Handwork and The Craft

More on the Dash Tea Towels from Amanda Rataj

I have been working on a new warp for a set of really interesting tea towels from Amanda Rataj, which have lots of interesting weaving elements in them. I am hoping it will stretch my skills at just about all aspects of the weaving process. The set up was challenging as the Maurice un-mercerized cotton is rather sticky and each thread wanting to wrap around all of its cousins, making the process of smoothing everything out a good harder. But once up -- the warp is beautiful and promises some lovely towels. I will also be using two shuttles -- one for pattern and pone for pick -- so another skill. 

In this second photo I managed to get a picture of me -- due to the ever present 1970s closet mirrors! 

Ready at last -- and boy is it fun to see these lovely design ideas start to pop out. 

Usher in the Fall with Baking and Warping

Yes, it's a bit past the actual date for the first day of fall, but as we rose before dawn and did a four mile walk, the cooling air, the clouds over the dawn seemed to inspire my husband to bake great things....all at once. A molasses whole wheat loaf and an Italian Almond cake... and I think I hear him rustling up something more. The house is filed with sweat and yeasty aromas. 

As for me....I escaped to the studio (but not the lovely smells rising through the floor boards beneath my feet) to work on a new warp, which right now resembles stripped candy. And there it is again...food. 

Weaving to the Very Edge

Warp Drive has a new meaning for me-- trying to get every single inch the warp can provide to get the project finished. However, in this case, I still ran short. I am not sure why, and probably will need to go over my own thoughtless forms of waste -- too long a tie up at either end on the apron. If I had tied the warp up to long loops tied to the rod, rather than the rod directly, I would have been able to stretch the warp a little longer.  Ah well, that's what learning is about. I did finish up with three very nice usable towels -- though the white weft towel was shorter than the first two -- and I have noticed that my ppi is not consistent -- the dark blue (when I was really trying to figure out the pattern) was not as tight as two and three. Again, lots to learn and improve on. 

Blue Waffle Weave: Third Towel

I am familiar with the frequent knitting panic that occurs toward the end of a project where you wonder if the remaining yarn is going to be enough to actually finish the project. Apparently, this is a weaving worry as well! I am beginning to wonder if I have enough warp left to finish the third dish towel. This last towel uses a white warp and I like it as much as the other two, one in dark blue weft and one in medium blue weft. And as in knitting where one starts knitting faster and faster as if it might help, I am weaving now until the finish line without stopping -- just so I can stop worrying about whether I have enough or not. 

Blue Waffle Weave: Second Dish Towel

Here is the second of three dish towels, woven in waffle weave. Instead of the dark blue weft (see below) this one is done is a light blue. I really it (as I do the first). It takes me a longer time to weave these, but the raised pattern is pretty satisfying.