Thursday, March 01, 2018

Big Twist throw rug

My original plan was to weave a bath mat using the black/gray/white 'Cobblestone' colorway for both the warp and weft. Early on, I rejected the combo and unwove the few inches I had worked up. Instead, I knitted Absorba in its place. Still, I didn't want to waste the warp.


I purchased more of the same yarn in 'Redwood' and used that for the weft. I still wasn't quite satisfied, but doubling the yarn created a fabric I was quite pleased with.


The washing instructions for the yarn said to handwash even though it is 80% acrylic and 20% wool. I worked up a quick swatch and threw it in with a load of colors to see if it would shrink. I didn't detect any shrinkage but the yarn did fuzz up a bit.


I fulled the final product by putting it through the "gentle" cycle of my washing machine. Again, the yarn fuzzed up a bit. I would not put this in a high traffic area or where it will pick up a lot of dirt because I doubt it would withstand excessive abrasion or cleaning.


The final dimensions of the rug are 48" long and 19" wide, a perfect size for my master bath. Unfortunately, the 'Redwood' does not go with my decor. What was I thinking?


I played around with the idea of turning this into a big project bag, even purchasing 8/4 carpet warp in black, gray, and white to weave a matching strap on my inkle loom. But the fabric seemed too floppy for a bag.


I asked my SO if he would like it as a rug, and he glommed onto it right away. He has lovely hardwood floors whereas I don't. I trimmed back the fringe using my trusty self-healing cutting pad and circular cutters. (I love useful tools!)


Just when I thought I was done, and after I had taken photos, I noticed the ends of the fringe were coming undone, so I knotted the tips.

Yarn: Big Twist Yarns Natural Blend, ombre in 'Cobblestone' for the warp, solid in 'Redwood' for the weft (doubled)
Loom: Ashford rigid heddle 24", using a 2.5 dent heddle

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