It's off the loom. Weaving it took way longer than it should have. Between "real" life happening and dark gloomy skies it took a concerted effort to sit down and weave. For some reason, when it's miserable outside, I just find it difficult to get started weaving, despite 2 large picture windows cornering my loom. But it's off, it's wet finished and is out drying now. It's too cold outside to dry it outside, which would be my preference. I think I may want to full it up a little bit more, but will wait until it's dry to tell for certain.The colour in the photo isn't accurate as it is more brown than grey now that it is washed and sitting in the sunshine. Normally I'd weave as far into the loom waste as I can go without skipping threads or distorting things. However by the time I got to the end of my required bit for weaving, the sizing was starting to wear off and a few threads snapped. I decided that I wasn't going to fight to get the last few inches out of the handspun. Instead, I would just weave to my planned length and be done with it.
Interestingly enough, with the projects like this I've done on the jack loom, it was difficult to keep the weft from packing in more densely than I wanted. With the Fanny, it's the total opposite. I have to be careful it's not to lightly beaten. Not better or worse, just different. Also, I had more than enough spun for the weft, perhaps because of the above. At any rate, I've left over Z and S singles. I'll probably just ply them together and stash them for some future project, along with the rest of the fleece.
Now, to find my hood pattern and get the final stages of the Saxon hood project started.
The next project will have some COLOUR! Lots and lots of colour! One of those colours will not be brownish-grey!
Ah yes. Real life can be a nuisance sometimes, can't it;)
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think now of using the z and s twist singles? Would you do it that way again?
Interesting about the different looms. Almost as though they have their own personality.
I've wondered if one weaver would use both jack and counterbalance. Now I know. It would confuse me. The fabric really is nice and looks authentic to the period you are going for. Next time do it in summer!
ReplyDeleteLeigh, Since the S and Z was simply to try out a medieval weave structure, I'd certainly do it again if the project required it. However it's a lot of work keeping them separated. There is a slight striping in the finished fabric, but it's very subdued. It's not something I'd do on a regular basis, just because though.
ReplyDeleteSharon, I'm sure that if you had both jack and counterbalance looms, you'd figure out their idiosyncracies pretty quickly and adapt without realizing it when you switched looms. The counterbalance is a lot quieter than the jack though. I will be putting on a colourful project or two for the next warps!
ReplyDeleteit might be beige-brown, but I think it would make the perfect background for other colours, either embroidered or maybe later worn together with more colourful stuff!
ReplyDeletearen't you worried, that you'll run into problems when plying s and z together? when I did that with a grey alpaca, it ended up pretty "wiry", where it should have added to the softness of merino/corriedale, I used for the 2nd thread... one of them will have more twist in the end - I think I'd only do this again, if one of the yarns was extremely low twist....
Woolly Bits - I plied the Z twist with other Z twists and then plied all the S twists with each other so there wasn't an issue with non-matching twists. There was plenty of S twist left so I have several skeins of S/Z yarn and only one small skein of Z/S.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's been interesting to follow. I've heard of specifying twist for crochet especially but not weaving. I'm glad you experimented.
ReplyDeleteBelated congrats for getting this woven!! It looks beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about certain colors not being inspiring to work with. Last Feb. I warped a loom with a grey slushy color, and I'm just getting started weaving it. Grey doesn't inspire me too much, even though the fabric ends up beautiful & useful.
I've heard some of my very experienced weaving friends talk about S and Z twists...although it's hard or impossible to get commercial yarn that varies the twist. I don't quite understand what they use the different yarns for, but there are some effects where it can make a difference I think.
Sue