At 4:30PM on Monday I drove to the post office to pick up a package I had to sign for – 6 cones of mohair I’d ordered. I figured I’d quickly warp up my rigid heddle loom for 1 scarf to try this [...]]]> I’m a crazy woman, I know. I can’t seem to help myself.

At 4:30PM on Monday I drove to the post office to pick up a package I had to sign for – 6 cones of mohair I’d ordered. I figured I’d quickly warp up my rigid heddle loom for 1 scarf to try this new-to-me fiber, wet finish it, brush it, and bring it with me to Shea’s Shopping Soiree on Wednesday. What the heck, I had almost 36 hours before I had to leave the house!

As anticipated, all that hair made it a bit of a challenge to work with, but on the rigid heddle loom it’s pretty easy to hand-separate the fibers with every pass of the shuttle. Which is what’s required. At least on this loom — there are techniques to make it a bit easier on my floor loom.

But for me, the real challenge was the wet finishing. I’ve never fulled wool before (making the fibers thicker and tighter through agitation), at least not on purpose. I do remember accidently washing a wool vest that ending up fitting my cat, but that’s another story.

Mohair is woven quite loosely (it would be impossible to work with it if woven tightly), so it’s essential to full the wool to make the scarf stable. There are a few methods of doing this. On a sample, I tried doing the “shock” method – repeatedly slamming the piece onto a hard surface, gathering it up, and doing it again. Well, I was tired just with doing the sample piece, and it was clear it wasn’t done enough. So I gathered my courage and went downstairs to my washing machine. In went the scarf and the water, turn it to agitation. Open the washer every minute or so to check how the scarf is doing. Sounds relatively easy, until you realize that as a fulling virgin, I had absolutely no idea what it should look like when it was done! I made a semi-informed guess, and took it out when I got too scared to leave it in longer.

Then I brought the scarf upstairs, rolled it in a towel to get rid of most of the moisture, and started brushing it to bring out those wonderful hairs. This step was also scary. Despite having watched a very helpful video by Laura Fry and getting written instructions from Evelyn Oldroyd when she sold me the mohair, it was quite frightening to take a stiff dog brush to a scarf I’d just woven!

I decided that it was a great first attempt. Next time I’ll full a bit more. And there will be a next time, with 6 cones of gorgeous mohair!

Your turn: what have you done that, while scary during the process, stretched your skills at something?

This scarf is an example of that same principle. When I [...]]]> Remember back in school when you were taking tests regularly? One of the aphorisms I was taught was “don’t erase.” Although my first answer wasn’t always the right one, there were many times when I erased my first answer and entered the wrong one.

This scarf is an example of that same principle.

When I first saw it in a Handwoven Magazine pattern book, I said to myself, “that scarf’s not for me.” Later, when I was looking through the book again, I said the same thing.

Months later I saw another photo of it in a Halcyon Yarn catalog, and said, “you know, maybe I would like that scarf.” I had some fine-gauge wool in my stash so I wound the warp, threaded the loom, and set off weaving. Finished weaving and wet finished it. Hate it.

Don’t like the look, don’t like the feel, don’t like the way the end virtually always came loose where I made the horizontal spaces, don’t like the fact that this scarf will not wear well. Definitely won’t add this scarf to my display for shows — won’t sell it. I will only sell work that I’m proud of, and this certainly does not meet that criteria.

As luck would have it, in a few weeks my Guild is having their annual fundraising auction. It’s very small, just Guild members buying each other’s stuff. But I’m bringing this scarf, and the rest of the yarn that made it. I’ve tried several patterns with this yarn, and have concluded that nothing will make me like the yarn. It’s scratchy and stiff, no matter what I do. I’m thinking that, despite the fact that the yarn is supposedly “fulling proof” (meaning that it won’t shrink and become thick like that favorite wool sweater your roommate accidently threw in the washer), some of my fellow Guild members who are experts at felting wool may want to try it. If no one wants to buy it, it’ll re-enter my stash, for who-knows-how long.

Your turn: does changing your answers often work for you, or do you find yourself wishing you’d stuck with your first reaction?

It wasn’t hard to figure out that I was almost there when I saw what seemed like miles of stone wall. [...]]]> On Saturday, before the bee man came, I headed to East Aurora to the Knox Farm Fiber Festival. I’d never been to the Knox Farm State Park before, and was looking forward to the visit.

It wasn’t hard to figure out that I was almost there when I saw what seemed like miles of stone wall. I don’t have any idea if this wall was built by the famous Knox family while they owned it, or the wall was built by the CCC or WPA, like the gorgeous stone walls at Letchworth State Park.

Several people brought alpacas. I’ve tried to convince Margaret that she needs to get an alpaca ‘cuz they’re so cute & I’d love to visit one. She just laughs.

Plenty of people there had yarn for sale — in addition to alpaca there was sheep’s wool and blends, pretty much all wool based. Although I do make some handwoven scarves with wool, I find that most of my customers prefer cotton, bamboo, or rayon, so I didn’t buy any wool while I was there.

I did buy some mini-pumpkins to use in my display at the Letchworth Arts & Crafts Festival. Come and visit my booth!