, then started winding my warp. I'm using cottolin (a cotton linen mix) for the warp, in natural, royal blue, deep purple and light blue. The weft is natural 8/2 cotton. The two shades of natural are quite different, so I'm hoping that adds interest to the cloth.
Here is a shot of the beginning of the weaving. Technically, you are looking at the "wrong" side of the cloth, but both sides have good and bad qualities, so I will have to see which side I prefer after wet-finishing.
As you can see, it is an asymmetrical pattern, which takes some of the pressure off during the sewing phase. The treadling is so easy: 1-2-3-4-3-2, repeat, and yet, I keep messing it up because my mind wanders. Perfect.
On the spinning front, I am still taking part in the Tour de Fleece on Ravelry, which runs until July 17th, I believe. After finishing the blue merino/silk, I started on some BFL wool/silk for a two ply which I can hopefully use some day on my loom. As a refresher, here is a shot of the fiber (I'm only spinning one of these braids at the moment);
I split the braid length-wise and got very different colors in each half. This is the first half, which was predominantly blue, with occasional purples/pinks and a bit of turquoise;
Here is the completed bobbin from the second half, which had many more colors shifting in and out.
Plying will start today. It should be an interesting yarn!
A few weeks ago, hubby and I decided to take a walk in a new preserve a few miles from our home called the Bamford Preserve. The walk was approximately 1/2 mile from where we parked, and the path went through some woods and over a couple of very tiny streams, through some tall grass (ticks!!!) to the shore. It was a cool windy day and we found ourselves alone the whole time.
Nearer to shore:
Once there, we found a small set of stairs to the rocks, where we saw some driftwood and lots of seaweed.
It was a nice little adventure!
The other day, Whirl was being particularly adorable, squigling around in "his" chair to get my attention for more pats.
First he turned upside down and peeked at me;
Then decided he needed to present a more enticing pose. This next photo looks like he's lying down, but he is actually stretched up the back of the chair, in one of his "come hither" poses.
And finally, though there is MUCH more story to accompany this, I'll leave you with this peek at a visitor that we had the other day. Both cats enjoyed his company very much - as a matter of fact, Dinger refused to eat for over a day because he was so taken with him. Hubby took the photo, and the next day managed to grab him and put him outside. We still don't know how he got in, so who knows? He may pay us another visit soon!
Here is a shot of the beginning of the weaving. Technically, you are looking at the "wrong" side of the cloth, but both sides have good and bad qualities, so I will have to see which side I prefer after wet-finishing.
As you can see, it is an asymmetrical pattern, which takes some of the pressure off during the sewing phase. The treadling is so easy: 1-2-3-4-3-2, repeat, and yet, I keep messing it up because my mind wanders. Perfect.
On the spinning front, I am still taking part in the Tour de Fleece on Ravelry, which runs until July 17th, I believe. After finishing the blue merino/silk, I started on some BFL wool/silk for a two ply which I can hopefully use some day on my loom. As a refresher, here is a shot of the fiber (I'm only spinning one of these braids at the moment);
I split the braid length-wise and got very different colors in each half. This is the first half, which was predominantly blue, with occasional purples/pinks and a bit of turquoise;
Here is the completed bobbin from the second half, which had many more colors shifting in and out.
Plying will start today. It should be an interesting yarn!
A few weeks ago, hubby and I decided to take a walk in a new preserve a few miles from our home called the Bamford Preserve. The walk was approximately 1/2 mile from where we parked, and the path went through some woods and over a couple of very tiny streams, through some tall grass (ticks!!!) to the shore. It was a cool windy day and we found ourselves alone the whole time.
Nearer to shore:
Once there, we found a small set of stairs to the rocks, where we saw some driftwood and lots of seaweed.
It was a nice little adventure!
The other day, Whirl was being particularly adorable, squigling around in "his" chair to get my attention for more pats.
First he turned upside down and peeked at me;
Then decided he needed to present a more enticing pose. This next photo looks like he's lying down, but he is actually stretched up the back of the chair, in one of his "come hither" poses.
And finally, though there is MUCH more story to accompany this, I'll leave you with this peek at a visitor that we had the other day. Both cats enjoyed his company very much - as a matter of fact, Dinger refused to eat for over a day because he was so taken with him. Hubby took the photo, and the next day managed to grab him and put him outside. We still don't know how he got in, so who knows? He may pay us another visit soon!
Please let us know what the pattern for the tunic is! I'm always interested in patterns good for handwoven fabric. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAmazed the little mousie would let the cats-and you-get so close!
ReplyDeleteYour tunic-and your handspun-will each be beautiful.