Well, I am getting back to weaving, but by route of my spinning wheel.
No, I am not working on the rug yet. Instead, I am working on an idea that came to me a little while ago. I am hoping working on this idea will help me get my weaving mojo back so I can conquer the rug.
The idea? Weaving with singles fresh from the spinning wheel. I had actually given this some thought a while ago, when I saw mention that most industrial woven fabrics are woven from singles, not plied yarn. What brought it to mind again was an interview in Spin Off with Kathryn Alexander, who mentioned that she got the idea to knit with energized singles from talking to Peggy Osterkamp, who was weaving with energized singles at the time.
I have woven with singles before, but I had always blocked the yarn to set the twist before I used the singles. This time, I am going to wind the warp directly from the bobbins, and take the weft yarn directly from the bobbins, as well.
The yarn that I am spinning?
This is a Romney and mohair blend that I got from Colleen (The Barefoot Spinner) at last year’s MSWF.
I love this stuff. It spins so easily just as it is, with no pre-drafting whatsoever. The mohair gives the yarn a nice halo, in my opinion; and the feel is just so soft. The photos make the colors look kind of harsh, but they aren’t in person. Darn flash.
And the smell? I love the smell of clean wool. Really, I swoon.
As for what I will weave, it will either be a scarf or a shawl, depending on how long I spin. The pattern will be a four harness twill because 1) my four harness Dorset loom is the only loom without a warp on it, and 2) I believe doing plain weave will result in tracking, which is not something that I am going for at the moment.
Don’t worry, knitting has not been abandoned. I have a sock
and a hat
in progress. The sock is using a merino yarn that I tried earlier. I figured I would give it another shot. I has a high twist to it, so it feels kind of harsh when I knit with it. The hat is the same pattern as my beenie, but this time with extra length to be a full fledge hat. I am using Cascade 220 Superwash, and I am loving it. (Actually, I finished the hat last night at meetup.)
Very ambitious! I feel like such a slacker – despite having the yarn on hand, the numbers all figured out, I haven’t had the loom out in over a year!
Gorgeous singles! I look forward to seeing what comes of it.
I love the photo of your Lendrum Saxony, very pretty. I’m glad to see some fiber after you pants excursion. I look forward to seeing how your singles weave up, I am not so brave as to knit with such wild, unblocked singles. I made Chanel a sweater with Cascade 220 Superwash and it knit up quite nicely. Great sock so far!
I love the colors in those singles and I am very interested in how they will be to weave with. Should make absolutely lovely fabric!