Weft Magic

The 8 of Cups, my first Tarot-inspired warp - is more than half threaded, which means we're getting so close to weaving I can almost taste it! These skeins of Seacell (and mini skein of handspun Sea Island Cotton) are the first weft; it will be a (deeply meaningful) personal piece for me.

You may notice that these skeins are not quite uniformly dyed.  This is intentional. I've been experimenting with a dye technique that leads to this sort of beautiful inconsistency. Usually when I dye weft for a wrap, I want all the skeins to be as similar as possible so that there are no noticeable differences through the length of the piece. I figured a personal piece then was the best place to experiment with this technique on a weft, though I plan to use it more in the future on warps! I'm excited to see just how it weaves up.

When I lay out the yarn to be dyed, I lay the skeins out next to each other so that they create a sort of canvas. Then I use the dye to paint symbols, or words, or images onto that canvas. Then I fill in the blank space with the (other) colors for the yarn. This imbeds the meaning into the threads in a far-below-the-surface kind of way. In this instance I painted triskeles and moon sigils into the yarn. The images themselves will never be visible in the final piece of cloth, but the meaning is deep in every thread.

With the impending federal regulations governing baby wraps effective early next year, I'll be launching a new babywrap brand with a couple of dear colleagues.  Our tagline for Cauldron & Cloth - chatter launching soon, keep an eye out! - is "woven with love and magic" and this is one of the ways I weave with magic. <3

Lemon Pot tea towels

These tea towels began as a custom wedding gift order for a bride who dreams of a kitchen with a lemon tree growing in a blue ceramic pot.  They are woven in a variety of advancing twill variations that are intended to evoke the various glaze finishes or fine china patterns found on household ceramics.

I truly adore handwoven towels in the kitchen.  They are long lasting, hard wearing, super absorbent, and bring a spark of beauty and joy to my day every time I see or touch one.  I weave these with 100% unmercerized cotton for maximum absorbency and fluffy softness.  This has the added benefit that you can toss them in with a regular load of laundry, set the water to hot, and then toss them in the dryer when they're clean!

I warped enough on this project for a few towels for the shop as well as the wedding collection.  They absolutely flew out the door as fast as I could list them!  I'm going to have to do a longer warp the next time!  Tea towels are really fun and satisfying to weave.  The rhythm is a welcome change from baby wraps: with a weft change after one yard instead of 5, they're quick and fun.  I'd like to get a batch up in the shop in time for holiday shopping, tea towels are always a great gift!  

What colors or inspirations would you most like to see hanging on the bar of your oven door or use to wipe up spills in your kitchen?  Does your kitchen have a consistent color theme?  Tell me all about it! 

Handspun wefts make my heart so happy! #Hipstrings Buoy Mussels makes an appearance on Surfacing

I've officially fallen head over heels for weaving with handspun yarn.  It is beautiful both visually and energetically.  Pictured here is a hood style cowl on the Surfacing warp that features handspun weft in a colorway inspired by mussels and the sea.  It was pretty fun digging out mussel shells from the Maine coast out of my jar of shells and beach stones for the photo shoot.  

The wool blend of the Buoy yarn and fiber from Hipstrings is ideal sweater yarn, and makes for a warm and outdoor-in-winter-worthy cowl.   Different fiber blends, of course, create different effects.  There are nearly unlimited options! I'm so looking forward to more handspun pieces, mostly cowls and neckwear, but I have a few hand spun wefts planned in the next year for full baby wrap pieces too!  Stay tuned!