From the Loom

On thing to say about the Stay-At-Home during the pandemic I’ve been weaving.

The latest baby blankets.

This is the cutest little 8-shaft loom, Ashford’s Katie loom. It is very portable and VERY functional. It folds up and fits in a carrying bag. If I were traveling in an RV this loom would come with me. I took it to our Farm Club Retreat in January 2019 with a Theo Moorman project on it. For you non-weavers that’s a technique to weave images without using tapestry. Things got in the way. I never got back to the project, but now it’s out in the middle of the shop and I don’t have customers or classes. There is nothing to stop me from finishing the project. It has been fun to get back to it…but the project is a secret for now.

This is the latest project to come off the loom. I wanted to try one of the kits that I sell but did not design. This is Lunatic Fringe’s Handmaiden’s Towel Kit, woven with naturally colored cotton (yes, the cotton lint is green and also comes in brown!). The really amazing thing is how this color darkens with washing.

Unlike sheep’s wool that is washed before spinning, cotton goes straight from the field to the carding and spinning process, and this cotton hasn’t been washed yet. A bit of baking soda in the first wash water helps to bring out the true color of the yarn.

This is what the yarn looks like on the cones. That is the natural white, light green, and dark green. Look at the difference after those towels were washed!

Here is another view.

I’m working on threading this project right now. I’m not telling what it is. You’ll have to wait for it. I’ll just say that it’s double weave so it will be about 48” wide even though it’s woven on a 26” loom.