Twisp of Fate

A friend from weaving guild told me about a technique called “California Rags ®” developed by Trudie Roberts in 1982 (she recently passed away and was profiled by Handweavers Guild of America on their Facebook page).  She used this technique, in which you weave with strips cut from large motif fabrics alternating with a novelty yarn, mostly for clothing.  It preserves the “picture” from the original fabric in the woven cloth.  I also found an article by Trudie Roberts in an older issue of Handwoven Magazine: “Rag Weave Sweatshirts.” May/June 1989: pp. 60–62, with some more specific information on how to proceed.

I decided to try this out for my other guild challenge project:  Placemats Inspired by a Mug.

I started with some drapery or upholstery fabric samples that measured 17″ x 26″, and a novelty yarn I picked up at the stash reduction sale at knitting retreat last fall.  I think the yarn is cotton and rayon, but no label, so not sure.  The colors were just right to go with the mug, though:

the mug, the fabric & the yarn

Tied onto the existing warp on my Baby Mac workshop loom (the warp was for the Bronson Lace placemats blogged about previously) – using some colors of 8/4 cotton carpet warp that also came from the mug.  12 epi, 167 ends for a width of 13.9″ on the loom, and about 13″ off loom.

I washed and pressed the fabric first, as some of these showroom samples seem to have sizing on them.  Then I cut it into 3/8″ strips and, carefully preserving the order, began to weave them in with alternating shots of the novelty yarn.

When used for clothing, the edges can be ignored since they will be serged and/or incorporated in a seam.  But I had to deal with the bits hanging off either end so I would have a finished edge for the placemat.  I wound up tucking the ends into the next fabric shed (not the next yarn shed) before laying in and beating the next strip.  This seems to work pretty well.

I really had fun with this and am very happy with the results:

Mat #2 with the mug that inspired it

Both mats (fabric samples were not exactly the same in layout)

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So the good news/bad news, coming out of the Seattle Weavers’ Guild sale and knitting retreat at Port Townsend, was that my weaving inventory was seriously depleted (not complaining!).  I had the Methow Valley Spinners & Weavers guild sale coming up.  Also, both galleries where I show my work here in the valley have their holiday gift shows starting up.  So it was time to get really busy!

I had been planning to try some simpler scarves using the idea of a “mixed warp” from a 1992 article in Handwoven magazine.  The warp is, obviously, a mix of colors and textures and fibers – of which I have an abundance.  Both coned yarns (from a friend who was closing out her studio), odd balls and skeins of hand-knitting yarns I have picked up over the years or at stash-reduction sales, etc.  Also, the ends will not be twisted or braided but just left as fringes, which saves a lot of time in the finishing and also shows off the warp yarns at each end of the scarf.

This has been a learning experience and I have to say it is a lot of fun, and also I am getting better at it as I go along.

The first batch of 6 scarves were done on a mohair & mohair boucle warp using yarn I purchased wholesale from Fiber Trends in East Wenatchee.  I wove them using a variety of wool knitting yarns, approximately worsted weight.  They came out a little too short after washing but are OK for basic scarves to be worn under a jacket or coat.

Next I used a similar warp, also from Fiber Trends.  This had originally been a bright “tequila sunrise” colorway but I recently overdyed it with indigo down at my friend Sara’s dye studio in Twisp, thus turning it more of a mauve color.  I changed the sett from 6 epi to 8 epi and added more threads to the warp, for a total of 48 ends (i.e. 6″ wide on the loom).

These I wove with rayon chenille in 4 different colors.  I wove them quite long on purpose (84″ – 86″ after washing) so they could be tied with my favorite method.  Colors are delphinium, topaz, navy and silver chenille (from L to R).

long chenille scarves on a mixed mohair & boucle warp

Fold scarf in half and drape around neck. Put one end through loop. Give loop a half-twist and put the other end through.

Moving right along, I next used a combination of coned yarns and miscellaneous hand-knitting yarns in a gold, brown and magenta colorway.  These I also wove long with 4 different yarns: black alpaca (Kid Silk accent stripes at each end), red baby alpaca, a chocolate colored rayon/metallic yarn, and purple rayon flake coned yarn held with a fine kid mohair yarn.

Next I decided to go for a more “normal” length scarf (about 70″ after washing) which also let me get 5 scarves instead of 4 from a 12-yard warp.  The next warp was also a mix of coned yarns and hand-knitting yarns in a blue-green colorway.

Blue-green mixed warp on the loom

From L to R these were woven with: black alpaca (Kid Silk Haze stripes at ends), dark blue rayon/metallic yarn, teal rayon flake coned yarn held with kid mohair, cobalt rayon chenille, and Rowan black wool (bought at the knitting retreat stash reduction sale only a week before!) with accent stripes at each end:

Blue-green mixed warp scarves

So at this point, after 10 days I had completed 19 scarves and it was time for the Methow Valley guild sale, held just this past weekend.  My friend Sara set up the display this year and did a fabulous job – she arranged things more by color than by type of weaving, so as you went around the room it was very stimulating visually, and lots to discover.

at the MVS&W Show & Sale, Nov 16-17, 2012

Again, the good/bad news is that I sold 10 of the 19 new scarves!  My work wasn’t done…. I still had to bring things to the two galleries this week before leaving town for Thanksgiving.

Over the weekend I put on a new mixed warp using black, grey, white, some softer tones and a bit of gold glitter.

black & white warp on the loom

Again I wove 5 scarves, but one was bought by a friend who stopped by the house while they were still hanging to dry yesterday.  So I only have pictures of four (hers was also the cream alpaca, though).

From L to R these were woven with: a gray-green 2-ply wool & silk yarn that I dyed several years ago for another project, white mohair and synthetic blend yarn, fine grey rayon tweed held with a variegated merino/kid mohair yarn, and natural cream alpaca from Henry’s Attic:

black & white mixed warp scarves

So that’s the 24 scarves finished in the last 2 weeks.  I have wound these yarns for the next warp, and also show them on the warping board as I compose my palette:

on the warping board

Today I brought what I could to the Confluence Gallery in Twisp and Winthrop Gallery, and plan to keep at this through December as long as I am having fun with it and they are selling!  Oh by the way I have been knitting a lot of my Mosaic Mojo hats too, but I will have to show those pictures in another post.

We’re off to the Coast tomorrow for 4 nights – Seattle for Thanksgiving with Rick’s mom and sister, then up to my Dad’s at Anacortes for the rest of the time, when we will also see my brother and sister-in-law on Camano Island.

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