Weaving A Gem Of A Life

I’m still working on bamboo cotton handwoven scarves. I really like this colorway of Tammy’s, which she calls Blue Violet. And it sure is. It even includes a nice deep green like the leaves of a violet. Pretty, pretty, pretty.

Again, I wove each of the scarves on this warp slightly differently.  On the left is a simple point twill woven with the same weft as warp.  It’s nice and flexible as well as lovely colors.

The middle scarf has a weft of 10/2 periwinkle pearl cotton.  It’s an exact match for one of the colors in the bamboo cotton, and the slight sheen of the pearl cotton is a really nice counterpoint to the matte of the bamboo cotton blend.  But even nicer than that, the pearl cotton is so fine gauge that this handwoven scarf is as light as air.  I just love it.

The scarf on the far right and draped across the top has that same pearl cotton weft, this time in a simple point twill.  The scarf is just as light and airy, and the weave pattern just a bit less complex. The two scarves with the pearl cotton weft end up being 65% cotton and 35% bamboo. The other two have are 65% bamboo and 35% cotton.

Again, I made the last scarf on the warp into an infinity scarf. This one again has the same warp as weft, this time woven in a tabby pattern. Even though tabby is a bit less flexible than twill weaves, the bamboo cotton fiber itself is so wonderful drapey (is that a word?) that it moves and twists easily into whatever wrapping style you like.

Your turn: what kind of great mixes have you done in different yarns for warp and weft?

Yikes! How has a whole week gone by without me posting?! Trust me, I have been keeping busy.

I was babysitting for my grand-dog for a week while my daughter was out of town. Baxter kept us all amused for 5 of the 6 days he was with us. Then he got bored and we (ok, I) got cranky. One of my tasks while he was here was daily posts to his blog. I actually enjoyed that task, but guess I wasn’t keeping up with mine at the same time.

I did get weaving accomplished, too.

Still working on Tammy’s hand painted bamboo-cotton blends, I made four handwoven scarves in a colorway she calls Moccasin.  Nice earthy colors.  As is common for me, each of the four scarves is a bit different, although they all have the same warp.  On the left, I used a 100% bamboo yarn in coral as the weft.  With the variegated background, the final effect is somewhat tapestry-like.  And that scarf is now about 85% bamboo and 15% cotton.

The middle scarf has the same warp and weft.  Woven in a diamond twill, the same pattern as the one with the coral bamboo, the weave pattern pretty much disappears in this one.

On the right is a tabby handwoven scarf with a solid tan weft.  Although the tabby makes it a bit less flexible than the scarves woven in twill,  I like the simple, natural look of this one a lot.  Perhaps the best.

The final scarf on that warp is also handwoven in a tabby, this time with a solid medium weft. I made this one into an infinity scarf. I really like the flexibility of the bamboo cotton and how well it twists around my neck.

Your turn – what have you been up to for the past week?

I finished the bamboo warp. I’d warped for two wide (20″) handwoven scarves or shawls in 100% bamboo yarn in a cool minty green.

I wove the first in a tabby, planning to make this one into an infinity scarf.

I decided to try something different to close this one. This bamboo yarn needs to be finished with a double-twisted fringe to keep it from totally poofing out, so instead of sewing the ends together, I took 3 threads from each end and twisted them together. After each piece was double twisted, I tied a simple overhand knot very close to the scarf itself for strength. I don’t know that I’d do this every time, but I like the effect.

After I’d woven the first scarf, I realized I didn’t have enough of that minty green bamboo left for the warp of the second.

So I explored other options, and ultimately ended up with green tabby ends, and the majority of the body in a white point twill. I like this one, too, but perhaps not quite as well as the solid green.

I’ve got a warp for 4 earth-toned bamboo-cotton scarves on my loom, and 3 are woven. I’ll finish the fourth today.

Red & Magic really do love each other. I took this photo from my porch last summer. I don’t know which of them was lying comfortably in the grass first, and which joined later, but the order doesn’t really matter. What matters is the fact that this is, or at least was, a common occurrence. These two choose to be close to each other.

Magic was already beyond middle age (11 cat years, 69 human years) when Red came to live with us (OMG, how has 6 1/2 years gone by so quickly?!), but it didn’t matter. They became fast friends quickly. They used to spend lots of time wrestling, all in good fun, taking turns ‘winning.’ But as old age has crept up on the Magic kitty, that’s declined. Red really missed that rough cat-dog play for some time, but has come to accept it. He’s not, however, happy with Magic’s recent declines, and the fact that we both know there aren’t years left to enjoy him.

So for me, looking at pictures like this reminds me that they’ve had a good run as best buds. We can’t ask for much more than that.

This photo, and the warmth and greenness it portrays, are in response to Carmi’s weekly thematic photo. Your turn: play the photo game along with us, or tell me about the animal friends in your life.

Continuing with Jan’s scarf-a-day challenge (even tho I’m getting concerned about her) and my need to keep preparing for the upcoming show season, I completed four bamboo-cotton scarves over the weekend.

All woven with Tammy’s handpainted yarn, these are in a colorway she calls New York. The pinks and purples are nice and rich. You can see that I did one in a point twill (top), and two in tabby: one in the same weft as warp (right), and one with a solid purple weft (left).

I also wove a fourth, again in a tabby with the same warp as weft, and made it into an infinity scarf.

I’m working on those wider 100% bamboo scarves. They’ll be done soon.