Yarn Bits

Those Socks Again

Well, I have finished one of a pair of Tencel socks, using our 3/5 Wine Country handpainted yarn and I'm almost half way through the second sock.  It's quite fascinating how the colours in the variegated yarn have worked themselves out.  No two socks will ever be quite the same.  I have found that the knit Tencel softens after washing, just as it does when woven.  This sock feels absolutely fabulous on my foot. I handwashed the finished sock and laid it out to dry and it didn't change too much, except for the feel.  When I compared measurements from before and after washing I noticed that there was shrinkage in the length of the foot, from 8 1/2" to 8", but other measurements stayed pretty much the same.  I did knit a size smaller than a first try which resulted in too large a sock for my foot.  I'm also surprised that it seems an entire pair of socks will be knit from just one of our 3 oz. skeins of 3/5 Tencel.  It makes for quite a reasonably inexpensive little project.

New Loom

Well, the new smaller version, 27", of the Leclerc Weavebird arrived in pieces last Monday.  James and Nina, from Camilla Valley Farm, delivered the new loom and put it together for me and tested it.  Everything seemed to be working smoothly.  I haven't had a chance to put a warp on yet and give it the ultimate test by actually weaving something.  Christmas preparations seem to be taking up all my extra time at the moment, but later next week I aim to get at it and weave off a scarf or two to check it out.  The old 45" Weavebird is now gone from the Distillery studio also.  It had left a large space, but by moving everything around a little, the space has shrunk somewhat and I actually really like the more open arrangement. This picture was taken at the Leclerc factory and shows my new loom together there, before being disassembled to be picked up by James.

Don't forget that you can enlarge any of the photos within each post by clicking on them.

Shibori

Just a quick note.  I have found some fabulous videos on YouTube showing traditional Japanese shibori techniques, some in English and others in Japanese, but even without English the photos are clear and pretty much self-explanatory--beautiful fabrics.  In one of the videos, elderly women (85. 97 and 92 years of age) were shown merrily wrapping intricate shibori patterns.  Absolutely amazing!!  Just go to http://www.youtube.com  and type in "shibori" in the search engine on that page and all sorts of videos will be at your fingertips.  Have fun!!!

New Project

Remember a few posts back I showed a long 15yd 2/16 Tencel warp tied and lying on my studio floor?  It is now on the loom and threaded and tied, ready to begin my shibori scarves.  I have spent a little time weaving on it today.  This is the fishing line that I have begun to use for my shibori gathering threads.  It is so easy to remove when the dyeing process is complete. Don helped and we very carefully moved the loom further into the studio in preparation for my new 27" Weavebird, 16-shaft, which is to be delivered on Monday.  Once it is in, the studio space really will be quite full.  I suppose I should begin planning for a project for the new loom.  I think it is going to be a woven panel, using Tencel.  I need a panel or two to break up all the window space in the studio.  I don't want to put any kind of curtain or traditional window treatment up and I think a couple of woven fabric panels would be perfect.  I must decide on colour and dye treatment, perhaps one hue, but graduating the depth of colour from dark to pale near the top of the piece.  A few things to think about, along with Christmas preparations,  of course.

Sock Success

Well, it has happened.  I finished my first knit sock and not only that, it fits perfectly.  Beginner's luck I'm sure!  I was following a pattern in a book called "Hip to Knit" by Judith L. Swartz, published by Interweave Press.  www.interweavepress.com  I have also picked up another book which deals exclusively with knitting socks called "Getting Started Knitting Socks" by Ann Budd and also published by Interweave.  It has fabulous photos of every step of the process.  There are patterns based on the gauge of your yarn.  I have now started some socks using our 3/5 Tencel based on a 8 stitches to the inch gauge.  We'll see how a basic pattern works out before I get too adventurous.