Dark Dahlia

This post really started in the Fall when late blooming flowers such as dahlia's are in the gardens still.  They are so lush, and so colourful!  When we lived further south near Duncan here on Vancouver Island, there was a property by the main road where in the fall a table would appear with jars filled with fresh cut dahlias and a sign that said $4.00 a bunch. This invariably would go up in price as the years passed and the popularity of the flowers increased. I watched the dahlia beds get larger as root stock was divided down and new colour varieties added.

I liked to photograph them at their peak:

Then, in the summer of 2016 when we were heavily engaged in packing and getting ready to move, the lady gardener added a new colour that was stunning!   Sadly I didn't get a picture, or the flowers, before we moved.   I went on-line and looked at the various varieties available with a view of maybe adding some to our new gardens here.   I found this picture that is very close to the special one from the roadside garden. Her flower was a bit darker and not so tightly packed.

Sort of a cross between these two.  

I have woven colour gradations before in this colour range and also another project where I used four or five shades of blue. The Mac version of Fiberworks has this feature and I have played around with it  and its getting easier to create some interesting colour plays. So with the rich dark dahlia in mind I used 8/2 tencel in black, eggplant and red-purple (which I call magenta) and created this 16 shaft draft.  It looked fine both front and back.... another nice feature to use before committing yarn to the loom.

But.... there is no replacement for actual yarn on the loom!

It has the central glow I was looking for but it was overly dark and broody. Too much black.  I also had a problem with sleying the ends as I kept on missing dents and practically had to put a 'search light' on the reed to see what I was doing!  Seems darker cloudy days and a lack of natural light and a dark warp really don't go together well.

I only wove one repeat and there it sat while I tried to figure out how to redeem this problem child.  I went back to the draft and kept the threading the same, as its already in place, and tried different tie up's and different treadlings.    I removed all the old weft threads and then tried this draft below for the first scarf, using black as my weft again.  It has a better balance of plain weave and twill areas and so a better chance at being reversible and having the light play on the twill floats to show the pattern. Its still dark, but has the central glow I wanted like the flower.

On the second scarf I decided to use the eggplant colour as my weft. It worked well to soften the black areas, define the centre and pull it together. The colour shifts actually flow better.  I tried another treadling variation using the same tie up:

The pattern repeats are lengthy; well they are when your joints hurt, and so weaving went slowly for me. I have been having trouble with arthritis in my feet and last 'good' knee so had to take some off days to rest.  Its also a busy time of year so there have been many other domestic distractions!  🎄

I used my new 10 clip fringe twister I showed you last post on the finishing  of the scarves.   Did it save time?  Well, yes.  Setting up the bouts to the clips really takes the same amount of time overall, whether its four or ten, but only having to turn the clips for a total of five bouts of fringe is faster than only doing two. I'm glad I didn't get the 20 clip model as the angle of the ends would be too extreme.  It would be fine for someone doing blanket fringe or a project that is equally wide as the twister, but not for finer weaving.   I'm happy with it!  Its nicely made, smooth working and I like the handle end.  You can find it for sale here

Here's the first scarf on the fringing board with freshly twisted fringe flipped up as I worked along.   They were washed and pressed and then sat as we had day after day of heavy cloud, some wind and rain and no sign of the sun.  Lights on in the house even at midday.   What you need for a project like this is brighter natural light as the flash on the camera bleaches out the colours, creates 'hot spots' and generally makes things difficult to capture. 

So yesterday it brightened up and even a few rays of sunshine and I dashed for my camera!    They will have to do and if I still have them come spring, I will reshoot again in better daylight. 

I'm hoping the various pictures will show a better range of pattern and colours!

Then we have my personal favourite, the eggplant weft scarf.  I might just keep this one for me!

Thank you for being patient with me as my posts squeak in at a minimum lately. There are other projects to come  and are underway.  Its seems I'm not as fast a weaver as I was but hopefully the quality makes up for it!

For my long time readers who have followed along with the arrival of my grandchildren.... I present Ethan (age 7 1/2)  and Madison's (age 4 1/2)  2019 Christmas picture.  Don't let those cute faces fool you.... they both can 'kick butt' at Brazilian Jujitsu now.   🎄🎅🏻🎁

Art Deco Diamonds

So in a few short weeks, it will be 2020 and a whole new decade. Roll the clock back 100 years and it was the start of the 'roaring 20's'. The world shook off the whole WW1 thing and partied, and enjoyed life again. 

Think Great Gatsby, the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922,  flappers and the Charleston, jazz bands and speak easy's, bobbed hair, cloche hats and shorter skirts.   

I also think of Art Deco.   This unique form of architecture and style started prior to to WW1 but came into its own by 1925  at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris in 1925.   One American classic building example is the Chrysler Building on the east side of Manhattan.

In Vancouver, BC, its the Marine Building which was completed in 1930 right after the Great Crash and the start of the Great Depression. It cost 2.3 million to build (in the dollars of the day I might add, and had a cost overrun of 1.1 million) and was sold off cheap for $900,000.   I have been in this building and its amazing! There is literally something unique to see everywhere you look and the front entry way and the elevator doors are works of art. 

We even have an art deco theme with our dining room set with a 1930 replica table. 

So imagine me spotting #68017 at Handweaving.net and seeing this draft that reminded me of classy art deco diamonds  ( now attributed to Jan / USA 2015    “Ulla’s Beautiful Diamonds” )

Soon this draft was in my weaving lineup... and then on the loom!

There were some slight modifications for an edging and border made by me.  This is 10/2 black tencel, sett 28 epi and 8/2 tencel in Pompeii as weft.  I can't say I recommend weaving black warps at  this time of year!  I had lights all around the loom as I threaded and sleyed the reed. Its so darn easy to leave a dent  or  to double sley.

For the second scarf I used 10/2 tencel in a colour called Tussah from Textura Trading from my stash.  All my 10/2 dyed tencel is precious as you can't get it any longer. Only undyed tencel, and I'm not set up to dye my own at this time.

The diamonds wove up just a smidge smaller this time but interestingly when I measured the small inner diamond (or box if you turn your head sideways), the box measured perfectly square in box scarves regardless of the size of the weft yarn used. I can only assume my beat was correct for both!

Now they have been finished for awhile but this time of year with its rainy dark days have not been conducive to taking photographs.  It brightened up a bit today and the sun almost made a full appearance  so I dashed and snapped this pictures.  We have a week's worth of wind and rain ahead according to our weather forecast and I didn't think you or I want to wait another week for a blog post!  😳

My Favourite of the two scarves.  They measure 8 inches by 72 inches.

One take away from finishing these scarves was that manipulating the fringe twister is playing  merry heck with my arthritic wrists and fingers. I'm using a quad fringe twister currently and I seem to twizzle  a lot of fringe over the course of a year. So how can I maximize my efforts and get more done with less effort?

By ordering one of these!

I'm looking forward to giving this big girl a whirl soon and I'll report my findings back here. I'll be able to do a total of 5 doubled bouts at a time.   I'm going to hang onto the quad for now as a back up.

You know, they even make one that has 20 clips!  Nice to know you can upgrade your ride!

A Good Twist to the Yarn

 I had an image posted some time back and in the back ground was my fringe twister. One commenter asked me to show it more clearly and perhaps discuss how I use it. Sorry I don't recall your name, but at long last here is your post.

This is the fringe twister I use. I bought it in 2000 at a guild spin in Kelowna, BC. and paid about $30 for it. It's made of oak and is relatively simple in design.

The twister used in this post is a Forsyth cord twister and Forsyth are no longer in business. I now use and recommend a quad fringe twister made by Leclerc.
Susan ~ Oct 2019

I seem to use only two of three clips but have used the three and found it produces a nice firmly round plied fringe. I have put many miles on this puppy! But the only thing I have had trouble with is the black 'o' ring that enables it to turn. It dried out and cracked. But I found another perfect fit at a automotive hardware store and I was back in business.

Speaking of business...here's the business end. Notice the grippy plastic tips. They really hang onto the yarn and in this case slippery tencel.

So down to work. I have four scarves all in need of twisted fringes so I'll be busy with this for a time. Later some beading may be added and I'll post that separately. I don't do 'free-hand' twisting but have a system that I devised to get even knots and better looking fringes. My logic is "why go to all that work and not finish it right?" I believe the finishing makes or breaks the handwoven item.

First I get a part sheet of insulating Styrofoam. My husband was working on a project in 1999 or 2000 and I scavenged a piece of the board. I've been using this board ever since so I don't feel guilty about it. The high density means you can use it for years before needing a new one. My board is about 3' x 2 .5' and I then took a yard stick and permanent marker and made one inch increments up and down all sides (and even the back in time.) I then pin out my project, in this case both ends of two scarves.

I use extra long stainless steel 'lace' pins. I just like the extra length to work with. I pin out quite heavily! This project is 24 epi, with the fringe hemstitched into groups of 4 ends each. I am twisting two groups of four against each other. Each twisted fringe contains a total of 8 ends.

I then twist them in a clockwise direction for a given count, in this case 35 revolutions. Yup, you must count in order for all to be even. Then I place the two twisted groups together onto one clip and then twist counter-clockwise for the same number, 35.

Then I use a long trapunto needle used for making dolls. It's like a very long bodkin needle. Again, I like the extra length but a darning needle will do. I make an over hand knot near the end of the twisted group and slip the needle into the middle before you close it! Then place the tip of the needle onto the given measurement line you are using for the length of your fringe.

Once you are happy with its position, let go and gently snub the knot tight. Presto, all the same length.

Once the scarf has been wet finished, and pressed. I then use a cutting mat and rotary cutter to trim up the end of the tassel for that sharp look. Depending on the scarf length, and the twisted bout's thickness, I will leave approximately 1/2" or a little less of tassel.

I took my scarf board and projects over to a fibre group meeting the other day and everyone there said "it's so simple but so effective". By using firmly pinned out project and applying a bit of tension on the yarns when twisting, all is under control. Think when you are beaming a warp... threads under tension are threads under control.

Please try this out and if you like it, share with your friends.