I Don't Own a Microwave

Yep.....no microwave....the title is right! I've opted not to have a microwave and really haven't had that much trouble dyeing fibers:) I thought that I would prefer dyeing with the microwave but, the stove top is working wonderfully!

After sorting through my stash, I found that I still have about 10 lbs of rayon! Time to start using some of that up! I counted out a little over 1000 yards for some huck lace scarves and headed to the dye drawer. Sky blue, light lavender, and a nice soft brown:) I had used this color combination in the past and was very happy with the results so, here we go again for another once around........since none of the old scarves in that colorway are left, of course:)

In the past the sett used for this particular rayon was 16 epi but, since I'm going to use this in a huck lace pattern, I'm going to try it at 12 epi and see if I like the feel. This yarn was purchased on Ebay quite some time ago and I had purchased around 6 or 7 cones or so weighing 5 lbs or more each. Every time I wove a scarf with this stuff I would get compliments on the feel. "This feels like silk" people would say......so, I'm really excited to use it again:)

Here is a picture of the brown after I applied it to the skein:).....I forgot to take pictures of the purple and blue:)

Steaming on the stove:)

Finally, I noticed in this picture on the left hand side you can see bowl with a grapefruit in it and a picture (which is of the bowl). This fabulous piece of pottery was made by my friend Lynn of New Prospect Pottery! She is an amazing artist and has a passion for her work. I marvel while she shows me before and after pictures of her pieces and explains the firing process.....all, by the way, done in a wood kiln that she tends herself!!!! Seriously, this chick is AMAZING and if you have a few moments please check out her Etsy shop.....click here.

Comments

Susan said…

Its going to be fun to see what you weave up with those nifty colours!

Nice to have you back blogging more often too.

You've been missed...
Susan

March 15, 2010 at 12:48 AM

Damask....Ah Ha Moment....Now Taquete?

Ok . So since the weather has been changing, I now have some more obvious time to 'play' with some designs that I have stored in my head:) Damask, in particular, has been a favorite of mine to look at and I really feel the urge to use my loom to create tapestry like scarves and shawls. I don't want anything too heavy as I really like the feel of tencel , bamboo, and I would eventually like to switch to silk for my finer works. I am still in the learning stage though and I hope to always remain in the learning stage. The damask pattern that I have been toying with, I like but, I lose a lot of detail the more I stretched it out. I was a little frustrated but, certain that there was something that I could do. The picture above is a little small but, the piece all the way to the right is a 4 point twill threading, the middle is a 5 point twill threading, and the one on the far left is a 6 point twill threading. To get a true satin/sateen I would have to use the one on the far

A New Loom!

I’ve been weaving on a Glimakra 8 harness countermarche loom for almost 10 years now. I love it! It weaves like a dream, it’s super heavy, I get an excellent shed when all is going well, and I have a bit of an emotional attachment to it. The only thing that I don’t love about this loom is that I have to climb on the floor to tie up the treadles. Depending on the pattern, I could be under there for quite some time. I’m pretty limber and in pretty good shape but climbing under the loom is back breaking work. So much so that I’m sometimes out of commission for the remainder of the day after. Look how pretty this loom is though! I cleaned out the area that this loom has been designating as it’s home and prepped for the replacement. I got an amazing deal on a Louet Spring and couldn’t pass it up! I’ve been doing a lot of research on looms (well, really when am I not looking at looms!) and know that I love Louet. My Megado has served me well for many years and th

You know when you make something and the entire process just seems seamless? Well, that’s how this project played out. I have some 10/2 tencel that is natural and I dyed a bunch of it over the summer. I wound off bouts of around 1700 yards each and now know that I would like to make larger skeins so that I can get a couple of scarves using this pattern again...just a bit longer. This picture was taken in natural sunlight of the braid after counting the ends on the warping board. Let’s get this thing on the loom! I learned a new trick for spreading the warp in the raddle. Since this is an A B color pattern, it’s important to not separate the colors in the raddle. To never “separate the twins” makes beaming the warp a piece of cake! Another cool trick I learned was to put the warp under tension while beaming. With a stack of my son’s graphic novels, I had the full six yards beamed in seven minutes! SEVEN!!! My absolute favorite part, threading

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