How does a warp mix work with rayon chenille and silk in the same warp?

Comments

Su Butler

Hey Carryw.......it can work, but it depends on how you plan to use the two together.  Stripes of each will probably end in part of the warp being slacker than the other.....stripes in wool and chenlle can end up beautifully with differential shrinkage - the wool shrinking a lot and the chenille retracting a ltitle to make a lovely, wavy fabric.....but if your plan is for a flat fabric with the two, you will need to make sure there are no areas of the warp that are all one fiber......

Can you tell us a little more about how you plan to use the silk and rayon in the warp?  Knowing your plan will help find a more definitive answer.....

 

Su :-)

 

carryw (not verified)

 Thanks for the quick reply, I appreciate it.

I have a hand dyed silk 20/2 warp. lovely stuff ,

 I fussed with drafting to create a turned overshot / huck draft which I have woven (tying on) many times as I love the outcome.  I have used tencel most often as the weft.  I recently ordered a dynamite spotted chenille from yarn barn which paired with one of my dyed silk warps creates a color palette I think is amazing.  It was not sure if the shrinkage factor of the two fibers would be compatible.   The chenille would be the overshot threads with a back ground of silk.  I would prefer no differential shrinkage even though, I agree, it could produce some interesting waves.   

Thanks

Carry

Su Butler

HI Carry.......Oh......you are planning on using chenille as the overshot pattern thread??  I don't think I would do that.......if your floats are very long (and they will be over an entire block), they **will** worm.  With a silk warp, i.e. slippery, that may happen more readily than you might imagine. 

How long will the overshot floats be?  Are there areas of half tones on either side of all long shots?   Is the weft going to be all silk or all chenille??  What is your intended ppi??

I think I would err on the side of caution and do a sample, wet finish it vigorously and see what happens before committing an entire warp of expensive silk and chenille to this project.  I personally do not think chenille is appropriate for overshot.  But I have never woven turned overshot with chenille as a thread.....my instincts tell me you are heading into dangerous waters......sample and finish a piece about 2 feet long and 10 inches wide to see what happens to the chenille. It will also give you an idea of what will happen with the two fibers shrinkage/retraction.

Sorry to be a kill-joy, but better now than after all the effort and expense of weaving the project and having it do bad things in the wet finish........

Just my $.02 worth......

Su :-)......

carryw (not verified)

 Thank you for your words of wisdom .. and all the yarn expertise.

I think I will abandon this project for a time when samples are do-able.  (I am like all other weavers - weaving for the holidays 24/7)  

I would use tencel 10/2 for the weft   and the actual # of chenille threads going through the overshot are only 33 per overshot pattern, there are 3 of those patterns stripes.  22-27 ppi

It was the color combo that really turned me on.  I have lots of other options for the overshot threads so I will choose another.  

Thanks,

Carry

Su Butler

HI Carry......I do think sampling is critical for this structure......one other option you have, if you want to use the chenille, is to make the chenille the ground cloth.....the one that weaves tabby.......and use something more stable for the floats for the patterning.....it can create a really interesting effect when chenille is used in the plain weave areas.......it takes a little loftier pattern thread to cover the chenille ground cloth, but it can work and create an unexpected fabric. 

I am still uncertain how you planned on warping this pattern.....can you post a draft that indicates where and how many chenille threads would be used??  I am sure it will be gorgeous, but I'd hate to see you go to all the work and expense to weave it and then have worming issues.....

Su :-)

carryw (not verified)

 Wow that sounds great.

The floats would be less than .25".  

I like your idea about using chenille for the ground structure.  Since this is a turned overshot, the tabby is not used everyother shot.  

I like your idea about sampling 

C

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