Hi all - just wanted to ask what you all use and prefer to use as far as weft goes. Do you know any good dealers that sell larger amounts of say 2 ply or any fingering weight wool to use in tapestry? Thanks you for any info you can give

Loree

Comments

Mon, 06/25/2012 - 21:45

tommye scanlin

Several sources in the U.S. for nice yarns are Fine Fiber Press & Studio--20/2 worsted in wide color range; Norsk Fjord Fiber for wool Vevgarn (Spelsau and wool blend); Glimakra USA has wool weft (as well as cotton seine twine and linen warp for tapestry). Other sources include the Australian Tapestry Workshop and there are suppliers in the UK of nice wools, although I haven't ordered from them. All that being said, one may use almost anything for weft for tapestry. Everything from wool to cotton, from linen to rag strips is being used in the 21st century for tapestry making. Much of one's choice must be based on the kind of images one wants to weave in tapestry. Pat Williams recently did a nice post about weft choices at the Tapestry Share blog. That blog link is http://tapestryshare.blogspot.com The link to Pat's post is http://tapestryshare.blogspot.com/2012/06/weft-wittle-fing-you-weave-frew-da-warp.html Happy tapestry weaving to you. Tommye
Tue, 06/26/2012 - 22:52

lorjacks3212

Thank you so much! Wonderful resources

Tue, 09/11/2012 - 17:19

LBKeeling (not verified)

Tommye, in relation to weft fibers, how do you deal with tails from fibers other than wool?  With wool, I can sort of feather the ends and lay them together in the shed so I don't have any tails,  but when weaving with cotton or other fibers, that hasn't been successful, so I have a bunch of tails to tuck in when I'm finished.  Any suggestions? Thanks, Lin
Tue, 09/11/2012 - 17:46

Joanne Hall

You said, any fingering weight wool.  This suggests that you are looking at knitting yarns.  And of course, that is what you will find at a knitting yarn shop.  I was at the Woolery teaching a weaving workshop this past weekend and I found a single ply wool in the shop which is used for knitting that would work for tapestry.  But, most knitting yarns are just far too stretchy.  The stretch makes the weaving much harder and you don't want that.  Plus, you would not be able to blend it with other non-stretchy yarns.  You may need to mail order yarns.  Although I found this one non-stretchy single ply yarn, the colors available were too limited for a tapestry weaver.  If you have a favorite shop that you want to work with, remember that tapestry wool is not something that they will stock, as there is so little request for it.  Make an appointment to talk with them about what you need.  They can probably help you and special order what you need.

Joanne

Wed, 09/12/2012 - 17:26

lorjacks3212

Thank you! I did find a really good non-stretchy yarn with the Woolery, it's either 2 or 3 ply (can't remember off hand), and I will check with them on the single ply. I don't think about color too much because I dye all my yarns so I always buy un-dyed.

Wed, 09/12/2012 - 20:47

Joanne Hall

Take a look here.  This is the yarn that James Koehler used.  He got the natural in skeins and dyed them.

http://glimakrausa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/faro-www.pdf

Fri, 09/14/2012 - 01:10

ReedGuy

Also avoid discount stores like Dollar Stores for yarns. I have found that they carry what is termed "seconds" by the mill. The skeins will be full of breaks that are simply knotted. Those kinds of stores don't really sell for less. For another instance, 25 feet of aluminum foil for $2? Well you can buy 250 foot rolls for less than $5 (Alcan) in the grocery. ;)

I get my weaving wool from a local distributor. They have 1 to 4 ply and some with a nylon mix. The wool is advertised for knitting. That's because weaving clients are few and far between in this area. I know of one person besides myself that buys a lot of this wool for weaving. I couldn't recommend it for tapestry because I have never tried it in that fashion. I don't know how to gauge stretchiness. It doesn't seem to move that much to me. This wool (100 % wool) is used exclusively in their blankets you purchase from the mill. The cost to me is cheaper than in the stores and she can order in what isn't stocked. The skeins are 4 oz whether it's single or double ply. Double has 215 yards, single 430.

Fri, 09/14/2012 - 02:50

Yvonne K

Australian Tapestry workshop sells yarn online. I assume they will ship to U.S.

Fri, 09/14/2012 - 10:54

Artistry

The Aubusson House in Calgary, Canada sells Patternayan.