Mission Accomplished

Finallly!

Even Nola approves! She will get her own blanket shortly.

Progress Report on the Blanket

I can't believe how long I am taking over this! However, I am pleased with the results from the loom and now I have to make a good job of getting it all together. As with most crafts, the preparation and the finishing take more time than the actual craft. 
Here are the two finished fabrics.

Hand finishing begins with joining the panels together. This is done with a flat stitch, like sewing up knitting. Handling the bulk while working takes a bit of getting used to, but it's a warm job!

Even though the flat seams were unobtrusive I had decided to cover them with either a hand-made braid or stitching of some sort. There was a lot of trial and error before I settled on a lace technique to make a simple braid using some very fine shiny mercerised cotton I had in my stash. When I say very fine . . . I had to quadruple it in order to get the weight I wanted. Making it was quick compared with other lace but it needed two looong lengths so took a few days. 

On the reverse I wanted to finish the seams with feather stitching as a little nod to my late mother, Natasha's great-grandmother. She came from Dorset in England where Dorset Feather Stitch originated and she used it proudly in her own craft projects . . . so there is a little generational interest here.

The Better the Days the Better the Deed

Off the loom on Good Friday

Very gently machine washed on delicate setting, dried flat. 

Inspected and stray threads trimmed. No steaming or ironing. It did have ten minutes in the tumble drier on low but I was afraid to give it any more than that. It perhaps could do with a bit more fulling but I will think about that for a while. I may even wash it again. Alpaca does not full or shrink as much as wool.

A very satisfactory Easter even if it was under lock-down. I will take a break now, make a few adjustments to the loom where I had a breakage of one of the main cords. Then I will be ready to do it all over again. The middle panel will be wider but only half the length because there is only one.

The End is in Sight

Rolling along

Rolling on to the front

and off the back

The Weft

This must be the time to have a look at the yarns.

First the warp. This is the cone after winding the first warp. It's good to know there is plenty on there for the second warp . . . the one for the centre panel.

The same as for the warp, there are two threads together in the weft. The darker one is labelled 60% alpaca with some other fibres in there I can't identify because of the language. The light one I thought was mohair but who knows? I won't know what is in these yarns till I find someone who can read Chinese.

It may seem strange using such contrasting colours together but neither on their own are quite right and this is what my sampling told me. . . see, it is useful to sample. Using three different shades together delivers a brighter and more interesting colour than one bland colour throughout so I am pleased with the result.

It does mean a little more prep, winding the two threads together, but that can be done during TV time or in a coffee break. This is how I stopped the balls rolling around the furniture.

Now that one large ball has been woven up (approx 1.3metres) I can do the maths and work out that I have plenty of yarn to complete the project. I was fairly confident, but it is nice to have mathematical proof.

Weaving

I have some lovely ski shuttles but they never seem to work for me. I thought this might be the time for them . . . but no, not for this job. They catch on the warp too much . . . probably because of the way I hold them. I think my arms are not long enough.

Tried and true . . . out comes the stick shuttle. 

The first half metre is done!