Twisp of Fate

Here’s a little weaving progress report.  I will be in a 3-person “Featured Artist” show at the Winthrop Gallery – it hangs on May 27 and the opening reception is May 31.  The other 2 artists are a photographer who is planning a series of black & white images, and a woodturner.

I finished seven of the 12 towels in the doubleweave check pattern which have 8/2 Shale and Madder Brown doubleweave, and a khaki 16/2 for the plain weave.  I tried several permutations and it was really fun!  I did several as true doubleweave, i.e. same color weft as the warp in the top layer, and ditto for the bottom layer, so they come out distinctly different colors on each side.  Then I did one with all Madder Brown (solid brown on one side, brown interlacing gray on the other side), one with all Shale (solid gray on one side, gray interlacing brown on the other side).  Then one with alternating weft stripes of brown then gray (mix of solid and interlaced on each side, but with brown predominating on one side, and gray on the other).

Last week I put on the first warp for a series of shawls I have planned using some of my handspun yarn.  I am using Jaggerspun Zephyr 4/8 (DK weight) for the warp.  This is 50% wool and 50% silk, so lustrous and strong.

handspun alpaca & lambswool with black Zephyr 4/8

The pattern is an 8-harness 2-line manifold twill.  I chose it for the strong diagonals but there are other effects I can get by treadling the current tie-up differently, and by changing the tie-up (i.e. different effects, but all on the same threading).  I finished weaving it the night before we left for Seattle, and worked on the fringes over the long weekend.  I washed it when we got home on Monday, and today trimmed it up and got it photographed:

The handspun was bulky and also has the extra weight from the alpaca, so this is a heavy, warm wrap.  What I can’t show you is how it feels – so soft and cushy, it is really heavenly!