Measured Threads – Page 7 – A Fiber Arts Studio | Weaving & Knitting

July 6, 2015October 26, 2015

Color Play

I am pretty sure I have decided on Bumberet for the structure of my next set of towels. Bumberet is a textured fabric with a ribbed appearance and plays well with color.

Color is always where I struggle. I know what I like, but I have trouble knowing if they “go” together with an artist’s eye. I was never good in art class; I guess I never found my medium. Crayons and paint never spoke to me the way fiber does. I have learned to trust more that what I like usually turns out fine. The color workshop I took at the weavers guild in the fall helped a lot to convince me to trust my choices. I have a few tools I lean on such as a color wheel and the computer.

I uploaded a picture of a beach volleyball game that I took in May and used an online tool to help pick out colors. I chose to select the medium blue color as the color I would choose to coordinate with. I also thought I would put the suggested triad colors in. I didn’t have a limey green so picked a turquoise (one of the other colors in the generated palette) to be part of the triad with the blue and fuchsia which I had in my stash. I also picked a gold to make the split complement. I think 4 colors is plenty for the warp, but may play with adding a neutral tone in there too.

Then I looked to my other colors of 8/2 cotton for weft colors knowing that I wanted to weave towels with only one shuttle for weft. I like to keep the weft in darker values to liven and help the warp colors pop. If I chose white or light pastels they would wash out the warp colors. You can see how the gray in the last image washes it out a bit. I changed the weft colors around to see what each looked like. I chose black, navy, purple, then a lighter blue and gray. My favorites so far are the navy and the purple. What do you think?

July 5, 2015October 26, 2015

Linen and Lace

I am currently working on a weaving sample for a class. This is woven with Juniper Moon Farm Zooey a linen and cotton blend yarn. It has a real nice feel to it. In this end of the sample I am using the same yarn for warp and weft. There is leno lace and Spanish lace. I have some blue Hemapathy yarn that I will use for weft when I sample at the other end to see what difference it makes in how much the lace shows up. I think it can be a real nice table runner or if made wider, a placemat. It might even be nice for a summery scarf if I beat a little lighter to have more of a warp dominant fabric.

July 1, 2015October 26, 2015

Cotton Club

I have ordered a nice variety of colors in 8/2 cotton for weaving towels. I don’t have any specific structure in mind yet. A good twill is always nice, but there were some bumberet towels recently in Handwoven magazine that I really like. Bumberet is a new structure for me and I love playing with colors. I can put a real variety of color in the warp, and weave with one color, changing for each towel. One shuttle weave make that part go much faster. I really need to make sure I don’t get carried away with too many colors in one warp though.

I will have to sit and play with the drafting software and will try to post some of my planning process as I go. Hopefully I can get some woven and up for sale soon.

That reminds me I need to hem up the last towels I wove in cotton and linen and get them up for sale too. I just need to find a place to set up the sewing machine and leave it out for a couple of days.

June 24, 2015October 26, 2015

Summer School

I have 2 private lesson students starting this week. I love teaching new weavers. One has prior experience on a rigid heddle loom which is a great way to get started. She has since purchased a used 4 shaft Macomber Loom that needed some TLC and has since restored it to nice condition. I met with her a few weeks ago to evaluate what she had, give her some advice on continuing the restoration, helped her put the brake pieces on properly and give her a list of things to buy or make that she needed before getting started. We met again this morning to start winding the warp for her first project which I call a get to know your loom project. They can be hand towels or placemats.

Tomorrow evening I am meeting with an art student at DAAP who wants to learn about weaving. I will start her on a rigid heddle loom and a beginner scarf. After one or two projects, I will rent her my 4 shaft Dorothy table loom and a few items to begin 4 shaft weaving. She doesn’t own any equipment yet. We plan on meeting twice a week through the month of July.

I am really excited about it. If things continue this well, I may have to get another small table loom or floor loom for students.

May 27, 2015October 26, 2015

Dyeing to Knit Socks

Here is a little photo essay. I had a ball of the merino/bamboo blend sock yarn in cream that I wanted to dye and knit up for a teacher gift. I used a sprinkle dye method with dry Kool-Aid and bottles of food coloring. You need a bit of acid provided by vinegar and heat provided by microwaving during the process to set the colors. Since the dyes are food, they are safe in your everyday pans.

Skein up the yarn and tie around it in different places to keep the tangling down.

Soak the skein in warm water for a while in a microwave safe dish.

Pour off most of the water and add a glug of vinegar. Swish it around.

Start with the lighter colors and sprinkle them on dry (Kool-Aid) or drip them (food color).

Let the colors saturate the skein for a while move it gently around to expose undyed areas and add more sprinkles. Microwave in bursts of 1-2 minutes between colors.

After coloring to your satisfaction (be careful not to overdo it the first time). Give it a final trip on the microwave carousel to fully set all the dyes for another 1-2 minutes.

Let cool a bit, then rinse fully in lukewarm water.

Hang the skein to let it dry.