Saturday, April 18, 2026

Housekeeping

Per usual, the so-called studio is such a mess that I can barely get through it. I thought I could spend an hour or so in there and make it useable, but no. There was just too much handspun hanging here and there, awaiting further development.

The 900g of Romney needed to have its twist set. There is so much of it, it had to go into the washing machine. No, I didn't agitate it, just soaked the skeins in warm water for 20 minutes.


It is undyed, and I assumed I would dye it but maybe not? It's a lovely ecru color and there is enough for a sweater, me thinks.


Today while putting away all the handknit sweaters that had accumulated on a chair in my bedroom, most of which I barely wore this past winter, I wondered *why* I would want to knit another sweater. Yet, I probably will. And I will probably dye at least some of the Romney for it.

Knitting: I made some real progress on the current sock project while in meetings and listening to recorded Zoom sessions.

One of the meetings was with the Austin guild, on natural dyeing. In Texas, one can easily grow indigo and harvest cochineal, neither of which I can do here in zone 5/6, although I could grow some indigo as an annual. I can always buy dye materials that I cannot obtain locally, though. The idea of having an indigo bath for dipping already dyed yarn appeals to me. Also, anything that gives me shades of red and pink like cochineal interests me.

A recorded session I listened to was about weaving with handspun, which is giving me the courage to do just that. So I'd better get the current project off the loom.

Sunday, April 12, 2026

Inspiration

The fiber club met today. The participants practice stitchery outside my wheelhouse, so inspire me. One member remembered me from the cyanotype workshop I attended a few weeks ago and brought a blouse she sewed using fabric she dyed using cyanotype and the iris from her garden.


This is in the neighborhood of what I want to do using cyanotype.

Another member showed us these stitched art projects: reels of appliqued and stitched vignettes of a sort. One reel was inspired by drawings her granddaughter did about the local zoo.




Another reel is the result of a YouTube "class" (Roxy's Journal of Stitchery) she has been taking, where the instructor supplies periodic prompts. This series is "Down the Garden Path".



She also sewed together samples of eco-dyeing.



Ditto some old fabric samples she picked up at our local Johnny Appleseed Festival.


I'm not about to become a stitcher like this, but I'm thinking of how I have been wanting to weave a diary of sorts. Little samples may be just the ticket.

Sunday, April 05, 2026

Bucket list(s) revisited

After executing a search through my blog for "bucket", I found several references to fiber bucket lists. Have I made any progress on any of these? Let's see.

From April 9, 2023
    • Dyeing: 
      • With mushrooms 
      • With lichens 
      • Precipitate natural dye from the dye bath 
    • Weaving: 
      • Double weave 
      • Weave with two heddles 
    • Spinning: 
      • Chain-ply 
      • Core spinning 
    • Projects: 
      • Weave rugs from tee shirts 
      • Weave rugs with all the rug yarn I have 
      • Weave rugs from "rags" 
      • Weave with "plarn" (yarn made from plastic bags)
From December 29, 2024:
    • Sweaters:
      • Adult-size baby surprise, using acid-dyed Cascade 220
      • Imitate one from the cover of the Fun Times (local Parks and Rec publication)
From March 1, 2026:
    • Weaving:
      • Italian hemstitch
Hmmm. About the only items on these lists that I have accomplished is learning to chain-ply and playing around with core spinning (and not very successfully). Are these bucket lists still important to me? Is there more I want to do? Less? Something to ponder.

Knitting: The toes are done on the latest pair of socks and they are on their way.
Spinning: The Polish merino is plied, mostly three-plied with the leftover bits chain-plied.


We may not live by bread alone, but I am still exploring baking with sourdough. This week I made scones from the discard, plus baked a third loaf. My starter is finally beginning to develop a tang. I'm also learning that, since my house is a bit cooler than most, the dough needs more time to rise.


Speaking of scones, I think it is time for my afternoon tea break. Ta!

Thursday, April 02, 2026

Red and black houndstooth scarf

Houndstooth is so easy to weave but produces such an interesting result that it has become my go-to technique when I need something quick, like for a weaving demonstration. And that is how this scarf began, to demo at the Jay County Fiber Arts and Artisans Fest.


Pattern: Houndstooth scarf
Weave structure: plain weave
Loom: Ashford SampleIt
Warp: Cascade 220 Superwash worsted in red and in black
Weft: Cascade 220 Superwash worsted in red and in black
EPI/PPI: 7.5/7.5
Ends: 43 (I think)


Weaving with superwash yarn has some challenges, especially regarding tension. Superwash yarn is rather stretchy and springy, but if you keep tightening the warp, the houndstooth pattern will become flattened out. I make it a practice to apply just enough tension on the warp to allow the shuttle to slide through easily. When I take a break from weaving, I loosen the warp a bit so there is not constant tension on it.


Since I am starting a study group for rigid heddle weaving, I (roughly) timed how long this 5" wide, 6' long scarf took: about an hour to warp (and that included looking for this and that - I didn't hurry); 3-4 hours to weave (including some interruptions); about a half hour to finish. If you are looking for a weekend project, this is one option.