a simple yarn

This time yesterday I was in a panic…but what a difference a day makes.

Sunday…
…wrestled greased-pig-disguised-as-rayon-warp.

Yesterday…
…finished threading,
…began sleying,
…found threading error,
…unable to rig solution to threading error,
…unthreaded about 1/3 of previously threaded warp,
…re-sleyed remaining threads,
…tied off warp to front beam,
…adjusted for uniform tension,
…secured slippery threads with new-favourite-product-duct-tape,
…found another problem,
…kicked myself for creating self-induced stress,
…fixed problem,
…figured there’s no way to meet deadline,
…turned off light,
…went to bed.

Today…
…wound bobbins,
…began weaving,
…found sleying error,
…unwove small bit of weft,
…untaped and untied erring warp threads,
…re-sleyed, re-tied and re-taped,
…began weaving again,
…saw another minor threading error,
…ignored it,
…saw another minor sleying error,
…ignored it,
…continued weaving,
…completed about 3/4 of warp length.

Tomorrow…
…hope to finish remaining 1/4 of scarf length,
…plan to do finishing work-hem, fringe, bead, etc,
…treat myself to a cappuccino…make it a double.

Thursday…
…wrap completed scarf (barring any unforeseen calamity),
…go to Rosie’s birthday party, draw a sigh of relief and celebrate.

I’d like to shake the hand of that unknown Johnson & Johnson employee who, during World War II, invented duct tape…

…which, by the way, was originally called ‘duck’ tape, or so say The Duct Tape Guys. Actually, they have a lot to say…more than I thought possible…about the silver sticky stuff…

Brief History of Duct Tape Diversion Ahead—
“The original use was to keep the moisture out of the ammunition cases. Because it was waterproof, people referred to the tape as ‘Duck Tape.’ Also, the tape was made using cotton duck - similar to what was used in their cloth medical tapes. Military personnel quickly discovered that the tape was very versatile and used it to fix their guns, jeeps, aircraft, etc. After the war, the tape was used in the booming housing industry to connect heating and air conditioning duct work together. Soon, the color was changed from Army green to silver to match the ductwork and people started to refer to duck tape as ‘Duct Tape’.”

I guess apologies are in order to my father-in-law, a firm believer in the virtues of duct tape, for I found it an indispensable tool at the loom today…

…or perhaps because there was no masking tape to be found.

Anyway, the rayon warp is slick…not in a glossy-sleek-smooth kind of way…more like a ‘what-shall-I-do-with-this-greased-pig’ sort of way. Once I’ve threaded it through the heddles (aka needles), I would usually tie a bit of a slip knot to secure it and prevent accidental unthreading. Trouble is, the stuff is too slippy for a slip knot. So presto, a simple solution…

I’m very thankful that the warp has cooperated so far, as I’m beginning to cast an eye to the calendar, for this birthday gift needs to be done by Thursday. That’s just seven days away…Eek!

And so, with fear and trepidation, I begin my ascent of ‘Mount Fear,’ words of encouragement echoing in my ear and strengthening my resolve. But, jagged precipes at every turn. A miscalculation leading to ultimate peril on the proverbial rocks below…

…hang on…

A bit melodramatic? Yep. Actually, it’s a photo of Ireland’s Eye off the coast of Howth in north County Dublin. Took visiting Friends-From-France there yesterday. Lovely day to be by the sea.

Truth be told, though, the rayon warp was begun today. Knew I couldn’t wind it entirely, but got a good start on it by doing a portion. Couldn’t think too much about it or the tremors would start.

What’s done is safely tucked away until the entire warp can be threaded on the loom. Slow and steady, the theme of the day. Took under advisement all the good hints given. Loaded a slipperier-than-fish skein on the swift to keep temporary order. But you can tell the threads are just itching to ‘thwoing’ in every direction, which brings back bad memories…

Need a third hand periodically, as the thread kinks up on itself in a dreadful manner, much the same way my handspun yarn does with the inevitable overspin…

But eventually they smooth out in a nice, sleek row…

…at least for now.

*Post Title Postscript
Thanks to Kristen for reminding me that it’s just string and yes, I am smarter than string, in case there was any doubt.

He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Morning tea. Favourite cup. Irish pottery. Beautiful hues of brown, copper, sage with a surprising twist of indigo and purple.
No, I am not afraid of tea.

Rosie’s birthday. Number 40. Want to do something special.
No, I am not afraid of being 40…done it.

Handwoven scarf just for Rosie. A simple one. Possible even with busy days ahead. Have a couple of weeks.
No, I am not afraid of putting on a warp under deadline (anymore).

Autumnal shades. Warm browns with a surprising twist. Just like my tea cup. Ah, the perfect warp material comes to mind, bought last year in Birmingham.
Yes, I am afraid of rayon.

The iridescent colours are, without a doubt, perfect.

But the rebellious behaviour of the ultra-slick threads is a bit worrying. Why, just sitting there they have a mind of their own, refusing to stay in any semblance of order. What have I gotten myself into?

But now, because I cannot imagine any other scarf sitting on Rosie’s shoulder, I am destined to climb my mountain of fear.

Pattern or Colour? That is the question!

It would seem to me, as a novice, that there are two camps of weavers in the world. Now, perhaps I’m wrong, but here are my observations-true, skewed or otherwise….

One type of weaving seems to focus on pattern. Hundreds of warp ends. Threading sequence. Elaborate treadling. The minute detail of how the shafts interact with one another to create an intricately woven creation.

Another focus seems to be on simple weaving, but that which highlights colour and texture. It’s all about the look and the feel. Bouclé. Mohair. Chenille. Cerise. Chartreuse. Yumminess factor.

And here I sit, most comfortably on the fence.

I confess I am drawn to the intricacies of a detailed pattern. Look, what’s on my list…

from this tried-and-true-industry-standard book…

Still, I have to say that I look at that pattern thinking, ‘what interestingly modern colour combination will make that vintage pattern pop?!’ So, I realise I’m not just a pattern-girl, but also a colour-texture devotee. Perhaps I’m wrong and in reality most fibre enthusiasts are sitting on this fence with me. Hmmm…

However, the latest project off the loom falls into the colour-texture camp being a simple weave.

Remember this yarn for the warp?

Add a simple single-ply wooly yarn for the weft which dampens without overshadowing the lovely warp multi-colouring.

And there we have a simple scarf which I hope Jenny will love wearing.

I do weave. I don’t felt.

Remember this sample scarf?

Really like it. Cream mohair. Slubby gold and olive yarn. Quite yummy, but not a good match to my ‘I’m-no-longer-a-brunette’ colouring. But….it would look nice with Holly’s new Christmas coat. Right, impromptu-for-no-reason gift…which is sometimes the best kind, really.

And then, what to my wondering eyes did appear after I gave her the woven scarf? This lovely beauty came to me…

Deep purple and rose hues. Quite a nice match to my ’sans-brunette’ palette. Yippee! You can visit her blog for more details about making this scarf (cuz I’m not a felter, remember?)

The cool thing about this spontaneous scarf exchange is my non-felting doesn’t prevent me from having cool felted accessories.

…only different.

I’ve got a new yarn in my hands. High on the yummy scale. I already have two projects on the needles, which is as multi-tasking as I get. Like any knitter, I’m drawn to the newness of casting on for a new project.

But I’m not knitting this. It’s destined for the loom. Doing a sample scarf for LYS-Owner-And-Friend-Jenny. Have an idea in my head and want to try it out. But frankly, I don’t have that same carefree attitude when preparing a warp. Most likely because instead of easily picking up needles and whipping on those beginning stitches, my warp prep looks something like…

A bit mental, really. Calculations. Ends per inch. Draw in factor. Shrinkage consideration. Loom waste. Only have 3 skeins. Will there be enough for the weft? Hmmmm…

Not like casting on for knitting at all.

But after overcoming the inertia of getting started and in spite of the mathematics involved there is a thrill to envisioning what the next FWO (finished weaving object, that is) will be. And that thrill is kind of like casting on…..right?

In other words…how to finish the mohair warp.

Didn’t think I wanted two slubby teal scarves. Only made the warp long enough for two scarves and some sample lengths. Hmm…..what should I do?

Rooting through the novelty yarns, found another slubby yarn compliments of friends Warren and Jenny at Craftspun Yarns. Really love this yarn, but wasn’t sure what to do with it.

Knit it?
A cushion cover maybe, but not sure it would show off the slubs nicely.

Felt it?
That could look cool, but felt it into what? Surely my felter friends would have loads of ideas, but I don’t know enough to do it.

Weave it.
With its mohair-like-texture-in-between-the-slubs, it might go well with the warp.

Yep, I think I like the primitive nature of the simple open weave, showing the yarn off to its greatest advantage. A nice afternoon’s work.

Inspiration: noun, the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

Inertia: noun, a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged.

Funny what inspires us. It’s as unique as each individual.
And funny thing, inertia. The very thought of it can render an individual actionless.

My loom has remained undressed, naked as it were, for about 4 months now. No, I’ve not gone off weaving. It’s just that a) I’ve not been inspired and b) the mental inertia to get a warp on it has left it bare.

That is, until today.

I was inspired by this simple picture.

While looking for the ‘pancake quote’ in Farmer Boy, I ran across it. How lovely Ma Ingalls looks sitting at her loom! She appears as though she’s contentedly enjoying herself. Doing more than just the everyday humdrumness, but rather bringing to life some imaginative creation. Or at least that’s my interpretation…

And so today, unexpectantly inspired and being home waiting for the washing machine repairman to come, offered the perfect opportunity to not consider the inertia of winding a warp, but rather just chucking in and getting one started.

The initial idea was to do a blue and cream mohair scarf for Daughter-Kate. The combo, while sounding good in theory, didn’t play out well in reality. So, necessity being what it is, we improvised with a slubby teal/cream/brown yarn.

Perhaps not truly inspirational, but pleasing nonetheless. And with the Kiddies miraculously getting on well together, I could count today among those where inertia was overcome and some measure of creativity was allowed to flow.

Warning, Pollyanna-Type Cheerleading Session To Follow:
I wouldn’t call myself overly-sentimental-or-pie-in-the-sky, but can I share an observation? I just think it’s way cool that something as simple and innocent as knitting (or insert your favourite fibre-related craft noun here) can bring together people who not long ago were total strangers…

Right, so as I said, today was the first day of Dublin’s Knitting and Stitching Show. An understatement to say that it was a very long day. Long but enjoyable. But, let’s start with a general lay of the land….

View from above….

A favourite project by the Connacht Weavers & Spinners Group
featuring a bogland themeDid the typical demonstrating, hawking wares, promoting the Guild stuff in the morning. Did a walkabout in the vendors hall in the afternoon. Fairly restrained, I’d say. Did Husband-Will a favour by pre-selecting-and-pre-purchasing some Christmas pressies he can surprise me with…

Saw lots of people I know and have come to know in my fibre pursuits…Ireland’s not that big you know. More like homecoming or a class reunion you’d think. Saw a previous neighbour I hadn’t seen in more than 2 years. Also chatted with Blog-Reader-Lindy (Hiya!). Hung out at This Is Knit and wasn’t content with just buying yarn, but felt compelled to continually go back and have a chat with Lisa and Jacqui. They’re very patient with such drop-ins. Also dropped in at Craftspun repeatedly. More meet ups. More chat.

And then came one of my favourite parts….got together with ‘the girls’ for tea and what else, knitting. Had 3 of the Dublin knitting groups represented in an ad hoc knitting/chat session in the café area. Compared purchases, each sharing readily to the ‘where’d you get that?’ enquiries.

You’d think that at a knitting show there’d be more knitting, but I’m thinking we were the only ones with needles flying.

Eventually, toward the end of the day, Holly was finished working at the Feltmakers Ireland stand, Sharon had come up from Wexford, Sara got off work and along with Isobel and myself, who’d had a full day of it, gathered together for a brief catch-up before each going our own way.

How relatively ordinary, this sharing of our news….
‘I got a new hair cut,’ say I, quite stupidly, as if they couldn’t see the blazing short blonde streaks for themselves.
‘I think we should go to the new Paperchase shop,’ says Sara.
‘I’m leaving for New Zealand for a year,’ Sharon casually adds.

Stunned silence. Wow! Some people will go to great lengths to acquire good knitting yarn and four others are green with envy! And so we, who were not long ago strangers, will soon bid a fond and temporary farewell to one of our dear five, which will, for the time being, have to be re-named, ‘We-Five-On-Two-Continents.’

(New Zealand…..hmmm….I’m thinking fibre field trip for my next birthday….)

‘Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.’                             -Alexander Pope

Call me a fool.

I was visiting a fellow weaver. She has been doing this for over thirty years. I have been doing it for less than one. She has vast experience. I have very little. So, she asked me what my next weaving project was and when I shared what the next houndstooth warp was to be, there was a definite pause, a mental adjustment, and a cautious ‘my you certainly know how to pick a challenge’ or something to that effect.

As if the thwoinging first thread wasn’t frustrating enough. Or the bouncing bouclé wasn’t challenging enough. My next study in houndstooth is…

100% mohairYep, call me a fool.

But you know what? I think it’s my favourite so far. So incredibly soft and lovely in natural undyed colours…cream and dark brown. And a big thanks to the ‘angel’ of this story, Sharon, for donating the yarn to the cause.

…Dickens, that is.

Please Note: The following is not about any new projects, mind you, just completing a couple of existing works in progress, now shifted to the ‘out’ basket. What a lovely feeling!

Hard Times
I can’t quite figure it out…Beginning knitters start with scarves. And why? Because they are simple. Easy. Not difficult. But for some unknown reason, I can’t for the life of me get any of the manly Christmas scarves to come out to any predictable width and length. Same pattern. Same yarn. Same amount of said yarn…3 balls. Three completely different outcomes. The instructions say that scarf should be 7 inches wide, 50 inches long. Remember that.

Scarf No. 1, Gray: Original pattern calls for 7mm needles. US sizing doesn’t allow for 7mm and so I began with US11/8mm. Knit to specified pattern. Scarf comes out at 5 inches wide, 71 inches long.

Scarf No. 2, Navy:
Need to add stitches to get a manly width on scarf. Fiddle around with gauge and finally end up what I think is close. Knit the 3 balls and end up with 7-1/2 inches wide and 49 inches long. Close enough.

Scarf No. 3, Chocolate:
Then finding that the instructions in the book are wrong and that there’s a correction to make (thought it looked a bit odd), I get the correct ribbing pattern from the This Is Knit folk and proceed. Decide to drop to US10/6mm, just to get some extra length. Because I know my yarn is a bit thinner, I adjust for additional stitches because casting on only 20, as told, will only get me another petite scarf, and I’m thinking I have enough scarves in my winter wardrobe right now! So, make adjustments and after 3 balls of yarn, I now have a product that is 7 inches wide and only 37 inches long. What in the world?!?

Can you believe it? So much for mass production sameness and up with individualised gifting! At least that’s how I’m looking at it…

Great Expectations
And so, the bouclé scarves are finally done. They weren’t difficult. Just didn’t have much extra time to devote to weaving of late. What started out as a great expectation is now a nicely completed project…3 scarves. Truth be told, the edges of the scarves have a bit too long of a carryover thread from one colour to the next. Should have woven them in better, but hey, I’m still a beginner and perhaps a little needle and thread work will fix that right up.

Bleak House
In keeping with the Dickensian themes and titles, I have to say that I’m thrilled to have completed the handwarmers a while back. Mornings are definitely chilly in our house now and I’m getting that tingling in my hands…early warning system that I’m soon to be without circulation. And like Bob Cratchet, we are still making do without the central heating being on. Can’t quite bring ourselves to turn it on. Honestly, it’s not bad for people with normal circulation. So, on go the handwarmers and yes, I can feel a difference, guv’nor!