Slight Detour

As part of the Holiday Cheer project, Craft Guild members are making quilted lap blankets. I wasn't going to make one, but there was some nice cotton fabric that just asked to be used. Most of the fabric has greens and reds. Some fabric is solid red and green. Most people are using fleece as a backing but I wasn't sure I could sew that on myself - without a stretchy stitch feature on my sewing machine. I found some bright pink corduroy for backing that looks pretty good and will provide some warmth.

I hope this will keep someone warm this coming winter.

Blankets

I finished four blankets from the warp - two baby and two lap blankets. The lap blankets used darker warp and don't look so baby-ish.

They turned out pretty well.

Senior / Baby Blankets

The Weaving Discussion Group's project for this year is to make lap robes for holiday gifts for home-bound seniors. So thinking about how I can get this done quickly AND have something to submit to the County Fair, I decided to make the lap robes as I would baby blankets, nbut with more adult looking weft yarn.

The warp is cotton - mostly knitting type yarn. Two different yarns are paired in Fibonacci stripe width. These are pretty fun since I design the colors as I go along. I have used the same striping widths for a while. The sett is 10 epi, which is sort of an average since the yarns are not all of the same grist. The structure is plain weave,

I have one and a half finished so far.

Quick Towels

Wanted to use up the naturally colord 12/2 cotton I had, so I wove four towels using the random stripe twill design from the last set. The stripes are irregular in medium brown, light brown and natural. The warp is threaded to a regular point twill. This way the color and the pattern don't match - making it look more complecated than they are. I used the medium brown and light brown cotton as the weft.

Totally Off the Path

I just got yarn for some towels I am planning. These are totally not my usual color pallet. I am planning colors to match pictures form a calendar I used last year. Each set will be warped and woven with colors from the 12 different pictures.

They will probably be a regular 2/2 point twill with irregular stripe widths. More later.

Second Rug

Finally finished the second rug, This one turned out much better, Before washing it was 44" x 30" after washing and machine drying 29.5" x 27". This will work much better.

I have some ideas for other rugs, but they will have to wait. I have to get busy on some hand towels. Glad this finally worked out.

Finished But Too Short

I finished the rag rug - but it is too short. I thought I was carefully measuring the length on the loom, but I must have blinked or something. It is more square than rectangular - I probably needed to make it at least 6" longer.

Otherwise it turned out fine. I have enough warp to weave a second one. Although I'm not sure I need a second purple and white rug. :-)

The warp is purple and white 8/4 cotton carpet warp. The weft is 1 inch strips of t-shirts. I cut them so that each shirt yields a long strip - essentially cutting around the body of the shirt. This weft makes a strip that naturally curls and wears very well. The last rung I wove this way has lasted around 18 years.

The weave structure is plain weave with the warp colors alternativing. To change the colors, I just place two of the same color together. The stipes of color change in the weft direction by using two shots of carpet warp instead of just one.