I saved the brushings from my beloved Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie) named Akasha for the last few years of her life, each spring during the shedding season. Once she passed on to The Rainbow Bridge, I took out the many bags of saved fur and hit the spinning wheel.
It was time to cry and mourn and spin the fur into yarn. Many tears went into the yarns as I spun it all up, blended with a bit of wool and plied with a binder thread of rust colored loopy mohair. I finally had enough to weave a throw! I threaded up in simple plain weave using only 2 harnesses on my big LeClerc Nilart loom I wove the day away, thinking of my precious pal who was no longer with me. I twisted the fringes and lighty fulled the throw. It's lofty and fluffy and SHEDS just like the dog did! LOL
I entered the throw in a Home and Community Education Cultural Arts contest. It won first place at the county level. Then it was shipped off to State judging at the HCE State Convention. It was sent with a complete description of how the yarn was made and why, including a photo of the dog. Wanna know the judge's comment???
"Could add a bright color for more contrast"
Are they kidding?? How can you add another color to a DOG?
LOL ..but it still took a very respectable 2nd place in Textile Art.
I curl up in the throw when I miss her, and my other dog, our Collie, Duchess, also sniffs the throw and gets a faraway look in her eyes, remembering her buddy.
a throw with a story.how lovely and as a dogowner myself I can understand your feelings.
beautiful weaving;
Your throw is lovely, and I'm sure touching it is in a way, like touching her.
While I'm still a new weaver, and never entered a weaving project into competition, I bet the judges never saw the description. I've seen quilt judging on TV, and they were only looking at the quilts, no paperwork was with any, although it is usually posted beside the quilt when it is hung in the show.
