Warpable

Pattern from Tablet Weaving, Ann Sutton and Pat Holtom

I wanted to experiment with warp manipulation, so I put a long warp on my Inkle loom with cards like on Finding Rhythm. I used the draft for braids with corded edges from Tablet Weaving. The twisted cord edges are visible in the second image. I had some difficulty deciding which side to start locking down the warp threads and then to release them again so that they matched on each side. I then flipped and turned the cards until I got an interesting pattern. I also crossed the cards over each other. I do love all the variation from one warp!

Icing on the Ginger Biscuits

Natural Dye Group Year in Review

I joined the Natural Dye Group through the Handweavers & Spinners Guild of Victoria last year and I have learned so much about chemistry, biology and horticulture. It’s been really exciting to learn from a group that brings so much experience to the table. I am continuously in awe of the results that are presented during show and tell.

April

Juglans regia (English walnut)

L to R: Handspun Cheviot and Lincoln Longwool

May

Eucalyptus Cinerea

Clockwise from top: Cormo fleece, Lincoln Longwool fleece and commercial yarn

July

Brassica oleracea var. capitata f.rubra (Red Cabbage)

Commercial yarn and handspun Merino fleece L to R: Modified with ammonia after-bath, modified with vinegar after-bath

August

Acacia paradoxa (Kangaroo Thorn)

L to R: Commercial yarn and handspun Merino fleece

September

Haematoxylum campechianum (Logwood)
Pterocarpus santalinus (Red Sandalwood)
Chlorophora tinctorial (Fustic)

Cormo fleece and handspun Lincoln Longwool fleece

Cormo fleece and handspun Lincoln Longwool fleece

October

Solanum Lacinatum (Large Kangaroo Apple)

Cormo fleece and handspun Lincoln Longwool

November

Alizarin (Syntheic Madder)
Indigo (Synthetic Indigo)

Handspun Merino fleece, Alizarin with Indigo overdye

Handspun Merino fleece, Indigo

December

Iced Ginger Biscuits made by Robyn with food colourings from nature. I would show you a photo, but I ate them.

Green: rose leaves
Yellow: Calendula Officinalis, Marigold Flower Petals
Violet: Viola spp. Pansy Flower Petals
Blue: As violet with little Bicarbonate Soda added

Reference: ‘Eco Colour’ by India Flint

Sámi Bands

Sámi Flower Band

Sámi bands are traditionally woven on with a rigid heddle, but I thought I would give it a try on an Inkle loom. I came across an online tutorial offered by Susan J Foulkes to the The Braid Society on the Braids and Bands Yahoo Group in 2011. It was an invaluable resource and I was off and weaving. Having a short warp was very advantageous for trying out a few different techniques with different materials. The bands below were woven completely out of cotton, while the flower band shown above was a mixture of a cotton background and wool. The wool was a bit sticky but manageable. I can’t wait to try more with handspun wool.

Sámi Bands

Sámi Bands

Pickups, Please

I am loving the portability of the inkle loom. It’s great for tying on a short warp and trying out pickup techniques.

Keyhole

Pattern from Inkle, Evelyn Neher

Details: on Ravelry

Snake & Serpent

Snake & Serpent

Pattern from Byways in Hand-weaving, Mary Meigs Atwater
Mexican “Winged Serpent” and Philippine “Snake-and-Egg” motif
Details: on Ravelry

Finding Rhythm

After a twenty plus year hiatus, I decided to try tablet/card weaving again, but this time on an inkle loom for tension with better cards than the poorly made ones I used before. I punched seven holes in the pub coasters, but only used four. My first attempt was with a chevron pattern. I had trouble keeping track of the number of turns in each direction but overall I am happy with the results and have a better understanding of how selvages work. I now know that I need to turn the outside cards the same direction to produce a clean edge.

Pattern from Step-By-Step Tablet Weaving, Marjorie and William Snow

Details: on Ravelry

My second attempt was a simpler pattern with a neater result, as it was four quarter turns one direction and four quarter turns the other direction. I made a classic beginner’s mistake by weaving over two days and not checking my tension from the first day to the second. I also made a few errors that required unweaving and reweaving, which was less than pleasurable. I definitely have a greater understanding of this technique and would like to explore it more. The cards were also showing a bit of wear on the friction points and I think they are a little too big for my hands to turn comfortably.

Pattern from Card Weaving, Candace Crockett, Draft 6
Details: on Ravelry

Inkleing

"Twenty Years"

Yes, because I cut this warp almost twenty years ago. It was a failed attempt at card/tablet weaving but I was able to recycle it into an inkle sample.

Christmas Ribbon

Christmas Ribbon

The Christmas Ribbon was good practice, but not as exciting as I had hoped. I think I am ready for my next Inkle challenge, card/tablet weaving.

On the other hand, E. (age 10) had success with her bracelet and bookmarks.

Checkerboard Bracelet

Checkerboard Bookmarks

Leaves, Roots and Fronds

Naturally dyed top
L to R: carrot tops, Bracken fern, carrot root, carrot root with washing soda after bath and Eucalyptus

After getting great results with Eucalyptus dyeing, I thought I would try a few more starting with purple carrots. Since I had a large quantity of carrot tops, over 2 kg, I made a large batch of alum mordanted wool using the hot method. The carrot tops were less than exciting, but it was nice to at least get some color. The roots were equally disappointing, but more interesting after a washing soda after bath, which resulted in a nice green.

The Bracken fern was by far the most interesting. It was actually over dyed carrot top with a washing soda after bath. I forgot to take photos of the source, but there is plenty more where that came from. But be warned, they are also very strong smelling.

On the other side of the spectrum the Eucalyptus smelled wonderful, but only resulted in a colour that wasn’t very exciting. The colour improved slightly with a washing soda after bath.

Hand spun yarn dyed with carrot top

Eucalyptus tree (species unknown)

Eucalyptus leaves (species unknown)

Top dyed with Eucalyptus with end dipped in washing soda after bath

Inkle Weaving

I finally got my Ashford Inkle loom oiled and pieced together and I was off and running. For an extra challenge, I used tapestry wool for an extra sticky warp.  I definitely see potential and can’t wait to use my own handspun and naturally dyed wool.

N.Z. Romney Tweed

Using the drum carder and more of the N.Z. Romney and Wilton’s food colouring dyed wool, I made some batts. I found that large apple boxes work great for storage.

Sari Singles

I was able to borrow a drum carder for a few weeks and took the opportunity to play around with some N.Z. Romney wool, Sari silk and Eucalyptus over-dyed commercial top. The silk had to be cut into shorter lengths and it made a mess on the drum carder. I received a tip about covering the drum carder with an open weave cloth so that it’s easier to clean, which I will eventually try.