On the Wing

As promised, here's the second scarf from the grape silk warp. I think you can see now why I separated their debut's! Its dramatically different from the first scarf  (in the previous post). Definitely fraternal twins with a common warp, but the similarity ends there.

I had a hard time deciding whether I liked either scarf as I wove them as for a time I could catch glimpses of both and it really confused the eye.  I was committed to the weft colours and so soldiered on.

The change happened once they came off the loom and cut apart. I left one on my work table and set the other scarf down elsewhere to wait its turn for fringe twisting.  One scarf by itself was stunning.... as was the other.  But close together?   Not so much!

So here we have 20/2 bombyx silk which has been hand dyed a grapey purple and I purchased it from Jane Stafford Textiles earlier this year. The sett is 28 epi but I now feel 24 epi would be better next time round.   This weft is 8/2 tencel from Webs called deep teal.

This picture shows the overall length before any twirls around the neck.  It was woven to approx seventy four / five inches and it wet finished out to seventy two plus fine fringe.  The width is six and a half inches. 

The is a natural shine or sheen to both fibres and together they just glow! They go that bit further and create an iridescent  effect like on a butterfly's wing. Both colours have similar depth of shade or intensity of colour.  A good pressing encourages the sheen and maximum refection.   Its magic!

Another warp went on straight away and is progressing nicely.  Yet another old classic, by request, to be revealed next post.   

We have had some special house guests for the past four or five days and had a wonderful time with them.  My daughter and her husband came from Colorado  and fly home out of Vancouver tomorrow.  

We visited Goats on Roof in Coombs 

.....and then stopped and admired the gentle giants in Cathedral Grove.

There's a tree there that 20 people can stand and hold hands around the base. Its 1000 years old.  It was 300 years old when Columbus came to the New World in 1492.  Its a very humbling experience to stand among the trees and survey all the huge tree trunks surrounded by five- 6 foot giant ferns on the forest floor. The trees are so tall you can't view the entire tree if you look up.   Here's a brief video:

This is Colin, our son in law, and our daughter Carrie  along with Calli our Airedale, checking out the 1000 year old tree.  Colin is 6 foot 8 inches (no kidding!) for some perspective.... you can see where many people have climbed up on the fallen 'younger tree' and touched the old giant.

I'll leave you with some more wild wonders.... first, a tiny brown bat who has tucked himself into the crack of the garage door today.  We are very happy to see him and his friends on the property as they eat a ton of bugs!   White nose fungus has appeared to the south of us in Washington state, so hopefully this little fellow stays healthy.

Then this is the view from my kitchen window this morning as I was hand washing dishes:

Her boyfriend came along about five minutes behind her.... he has little 'prongs' started, still in velvet.