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.

Weaving Class Tote, part 2

The bag on the cover of the Spring 2025 issue of Little Looms was the goal.

Not too shabby.

But getting there was rather painful. After struggling with the instructions, the handwoven material, my lack of sewing skills, etc., I decided to make a practice bag. This helped immensely. Then I basically tore apart what I had accomplished so far and started over with the sewing of the handwoven. My seam ripper and I really got to know each other during this phase.

This inkle band is more substantial than the one for the practice bag, but I think it too is a bit flimsy. Annie MacHale weaves guitar straps using Sinfonia mercerized cotton; in the future, I will do the same when I want something more firm.

While the foam stabilizer was easy to sew through, tension problems arose when the layers included not only the handwoven, the foam, and the cotton lining, but the inkle band as well. Some have suggested using a "walking foot" (whatever that is) to remedy this.

Pattern: Weaving Class Tote, by Michele Marshall from the Spring 2025 issue of Little Looms
Weave structure: plain weave
Loom 1: Ashford rigid heddle 24"
Warp: 8/2 cotton in colors as close as I already had without buying (too much) more
Weft: 8/2 cotton in white
EPI/PPI: 12.5/11
Ends: 250 doubled, so 500
Loom 2: Ashford inkle loom
Warp: 8/4 cotton rug warp in colors I already had without buying (too much) more
Weft: 8/4 cotton run warp in white
EPI/PPI: 39/9
Ends: 73

This weaving project is the most ambitious one I have tried so far, but I learned a lot. When I recover, I hope to sew more bags, from both handwoven and commercial fabric.

Red, White, and Navy Scarf

The last time I warped the SampleIt for a demonstration scarf, then finished the scarf at home, I had no plan. This time I had a plan. Like most plans, this one did not turn out quite right. When I used the dining room table for the warp surface, I forgot that I had removed the table leaf. Consequently, the scarf turned out shorter than expected.

Pattern: None
Weave structure: Plain weave
Loom: Ashford SampleIt
Warp: Patons North America Classic Wool Worsted in 230 'Bright Red', Valley Yarns Northhampton Worsted in 02 'Natural', and some worsted wool in navy
Weft: Same as warp
EPI/PPI: 7.5/7.5 (more or less)
Ends: 50
Finished size: 40" (plus fringe) x 5.25"
Finishing: The selvages turned out halfway decent, so no additional finishing required

Warp:

• 4 red
• 2 navy
• 4 red
• 4 white
• 2 navy
• 4 white
• repeat above sequence
• 4 red
• 2 navy
• 4 red

Weft:

• 4 picks red 
• Hemstitch 2 across up 3 
• ** 2 picks navy
• 4 picks red 
• 4 picks white 
• 2 picks navy
• 4 picks white 
• 4 picks red 
• Repeat from ** until out of warp, ending with red/navy/red
• Hemstitch 2 across down 3
• Trim fringe to 2"

I recall the scarf my dad used, and it must have been about this length. He didn't wrap his scarf around his neck like most of us do these days, but crossed it and laid it flat against his chest. It kept the cold from slipping down his neck without adding bulk. Alternatively, one could do something similar and add a decorative pin to hold it in place. Or the scarf could be for a child. Not a waste of yarn at all.

Not much new

About all I have been doing lately is knitting on Bigfoot's socks. No weaving, no spinning, no dyeing, just knitting. And yet, the Lempi sweater is being ignored.

Part of the problem is life intervenes. (How can I be so busy when I am retired?!?) Part of the problem is things just seem so disorganized.

For example: I started weaving a rug on my 24" rigid heddle loom. It's clamped to a table in the studio, about the only place it can go because of the Freedom Roller. But there is something off-putting about that room.

Rug in progress...

Zooming out...

Ugh

And that is not all of my fiber and fiber equipment! When I walk in there, I just want to turn around and close the door. I keep rearranging things, but there is simply too much stuff.

Knitting: Almost to the heels on my son's socks.

I skipped the last spinning guild meeting because they did not have the program that was scheduled (for the second time in a row). Instead, they wanted to talk about nominating officers and what programs to have next year. The meetings are recorded on FB, and I tried watching later, but could not hear most of what was being said. I admit I'm a bit jaded about that guild right now. We'll see what the coming year will bring.

Plain weave scarf, or the scarf that grew

I didn't take notes when I warped the loom for this scarf, but I'm pretty sure I was aiming for something five or maybe even six feet long. Instead, it turned out to be seven feet long, although it seems longer, maybe because of the fringe. My theory is I am so used to weaving with cotton warp that I cranked the loom too tight and stretched out the yarn. The fabric feels stiff, but some fiber friends assured me it was okay.

Pattern: none
Weave structure: plain weave
Loom: Ashford rigid heddle 24"
Warp: Cascade 220 Heathers, in colorway 9408 'Truffle Heather'
Weft: Cascade 220 Heathers, in colorway 9408 'Truffle Heather'
EPI/PPI: 7.5/7.5 stretched to 12
Ends: 50
Finished size: 5.5" x 84" (without fringe)

This project was my first post-surgery one, and I was delighted to be able to weave for an hour straight with no pain. The selvages were a bit ragged at first, but I quickly found my groove (for the most part) after a couple of inches.

I used Amy D. McKnight's hybrid warping method and Sara Goldberg's tying on method, both of which I recommend. I don't think I ever had such an even warp in my brief career as a weaver.

Sari yarn runner

It's too bad I did not take a photo of this sari yarn runner or at least measure it before putting it through the washer (on gentle) and dryer. It used to be as wide as the coffee table it rests on, and hung over both ends. In the midst of this project, I did work up a little swatch and washed it, to see what the sari yarn would do. I didn't pay attention to the cotton warp which is used as both warp and weft; the swatch went from about 5"x5" to 4"x4".

Cotton warp shrunk a bit

Pattern: Derived from the Rewoven Fabric Bag, from the book Inventive Weaving on a Little Loom, by Syne Mitchell
Weave structure: Plain weave
Loom: Ashford 24" rigid heddle
Warp: Maysville 8/4 cotton warp in black
Weft: Maysville 8/4 cotton warp in black, Darn Good Yarn sari yarn in 'Multi Color'
EPI/PPI: 7.5/7.5
Ends: 144
Finished size: 42"x16"

In situ

The pattern is for a bag, which matched my original intention. Then it became a runner for the coffee table in front of the TV couch. The cotton warp used as weft alternates with the fabric and locks the it into place for a very sturdy result.

Weaving with sari yarn is, well, challenging. The so-called yarn consists of strips of sari cloth that are sewn together to create a skein of fabric. There are a lot of loose threads that I trimmed as I went along. A temple helped keep the selvages in line.

In real life

This is one of those projects that came off the loom a while back, but sat and sat, waiting to be hemmed. Consequenlty, I lost the project notes, so I'm a bit hazy about the above details. But rest assured, the runner exists and it is finished.

Wool weather

We have had some sub-zero temperatures lately, perfect for enjoying wool handknits. Right now I am sitting in the sunny den, under a wool knitted afghan, wearing handknit wool socks and the infinity scarf. Needless to say, I feel toasty.

Knitting: The aforementioned infinity scarf is finished. I continue to forge ahead on the latest Habitation throw.
Weaving: I finished the sampler on the SampleIt loom; doup leno, which is supposed to be a time and labor saver, turned out to be more work than it is worth. I warped my 24" Ashford rigid heddle loom, but discovered that my largest temple is one inch too short when maxing out the loom width. So I ordered another one from The Woolery.

Having a planner to keep track of my fiber activity has been paying off - I do something fiber related every day. I also list an UFO or two, to finish, as I seem to have a lot of them lying about. I've been reading Hooked, by Sutton Foster (an actress who crafts). In the book, she mentions journaling, but the journals she describes are nearly scrapbooks. I'm wondering if I should add yarn samples and photos to my planner. I keep track of project details in Ravelry and here in my blog; do I want to add a third method of documentation?

Becoming a germaphobe

Indiana has been slowly emerging from the shelter-in-place order, leaving me a bit confused over what is allowed now and what is not. I'm also concerned about scofflaws, people who think they can do whatever, wherever, regardless of the circumstances. I don't like crowds in the best of times, but now I have a legitimate reason to avoid all those germ-ridden people - I'm over 65, supposedly in a high risk group (although no underlying health issues). I also don't want to become a second-wave statistic, so thanks, but no thanks, I'm wearing my mask.

Knitting: I did reach my goal of completing the legs on the Ivy socks. Tomorrow I start the cuffs.
Spinning: I finished plying the navy blue and burnt orange merino (see post here) and started spinning some more Timbre Ridge merino, in purple and pink. There is also a package of angelina with this batch, something I have played with before. Not sure how I am going to use that. BTW, visit this link to see where the Timbre Ridge merino came from.
Weaving: I finally made some forward progress on the latest pocket loom weaving:

I also started, then completely unwove a piece on my 24" rigid heddle loom. It's warped in black 8/4 carpet warp, which is fine, but despite all my care, by the time I had woven 3" the sides had pulled in 1/2". And it was just beginning! I decided to start over. I also decided to invest in a temple, to see if that will help me maintain even selveges.

I grew up in houses without central air, something I would never consider these days - I like my comfort. My electric company sends out a monthly energy usage report. In the past, I consistantly used less than the most efficient homes in my area, but since I retired, my summer usage runs high. That's because I am home all day, so the thermostat never gets reset. The most recent report pointed out that ceiling fans consume less energy than AC units, so I am experimenting with using them more this year. This is going to be a warmish week, so we'll see how that works. Wish my shade trees were bigger.

Dumb luck rainbow shawl

After completing the floor runner which was mostly brown, brown, brown, I needed some color. So I took the Kauni yarn I had purchased many years ago for scarves and wove a wrap with it. I wanted something warm but light weight, and this fit the bill.

Weave structure: plain weave with twisted fringe
Loom: Ashford 24" rigid heddle
Yarn: Kauni Wool 8/2 Effektgarn EQ (rainbow), for both warp and weft
EPI/PPI: 10 and 10
Finished size: 21" x 60" plus fringe (210g total weight)

Before starting, I took a gander at Ravelry to see other woven projects using this yarn. Thus, I was forewarned that the yarn is sticky plus there was a likelihood that the colorway was not consistent. I contemplated deconstructing the skein, but decided to just chance it.

The warp wasn't quite centered on the loom, but I managed to get two complete sets of the 12 colors, plus a third pass of violet. I wasn't quite so lucky on the weft, managing one pass of 11 colors before I ran out of shed. Close enough!

I used an overcast stitch to secure each end of the shawl. I can't emphasize enough just how helpful the book Finishing Touches for the Handweaver, by Virginia M. West, has been. If you weave, find yourself a copy. I'm fortunate in that my weaving guild library has one, as does the local public library.

Another handy tool is a fringe twister. After a couple of false starts, I used this gadget to twist four strands per alligator clip, then reverse twisted each pair, again using the fringe twister. It looks like I S-twisted first, then Z-twisted. No matter. I do count the number of twists to keep each piece of fringe consistent. I also use a ruler when knotting the ends, to keep them (relatively) even.

Once the fringe was trimmed (using yet MORE useful tools, a rotary cutter and self-healing cutting board), I soaked it in my washer. No, I didn't agitate, but I did add some Eucalan, as the yarn is rather coarse. I did not rinse, but I did spin the shawl. Drying under a ceiling fan was very quick.

We are currently having a heat wave, but I may just wear this baby around my air conditioned house, to gauge its warmth and just because I love it.

I still struggle with my weaving, especially the warping of the loom and keeping selvages clean, but only by weaving will I improve. There are a few floats, but otherwise a successful project.

Log cabin scarf

The theme for the weaving guild this past year was COLOR. We explored different ways of using color in weaving. Along the way, I created a log cabin swatch. My SO was quite taken with the swatch. Because he had felted one of the scarves I knit him, I offered to weave him one, using a log cabin pattern. And because he felted a scarf, I chose to weave this one out of superwash wool.

Pattern: Rectangular-ish log cabin
Loom: Ashford 24" rigid heddle
Warp: Cascade 220 Superwash Worsted, in 853 'Butterscotch' and 867 'Lichen' (he picked the colors)
Weft: same as warp
EPI/PPI: 7.5/7.5
Size off the loom: 6' x 6.5"
Size after fulling: 5.5' x 6"

A previous scarf I wove was rather dense because I beat it too hard, which also caused the pattern to disappear. I blamed the yarn (also Cascade 220 Superwash), but it was ME. Trying to NOT beat the yarn down, though, was quite challenging. I worried the weave was too open.

I kept telling myself fulling the scarf would solve that issue, and it did! I soaked the scarf for a half hour or so, then tucked it into the dryer for about 10 minutes before letting it finish by air drying.

The scarf is light and soft and drapes well. The selvages, while not perfect, are an improvement. I'm pleased, and I'm sure my SO will be as well.

Not towels

This is a long story of how some towels turned into first a shawl and now maybe a dresser scarf. Somewhere in there I contemplated a beach cover-up for my granddaughter, but figured she either would not wear it or would wear it once before outgrowing it.

But first, the original details:

Pattern: Dealers Choice towels, from Weaving Made Easy, by Liz Gipson
Warp: Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton, 147 "Grape", 108 'Blue Ice', and 148 'Tropic Breeze'
Weft: Cotton Clouds Aurora Earth 8/2, either 56 'Light Turk' or 47 'Copen Blue' (can't recall which I used)
EPI/PPI: 7.5 and 9
Loom: Ashford rigid heddle, 24"
Modifications: None really except in intent

Being a neophyte, I struggled with warping this pattern because the grape yarn had an odd number of threads, something I had not encountered before. I came up with a really convoluted method of warping the loom, detailed in my Ravelry entry. I'm not sure I could follow those directions a second time; instead I would just direct warp the whole thing.

The other feature that threw me off was the near-balanced weave despite the warp being much heavier than the weft. The fabric seemed too airy, but after a trip through the washer and dryer, it closed up nicely (and shrank - more on that later).

A third problem, and this is a perennial one for me, was keeping a taut tension on the warp threads. They really got wonky, and so did I as I developed weird ways to add weights to the errant threads.

Nevertheless, I persisted. However, I forgot to pay attention to where I should insert dividers in order to make two towels, so I just wove it in one piece. And then the warp became so wonky, I just stopped. Not sure what to do with the resulting fabric, I hung it in the closet.

A few weeks ago, while watching "RBG" at our local indie film theater, I noticed RBG frequently wears one of many elegant wraps. As I was freezing from the arctic AC, I decided I needed a wrap. Since my idea of dressing up is exchanging a tee shirt for a polo shirt, it needed to be more casual than RBG's. While musing on just how I would weave such a thing, it occurred to me I already had some cloth that was perfect.

I didn't know how to hemstitch when I started this project, but I managed to accomplish this after the fact. I ran the now shawl through the washer and dryer and was pleased with the resulting fabric. But alas, the amount of shrinkage left it a bit short for a wrap, at least for me, even with the long fringe. (Final size is 47" x 12" without the fringe.)

So now what should it be? A dresser scarf? A summer scarf? A longish but kind of narrow towel? Any suggestions?

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

Mug rugs in Shy as Acorn

I have no idea where or why I purchased two skeins of Seacoast Handpainted Alpaca Silk. I'm guessing it was from Tuesday Morning and I either liked the colorway name or I thought the yarn was lonely. I don't even like green!

When I decided to weave something smallish on my rigid heddle loom, I reached for this yarn because I knew I would never knit anything from it. While the skein was on the swift, I guessed the color runs would not pool. And I was right.

Not only was I right, the result is pretty nice. So nice that when I showed this project to my SO, he immediately wanted to know what I was going to do with the mug rugs. I assured him he was getting a set.

Pattern: plain weave on 7.5 sett heddle
Yarn: Seacoast Handpainted Alpaca Silk, colorway 'Shy as Acorn' (weft) and Valley Yarns in 'Natural' (warp)
EPI: 7.5
PPI: Approximately 7.5

One mistake I made was not leaving enough warp for the fringe. This made tying off excruciatingly tedious as I had to wrap the fringe around a crochet hook, pull the ends through the loop while pinching the loop with index and thumb, then adjust the knot with a yarn needle. I think it took longer than the weaving.

The first run of warp was long enough for nine mats, with one skein of weft yarn completing seven of those. I thought the second run of warp was long enough for five more, but NOT - only four fit on it. I warped enough for one more mat, just to use up the weft yarn.

I ended up with 14 rug mugs, enough to gift three sets of four plus have two leftover for my own use and to take to weavers guild for show and tell. Also, the more I weave, the more comfortable I become with the entire process. Now to break out the long neglected spinning wheel.