Pauanesia scarves 2017

I've been asked to weave another range of scarves for Pauanesia based on New Zealand native birds.

I got home from Australia late on a Friday and was at the loom first thing Saturday morning.  Nothing like a deadline to get me moving.

First up Kotuku, the white heron.

Kotuku breed in South Westland.  After breeding they disperse widely to coastal freshwater wetlands throughout the country.

 

 Then the black Robin or Chatham Island Robin.

This sparrow sized bird is endangered with just 250 birds at present.  In the 1980s the population was down to just 5 birds including one fertile female "Old Blue".

And the red is inspired by the red beak of the pukeko.

I'm working on the second half of the order but came down with a winter bug so production is at half speed.

Jenny's Kingsize Kingfisher blanket

To my shame this large Kotare blanket was ordered a year ago but what with other commitments and travelling and summer (who needs mohair blankets in the heat) and knowing it would be a pig to alter the loom it just got neglected.

Sure hope it was worth the wait.

Speaker cloth

I'll just sneak in with this one before the end of the year. 

5.2 metres of cloth for son in laws speakers.  

Its not all for him unless there are mistakes made! 

Black is linen plied with an unknown manmade fibre.  

Sand is 3 threads of 20/2 cotton from DEA yarns.

Draft from 8 shaft patterns (Strickler) book, pattern no. 715, 

because that is what was on the unit its replacing.

"Just what he wanted" was the verdict.

This evening is New Year Eve which is shaping up to be windy and wet.  I've moaned quite a bit about the weather recently, apparently with good cause.  Our summer is 6 weeks (6 weeks) late arriving so not here yet!

Enjoy your celebrations

and all the best wishes for 2015.

Old Socks!

Why am I showing a picture of leash sticks and my husband's holey socks on my kitchen floor?

Some time ago I read an article asking for submissions of unusual uses of weaving equipment in a non-weaving way but then couldn't find it again.  Turns out it was Weaving Weekly who asked and its been published in the latest issue of Handwoven.

My use is to attach an old (clean) sock to a leash stick with a rubber band and clean out the dust bunnies from under the stove, dish washer and fridge.  If the sock is wet it gives it a scrub as well.  My stove is dual gas elements and electric oven and the gas comes through a copper pipe.  Constant movement of the stove would weaken the pipe, hence my invention. 

Fabric

Enough of the dog already.
Next weekend is Professional Weavers Network annual seminar in Auckland and after seminar we're having a workshop on designing/styling fabric/garments from handwoven cloth with Sue Scarf so I thought it time I got out my fabric stash and fulled it, finished it and had a jolly good look.  Both pieces have been maturing in the fabric stash cupboard for some time.  Do you know they do improve with age!  I rather like them now, can see possibilities.

This is wool, teal and anenome stripes with a variegated stripe every so often.  For some reason I threaded it and wove it with a space every 2 inches of about half an inch and of course the threads moved to fill the gaps.  I can imagine it with a contrasting (maybe hot pink) lining peeping through the spaces.  There is at least 5 metres.  A jacket is the obvious style but maybe a long tunic top.

The second bolt I wove so long ago I couldn't remember which loom I used until I saw the network drafted pattern so it must have been on the dobby and that must be two or three years ago.  Yikes!
Its mostly cotton with one acrylic thread which didn't shrink and has made little loops at irregular intervals - I think that's why it was never made up.  Again there is about 5 metres and I had planned to use a Burda pattern for a shirt with a tie feature at the front.  Hmmm.  Apologies for the photos but if I went back to try again this would never be posted.  You can just see the networking on the blue bolt.