Showing more shawls

I got the 5 shawls fringed, wet finished, pressed & labelled, ready for the show this weekend. If this show goes like my last 2, I’ll return home with fewer shawls than I left with, so here’s what may be your only view of them.

In order of weaving....first up is a silk shawl in a rather traditional snowflake twill. The warp for all 3 silk shawls is a natural, undyed silk; for this one I used a warm, light brown weft.

Then, as planned, I changed the treadling and used a twilight blue silk weft. I definitely prefer this treadling pattern, although I think I’ll change the threading before I use a snowflake again.

Finally, I used a 50-50 blend of cashmere & silk in a lovely, light lilac. Here it is in close up to show off the pattern — the same modified treadling as the twilight shawl. This is the first time I’ve used that cashmere-silk as weft only, and it won’t be the last. I really like it.

Next, as planned, I put on a cotton warp similar to my huckish shawls of a few years ago. I intended to make the warp a few inches wider, but miscalculated and ran out of the orange cotton. Here it is with a dark coral weft.

And here it is with a cherry red rayon weft. I have to say this is the photo with the least realistic color. Tried several times.

Then I did get the MY-JM baby wrap threaded through heddles and reed. I couldn’t go any farther because I had to spend TWO HOURS messing with my rigid heddle loom to prepare it. I’d put on a warp that was nothing but problems, for a variety of reasons that I caused myself, but I really liked it and wanted to use it. So I unwound from the back beam and on to the cloth beam, messing with tangles the entire length. Retied on the back beam and re-wound. Unwove the 12 or so inches I’d already woven. Untied & retied on the cloth beam. I THINK it will go smoothly for my demo this weekend, but if not, it’s all gonna go in the trash.

August 22nd, 2014 | 

Shawl heaven

My show last weekend at Chautauqua Institution was great! The weather was perfect, the location is marvelous, the crowds come and are respectful and pleasant.

And interested in buying.

Clearly this is the year of shawls. At the Roycroft show in June I sold 4 shawls – 1 rayon, 1 rayon chenille, and 2 silk (woven jus before the show). So before the Chautauqua show I wove 7 new shawls – 5 silk and 2 rayon.

I sold 7 shawls – 1 rayon, 1 rayon chenille, 1 cotton, and 4 of the 5 new silks. Plus a committed order for another silk shawl, exactly like the silver lilac silk & linen with the beaded fringe, and, if I can find the right color yarn, another silk shawl. One of my customers from this weekend has also expressed potential interest in the one silk shawl I have remaining.

Wow, wow, WOW!

So because I have another show in 2 weeks and the yarn for the next baby wraps isn’t here yet, I’m getting 3 more silk shawls o the loom now. I’m going to use that snowflake twill and do the 1 committed order in silver lilac (I’ll need to order more crystals fo the fringe), weave the second in twilight, and weave the third with a different treadling pattern.

At the top of this post is the draft I used last time and will use for the first 2 shawls in this run of 3. To be honest, I like snowflake twill better in computer draft form than in real life – the Xs disappear in the actual weave. So I want to modify the draft for the 3rd scarf. I played with Fiberworks, my weaving software, ultimately coming up with this draft. It still has the Xs, although they are smaller and rather broken up, while the stronger, more distinct elements take center stage.

I have to name the files in the computer to save them, so called this one playing with snowflakes. Initially it was just because that’s what I was doing – playing with the draft – but I like it as a final title, too. I wonder how it will look woven up.

I’m not sure if I’ll weave the 3rd in twilight or if I’ll use a winter blue I have in the silk-linen blend. We’ll see. I also need to weave bookmarks – I sold 20 of them this past weekend and only have a few left.
And I’d love to weave 2 of my cotton & rayon huckish shawls. Do you think I need to sleep?

August 12th, 2014 |