Some things just keep going wrong!

I see its quite a while since I talked with you.  I have been very busy weaving, sewing and knitting but not things I can share as some are for the Festival fashion parade, some for the exhibition at Festival and others for my tutoring.

And some things have gone really really wrong!  Lets just say I wove a complete alpaca silk shawl before discovering an echo threading with 840 threads was wrong - a week designing, a week threading and weaving and not until I cut it off did I find the booboo.  Woh is me.  And what's worse the whole point of the exercise was to then expand the warp threads the full width of my loom to weave a banner for festival.  Well!  I couldn't believe so many things could go wrong, even this morning when I wove 30 rows of the pattern and discovered it was scrolling backwards.  More unweaving.  On the right track now and hoping all will be straight forward.  I mean its not complicated.

Now what do we call this - American? 4 colour double weave - two colours in warp and two in weft.
Marian Stubenitsky's 4 colour double weave has 4 colours in the warp and 2 in the weft.

Lets see if I can explain what went wrong.  Make a new drawdown by taking the threading then draw the weft exactly as drawn in.  One diagonal line through the tie up and you get this.  If reduced to its tiniest form all looks well (as I did) but enlarge it slightly (click on image to enlarge) and you will see the diagonal lines are different.  Not a mirror image of each other.

 As they should be below.

A simple way to check before weaving 2.2 metres of alpaca silk which is now in my wardrobe waiting for winter (which we are told will be late this year).

Green Poncho

Remember the post back here
http://loomtalk.blogspot.co.nz/2014/09/karangahake-gorge.html
where everything looked so green and the pile of yarn I've accumulated over the years.

It is now a poncho.  Well some of it is, there's still an awful lot left.  In the brief moment I put it on, on a 28 degree C day, it looked as good as I had hoped.  I really must get a 'dummy' that reflects my robust size as it would photograph better.  I haven't decided if this will be part of  the tutor's display at festival in April or part of the workshop I'm presenting on using our unique yarns.  

By the Skin of my Teeth

By the skin of my teeth.
What an odd expression! 

Where did it come from? and what does it mean?

(by a very narrow margin; only just.)

My mother used to say it a lot.

I think its probably appropriate for this.

840 threads 72/2 alpaca silk hand dyed, 

that's all that's left.

Now to thread the loom.

Crammed and Spaced Scarves

Very bright crammed and spaced scarves in beautiful merino.

2/1 twill didn't cram as much as tabby.

  Red through yellow cashmere warp with merino weft.  

Beautifully soft.

Now for sale at the Cargo Shed in Tauranga.

The Knitting Year 2014 in pictures

I was a busy trooper, didn't realise I'd knitted quite so much!

Annis scarf.  Strictly speaking this was knitted in '13 but I blocked it in 2014.

Rinda's cocoon wrap.  Very pleased to see her wearing it often.

Zoe's jumpers

Thrums knotted together and knitted into sofa throws.

Jack's grandpa jacket.  When he opened the parcel he announced 'I don't wear green, only blue'.  When you're cold you wear green!

Handspun sliver from Fibre2go.  Steven West Metalouse pattern.

Dr Who socks

TV slouch socks machine knitted.

There are several projects either partly or almost finished and I did knit many samples to be used in a workshop I'm presenting at Festival in April.  

The needles aren't idle for long.

The Weaving Year 2014 in Pictures

Happy 2015 to you all.

Its really interesting to research a summary of the weaving which happens during the year.

This past year, 2014, my records tell me I wove 67 articles, mostly blankets and scarves 

with a little sidetrack into tableware.  Below is a selection of photos of some of the articles.

Kowhai blanket, a new colour exploration for me.

Summer and Winter table mats.
Several sets of mats and runners gifted to family members.

37 blankets in total this year.

Paint pallet.
My favourite piece this year.
Shibori using the same summer and winter threading as the table mats but the treadling altered.

Displayed and sold at Tauranga Creative Fibre Exhibition.

More shibori as above.  Unbelievable they could be woven on the same threading!

 I was commissioned to make a series of Scarves for Men by Inspirit gallery.  Below a couple of examples.

Navy and white.

Brown and taupe.

Huia blanket.

Huia Korowai.

There was quite a lot of experimentation with 4 colour double weave.

Tangerine Dream, winner of Design Award at Creative Fibre Experience exhibition.

Chromatic Reflections, third prize at Waikino Exhibition

Chromatic Reflections

Coral Habitat.

Pohutukawa blanket commissioned by Inspirit Gallery.

Series of cotton scarves all from the same warp using an interleaved threading and different treadlings.

Speaker cloth for retro sound systems.

Hope you've enjoyed seeing this summary as much as I enjoyed making each and every piece.

Look out for one on knitted projects soon.

What's on the looms 1.1.15

That's easy - nothing!

Except for the old warp ready for tying on on the blanket loom

and the pile of crap important stuff for filing on the table loom.

But there are plans for the Mecchia.

Multi brights hand dyed merino for scarves or wrap

and, if that works, I can tie on this cashmere. 

Now to crunch numbers and wind warp chains.

If you'd like to see other blog posts on this subject follow on Meg's Loomsday page.