Too much fun in my studio!

I recently did a bit of traveling and needed a portable project -- or two (I'll write about the other one real soon).  So I ventured off the handweaving path just a bit. I had no clue what it would be when I started, but I packed my size 11 knitting needles and whipped this up quite quickly. When I returned to my studio, I discovered that the thrums (waste yarn after a piece is cut off the loom) from my Zen Jacket were the perfect fringe along with some blue ribbon I had left from another project. So fun!

 

As always, I was inspired by Blue Heron Yarns handpainted skeins. This one is Rayon Loopy in the Mossy Place colorway.

 

Zen Jacket

And here is the jacket I made from the fabric of the previous post, Throw the Shuttle, Beat the Threads. 

This year, I've had lots of fun experimenting with new yarns and creating new fabrics.

 

For this warp I used a hand-painted skein of Bamboo Lace from Blue Heron Yarns and combined it with a solid green Bambu 7 from Silk City sett at 18 ends per inch. The weft was 8/2 Tencel.

 

The finished fabric drape is amazing. I wanted to keep the garment simple to show off the beauty of the color changes. It started out as a simple kimono. Then I added panels under the arms for more ease. It seemed to need something more in front. So I added a shaped neckline with an extra panel for an assymetric front and buttons.

 

The sleeves were twice as long but I didn't like the way they hung. I folded the fabric back on itself and stitched which gave it more stability.

 

I love this jacket. And woven into the fabric is the memory of my much needed zen moments that helped create it.

 

A Parrot in My Studio

I'm so excited about this new hand-painted yarn in "Parrot" colorway. It's a rayon metallic from Blue Heron Yarns. I now carry several different types of their handpainted skeins in my studio. 

 For this project, I matched the warp threads to create the color blocks. For the weft I used a fine orange bamboo thread. The drape of this fabric is amazing. It's light weight and drapey with just a touch of bling from the gold metallic in the threads.

Right now it's a very long scarf that's draped on my manniquin. Eventually, it may become a garment but for now, I just want to enjoy it in my studio.