Warped imagination versus textile reality...

Remember the yarn fibers on the table swift? It went on the loom and started to weave up like boring stripes with compacted fibers! I quickly realized that what I envisioned while creating the warp was not going to be the reality of the final product.

This is all part of the learning process in an exploration of making fabric, I plan to have blank canvasses ready for embroidery. Imagine being able to create the fabric to your project, whatever it may be.

 

What to do? What to do?  I looked at the actual yarn and realized it was nothing more than scrap yarns tied together every yard or so.  What would you do? "WE can do that!" Thankfully my friend Dana has encouraged me to look at fibers for knitting when attending knitting conferences.  I cut up the not so interesting yarn and started tying in multiple fibers, two and three at a time, then wound it on to the table swift to try again now knowing that the fuzzy would be anything but impactful.

Having weighed the yarn with my postage meter before starting this project, it was easy to keep track of how much I wanted for each segment, and how much extra I had.

THANK GOODNESS THAT THE YARN WAS ALREADY DIVIDED BY WEIGHT.

I left the warp as is with multi colored blended yarn and redid the weft with the latest added yarns.  I would just hate it if I didn't do something to that expensive priced skein of yarn on the swift.

The added fibers and colors did  help quite a bit but you be the judge:

You can't really see the flecks of gold in the fibers in the photo, but they are there. Also fuzzy glamour added to the striped areas, again it not visible.

The fringe looked sad, so I added gold strands after the fact upon completion.  See the left fringe with gold, and the yet to be gold enhanced fringe on the right.

I used a crotchet hook and some gold spun twine that I had scraps of.  To my friends who once laughed at me as I gathered the left over fringe on a shawl I had made, I did use those "strings"!

I worked the crotchet hook in from the topside of the scarf each time I added some gold sparkle fringe.  This keeps the loops looking uniformed. Whether you do it from the top or the bottom is up to you.  Just be consistent on which direction you to choose to work from. 

After the fringe received the King Midas touch, I  folded the scarf in half, matching the ends of the actual fabric.  Using a rotary cutter and ruler on the mat, I  evened up the fringe.

I didn't put any glitzy yarns in the neck area, because of the itch-free zone I like to have on my own scarves.  

I am looking at the area closely and depending on how I fold the scarf, it still might end up being embroidered in that itch-free zone.

If you have a wider rigid heddle, it would be simple to take to wide scarves and make and over the head poncho.  I don't mean let's make placemats, I am thinking of silk, twisted yarns, ribbons incorporated into two wider scarves, Criss-crossed to  create the over the head wrap.  I love my Cricket but if you think you might want to explore wider fabrics, the Ashford rigid heddle loom is very tempting. Mine is the 10" but that Ashford comes in various sizes and I am leaning towards 32".

I did start reading my new book, Weaving Made Easy and loving it with every turn of the page.  I am also reading the suggestions and tips others have been posting here and on my Facebook Page.  The book has been great in helping me "decipher" some of the tools and tips you have shared.  So if you are like me, the book is perfect for my current needs.

I do see that there is another book, The Weaver's Companion that is highly recommended by weavers in my area that may be great down the road but currently I am reading the one by Liz Gipson and I love the brightly colored photographs.

If you have some learning tips, please share them back!
~Cookie