Continuous Strand Weaving with "kitchen" cotton

 It just never fails...I am shopping in Walmart (I did 2 miles there the other day!) and stroll by Peaches & Crème, Lily Sugar 'n Cream, whichever brand they carry (I think it's the former). The big cones in favorite colors are particularly tempting.  I do like the color changing yarns, which is referred to as ombré. It's not terribly finished, a wee but rough,  but tough.  Apparently both these brands are owned at present by Spinrite, a Canadian company. I don't know, however, if these two yarn brands produce identical yarns. I read somewhere that one is for US distribution and the other, Canada.

My habit with these yarns is to sometimes knit washcloths/dishcloths, whatever. But lately I'm using my 12 inch square loom to weave these items. My fiber guild is currently collecting washcloths for a local women's shelter, and this loom has been my vehicle to create a bunch...

In order to get a thick enough fabric on the loom, I double the yarn. My habit is to line up the colors. I've discovered that with this method I get an unusual but satisfying plaidish pattern. Why? Maybe the goddesses of space dyed yarn know...

I like to add a little loop for hanging

Here it is at the end of construction while on-loom

My loom is from Carl Spriggs and has 49 nails per side set at 3/8 inch. One must weave loosely due to the "takeup" that occurs during weaving from all the unders and overs. The last few passes I use a crochet hook as it gets ever tighter.

Here are a few others from this year

LARGE Continuous Strand Afghan

Finally done after two years and many challenges. I purchased a used 5 foot square loom a couple of years ago. This was completed for the friend who made my 7 foot triloom. The yarn is Lion Brand Hometown held double for a thick fabric. I don't think I would undertake a similar project without using a natural fiber.

Here it is on the loom which was on and off my dining room table for two years. Towards the end, I could only do a couple of passes at once because of all the reaching. (I don't have back issues and don't plan on acquiring any!!)

Uneven weaving, probably due to the thick fabric and too tight weaving (hard to get it loose enough on this big a project), prompted a diagonal seam when I couldn't complete weaving on all the nails which you can see in the photo below. (Thank goodness for my trusty Janome). This resulted in a diagonal fringe on the wrong side which I kind of like. This project was a learning experience. Finished afghan is 4.5 feet square. I do love the colors!

Square continuous strand loom weaving: child's jacket

I don't live where it's very cold but I love working with wool. I had purchased my 28 " square loom to do warm weather tops for myself (and I've done one), but this winter I tried something with wool yarn from my largeish stash for donation. Here are some sort of directions and photos:

I completed a square, it was woven with worsted and heavy worsted and I wove tightly so the end was a squeeze. Of course the most woven warp threads really tighten up a lot. 

 I was afraid that the weave would be too loose but it wasn't. I impulsively put it in the washer and dryer to felt it a bit. I was very happy on removal from the dryer. It would up at about a 20 inch square. Remember...you can felt more but you can't felt less...start in the washer with a short cycle and warm, not hot, water. If your fabric is not felted enough, repeat and try the dyer.

I made some strategic cuts, now that it was a bit felted it did not fall apart. At the top, opening for the neck, neck slit 1/3 of the way down, and arm hole openings 2/3 of the way down. 

Folded over thus

I sewed the front horizontal seams using a zig zag for reinforcement. I also zig zagged the other cut edges. Then, I crocheted  around the front openings and neck. Added buttonholes in my crocheting. 

Finally, I turned it inside out and made a seam to narrow the sleeves and pressed the little collar opening.  It is a US size 3-4.  Very little waste...4 triangles where I cut to fit the sleeves . (not enough to add a hood, unhappily).

Very proud of my warm little wooly jacket which will be going off to the Salaam Cultural Center for "Hats and More for War Torn Syria" pretty soon. 

Little Triloom Ponchos

I have completed two little triloom ponchos and a small shawl so far this year, all done on my "lace dent" loom. "Lace" isn't really the right word as the "dent" is 3/8  inch, hardly lace.  But I double and triple up on a worsted weight yarn and it works. I haven't found a loom with a smaller dent, not sure that they exist.

I wanted to be able to weave some items for "Hats and More for War Torn Syria" group on Ravelry. Via the Salaam Cultural Center in Seattle, this amazing group sends items to Syria and places where Syrian refugees actually wind up.  I figured out that I could "fold" my finished piece into a poncho shape and add buttons.  One of the added benefits is that one uses one's yarn faster than with knitting (!)

Here, my friend's 5 year old models an unfinished poncho, he said very cutely  "but it needs buttons!"  I crochet an edge and add buttonholes and of course buttons.

Here are completed ponchos, with buttons.  This one was done from naturally dyed wool (I didn't dye it)

Here is another, front and back. I used as above 3 strands of worsted weight, in with the blue one one strand of purple, making it lovely and vibrant.

The bottom of the back had very loose weave so I hand wove in some threads. I liked the effect, actually. 

I hope that these will be functional garments. They could of course be head or neck warmers.

Continuous Strand Weaving (Trilooms and others)

Sammie makes a point of sitting on a loom. Maybe it's warm, maybe it's the texture. Maybe it's because it makes her look skinny (she's not)

Continuous strand weaving...defined..using a single strand of yarn as warp and weft on a loom made for the purpose with nails. No warping required. Looms can be triangular "trilooms", square, or rectangular.

I spotted my first tri-loom more than 20 years ago, at the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival. There was an immediate attraction, but it took me some years  to acquire one.  My friend who is a woodworker made me a large standing loom with a seven foot hypotenuse a couple of years ago.

I do however  also love working on a loom that is small enough to use while seated.  I also have a square loom that is a "lace" sett loom, with nails 1/4 inch apart. Here are some photos from the last several years of my continuous strand weaving adventures

Here is my 26 inch square loom, which is a lace sett. I purchased it from this guy who is a master at making these. I bought it to make myself shirts. This project involved one strand of silk and another of a slightly loopy cotton.

My plan to make shirts worked wonderfully. The bias weave is very comfortable!

Here are some small views of my 7 foot hypotenuse standing loom, made by my friend Greg. It has a half inch sett and is lovely for heavier yarns. This project involved handspun Sari silk which was plied with Aunt Lydia's crochet cotton, for strength.  I spun the Sari silk myself, and bought it here.  It made a nice and large shawl.  I have made several large shawls on this loom and they are all lovely.

I recently acquired another lace sett square loom, with a 4 foot hypotenuse. I am having fun with this. Here are photos of a project involving some loopy mohair that has been in stash forever as it is impossible to knit with...

I am exploring the idea of a child's sweater...

Here is another piece on this loom  with some natural dyed wool, where it came from I don't know. All the yarn is manipulated by hand...under and over. I love the tactile quality of the weaving process!

I have a small one with the same sett that I use for sampling to make sure that the product will come out as conceived...there is some takeup once it's off the loom. The way that I am weaving, it seems to be about 5%; so the finished fabric is denser than on the loom.