Thursday, December 8, 2011
Hopsack weave
I finished the hop-sack weave on the 4-shaft loom! One of my favorite parts about this weave is the way it feels. Not only does it have a soft feel, but it also is pliable and has a slight texture. Because of it's pliability, it drapes nicely, too! Some fabrics weave up so stiff, but not this one!
After making the baby blanket, I had enough left over in my warp for a nice long and wide hand towel for the guest bathroom. The colors match the shower curtain and theme perfectly!!
In this warp, I mixed 12/2 with 16/2 cotton, and I was itching to see what twill would be like, so I reserved a few inches to try it out! It was the smallest twill I've ever woven! The sett is 32 e.p.i., and even the twill ended up being soft, pliable fabric. I think it also would have made a lovely baby blanket and hand towel!
The stripes add a lot of artistic "tension" to the warp because they were not planned out. I made it completely random, and even mixed some colors together for a heather look. When I sewed the two panels together, they looked really nice because they were mirror images of each other. But they were still a little unpredictable, which gave the eye interest.
I wish I had a loom that would weave blanket sized pieces so I wouldn't have to make a seam, but I'm just lucky I have a floor loom... so I don't complain!