Weaving Update

shawl warp in progress 2
Originally uploaded by sapoague

So I've been working on this textured wool/mohair/alpaca shawl project for months now.

I started out with some cones of a variegated mohair loop yarn, with blue, pinky white, gold, and brown in it. Not an easy color combo. I came into a big box of wool yarn (probably) from a Weavolution auction on eBay. It is gorgeous, but one ply and undyed. So I two-plied some cakes of yarn and dyed them blue and brown. Then I bought some blue mohair and light brown mohair, the fuzzy kind. Then for good measure I bought some locally spun and dyed alpaca yarn in a nice lighter blue.

Here's a group portrait:



So then I had a chenille scarf on the loom and had to finish it. That being done, I started warping for this shawl. The color order and yarn order is pretty much random. I tried to distribute colors and textures pretty evenly. I'm setting it at 8 epi, which is pretty spaced out for me. And, I'm going front to back, through the reed and through the heddles. Considering how much texture is involved, I must be crazy.

The first picture shows the warp chains on top of the loom so the kitties won't mess with them. They like the wool, especially the fuzzy kind. This photo shows kittie temptation:




But, so far so good. I will tie bouts to the warp cords this evening and wind on. Slowly. Ever so slowly.

Stay tuned.

Sock Blanks Are Way Cool

Amy socks 1
Originally uploaded by sapoague

I just finished knitting this pair of socks for my daughter, and they were way too much fun. The wool yarn came as a sock blank from KnitPicks. The yarn is 2 strands of wool knitted together in a rectangle that is meant to be painted with acid dyes, steamed, and then raveled into 2 separate balls of yarn that match exactly in color.

This is the perfect method for doing space dyes that have loooooooong color repeats. I used ProChem One shot dyes, so I didn't have to mess with any vinegar when mixing the colors. I followed the KnitPicks very helpful tutorial for soaking, painting, steaming and rinsing. My variation is in using the crockpot for steaming the plastic-wrapped painted bundle.

I knitted the socks on size 2 needles (size 1 probably would have been a better choice, but oh well), and I had yarn left over on each ball. So I could have knitted the cuff longer (I did 6").

They were a big hit with my daughter, and I definitely will be doing this again!