Tartan Scarf

It is good to be busy, but it sure does take time away from blogging! Life has been go go go lately. I'm in the midst of getting ready for Black Sheep Gathering, which is happening June 19-21, if you happen to be in Eugene, OR then make sure to stop by and say hi! You can even see this lovely scarf (rav link) in person:

It was a quick weave for my learn to weave class. It used 1 skein of my MIU Superwash Sock in color Tartan! I dyed this yarn on purpose to make lovely faux-tartan scarves. Just wind the yarn onto the loom and weave! Simple!

Looks like it will be all ready for fall. When I took it off the loom my husband immediately asked if it was for him. Sorry dear, but I need it for a sample in the booth! Maybe when I retire it, he can have it. Though, I have a few more skeins of yarn in the stash which will be perfect for him too!

Stars & Stripes Towels

I just posted a new weaving pattern up on the website for my new Stars & Stripes Towels (rav link):

I made them out of Cascade Venezia Sport yarn, which is 70% Merino Wool 30% Silk. This yarn is so smooth and soft it is absolutely ideal for weaving towels. I stocked up on a bunch of it at Knot Another Hat's March Madness Sale, so I can make even more towels! Love them!

I'm teaching this class at Knot Another Hat Sunday, May 17th. The class is almost full, so make sure you sign up right away! If you aren't in the area, or can't make it to the class, don't worry, if you have woven a few scarves then you can tackle this project! I have the pattern up in the shop with step by step instructions to walk you through everything you need to know to make these towels. 

If you make them, please let me know! I would love to see your finished towels!

Faux Log Cabin Woven Placemats

A couple of weeks ago I taught a class on Color & Weave. For it we did a simple pattern to learn the basics. While I was developing the class I put together a step by step pattern that walks through making the placemats. So, I thought it would be fun to make the pattern available on the website!

The reason it is called "faux" is because it isn't quite a true log cabin pattern. A true one has an extra thread every repeat. For simplicity in teaching warping on the warping board for the first time, I omitted the extra thread. However, I did include a true log cabin draft in the back of the pattern, if you would like the extra challenge. 

This pattern is written for a Rigid Heddle Loom, but I include directions suitable for shafted looms, because those are what I was trained on first. My patterns are meant to teach someone how to use any loom whether it is a Rigid Heddle or a more traditional loom.

I just love the simplicity of these placemats. I can't wait to put them to use on my table. The yarn used is 2 colors of Zooey (a cotton/linen blend). Though any sport weight yarn or yarn around 18-20 wraps per inch (WPI) would work wonderfully too! Find the pattern on the website here: http://www.lavendersheep.com/shop/products/patterns/weaving/faux-log-cabin.html

Photo Friday: Warping Board

Year of the Scarf

Happy Holidays to everyone! We had a wonderful Christmas, now onto a wonderful new year! This year I ended up making quite a few scarves as gifts. 

First up is a scarf for my mom. Linen Stitch (rav link) scarves have been very popular lately and I thought I would finally jump on board the band wagon and knit one up! I had a lot of fun picking out the colors for it. I started with red Alpaca Sox from my stash and then matched it with a skein of Blue Moon Silky Socks That Rock in color Hollydays, which I have been saving for something special. The finishing touch was a ball of Paillettes, which have been very popular at my LYS. They give the little sequin sparkles you can just barely make out in the photo. I love them a lot. I knit until I ran out of the Paillettes and then knit an extra row of the Alpaca Sox and then did the bind off. It was a fun mostly mindless knit that went nicely with a busy holiday season. 

Next up I wove this lovely blue scarf (rav link) for a friend of mine. The warp was originally intended to be something else, but I had a sudden vision for this scarf and knew it would be perfect for my friend. The warp was Alpaca Silk Lace in Natural. The weft was  ball of Mini Mochi from my stash. I really love how the color shifts throughout the scarf. It was really fun to weave. I got it done just in time for the class I was teaching. 

Lastly, for the weaving class I taught, I had my husband pick out a skein of yarn from my stash to weave a scarf. He picked out Blue Moon Socks That Rock in limited edition color Doctors Without Borders. I wasn't really attracted to this skein in my stash, though I enjoyed buying it for a good cause. I really love it woven up. it surprised me how lovely it turned out. It looks like faux plaid. It went in my husband's stocking, even though he knew what it was. He has tried it on and hopefully it will help keep his neck warm this winter. I might have to play with some more sock yarn in my stash and see what other awesome scarves I can weave!

I have more projects to share, just need to get them photographed now that they have been unwrapped! Also, new colorways coming in 2015! I'm so excited to share all sorts of things here on the blog!

First Woven Scarf in a Very Long While

Back in college I just about ate and slept around weaving. I have a degree in textiles and business. Most of the textiles part of it was focused around weaving and then surface design and dyeing. After college I didn't really have the room for a loom and the looms I had weren't very fun to use. So I ended up selling them a few years ago. Recently I have seen a lot of excitement over the Rigid Heddle Looms. So, I was intrigued by them and thought it would be nice to have one. So my husband got me one for Christmas. I got a Schact 25" Flip Folding Loom. This is my first project: 

It sure feels good to be weaving again! This is one skein of my Panda Silk Sock yarn in color Mountain Sunset. I love it so very much. The colors are just beautiful in it. Honestly, I couldn't take a photo which did them justice!

That's a little better. I'm still not as fast as some! I can't quite whip one out in an evening, probably because I'm a bit of a perfectionist about my weaving. However, I did assemble the loom and weave this scarf in under a week. So, I feel pretty good about that! I have all sorts of ideas for projects, which I am trying to keep notes on. I have a whole Pinterest Board devoted to weaving patterns and ideas. It's a lot of fun! I even have some ideas for classes, so we'll see what happens there!

I will have this lovely scarf on display in my booth at the Columbia Gorge Fiber Festival starting Friday night through Sunday. Make sure to stop by and check it out! Also, if you have any questions about weaving, feel free to ask me. I have a lot of experience and love to give advice!