Of Selvedges and String...

[mightyjesse]

So, eithni came by the house last night for a tasty-cheesy dinner at La Belle Italia and to help me warp my loom. I am pleased to report that the warping process was MUCH faster and completely error free when attempted with a "helpy friend."

I spun up a chocolate brown single to use as weft from my tasty-tasty wool order from R. H. Lindsay, and managed to weave this last night before I went to bed:


I'm very pleased at the evenness of my selvedges, but am a bit concerned by how stiff the fabric is. Hopefully it will be suitable for it's intended purpose.

On a side note, I'm fairly happy with the $8.50/lb sliver that I got from R. H. Lindsay. The price was super-cheap and the quality was medium-good. The wool itself is very soft and the staple length is great for spinning. The only place in which the wool loses points is on the amount of vegetation and odor that is still present in the roving. It's like... 1% stick by weight. Most of that falls out as I spin, and the odor should go away when I wash it... I've become accustomed to "sheepy smells" over the last 8 months, and kind of find the odor comforting, but I suspect the uninitiated might find the slight musk "offensive."

eithni Also got a chance to experience first hand, the "helpiness" of my two dingdong dogs. Jasmine was in absolute BLISS leaning on her, while Miss Maggie ran around the house like an idiot, nose whistling and fidgeting. I think her skin problem was making her itchy and anxious. She calmed down a little bit after I gave her some Benedryl. We are a bit concerned about Jasmine, as she has been growling at the BabyDog more than usual, and her appetite is down. She also appears to be somewhat constipated. We will keep an eye on her and maybe feed her a mild laxative. (Maybe I will make her some rice and ground beef for her dinner tonight.) If this doesn't clear up soon, it will be off to the vet with her.

Tonight, there will be more weaving (I was half tempted to ply my single to make the weaving go faster, but the inconsistency of the fabric would then drive me nuts. Plus, the fabric is already a little stiffer than I wanted and I think that using a plied weft might make the problem worse.) then fighter practice.

Comments

[feeferj.livejournal.com]

Again I say you have far too much talent for one person. I am jealous, and demand that you give me some. And after dealing with my mother's goats... I know the smell to which you refer. I've gotten used to it but Alex told me I stunk. Ha ha ha.

[mightyjesse.livejournal.com]

Like wrangling 2 boys, a husband, and a small menagerie while crisscrossing the country and maintaining fabulousness requires any LESS talent.

:P

Once your boys are both in school, you will have ample opportunity to develop any talents you wish - and you have the advantage of still being quite young.

[gflower.livejournal.com]

My washable wool blanket from L.L. Bean still smells like sheep when I wash it! It goes away when it dries though. And snuggling under it at Pennsic is totally worth any kind of smell.

I'm curious, how would plying the single make the weaving go faster?

Another question: you do all this spinning, do you also do a "set the twist" on all your yarn like Fiona told me I would need to do?

[mightyjesse.livejournal.com]

Any time you want to come by for a warping/weaving lesson or a "fun spinning together" day, please let me know and I would be pleased as punch to have you over!

[mightyjesse.livejournal.com]

I set the twist in my yarn before I knit or if I find that my spinning has been very un-even (like when I've done my spinning in multiple settings in a variety of locations over a period of weeks - rather than in one steady marathon Saturday afternoon...). I skein my yarn and dampen it, then hang it over a hanger with a weight on the bottom (mostly full windex bottle) to dry.

I've found that setting the twist isn't as necessary before weaving as it is before knitting.

If I were to ply my yarn before weaving it, it would be twice the diameter that it is as a single... there would therefore be fewer picks (passes of the weft yarn) per inch and that would make the weaving go faster.