Shawls

So this post takes us to this time last year, just one year behind.

 

The Guild I belong to, Kaimai Coast Creative Fibre, planned an exhibition for late March so I set to to weave a piece that was exhibition worthy.  I say planned as the dastardly covid had postponed two previous attempts to hold the exhibition.  The exhibition was hung at Carlton Art Gallery, Art Centre, Katikati.

I had been looking at photos from years past and thought I would revisit Twill.  This is 16 shaft advancing twill, 24 epi, Nm2/16 50%merino 50%camel yarn plus a little bling.

 

Of course, once I have a threading I make the most of it and tie on more warps.  This was a warp which I had wound many years ago and it was time to use it, mainly because I wanted to access the left over yarn on cones.

The colours are unusual for me to choose and I believe they were inspired by something I saw whilst on a trip in India.

Unfortunately, as I wove the first wrap the threads in part of the purple section kept breaking after I had woven a metre.  I decided I had gone too far to stop so persevered and can't recall the many many broken threads there were to get to 2.2 metres.  The group of threads which broke was a rayon-like thread.  At this stage I cut the first wrap off, wound some purple merino warps, tied them onto the troublesome blighters and pulled them through to the back of the loom.  After tying the warp to the front rod I weighted the new threads at the back and hey presto, could weave the second wrap.  And I got to keep the faulty product after spending hours fixing threads.

 

While this weaving was happening I looked over at the yarn shelf and spied this combination of  colours and couldn't resist another warp.

 

At about the same time a friend posted a photo of a bunch of dahlia flowers she had been gifted  and so these wraps was named Dahlia.  One has a black weft, the other red.

More deflected double weave scarves

After a month's holiday in Australia on Bribie Island I was enthusiastic to put the next warp on the loom for three DDW scarves.   

The white, pale pink and mid pink are one warp and the wine is the second warp.  The pattern is four threads of one warp and four of the second right across the width of the scarf. 

I wove the first scarf, cut it off the loom, twisted the tassels and wet finished it.  That was when I found that the pale pink yarn was not behaving as wool should.  After a bleach test I discovered it was a manmade fibre.  What to do?  Throw away the whole warp?  I decided to take some of the white merino, wind another warp and dye it pale pink.  I pulled the remaining warp, 6.5 metres, through the heddles and reed to the front and carefully cut a thread off, tied on the new thread.  That looked successful so did the same with the midpink band so all shrinkage would be the same.  It rolled on to the back beam with no problems and two beautiful scarves are the result.  (I wear the dud scarf occasionally.)
 

 

 

I had noticed that the Marion Powell threading for shadow weave is similar to what I was using.  I wound a warp with 1 x 1 colour and tied it on to my previous warp.  My sample worked but, to me, was rather boring.

 

 

Since I had a 1 x 1 warp on the loom I wondered if Turned Taquete would be more interesting.  It worked but decided it wasn't mind catching enough to weave three scarves.

I cut the warp off and it will be used another time.

 

(Bleach test for wool - place a length (maybe 20 cm) of yarn in a little pure bleach.  If its wool it will dissolve away completely in about 30 mins.)

Deflected Double Weave scarves

Here we are, at the beginning of October and I hadn't realised I have been working with Deflected Double Weave most of the year.  Still am actually.

 

This particular pattern I got off Pinterest but changed the tie up.  I was very surprised to find, when I cut it off the loom, that the new reverse side was the same as the original design.

 

 

 

Paua above and below again using leftovers from previous projects which can really give a creative edge to the garment.

 

 Hydrangea above, Rhododendron below

 

Waihi Beach Gallery asked for some scarves in black and white.

This is an original design using my name to create the name draft.

 

 

 

Kakapo

The kakapo is a nocturnal, flightless parrot which is critically endangered with just 247 birds alive.  Recently Kakapo have been released to the Sanctuary at Mount Maungatautari, near Cambridge.  To celebrate their release I wove these scarves for Inspirit Gallery.

 I used the same original draft above changing it to reflect feathers.

 

   

I may be a little obsessed with DDW as I'm about to put yet another warp on the loom. 

2022 Creations part 2

Continuing on with the 2022 summary.

 

Here we have a warp chain wound from a cone of variegated merino yarn with the colours stacked as I wound.

A series of scarves for Kina Gallery, New Plymouth follows.

 

The warps for these scarves were wound the same way in a darker colourway reflecting the Takahe.  Also at Kina Gallery.

More scarves for Kina Gallery in Teal shades.

 

 

 Blanket reflecting the Paua, also at Kina Gallery.

 

I did a wee demonstration at the Bay of Plenty Weavers group on threading front to back, tying on a new warp and lacing the warp to the front beam.

I wanted a fairly simple threading so that my old brain could cope while demonstrating.  I chose this Deflected Double Weave, Fantasy on 4 Shafts, from Double with a Twist by Marion Stubenitsky, page 70.  

It is so effective for 4 shafts, 4 treadles. 

 

There has been tea towel weaving; here is a selection. 

These are woven 4 colour double weave. 

 

I enjoyed knitting this wrap for my grand daughter (love in every stitch).

Pattern is Reflexions by Alla Saenko.  

 

The last weave of the year was a series of Pohutukawa blankets inspired by so many of the trees in full bloom; most appropriate for the Festive Season.

Hoping 2023 gifts you with peace, fun and laughter. 

Pounamu Wrap

It must have been in July a fellow fibre artist kept putting posts on faceboook for folks to enter the Franklin Arts Exhibition and as I had woven this rather special wrap I thought I'd support the exhibition by entering.  The parcel was left with my son to get in the post on the designated dates and Peter and I went off the Australia for a much needed break.  (We flew in to Brisbane and out of Sydney and explored the coast in between.)  We had only been home a day and I got a call to say I'd been award a prize and could I come to the opening so we repacked our suitcases and headed back to Auckland.  I received second prize in the Functional Textile section.  A thrill to be called up on stage and shake the presenters hand.

 The warp is 28/2Nm silk and the two wefts  are a devine merino I brought home from Rome last year.  I'll just say the draft is original, probably part of the twill family.  All yarns hand dyed.

Hapara - Dawn Blankets

Three beautiful blankets which went to Pauanesia shop.

Shadow weave wrap

 The last wrap on the blue and taupe possum merino silk warp.

I was determined I wanted to try shadow weave on the parallel (or echo) threading on the loom.

Shadow weave has a sett similar to tabby so I had to discard quite a few threads at the side and spread the warp out to 20 threads per inch (if I remember correctly).

 I was disappointed that the pattern wasn't bolder with a more defined line outlining the components of the design.

 A versatile garment which looks wonderful with denim.