Sunday 30 September 2012

First Two Beige and Cream Blankets Almost Finished

The first two beige ("sand") and cream wool blankets are drying on the line and soon ready for finishing.


B127 on the left is 100% wool and will have a price of $190. B128 on the right is wool with 50% handspun wool/mohair, and it's very light and soft. However, I noticed it's a little short in length and so I'm reducing the price to $250. The rest of the blankets are being finished on the loom and then off to fringing, washing and all the other steps I outlined in HLDITTMAB  - Part 4.

Thursday 27 September 2012

Plain Weave Blanket

I haven't used plain weave for a very long time. Plain weave (also called 'tabby' in the weaving lexicon) is the most basic weave structure - under one, over one, under one ... This gives plain weave the maximum number of interlockings of the warp and weft yarns, meaning that it tends to produce a fairly loose cloth. My preferred twill patterns enable a tighter packing of the yarns, making for a sturdier cloth. How the cloth is finished can substantially affect those general statements though.

Using some fine, loosely plied wool/mohair handspun, I'm weaving one blanket in plain weave.  I think it will make for a light but warm blanket. I like the log cabin effect between the solid-coloured blocks where the warp yarns alternate between beige and cream.


Saturday 22 September 2012

Beige and Cream Blankets Underway

I'm on my third blanket of this set. The beige is actually a warm sand colour, and the cream is also soft to the eye. Here I'm weaving with a blend of handspun, undyed wool and mohair. This blanket will be very soft and a bit fuzzy but really warm and light.




Thursday 13 September 2012

New Beige and Cream Wool Blankets

I've started warping the loom for eight wool blankets in beige and cream. They are designed in my usual twill blocks, like you've seen before and know I like to do, some as wide as 8 inches (20 cm). The soft colours will work well in the large blocks, and I have lots of different handspun to weave with. The beige and cream are pretty basic ...



After lots of summer fun through to a recent hiking trip in the mountains, it's time to get back to some serious play!

Monday 3 September 2012

Eight Cotton Gemstone Blankets Ready

The last three cotton gemstone blankets are ready to go and posted here for closer viewing.

The last three shown below are C133 on the top, C132 in the middle and C131 on the bottom. The blankets are 100% cotton and fringed, and woven in beautiful rich colours.