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I have been involved with a weaving study group for almost 2 years now. There are 9 of us in the group, and we have all learned so much from each other. (Alright, I have learned much more from them than they have learned from me, but that’s ok!).

For our current course of study we all had to choose our own topic to explore, and then present to the group. Last year about this time I took a tartan weaving course, and then just two weeks ago I took a Scottish District Checks and Tweeds class, so I decided that I would do a presentation on tartans and Scottish cloth in general.

My grandpa was a Cameron, and I have woven a Cameron scarf in the past. I love it, and have worn it a lot, but I really wanted something that was a bit more my colours. So I designed my own! I used this site to roughly come up with the sett (the colours and numbers of each thread), and then wove off my very own Warren-Miller tartan.

tartanscarf 3

Project Details:

Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr (Wool/Silk blend)
Sett: 30 epi, 15 dent reed sleyed 2-2-2
Warp: 3 yards, 352 ends (8 selvedges)
Loom: LeClerc Fanny II 45″
On Loom Measurements: 82.25″L x 10.75″ W
Finished Measurements: 74.5″L x 10.25″ W
Fringe: 4″ each end

tartanscarf 1

This one is quite a bit softer and has more drape than my previous scarf, as I used a 50/50 wool-silk blend. I have basically been wearing it non stop since I finished it.

In addition to doing the actual weaving, I did a presentation to the group on the history of tartans. Did you know basically most tartans are completely made up? I absolutely loved learning all about the history, reading about some of the major Scottish battles (particularly important to tartans is the 1745 rebellion) and doing the actual presentation to the group. I am doing another tartan class this summer at MAFA so I am hoping to continue my study on this. Eventually I would like to make a modern kilt, but that requires a massive amount of fabric so we will see.

tartanscarf

In the meantime I will continue wearing this one endlessly, or at least for a couple of weeks before the weather gets crazy hot here. I am pretty chuffed with the outcome. :)

 

Wait, that sounds wrong….

This morning I had a meeting with my lovely weaving study group. We have been together now almost two years I think, 9 of us. (8 women, 1 man). Every month or so we meet to discuss our current study topic, which usually involves some type of goal or project that we are to have completed. Honestly, I think know this group is the only reason that I get any weaving done at all. We decided when we started the group that we had to commit to it, to really make sure that we were getting the most out of it, both for ourselves and for the other members of the group. It has turned out to be an amazing group, and as we sat around this morning looking at the beautiful weaving spread across the table, we realized how much we have all grown. It’s definitely a good feeling.

However this month I came dangerously close to not finishing my project for the first time in two years. So close that I just might have started yesterday morning. Not started the weaving, oh no, starting the PLANNING. Whoops. The summer just seemed to get away from me. I did have a good idea though, and I was pretty sure I could crank it out in a day.

We have been studying crackle weave, which is a type of block weave (meaning in it’s simplest sense that there are squares or rectangles of pattern within the weaving). If you follow me on Instagram you know that I was posting lots of pictures as I went along.

I am sure most people don’t want all the details on the weaving (they are at the bottom for anyone who does) so here’s what I made with it!

It’s a fold over clutch! I have been seeing these around done in cotton fabric, but I figured, why not in wool?

It simply unfolds, no snaps or anything. I was using it today and it stays folded up well on it’s own.

The corners have a little vinyl detail (I need to find a place that I can buy scrap chunks of leather) and the zipper is a heavy brass style.

Inside it is lined with a linen blend. I like the insides of my bags to be light so you can see what is in them. Especially at an evening event where it is often low light.

The fabric itself has a chevron in it, which was acheived by block placement. The pattern colour (Bluegrass) stands out while the tabby colour (Aubergine) blends with the white.

I am super pleased with the results of this project, and relieved that I got it finished in time! I think I might still try to find a little leather or vinyl pull for the zipper. I know I will use it a lot this fall – I can see using in an outfit with a shorter dark dress and my tall boots. Aaaaah, boots.

Project Details:

Warp: 2 yards, 161 ends + 2 floating selvedges. Jaggerspun 3/8 Maineline wool in Snow.
Weft: Harrisville Designs Highland in Bluegrass and Aubergine
Pattern: Zig-zag crackle threading woven in overshot.

My friend Lindsay is due with her second little girl in just a couple of weeks. Since she is a quilter and a knitter, I wanted to make something a little different for her. I decided to weave a cotton baby blanket after another friend, Beth (sadly blogless) posted some pics of a set of three she had made.

I knew Lindsay really liked pale pink, and that the colours of the baby’s room were in that theme, so I went with a white warp and a petal pink weft. I used a 6-thread herringbone, which I think is a good classic design.

I measured out the white warp threads (I will post all the specifics at the bottom of this post for anyone who is interested) and got them (all 696 of them) onto the loom. The warping of the loom took about 12 hours or so, much longer than the actual weaving takes. I can now say that I am enjoying the warping process, and has taken a long time to get to that point. There is a steep learning curve when you are starting to weave, but I feel like I might be over the first hump.

Threading the heddles

Once on the loom, it was time for the fun part. Weaving!

It took two good solid days to get the blanket done so that I could cut it off the loom. One thing that you have to get used to when weaving, is that the fabric that comes off the loom will not look or feel anything like the finished product after washing. It is really important to sample your fabrics so you know what you will get after finishing. I was being daring and following my friend Beth’s suggestions, so I just went with it. You can see what the fabric looks like right off the loom (colour is a bit off in this pic):

Pretty hole-y and trust me, scritchy. But a nice long wash in the machine with warm water and a good hot dryer and it is soft and fluffy!

You can see the difference in the fabric here:

Big difference, eh? I did a little embroidery on the sewn hems just for records sake.

I didn’t get very many good full pics of the blanket because the weather was not cooperating the day of the shower. But Lindsay really liked it, which makes me feel good. I hope that it gets lots and lots of use! The great thing about cotton is that it is durable, and will just get better with more washes. Can’t wait to meet the bean Lindsay!

Project Details:

Warp: 4 yards, 696 ends (58 pattern repeats of 12 threads each), white 6/2 unmercerized cotton.
Sett: 18 epi on 12 dent reed threaded 1-2-1-2.
Weft: Petal pink 5/2 pearl cotton (hems done in 10/2 unmercerized natural cotton).
Pattern: 6-thread herringbone from A Hand Weaver’s Pattern Book (Davidson) pg 25.
Loom: 4 shaft, 6 treadle LeClerc Fanny, 45″.

Measurements:

On loom: 36.5″ W x 43.25″ L (not including hems).
Off loom, hemmed: 36.25″ W, x 39.5″ L (big draw up in length!).
Washed: 34″ W x 36″ L.

Finishing:

Hems folded and ironed, then stitched by machine.
Washed in warm wash/cold rinse with gentle detergent, front loading machine.
Tumble dried high with fabric softener sheet.
Embroidered label.

After my tartan workshop last weekend, I was left with enough warp on the loom to make a scarf. I wasn’t sure about how it was going to turn out, so I didn’t mention it in my last post, but it turns out I am chuffed.

I can’t quite believe I made this. I made cloth! I have done it before, but this was such fine yarn that it really feels like I made…cloth!

As I mentioned, this was my grandfather’s tartan, Cameron. I remember him having a similar scarf that he used as a table runner on his dresser. It’s nice to think of him when I am wearing it.

I can definitely say that I will be weaving more tartans. There is something about those diagonals that is so addictive.

It’s just really pleasing to the eye I think. I used 2/18 wool for this one, but I would like to try making a shawl out of wool-silk. There was a sample in the class that had been made with the wool-silk, and it was a beautiful feeling piece. I do love the 100% wool though, it seems very traditional. It also feels like it will last for a very very long time.

Hee hee. Cloth!

This weekend was a much anticipated one for me, as I finally got to take a tartan weaving course. The whole reason that I wanted to learn how to weave is so that I could weave tartans. And, just a mere 6 or 7 years later, I finally took a course!

The course was hosted by a guild in Purceville VA, and we met at one member’s new work space, the Barefoot Weavers Studio. There were 14 people in the class, and the style was round robin. This meant that we got to weave 14 different tartans (and try to get used to 14 different looms!).

My maternal Grandpa was a Cameron, so that is of course the tartan that I warped on my loom. (Actually, not my loom, but the loom of my kind friend Beth who saved me from having to use a table loom! Thanks Beth!)

All ready for class

We started the day at our own loom, weaving our own tartan. I was so stoked to see the pattern start to appear on the loom.

We used Jaggerspun 2/18 Superfine Merino (my colours were Emerald Green, Chrome Yellow and Garnet Red). This was my first time using a temple (the red thing up there – it keeps the weaving spread to the full width at the reed. Helps to keep your edges looking good).

Once I was finished with my little sample, I moved around the room doing 13 other tartans over 3 days. Here are a few of the others I worked on.

I had a little more warp to play with when I got home, so I made a couple more samples.

I can’t wait to make myself a full sized project. I think I am going to make a stole, maybe out of wool/silk. Mmmmm, silk.

This weekend has really made me want to do more family research. Not a lot of history is known in my family – maybe I should be the one to start it?