Gilding the Lily: beading and final finishing scarves

Okay, fair warning... this is a long post with lots of photos. Lynnette will love this one. :)

Today I'm talking about how I bead and finish scarves ( and by extension, shawls etc) so this is a sort of 'tutorial'. I'm working on the four scarves I recently took off the big Woolhouse and you also saw in the fringe twister post. All fringes are twisted, but the tassels are not trimmed yet. Below is my bead stash. It's a hefty bag of goodies! Beads and other shiny things grab my attention like a magpie. I'm always on the look out for beads in certain colour schemes as those are the colours I know I weave more often with. If I get down to Victoria I always stop in at Beadworld at the Johnson Street Market. Tell hubby to stay away for at least an hour and settle in for a good browse as the place is *loaded*.

I start by dumping them all out and then removing obvious mismatches for colour and making a pile of possibles. I let the colours, bead size, yarn grist of the handwoven and my mood 'talk' to me as I pull together a grouping of beads to try. Sometimes I have lots of choice and others not so much. (I make a note in my wallet journal of the colours that need more attention next time at Beadworld.) Finally a few more are weeded out and now we are down to real potential candidates.

Which is narrowed further to the ones I want to work with on this scarf. This scarf is 100% tencel warp and weft. Since I'm a neat freak, they are all sorted into little bowls. Beads need corralling! You still have plenty on the floor when you're done any way...

Then I get out my superfine beading needle ( magnifier lens to thread it with along with my progressive bi-focals!), thread conditioner 'Thread Heaven' and other useful items, such as a bright light. In this picture you can see how fine this needle is by judging it against the ordinary sewing thread.

Thread Heaven is a soft malleable waxy compound that you drag your polyester thread through and it will now magically behave. It reduces the twisting and kinking that can happen with sewing threads. { I have used older sewing threads that were my mothers and they don't do this! What have the manufacturers done in the past years that makes these threads so difficult to work with now?} You can also use a block of natural bees wax and this will accomplish much the same effect. You will need to reapply from time to time as you sew and it washes out. Not that it leaves any sign that you've used it though...

I take a good long length of thread, thread the needle and coat the thread ( run through fingers to eliminate the static charge). Then using no knots, I sew UP the side of the scarf, then back down to the bottom edge again.

Then turning the work, I work the needle across to the first gap between fringe bouts:

Then I start 'composing' with the beads and may try several arrangements before I settle on a combination. Mainly I just go with what feels right. I aim to have two or three feature groups of beads per end and keep to a fixed arrangement. I lick my (clean) finger tip and the beads cling nicely. Pick them up with the needle point and when done I insert the needle back down through the beads MISSING the end bead.

In this case, five blacks, and three reds and I go back down through the two lower reds.

The needle slips into the edge threads and I tug the thread through all the beads. I check to make sure there is no extra thread hung up somewhere. This can happen, so be sure to check both sides.

Then I move the needle across the base of the next fringe bout and come up in the next space. In this case, one of the two special groups per side:

In this spot I have the 'special' beads to thread down back to the base again, always with a bead on the end to hold everything. Check for snagged thread.

Then onto the next section and so on. I find that keeping the sewing thread under tension is a big help in controlling the work and its progress. Much like warp threads on the loom!

Here I've looped the thread over my finger tip as I work the thread back down through the beads. It's also hard to do all these steps AND take pictures but I somehow managed!

Then at the opposite end, just repeat the initial steps to end the work. Turn and do opposite side of scarf. Admire work. Ask opinions of anyone around! If you decide you are not happy about the bead combo, just snip and off they come. I usually go with my first instincts...

Okay one scarf done and three more to go!

Here are the bead combo's for the silk cashmere weft. ( bead stash needs more added to this category!)

The end result.....

Then my personal fav, silk yak blend with it's steely grey sheen:

Then last, the silk wool blend; the beading work is under way here:

And the final edge is done!

They all went into warm sudsy water and soaked for 20 minutes and I squeezed them thoroughly to help shift threads, and also to wash out any spinning oils and possible dye particles. Tencel doesn't shift much or full but the protein weft fibres will move. Rinse twice, with a drop of fabric softener in the last rinse water. I used the spin cycle only in the washing machine. Then I took them to the ironing board and gently worked them into shape and pressed them with a medium setting and no steam. It is more or less to get their shape back and flatten them and remove wrinkles created by washing and spinning. I hung over old towels over night to dry. The next day I trimmed off any weft tails carefully and them gave them a hard pressing with a medium iron, using full steam. (I use a Rowenta iron and like it very much.) Then I carefully straightened the fringe and combed the ends. Held them down with a ruler and then trimmed them off with a rotary cutter at approx 1/2 inch to 3/4's of an inch. Now gently tack sew my new labels into position..

Admire again.... a lot.
My new labels come from Sterling Name Tape Company . They were recommended by Dave

I got some made in black and beige. I just ordered more in white and so I will have a nice selection. They will only go onto scarves, shawls and more higher end goods I weave. ( My next goal is to get new hang tags designed) Okay, here's the fashion parade! 'Scuse the model, she's a bit stiff. :)

Cashmere and silk with tencel

hand dyed silk wool blend with tencel

tencel with tencel.... geat sheen!

Did I mention this one is my favourite?

One Step Forward, Two Back...Three Ahead...

So this is a 'state of the studio' address :)

Above is my Louet Spring, 'Lilibet' and she has been languishing with a double weave sampler. This picture was taken few days ago and I now have the double weave sampler woven off. The end result is I will warp up and weave another double weave project soon but this time use 2/8 cotton over the cottolin I used this time. I have downloaded some neat workshop notes from Double Weave pro, Paul O'Connor and will try his method. But for now, the next warp going on this loom is white 2/10 tencel and a huck lace pattern for a shawl. That will be inspiring for me to weave. The warp is all wound and ready to go.

The fine huck lace in bamboo on the Louet Jane ' Cricket' is sort of in limbo. I moved it out of the way to get the old loom dismantled and off to it's new home and I just haven't picked up where I left off.
Why? Its because of this project on 'Emmatrude':

I want to do a shawl project, using tencel ( I have scads of the stuff!) so I chose my colours and even ordered a particular dye lot batch from Yarns Plus to ensure I had enough. Worked out my colour scheme, my draft, my project width and all particulars. I started to wind my warp and one colour, my main colour was *not* the 2/8 I was using but 2/10 instead. I had stored it in the wrong storage box!

So now I had to go entirely with the other taupe colour throughout and just skip the other. I wound the warp and was winding it on the loom. It just didn't excite me, but I got it all on the sectional anyway.


I even threaded it in the elaborate M's and W's. Sleying went well. Two per dent in a 12 dent reed. Tied it up and sat down to weave. I had forgotten to take the front apron rod over the back of the knee beam. Seems all the messages I was getting and ignoring were coming with a firmer 'oomph' now. If I had to untie, to fix the beam problem, then why not fix the entire problem? Okay. I replaced the cross once more, untied, unsleyed, unthreaded, then one by one I snugged each bout back into it's one inch section on the sectional beam. Then I unwound the three stripes and removed them and wound new replacements. Then started the process all over again, but now going ahead. Why all this? We'll take a look at the colours:


I've used this colour combo before to good effect but for some reason I placed taupe inbetween the red and black. It did nothing for the red at all. But I had thought " the black weft will fix that". Here it is on the lease sticks waiting for threading. I persevered despite that feeling something isn't working here.


Here's my spinning chair all set up for the threading:


So was it worth it? I feel much better with the new look and it was worth the changes and the work. You see I also changed my mind about the treadling as well. It was originally going to have a 'Coast Salish' Aboriginal feel to the colours and pattern. The colour change meant the advancing network twill treadling that created tall feathers was nice but it wouldn't work given the colour change. I opted for a complex M's and W's treadling with runs to and fro. No interruptions, phone calls or distractions... again.


Lots of impact now! The wimp factor is gone. :) So a closer look at the pattern...

Knowing my love of pattern, would it surprize you to know that you are looking at three repeats of a straight run of 1 to 12 on the treadles ( see bottom of photo) then from that point up to the fell is ONE repeat of the main pattern. It reminds me of some of those beautiful Nordic sweaters with the intricate pattern work. The true inspiration for this style of bands came from my viewing the stunning work of Master Weaver Inge Dam. Please look at her amazing work and you'll see the effect she achieved. She weaves with tablet bands incorporated into her weaving. This concept came to her through the study of textiles found in Iron Age sites in Northern Europe. While I'm not ready to attempt card weaving on the loom *yet* I thought this gave me the same look until I'm ready to try the technique for myself.


In the mean time I hope that my weaving time in the next few days is smooth sailing and trouble free. (touch wood)

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.

The Far Side of the World

Meet my brother Kent, or as he is also known, 'Nepali Ned.'

Kent by day is a mild mannered office worker and on his days off, he's a high altitude hiker. This love of hiking has meant that he's hiked all the high points around Vancouver such as The Lions or Golden Ears Park. He also gone to Alberta and hiked around peaks in the Rockies. The picture above was taken at his other favourite place Garibaldi Provincial Park. In this picture he was standing on Panorama Ridge this past September 7th after hiking for 4 1/2 hours to get there. The peak in behind is known as the Black Tusk. He had spent the spring (once the snow had mostly left the alpine areas) and the summer training. In October Kent took many flights until he reached Kathmandu, Nepal. He was about to hike the Annapurna Circuit.

To back track a bit, my brother has been to Nepal once before five years ago and was tremedously moved by the country, the people and the incredible scenery. He promised himself that he would go back one day. Then, there was some troubling political times there as the country moved from a monarchy to a democracy. In between trips, Kent went to Peru and hiked the Inca Trail which had as a culmination, Macchu Piccu. Happily the 6.9 earthquake that hit Lima shortly after he arrived didn't affect him as he was already out on the trail and didn't know it had even happened. Us, as his family on the other hand, felt a little differently...

So now to October 2008 and Kent had flown in to Kathmandu to join the other group of hikers on the tour that arrived from Britain. Including Kent, there were 20-21 in total (13 clients, 5 porters, 2 assistants and one trek leader as far as can be recalled). The team hiked from point to point and stay in little hotels or teahouses as they are called there. They hiked anywhere from 4-8 hours per day, from low valley bottoms to high mountain passes and along the way met the local people and visit temples and teahouses. I believe that the highest pass was approx 16,000 foot level. I may be out a few feet on this, but at this point, who's going to quibble as you reach for an oxygen mask? :)

In Kent's first trip to Nepal they had eventually hiked to the base camp of Mt. Everest where all mountaineering summit attempts start. This time they are essentially hiking around the base of the Annapurna peaks and included was a flight to view the Annapurnas. They were incredibly lucky to find them cloud free that day! This was a trip that lasted close to three weeks and now forever in his memory. He flew out to Sinagpore, and then Korea, and back home with 800 images and has been sorting through and cataloguing them. So this post will feature some of the pictures taken this past October as my guest blogger and 'paparazzi'. Trust me when I say that these smaller images just don't do the originals justice! Then to keep to the fibre content of my blog, I'll show you the lovely textile gifts he brought me back from his first trip in 2004.

Kent says: this was taken on a flight to Mt Everest that took place before I began my Annapurna Circuit Trek. The plane flew as close as it could to the Solu Khumbu region where Everest is located and then turned around and headed back to Kathmandu.

I was walking to Thamel; a tourist shopping area in Kathmandu to find a Pilgrim's book shop when I came across this Buddhist stupa. There are several around the city and the logic of these are that while your on your way to work for example you can check in at the local stupa.
This was an intricate wood carving above the door in the temple devoted to The Kumrai Devi who is a living goddess. The Kumrai is a young girl chosen from a select family and her features and personality are carefully checked to see if she can be a Kumrai. Once she attains puberty, then she can no longer be a Kumrai and another is required to be chosen.

The Rani Pokhari or Queen`s Pond is a photo of a structure and surrounding waterway to allow the Queen to reflect and spend some time in private. Unfortunately, as time has gone on, the city has overtaken the area. [It was built by King Pratap Malla for his Queen after their son died. It is open to the public on only one day each year at the Festival of Tihar.]

This was one of the many resident monkey's atop the Swayambhunath Temple, or more commonly known, "the monkey temple" which rests on a hill within the city of Kathmandu.

This was the view looking back and down towards Besisahar where we began the trek early in the day. It was a beautiful day and it had taken us many hours to reach the high point were this photo was taken.

We were hiking along through trails towards Bahun Danda and came across several homes along the way. I was suddenly captivated by this Nepali lady doing some spinning. We asked her if we could take her photo and she said yes. She seemed so pleasant and happy and she made us feel welcome.

This was taken on the trail looking back while heading up and out of the village of Manang.


A group photo taken near the Praken Gompa where we met a 92 year old Llama to receive his blessing for the crossing of the Thorung La pass. What a great day this was!

Here Kent is striking a pose at the Thorung La Pass summit. It's 5416 meters above sea level.

This is the peak of Thorung La above the pass they have climbed.

Prior to making the climb to the Thorung La Pass, I found this loom in the Cultural Museum of the village of Manang. We had done an acclimatization hike to the Praken Gompa to receive a blessing earlier in the day. We had the afternoon free to wander around Manang to shop and my bunk mate Andrew and I went to the museum. I was quite impressed by the artifacts dating back many years. I wonder if you would like to use this loom eh? What a lovely surprise [to find] this as I was walking around the Manang Cultural Museum. An old loom created out of branches and pieces of wood. A simple loom, but as you can see it definitely worked very well and for many years. Some of the artifacts like this loom were 50-100 years old.

Isn't my brother sweet for snapping pictures of spinning wheels and looms for me? It was so hard for me to choose pictures since he has 400 and another 400 to come! They are simply stunning. I tried to choose ones that showed the city and the people, the country side, and the temples. I wish you could see them all...

So now for the 'fibre content': after Kent's first trip to Nepal in 2004 he brought me back some special items that I treasure. A dried wee flower that someone had left on his pillow on the trek, a small stone from the base camp of Mt Everest and two textiles. They came from this place:

Tibetan Handicrafts Emporium The place Kent went to has closed its web site but this link takes you to a similar emporium in India where a great many Tibetans now called home. They were in a cotton drawstring bag and this was the printing on the bag. Inside was a cushion or pillow cover and a prayer rug.
This cushion cover has a simple white cotton backing with a small zipper to slide in a pillow form and it's roughly 14" x 14". It is entirely covered in chain stitch, even the apparent white areas. Here's a closer look.
The yarns seem to be pure wool and even feature variations in the dyeing.

The second item from the bag was stunning: a prayer rug. Again, a simple cotton backing cloth and the front is lavishly covered in chain stitch. I have shown it here on our recently acquired antique 'waterfall' blanket box, and this is where the rug will stay.

Some closer views...

The stitches are quite uniform even though closely placed. I don't know if these are natual dyes or commercial synthetics. I suspect synthetic as when I gently soaked them in sudsy water, the colours didn't run. The colours came up much brighter for the cleaning. I left it to dry flat in the shade.The underside of the rug was a bit grubby or soiled and my brother mentioned having seen a woman ( either Nepalese or Tibetan) sitting on the dirt floor of a small tent and working stitches into a piece she was making. They live extremely simple lives there in conditions we can't imagine. "But they were always smiling and seemed happy" said Kent. Their calm acceptance of life was inspiring.

So I for one understand why he went back a second time and who knows, maybe a third is in the future? Thank you for staying with us on this rather long post but as you can see, it was worth the time to do some 'arm chair travel'.

Thanks for sharing Kent! You are a great brother...