It's official! I do not have enough of the handspun yarn to do the complete project in this yarn. I do however have, a rather lovely commercial yarn in a complimentary color. This will be woven in double plain weave (so it is folded on the loom). Here's my theoretical plan, I can do alternating "stripes" of each yarn. I think what I would like to do is use the commercial for the borders and do larger stripes of the handspun to show it off. I will be using a grey commercial yarn for the weft. 

Please give me your opinions!

Thanks,

Erica

Comments

Sat, 10/01/2011 - 19:02

BorianaKostova

I'd make stripe sampler around a ruler to see if the colours work together.For the eye-pleasing look the colour counts as much as it's quantity so if i were you i'd try different combinations :)

Sat, 10/01/2011 - 19:29

Erica J

Yes thank you! I know of this method, but haven't tried it yet. Thank you for reminding me to use this tool!

Sat, 10/01/2011 - 19:32

laurafry

The colours are about the same value so if you want them to 'pop' I'd suggest a darker value grey for weft rather than one the same value (or lighter) as the others.  

cheers,

Laura

Sat, 10/01/2011 - 20:39

Erica J

Laura,

Thank you for answering my next question before I even asked it! I'll have to see what I have in that commercial yarn. I may have to order the dark grey, I think I have light and medium. May sample a wee bit with black if I have it.

Sat, 10/01/2011 - 22:26

laurafry

Black, dark purple, dark green - the colour you use isn't nearly as important as the *value* of that colour.  :)

cheers,

Laura

Mon, 10/03/2011 - 06:51

Erica J

Great! Thanks Laura, I do have some nice dark green, which is almost black, I'll try that! Cheers, Erica
Thu, 10/06/2011 - 13:44

Karren K. Brito

If two yarns are mixed together all the way across the warp, the cloth will shrink evenly.  If you make broad bands of each yarn they can shrink differently.

Another way to extend hand-spun yarns is to use a very fine commercial yarn to add some nearly invisible structure to the hand spun.  Harriet Tidball put out a monograph called "Surface Interest" with many of these type of cloths using 2,4 or more harnesses. Here is an example on 2H of such a draft:

If the black ends are fine and the brown ones are the hand spun the cloth will look like a loosely woven handspun but the fine threads will stablize the cloth.

Thu, 10/06/2011 - 19:03

laurafry

Nice draft - always fascinating the way threads can be combined - endless!  :)

cheers,

Laura

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 08:47

BorianaKostova

Never thought about shrinkage before. Thanks Karren, you have opened my eyes so many times this week! Erica, do you have a sampler to show us? I'm really currious to see how those yarns look together :)

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 10:08

Erica J

Yes thank you Karren, this does bare thinking about and will definintely require some sampling! Cheers, Erica
Sat, 10/08/2011 - 13:38

Erica J

I have done a stripe sampler, but I'm still working on it. I'm so close on thread that i'm not sure I can do a wven sample. though I know I really should!

 

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