Collapse weave - finally!

I am sure you remember all my collapse weave experiments from the spring and the spinning of the singles during the Tour de Fleece. Well, I finally got around to warping and weaving the scarf and it turned out exactly as I had hoped. The challenge with collapse weave is that it is unpredictable so getting results that are sort of what you wanted is wonderful.

 This is the warp. 2 sets: one S-spun and one Z-spun. These were sized with xanthan gum.

This is the weft. I had 2 skeins of roughly the same size. I chose to use the larger skein but I should have gone with the smaller one. Oh well.

The warping process was very easy. The sized singles were a bit stiff and smooth. I ran out of the Z-spun singles so the warp was not as wide as I had planned. I still have a bunch of the S-spun ones. I warped the S-spun with 2 strands in a slot and hole for 1/2" and then the Z-spun for 1" with 1 strand in each slot and hole. So the S-spun was more tightly sett than the Z-spun. I used a 10 dent heddle which is pretty wide for this fine of a yarn. But one needs to leave a lot of room in between the strands to allow them room to collapse. This is similar to what we have to do with felting in knitting.

You can't see the difference in the sett in this photo that I took as I started weaving. 

The gradient goes from a magenta to a grey through blue and violet. I wanted to make sure I had the warmer end of the gradient so I started weaving from the magenta end. You can see the range on the right hand side of this photo.

I did 6 picks packed tightly and then 8 picks at a balanced weave. The 6 picks came out to be about 1/2" and the 8 picks came out to be about 1" to mimic the warp.

The weft was not sized so I was afraid to wind it into a center-pull ball. I wanted to keep the yarn under tension. So I wound it onto a tennis ball. Then I had to rewind it so that I was starting with the correct end. The singles had broken in one spot when I was winding them onto the niddy-noddy. So I wound off till I hit the knot, undid it, and then rewound it onto the shuttle so the undone knot was on the inside of the shuttle and the magenta was on the outside. Then it was time to start weaving.

The weaving went fast. Since there are no color changes, it was a matter of just paying attention to the denser and looser weaves. 

 Once it was off the loom, it looked like this. It is easy to see the thicker and thinner parts in this photo, both on the warp and the weft.

Before washing, I had to finish the fringe. I couldn't separate the S-spun and the Z-spun into separate fringe elements so I ended up braiding them to make sure they stayed OK. They got a bit distorted after washing but they still look nice.

 The magic happens in the water. I soaked the scarf in a few baths to get rid of the sizing. Each bath was about 10-20 mins long. Then I hung it up to dry.

 Here's the finished scarf after drying. I hadn't trimmed the fringe yet but otherwise it is complete.

This photo shows the texture. I was looking for that crinkly square-ish effect and that is what I got. It didn't curl up into a spiral which is what I was afraid of.

So I declare this project a success!

Tour de Fleece 2017 progress

It is amazing what you can get done when you are not at work all day!

I have been spinning every day and as a result have made a lot of progress on a number of fronts. The warp and the weft for the collapse weave project are all spun. I even have a PVC niddy noddy ready to finish the yarn to be ready for weaving (more on that below). I finished this so fast that I added another project to my TdF list this year.

 These are the two halves of the weft. I divided the braid in two so I would get shorter color runs which would ensure that I was able to fit the entire gradient into the project. I can always add more colors from the other half as needed.

 This is the Z spun warp. I am hoping to use just this for the warp but I have a backup plan in case I need more yardage.

I have some S spun singles from the sampling back in March. I spun some more in the S direction so that I can alternate S and Z spun singles if I need more yardage.

Next up on these is to set the twist temporarily so that I am able to weave without getting pigtails from the twist. I had a problem with this when I wove the samples. I thought that letting the singles rest would make the twist dormant enough. But it didn't. So now I am going to wind the singles onto a PVC niddy noddy and wet and dry them under tension. Additionally, I will add a sizing to the warp so it will have a bit more strength and will move through the heddle more easily. I am planning to use a xanthan gum solution for sizing. This will wash out when the woven item is wet-finished.

There is the PVC niddy noddy. I need this because my wood one will absorb the water and could get damaged by the damp. I also took this opportunity to make a 2 yd niddy noddy. My wood one makes 30-32" skeins, not quite 2 yds.

I also am carding and spinning the locks i dyed. I initially thought I'd keep the colors separate but I prefer to let them get blended or stay separate rather randomly so I am doing it as they come to hand.
I pick, I card, and I spin. Then I repeat. This keeps my hands from getting too sore from one activity.

A couple of piles of rolags.

And here's the yarn.

That is one full bobbin on the left and the second bobbin I started on the right. I am spinning this on the Tina II and loving the process of treadling. I think I am going to keep a carding project going on the Tina II while I spin top on the Hansen.

Since these are going so fast, I decided to add in a third project. I have these two braids which are both the same red but one is cool and one is warm. Here they are.

 The two braids where you can see the difference. To make sure that they don't clash, I am drafting them together so that the final yarn will have bits of each read blended together.

 This is how I hold the two braids. I divided each braid into 4 width-wise and am holding the entire width of each braid in my hand and drafting.

Here is one quarter of the project done. This is 2 oz. 1 oz from each braid.

Lastly, I finished the color gamp Shetland scarf. I wanted to get it done so the loom will be free for the collapse weave project in August.

I got tired of changing the weft every 1.5" so after doing 1 set of each color, I started doing 4.5" (3x1.5) stripes in the middle. Two sets of those and then a repeat of the 1.5" stripes on the other end. I am in love with the way the Shetland looks and feels in this scarf. I have more of the Harris tweed Shetland yarn and I am going to weave more scarves with it.

I also splurged and bought a lovely new supported spindle. I haven't used it yet but I think that after the Tour de Fleece is done, I am going to spend some time spindling.

It is from Glasspins, by Mingo and Asho. They had a sale on. The glass focal is a red and gold swirl but I love the body. It is bird's eye maple. My favorite wood.

Next time I hope to show you the finished warp and weft for the collapse weave and even maybe a plied yarn from the locks. 

Warped!

I haven't done much with fiber in the past week as I have been attacking the weeds outside. The rain and cool spring with bursts of heat have put them into overdrive. They are everywhere and there are more sprouting as we speak!

I took advantage of the rain yesterday to warp the loom. Here is the color order I settled on and I like the way it looks.

 Next up, time to start weaving when I have time.

I also cast on for Grapevine in the Laurel colorway of Calmer. The photo above is not the right color. It is a lovely spring green. I am up to the armhole. As always, I needed to extend the armhole depth. I don't know why a lot of sweaters seem to have a very shallow armscye. I need a lot more depth to be comfortable.

Next up, I have to divide the body from the sleeves.

I also started spinning a Fiber Optic gradient - Autumnal Dawn. I stripped it vertically and will make a simple 2 ply. I hope to be done by the end of the month so that I can start the TdF with a clean slate. But if I don't, I'll just put it aside and continue after the TdF projects are done.

I also ran the blanket through the washing machine again to full it a bit more. I didn't want the individual strands to be separate because the yarn is pretty loosely spun and I didn't want it to develop holes. After that, I cut the knots off the fringe as the fringe braids had also fulled. The fringe is now 3" and I am happy with the way it looks. 

The cool weather has given me the opportunity to snuggle under it a few times. 

More spinning!

I have been spinning about an hour a day and it is amazing what one can get done by doing just that.
I finished the merino/yak.

I haven't plied it yet because I started spinning the dark grey and I am loving it.

 This is a dyed merino/Rambouillet/sparkle nylon top.

 Beginning the spin and without the flash...

With the flash to show the luster of the fiber. I am almost done with the first singles. I have 4 oz of this so each bobbin is slightly longer. I am spinning a light fingering weight to fingering weight and think I will use it in a weft.

I wound off 2 skeins of plied yarn but i haven't washed them yet. I still need to wind off the larger bobbin of the beaded Gotland yarn.

 That is the beaded yarn.

This was the pretty sample that came with the Hansen Pro.

These are the possibilities for the next spin. Weigh in if you have a preference on what I should do.

 This is from Into the Whirled. I am thinking I might do this as a fractal because the colors are so bright. It is a club shipment that I got as a gift.

 This is the Autmnal Dawn color way from Fiber Optic. It is easier to see the colors in the link because I photographed these at night and they are still in plastic.

 This is a One-of-a-Kind dye from Fiber Optic.

 A Chocolate Alpaca/silk from Gale's Art.

 Two bags of random odds and ends from Into the Whirled. These are fun to spin. I would have to decide if I was going to spin them separately, sort them into similar colors and spin or just spin them into one long yarn. I tried to pick two bags with similar color and Chris (of Into the Whirled) sorts by  colors that go together anyway. So they will all go together.

A Espresso-Crimson-Gold gradient from Fiber Optic. Again, better picture at the link.

Decisions, decisions. I want something bright but I was picking variegated fibers. I have some semi-solid in a pretty bright red. I also have a couple in spring-like colors so maybe I will do those. They are the Cyprus and the Wild Thyme colorways from Fiber Optic. The purple and the blue are slightly different on the two but I thought I could blend them as I moved from one to the other and spin them as one big gradient.

Lastly, I wanted to show you what I did with the basil salt. I've given away most of it but I packaged it in bottles and decorated it with washi tape and a label.

I ended up with two different bottles because I bought some and then went back to get some more and they were gone. I've been using mine a lot and love it. It is going to be a standard summer product from now on.

A giant fiber update

I really thought I'd be able to keep up with a weekly update but things got crazy after Thanksgiving and I have been delinquent. But I am on holiday now till New Year's so I am hoping to do a bit of travel blogging and of course, catch-up with the fiber stuff.

I finished the stole that I was weaving. In a week!

That is the stole laid out to dry. I wanted to show the red stripes that I added and how they were placed on the stole. 

And there it is all completed and folded. DH has accepted it as a scarf. it is light and warm.

I have since warped for tea towels and have almost finished one. Here is the edging on the one side. I've finished that towel and will be adding the same decorative edging on the other side. I have enough for 4 towels. I have warped for 3 and will do the last one separately. I plan to do a different decorative edging with the same colored yarn on all 4. A way to practice lots of different techniques.

The yarn is a linen/cotton/nylon blend from Elann called Callista. The pink and peach colored yarns are other cotton and cotton blend leftover yarns that I had. The colored stuff in the very bottom of the photo is just a header which will be removed later. The towels will be green with the colored decorative border. This one is called Danish Medallions. Next I may try one called Brooks Bouquet.

I haven't finished the sparkly white yarn yet. It is still sitting on bobbins. But I started spinning something else. I wanted to try my hand at a new drafting technique that I learned from Jacey Boggs's Craftsy class on drafting. It is the short backward draw letting the twist in. The idea is to get a shiny yarn but one with more air in it so it is lighter. I am also practicing her technique to get a more consistent yarn.

Another view of the bobbin. I was trying to get the color right. I have now gone all the way across the bobbin shaft and am working my way back.

This is the fiber. It is called Rouge-Violet-Cerulean from Fiber Optic. I had 2 braids but sold one in China. 

I am also knitting. But it is a sweater for DH and I am on the circular part of the body which is a boring tube in a dark blue so not very interesting to look at. It is longer than in this photograph. The photograph is looking at it sideways. I am doing the saddle-shouldered sweater from Knitting Without Tears. 

I really, really, really promise I will do a New Zealand travelogue this weekend. In a series of posts and try to finish it up.

Christmas in China

I thought it would be good to show you some of the Christmas decorations that I am encountering. The sample is very small as I haven't been going out very much. It has mostly been work that is getting in the way. Last weekend we went to Xi'an but that deserves its own post and I have to do justice to it.

We live near a very high end mall with very expensive brand name stores. They have done a great job decorating for Christmas with a house, nut crackers, Christmas trees, all lit up with lights. The railings on the various floors have garlands on them.

There are also decorations in the lobby of my office building.

And there were some in the lobby of our hotel in Xi'an. A gorgeous purple tree...

The bake counter in the restaurant in the lobby was decorated like a gingerbread house.

In contrast to all this light and festivity, we have also had a very high level of pollution this week. It is not common in Shanghai but our levels were higher than those in Beijing this week.
This is the sun at around 10-11 am

Through the trees...

If you remember the photos from my balcony last winter, here is the same view yesterday. The pollution level has dropped a lot today.

Air purifiers and masks are sold out at most retailers. Our apt doesn't seem to admit the pollution as I could smell the difference as soon as I stepped out into the balcony to take that photo. I did wear a mask on the way to work and back and when I went to the bank.

Lastly, I whipped out this pair of mittens for DH last weekend.

The yarn is the hand-dyed merino I bought in Melbourne. I knitted it at a fairly tight gauge. I hope it holds up. Merino is nice and soft and the mittens can handle some felting but I hope they don't pill too much.

I also did some finishing of handspun. I had some sample yarn spun on the various Jenkins spindles I've acquired over the last year. I had not finished any of them. So I wound them off and finished them. 

Today I finished the yarn that was endlessly plied on the Jenkins Swan. Here is the very beginning of the story. Here is the end... more than 1000 yds of 2 ply yarn - spindle spun and spindle plied. It was made from one 4 oz braid less the singles that I lost when I messed up one of the bobbins along the way. You can see that disaster here. If you want to read the whole story, just look at posts with the label 'gradient'. But all's well that end's well.

That last photo shows the gradient. It goes from a brownish red to a pinky red to a purple.

It is still damp so I won't wind it up into a twisted hank yet to take the shot with the quarter. That is reserved for next time.

I am also spinning away on the Briar Rose Cormo. Progress to date on the first single.

I hope the color counteracts the dreary pollution pictures.