Marlborough Weavers

Waitangi Day Heritage Day at Brayshaw Park - 1

2012-02-10T20:00:00.021+13:00

On 6 February, Waitangi Day there is always a 'Heritage Day' at Brayshaw Park and the groups who have their 'home' there are expected to open their doors to the public and reveal the mysteries of their crafts. While the name above our door says Beavertown Hall, to our Guild members this place has always been, and still is known as Bobbin Cottage.

Win represented the Tapestry group with her almost-finished group challenge work. On a visit to Win's home in July we saw the yarns for this piece which Win had just dyed.

Chis and Joan used some of the time to have a sort out of the equipment. Don't ask what Chris is going to do with this relic! In fact, don't even ask what it is.

Chris also did a sterling job handing out bookmarks to advertise the upcoming Festival. Well done Chris!

Jan demonstrated inkle weaving and chatted avidly to everyone who showed an interest.

"Bubble Wrap", by Rose Pelvin

2012-01-10T10:23:00.001+13:00

A new start for a new year, and the first meeting is next Sunday at Tricia's.

Here Comes 2012

2012-01-01T00:06:00.000+13:00

Happy and Creative New Year, everybody.
From Marlborough Weavers.

Season's Greetings

2011-12-21T10:00:00.010+13:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Weaving to all!

October Meeting: Wearing the Fashion

2011-10-26T15:11:00.000+13:00

Wearing the Fashion

Judy wearing her subtly striped cotton scarf

Judy's double weave adapted from an overshot pattern, just off the loom

Betsy's cape, finally made up, from her first venture into felting

Rose's Hats for Hope

Knitted by Nancy - so delicate

A bonnet (or is it?) A felted work in progress from Jan

And, yes, it was a WEAVERS' meeting. Betsy's full sized Touch Yarns throw rug weighs less than 500 grams and is soft and beautiful to touch. It is modeled here by Chris

Rose

Connecting Threads - an Exhibition

2011-10-17T17:41:00.001+13:00

A retrospective exhibition of handweaving from Peg Moorhouse and Rose Pelvin is now showing at the Gillan Art Salon, Grove Road, Blenheim [opposite the Railway Station], 10 am to 4 pm daily until 24th October.

A great opportunity to see the contrasting styles of two of our most experienced weavers: Rose's signature elegant table linens, and Peg's colourful wall hangings. As Steve Austin [CEO of the Marlborough Museum] said "These works represent a celebration of the survival of tradition".

There are more pictures here.

Chris

Area Exhibition: "Hands on Fibre" Part 2

2011-10-09T09:00:00.001+13:00

Peg's hangings won the Marlborough award.

Jenny's tapestry

And of course you've already seen Win's piece. It won the Best Woven Article and Overall Best awards.

Red is so difficult to photograph, so this is a shot using another camera, one with which I am more familiar.

Well done, everybody!!

There are a few long shots here.

Meg

Area Exhibition: "Hands on Fibre" Part 1

2011-10-07T18:44:00.001+13:00

The Nelson Marlborough Buller Area exhibition opened on Saturday at Refinery Art Space in Nelson. THE EXHIBITION HAS NOW BEEN EXTENDED BY TWO WEEKS; IT IS NOW OPEN UNTL 21ST/22ND-ISH OF OCTOBER.

Here are some of our weavers' woven pieces.

Chris' scarf and Sue's tunic

Chris's rug

Rose's baby blankets. She also had a black cotton scarf, which, in spite of about a dozen tries, your truly just could not photograph well. But you see it at the back of Chris's rug above.

Joan didn't want me taking a picture of her in front of her lovely scarf. but it turned out this was a good move. We now know that by the time this photo was taken, she had already lost her necklace!

There are a few long shots here.

Meg

Stop Press: Nelson/Marlborough/Buller Exhibition

2011-10-02T18:58:00.003+13:00

This year's Nelson/Marlborough/Buller Area Exhibition opened today, in the heavy rain, at Refinery Art Space in Nelson. It will be open for one week only.

While a more detailed post is forthcoming, I felt compelled to report that our own Win Currie took the top prize, Overall Best in the Exhibition.

Congratulations, Win.

Meg

September Meeting: Show and Tell

2011-09-30T09:00:00.026+13:00

Show and tell has been a bit sparse lately. Could it be that everyone is busy working for the Festival?

Rose's Perendale, merino and mohair throw rug which should be in the Area Exhibition but she didn't look at the calendar soon enough!

This fabric is a fine boucle weft on an 8 shaft combination twill merino warp in two shades of green. If all goes well you will see Rose walking around at Festival wearing it. (What are YOU going to wear?)

Anne's gorgeous textured scarf from last month, now finished and looking great. Amazing what you can do with cocolastic.

This is what we call the 'weaver's handshake.' We think there will be a lot of it going on at Festival, and not just for weaving but knitting, felting, crochet and who knows what other techniques.

Get busy, everybody.

Rose

September Meeting: Rag Weaving, Part 2

2011-09-29T09:00:00.024+13:00

Still on rag weaves - more that have stood the test of time.

Bag by Sue, finished with a fancy button and chain handle.

Cushion by Tricia with sample of the fabric strip attached.

A more complex cushion by June. Making the twisted cord for the outside took her the whole length of the house and them some!

Tricia contemplates the bolster-shaped cushion she made out of - guess what - cushion covers!

Chris made this 'up-to-the-minute' waistcoat for her teenagedaughter. Did she wear it? No!

A pity because it is lovely, and beautifully made.

Rose

September Meeting: Rag Weaving, Part 1

2011-09-28T16:51:00.001+13:00

Here are some photos from the September Weavers' meeting.

The topic was rag weaving and it was amazing what appeared and how long some of it has been in fairly constant use. Most of these items were woven about 20 years ago.

Betsy's charming bath mat, woven on a point twill threading with a weft of soft fabric offcut strips sold in garden shops for tying plants.

Chris's brilliant (in all senses of the word) picnic rug, woven double width from re-purposed curtains.

The rest, to the best of my knowledge, are Sue's. They have had constant use and constant washing and are probably in better condition than the washing machine Sue used to stuff them into - some of them are quite large!

More to come.
Rose

Weavezine Project

2011-09-20T08:36:00.000+12:00

I have a small fun project here. The instructions can be found at Weavezine.com.

The bear could be made from commercial fabric scraps, knitted or crocheted squares or whatever you have available.

I used a diagonal weaving frame 10 cm x 10 cm

This is the second one I have made and is a slight improvement on the first one, although it still doesn’t look much like a bear, which will spend its entire life masquerading as a rabbit. Unfortunately I have not yet got a photo of the first one

by Noelene Gratton

November 2010 Meeting - Part 6: Weaving Weft Ikat

2011-09-16T11:00:00.016+12:00

This is the last of six posts from the November 2010 meeting, and the last scenes from Ikat Workshop by Julia Murbach of Richmond Weavers.

Julia had brought with her a lovely little 4 shaft floor loom, very narrow but perfect for weaving samples. She had prepared 4 different bobbins of ikat dyed weft for us to try.

Joan

Betsy weaving with Sue looking on.

by Rose Pelvin

November 2010 Meeting - Part 5: The Audience

2011-09-13T11:00:00.020+12:00

This is the fifth of six posts from the November 2010 meeting. These four posts show scenes from Ikat Workshop by Julia Murbach of Richmond Weavers.

Julia had a very attentive audience

Sue, Tricia and June

Dawn and Jan looked after us

Barbara, Betsy, Win and Joan

Chris, Anne Rive, Noelene, Anne Jones (formerly Udy)

Jenny

Joan, Julia, Chris, ?? and Betsy

by Rose Pelvin

November 2010 Meeting - Part 4: Ikat Examples

2011-09-10T11:00:00.031+12:00

This is the fourth of six posts from the November 2010 meeting. These four posts show scenes from Ikat Workshop by Julia Murbach of Richmond Weavers.

Julia explained how mirror image ikats like this can be prepared double and then opened out. This one is in a fairly coarse cotton but has a fine cotton band at each end.

A large bedspread woven by Julia, with ikat panels and stripes

A selection of Julia’s ikat weavings

Silk ikat in a satin weave, brought back from China by Joan. Note the difference in the two sides.

A commercially woven fabric. Note the unravelled thread showing the spacing of the dyed sections.

More views of Julia’s work

A teatowel made by Julia during a course where she says “too many cooks” can cause chaos. It looks fine to me!

by Rose Pelvin

November 2010 Meeting - Part 3: Ikat Demonstration by Julia Murbach

2011-09-07T10:00:00.097+12:00

This is the third of six posts from the November 2010 meeting. The next four posts show scenes from Ikat Workshop by Julia Murbach of Richmond Weavers.

Julia demonstrates how to make the ties.

The raddle is attached to the FRONT of the loom and the warp temporarily wound on to the front beam.

With the warp firmly attached at the front, the various sections are manipulated through the shifting box according to the pre-determined pattern.

The warp is tied on to the back stick (uneven lengths because of the shifting of some sections) and beamed on to the back roller.

And yes, the pattern is intact.

And after being wound on the back beam, the warp is ready to thread

by Rose Pelvin

November 2010 Meeting - Part 2: Year of the Garment

2011-09-04T10:00:00.020+12:00

This is the second of six posts from the November 2010 Meeting. 2010's goal was for everybody to create a garment out of our own handwoven cloth.

Joan tries on Judy’s top (part 1 of a 2-part outfit) woven in two fancy twills.

Tricia’s jacket with lots of colours on white is a work in progress. Joan tells her how long to make it. Buttons of various colours will complete the look.

Win’s black wrap has an edging of her signature frills around it.

Joan wove a 4 shaft crepe fabric after our workshop. Her generous wrap has inset sleeves and a multi-coloured crochet edge.

Rose wore her 8 panel skirt but forgot to ask someone to take her photo. Taking one in the mirror without using a flash shows an unsteady hand! Fine rayon threads incorporated in the warp give a sheen. Linen in the weft ensures that it creases!

by Rose Pelvin

November 2010 Meeting - Part 1: Merriment and Pin Cushion Swap

2011-09-01T11:00:00.038+12:00

The next six posts are from the end of last year, documenting the Year End meeting held in November 2010. The delay is due to Blog Mum being distracted and loosing the plot, and she apologizes profusely.

* * * * *

The Year End meeting of 2010 consisted of the woven garment (the annual theme) fashion show, a pin-cushion swap, Julia Murbach Ikat workshop, and end-of-year merriment.

Anne Udy – now Anne Jones!

Chris contemplating the fact she has not produced a garment.

Chris and Joan provided flowers, and luscious desserts to follow our Chinese meal.

The collection.

by Rose Pelvin

August Meeting - Part 3

2011-08-31T10:00:00.013+12:00

These beautiful Dorset buttons made by June are embellished with tiny sparkly red beads.

Tricia had brought along this poncho which she had sewn beads on. . . but felt it wasn't quite finished.

During the afternoon she added a wavy I-cord (or rats tail depending where & when you grew up) and completed the task.
by Rose Pelvin

August Meeting - Part 2

2011-08-30T09:00:00.000+12:00

June cleverly used a supplementary warp on part of this mat and then used the rest of it to embroider the decoration.

June shows hand-made tassels from among her treasures

. . . and cards embellished with fibres of various sorts

Anne had just finished a collapse weave piece which everyone loved. She had to keep her eye on it as it went beautifully with garments that other people were wearing!

By Rose Pelvin

August Meeting - Part 1

2011-08-29T09:00:00.001+12:00

The August meeting was a daytime one, held on Sunday afternoon 21st. It was fine enough to sit outside Bobbin Cottage and enjoy the sun. The meeting was led by Tricia and Sue on the theme of 'embellishments' and they had provided embellished garments as examples and lots of books and magazines for inspiration.

Tricia got brave and cut the piece of fabric she brought when she first came to the group. Here is a vest made from part of it - an embellishment in progress.

This hat was also made by Tricia. Diagonal weaving at the Rotoiti retreat was new to some people and several people were enthusiastic about it. The hat is made from two diagonally woven squares.

. . . like this.

Simple crochet, but so effective on Win's beautiful alpaca scarf with huck lace motifs.

by Rose Pelvin

Rotoiti Retreat - Part 8

2011-08-27T10:00:00.000+12:00

Oh, and all the bags!!!

by Rose Pelvin

Rotoiti Retreat - Part 7

2011-08-26T10:00:00.000+12:00

Demonstrations and Traders

Anne Grassham demonstrates diagonal weaving

Diane Holmwood demonstrates shibori dyeing with Genesis dyes

Silks, socks, whatever . . . all take the dye

Karen Broderson demonstrates needle felting

Hallblacks had their usual multitude of mind-blowing yarns

and Linda Cleary had the cutest buttons...

including some of lovely hand-painted bamboo

by Rose Pelvin

Rotoiti Retreat - Part 6

2011-08-25T09:00:00.035+12:00

Knitting and Knitters at the Retreat.

Knitting seemed to be the activity of choice. Socks were popular, especially with self-patterning yarn, some hand dyed. One person knits two socks at the same time. Thought there were knitting needles everywhere, in every size and configuration, there was no click-clacking to be heard. Perhaps because they are made in different materials these days, or it may just be that the chatting drowned out the clicking. There was plenty of that as well.

This beautiful knitted scarf was raffled

Circular needle, two colours

Josie knitting a sock on 4 needles

BIG needles

Two needles. This person uses the underarm technique

Yvonne's scarf has grown a lot during the day

Mary Hall shows a very large, very lacy knitted... thing(?) with sleeves

Which turns out to be an elegant coat to wear to a wedding

by Rose Pelvin

Rotoiti Retreat - Part 5

2011-08-22T09:00:00.022+12:00

Weaving and Spinning

Blanket made from diagonally woven squares

Closeup

Plenty of people were keen to try

This is how it's done

Natural Gotland

Some spinners think big! This is called 'wild spinning'

Others prefer fine and elegant

by Rose Pelvin

Rotoiti Retreat - Part 4

2011-08-19T09:00:00.001+12:00

Still not woven, but treats spotted at the retreat.

Shoes are not to be worn in the Lodge so felted slippers are just the thing

Win assists a friend to adjust an attractive knitted wrap

If there was a prize for the most warmly dressed, this would win

And the back view

Knitted entrelac in natural colours

And in bright colours for a child's car seat cover

by Rose Pelvin

Rotoiti Retreat - Part 3

2011-08-16T09:00:00.004+12:00

Not woven, but spotted at Rotoiti.

Knitted socks were high on the popularity list

A very warm work in progress

Knitted beads. The red ones are from plastic bags

Hold on - I'll be back in a minute

A mobius scarf

by Rose Pelvin

Rotoiti Retreat - Part 2

2011-08-13T09:00:00.031+12:00

Marlborough Guild was well represented at Retreat:

Seen here from left to right are our Mary Neal, June McKenzie, and Jen Smith with new Area Delegate Beryl Hunter

Win Currie, Denise Cleghorn (who now lives in Canterbury but we still claim her, Nancy Taylor and Cherie Maffey

Jan Hannay about to don a felted slipper. Along with Nancy, Janwas doing her bit to promote Hats for Hope

Our President, Pam Hilliard, in a pensive moment

Noeline Gratton and Tricia Jane watching a demonstration. Tricia knitting non-stop.

Yvonne Burns and Josie Butt kept their needles flying

Cherry Mitchell debates whether stripes and flowers all go together

Lyn Clark is concentrating on the Show and Tell

New member Nola McKenzie fitted right in with a big smile

by Rose Pelvin

Rotoiti Retreat - Part 1

2011-08-11T09:16:00.000+12:00

The annual winter Retreat at Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson Lakes National Park was held on 5-7 August. As expected, the weather was cold but a wonderful log fire ensured the Lodge was warm. Members came from all over the Top of the South Island and also the West Coast. Activities were many and varied, several traders appeared to be doing brisk business, meals were fortifying and delicious, friendships were renewed and new ones begun.

by Rose Pelvin

July Meeting at Win's, Part 2

2011-07-23T08:56:00.030+12:00

Win was showing and telling but I had my eye on her magnificent felt beads!

Like the albatross and penguins on her wall.

This was Win's tapestry just off the loom. Birds and shorelines are among her favourite subjects.

These are the colours she dyed in the microwave oven, ready for her next work which will be similar to . . .

Jenny's interpretation of a group challenge. Well done Jenny. I'm sorry if the photo is upside down or sideways!

New member Jen has been learning to weave under June's tuition. She's wearing her first scarf. Lovely colours Jen.

And this is her first bag. Sorry it's not a good photo - too much sunshine!

A close-up of the weave on the front of the bag.

by Rose Pelvin

July Meeting at Win's, Part 1

2011-07-19T13:53:00.003+12:00

We enjoyed Win's hospitality on a lovely sunny day. Pumpkin soup and homemade bread added to the general well-being. Thank you Win. We welcome two new members, Jen and Cathie.

Tricia tucks under the ends of Joan's just-finished floor rug; another reincarnation of the curtains.

Is this how much weaving Chris does each day? Or is she talking fishing?

One of Rose's scarves. Who knows what the fibre is? Who cares!

Three scarves from the same warp. Three different wefts.

Joan and Win inspect an ikat scarf from the Philippines.

And we are all intrigued with the way the fringes are tied.

by Rose Pelvin

Peg and June Catching Up, by Rose

2011-07-06T12:22:00.001+12:00

Peg and June have a rare catch-up with each other. Here they are checking out some of Peg's latest work. Happy 94th birthday on 9 July Peg!

by Rose Pelvin

June Meeting: Reviewing the Maryanne Stamford Workshop

2011-06-23T10:37:00.000+12:00

Winter weariness (or over commitment) seems to have set in, so it was a small group who enjoyed the June Weavers' meeting. It was an informal, cosy, round-table meeting with plenty of time for conversation. Win gave a summary of the Maryanne Stamford workshop and those who had attended added their comments and observations. All who had attended had found it a challenge and more complex than expected, but had learned a lot and were glad they had taken the opportunity to attend.

Win's first sample is now off the loom. She has tried various background patterns and even a small amount of pick-up.

Chris had several pattern variations to choose from that Maryanne had printed out using the PCW sotfware. This one appealed and is looking good on the loom. Keep up the good work Chris.

Although not at the meeting, Meg was overjoyed that tie down did need not be in tabby, though it took some time and energy to figure out why her "twills" didn't show up as well as Win's.

Show and Tell was rather thin on the ground but Rose showed off her recently made Jacket. The fabric is from 'way back' and when asked when she had woven it, Rose thought is was one of her 'more recent' pieces, maybe from about five years ago. She fibbed! Research into the archives shows it was woven in June/July 2001! And no, there is no moth damage (and yes, there's more where that came from.) Lots of helpful ideas were forthcoming about buttons/fastening etc, and brownie points were awarded for the Thai silk scarf.

A closeup shows the 8 shaft twill blocks (2-1-2-3) woven as a goose-eye. The warp and weft are the same, a VERY fine wool singles, used double and still set at 24e.p.i. (My friend Sue Broad challenged me with this yarn.) The warp was 33 inches in the reed and 6 yards long. A supplementary warp at the change of direction is a boucle knitting wool with a metallic silver thread through it.

Conscious of the Festival coming to Marlborough in 2012, it's time to start getting serious about wearing our work. Remember, YOU are the FASHION!

by Rose Pelvin

Granddaughter's Cape, by Rose

2011-05-22T09:00:00.001+12:00

This is the cape I made for my granddaughter to help her through the Christchurch winter. It is woven in 2/2 twill in some sort of wool blend. The yarn is from my 'way-back' stash and had no label. It produced a very lightweight soft fabric that drapes well and is very warm.

by Rose Pelvin

June's House

2011-05-18T08:12:00.000+12:00

When I was in Blenheim in April for the block weave workshop, I had the great pleasure of visiting June McKenzie at her home. The house itself is a lovely old villa with a rambling garden, but what was so exciting was every room was full of June's woven work, not just scarves and fabrics, but garments and even upholstered pieces.

So, may I suggest you make yourself a nice cup of something lovely, and "walk" with me?

Possibly my most favorite piece of the day was this foot stool.

Rain got heavier and the light very bad, so the colors in the photo above and below are not representative of these fabrics, but I knew you'd want to see the texture and the design.

Thank you for a lovely time, June.

You can see more of June's work here.

by Meg Nakagawa

Table Pieces, by Betsy

2011-05-14T09:00:00.000+12:00

In April, I had an opportunity to shoot some of Betsy's table pieces in cotton, cottolin, and wool.

by Meg Nakagawa

Merino & Silk Scarf, by Judy Bool

2011-05-07T09:00:00.000+12:00

Judy says. "This scarf has warp in silk, weft in merino with scale, the 8-shaft network draft by Ingrid Boesel in 20 EPI can be found on Page 33 of Weavers magazine, Issue 25."

by Meg Nakagawa

"Timeless Treasures", by Rose Pelvin

2011-05-04T08:00:00.001+12:00

These are from my exhibition, "Timeless Treasures", at Fibre Spectrum, Trafalgar Street, Nelson, for the month of May.

by Rose Pelvin

April Block Weave Workshop, Part 2

2011-05-03T10:51:00.000+12:00

Some of us were greatly helped by looking at her woven samples to understand the theory; all of us were in awe of her samples, each of us having different favorites.

Joan could not believe she put on a brown warp for a sampler, but she did get lovely results.

Chris's consultation with Maryann paid off; she got nice bright samples.

Judy was hard at work.

Marjike experimented with polychrome Summer & Winter.

Maryann demonstrated pick up.

Win was tentative at first, but became very brave.

Win's sample: reversed 3-end twill in the background.

This was woven with a textured weft yarn. Says Win, "It should be woven with the pattern on the reverse side to minimise lifting of sheds."

"In the pale weft section the part between the 2 motifs is done by 'pick up ' method," by Win, who previous thought "pick-up" was a dirty word!

Joan, you're not still talking about the brown warp, are you??

by Rose Pelvin, Win Currie & Meg Nakagawa

April Block Weave Workshop, Part 1

2011-05-03T09:42:00.000+12:00

On 14 & 15 April, we welcomed Maryann Stamford from Queensland, Australia, to teach us about weaving in blocks. At times some of us felt our brains were scrambled, but the many woven samples Maryann showed us helped, and in the end we came out excited about new possibilities.

Let's see how how we can weave the word "GUEST" on a guest towel.

Anne, Betsy and Judy filling in squares...

Barbara and Joan creating separate blocks...

Chris and Marjike figuring out the lifting order; do we see a smile on Chris?

Chris gets her profile draft converted into a weaving draft by Maryanne.

"Oh, and we know how to weave this now!"

by Rose Pelvin & Meg Nakagawa

Sneak Preview, by Rose Pelvin

2011-05-02T08:00:00.008+12:00

Advance notice that I have an exhibition at Fibre Spectrum in Nelson for May. I've called it Timeless Treasures as I'm bringing out some of my linen pieces that have been 'maturing' in a dark alcove for a while. I do have some new work in the form of braided cords for necklaces, and in between there are scarves - where would we be without them.

by Rose Pelvin

Creative Fibre Festival 2011 and 2012, by Chris

2011-04-27T13:00:00.004+12:00

The annual festival of Creative Fibre, or NZSWWS, (New Zealand Spinning, Weaving and Woolcrafts Society) opens in beautiful Thames tomorrow, Thursday 28 April. To everybody going to Thames, have a lovely time, and look out for the Festival 2012 team - they'll be the ones in funny hats proclaiming Love Marlborough. Because...

The festival in 2012 will be held in Blenheim, hosted by our big-sister organization, Marlborough Creative Fibre guild, and today, we are happy to announce the official launch of our website/blog, Facebook page, and Twitter.

This blog will be updated as details of the festival are finalised and information/material are made available. So, please visit regularly.

by Chris Beech

March Meeting: Thick and Thin

2011-03-24T10:01:00.001+13:00

The topic for the March meeting was thick and thin. Unfortunately my camera batteries ran out before I could photograph many of the examples people brought in. These are the few I did get.

June's "Scotch Thistle" in thick and thin yarns in three-shaft pick-up, which she assured us is an easy technique. Sides A and B.

Tricia's scarf with the yarns she used to make it.

A favourite blanket weave from Rose. In this case, the 'thick' is boucle.
(EDIT: Rose wasn't sure about this photo, but Blog Mum understands the difficulty of photographing fluffy textiles with autofocus. Plus, what weaver can resist the lovely loops in this cloth, right?)

by Rose Pelvin

February Meeting: Setting the Programme at Tricia's

2011-03-02T10:59:00.000+13:00

We met on Saturday at the home of Tricia who is one of our group's co-leaders this year. Unfortunately Sue, the other leader couldn't be there. What an inspiration to be faced with colour, colour, colour, yarns, yarns, yarns and books, books, books! Thank you Tricia for allowing us to delve into your treasures and inspect everything. As Chris pointed out, there could be a whole workshop/study on your cushions alone! Sorry I didn't get to take photos of show and tell. I must have been awe-struck!

Tricia checks the agenda for the day

June is fascinated by the array of Rowan yarns

Noeline and her daughter Sonya sitting with Anne. So glad you haven't moved to Christchurch yet Anne.

Joan made herself comfortable to have a browse among the books.

Sonya's socks which she knitted herself.

by Rose Pelvin

Meanwhile, Blog Mum has been tardy in organizing the multi-part post from the last meeting of 2010 held in November. They will be coming soon-ish.

Handmade for Christchurch

2011-02-28T11:42:00.001+13:00

A group of mothers established Handmade for Christchurch. Here is their Facebook page, and here is their information if you'd like to donate your hand work. (Don't click on the flier; I can't remember how to put a link to it.)

Here is their TradeMe (NZ eBay) page. For now only residents of New Zealand and Australia can bid, but they are working on an alternative PayPal option.

Donations will go to the Salvation Army and Women's Refuge.

If you'd like to help us spread the word, please feel free to copy the picture above and post, (I have their permission,) but please also attach at least one workable link.

Creative Fibre at Heritage Day, Brayshaw Park, Blenheim, February 6th 2011

2011-02-28T10:00:00.001+13:00

Jan showing Inkle Weaving

by Chris Beech

Creative Fibre at Heritage Day, Brayshaw Park, Blenheim, February 6th 2011

2011-02-26T14:00:00.006+13:00

Win demonstrating tapestry weaving

by Chris Beech

Creative Fibre at Heritage Day, Brayshaw Park, Blenheim, February 6th 2011

2011-02-24T14:36:00.002+13:00

Joan weaving Ikat.

by Chris Beech

Teatowels, by Rose Pelvin

2011-02-01T09:58:00.000+13:00

Finally the teatowels I started in October are finished. I did the hemming while on Grandmother duty in the school holidays. The warp and weft are both Nialin, 60% cotton, 40% linen - a yarn I really like for teatowels; it doesn't need anything more than a plain weave. The sett I use is 18 epi and I usually sley it 2, 1, 2, 1 in a 12 dent reed and the reed marks wash out. This time I had a 10 dent reed in so, instead of changing it, I sleyed it 2, 2, 2, 2, 1. You can see in the photo that the reed marks did not wash out this time, which gives it a bit of an interesting texture but I'm not sure I like it. It seems to be neither one thing or the other. At least I will have something to put on show on Heritage Day.

Waitangi Day Sunday 6 February is Heritage Day at Brayshaw Park where Marlborough Creative Fibre has its headquarters. It will be well worth a visit to have a look at what else goes on in the park as many local groups meet and carry out their activities there. If nothing else it will be an entertaining site to see us all dressed up in 1940s/50s gear. So come along and join in, "have a go" at a craft you may not have tried before, browse the crafts and also the produce and baking stalls and have a good day out.

by Rose Pelvin

Modification to Comments Options

2011-01-21T10:33:00.001+13:00

This blog has been inundated with unattractive commercials in the last 10 days. I have disabled the "Anonymous" option for the foreseeable future. If you would like to leave a comment and do not have Blogger and other accounts to identify yourself, please use the Name/URL option.

Blog Mum

EDIT: I forgot that if I take out the Anonymous option, the Name?URL option goes, too, SO INSTEAD ALL ANONYMOUS comments will be deleted. Please stick with the Name/URL option.

Book Cover, by Jan Hannay

2011-01-17T10:50:00.001+13:00

Jan Hannay and I had a fun morning when she made good her promise to turn her mirror image tapestry into a book cover.

by Rose Pelvin

"Deflected Doubleweave # 2 - Two Grays Scarf", by Judy Bool

2011-01-09T17:59:00.000+13:00

For my second version of the draft in the 2007 Handwoven magazine (issue 133) I chose a 74/2 2ply merino yarn. Both shades of gray were used double in the warp and weft, set at epi and ppi of 20. This is the same set as my first version but it gave this scarf a firmer hand than the Red and Gold scarf.

"Luscious Yarn", by Rose Pelvin

2010-12-27T20:00:00.001+13:00

I found this beautiful yarn on TradeMe (NZ Version of eBay) to the detriment of my bank balance. It is 55% silk and 45% cashmere and has a lovely light, soft handle. It's a joy to work with. This scarf was 7 inches in the reed and just over 60 inches woven length, all from one 50g hank, with a little bit left over. If you want more details about the yarn, contact me.

by Rose Pelvin

More about the Bags, by rose Pelvin

2010-12-26T21:46:00.000+13:00

That dirty water was not a pretty sight! Here are the bags of fibre drying in the breeze, and taking a surprisingly long time over it. I probably put too much in the bags.

by Rose Pelvin

"Christmas Greetings", by Chris Beech

2010-12-24T12:00:00.011+13:00

Wall hanging woven in Theo Moorman technique, design adapted from cross stitch patterns.

Wishing all the weaving community a happy and safe Christmas and New Year. Special thanks and greetings to blogmum Meg

Cheers
Chris

A message for members with yukky fibre to wash, by Rose Pelvin

2010-12-23T08:41:00.003+13:00

Briscoes are selling mesh "shopping bags" that I thought would be ideal for washing the very dusty alpaca fibre that many of us bought at Linkwater during the year. I bought one of these bags ages ago ($4.99) but never got around to using it and now can't find it. I bought another and sent it to my grandson for putting togs and wet beach stuff in.

Finally I bought 2 more today ($2.50 each now) and here is a picture of them in use. They each have a rubbery band which I took to be a wrist strap but have employed it to close the top of the bag. You will see by the plimsoll line on the bath that the fibre really does need washing!

If you are looking for these bags they are up near the counter (on the floor today and not very recognisable because they are in a rolled up package.) I expect when I rinse the fibre (and clean the bath) I will be able to hang them out in the nor'wester and have beautiful fibre in no time. I'm not making any promises about spinning but at least I have taken the first step.

Merry Christmas everyone.
Rose

"Red and Gold Scarf" in Deflected Doubleweave, by Judy Bool

2010-12-18T12:11:00.000+13:00

In a 2007 copy of Handwoven (Issue 133), I found an interesting article and draft by Madelyn Van Der Hoogt on Deflected Doubleweave. I had been researching double weave and the striking black and white picture of a silk scarf had caught my eye.

The draft is for 8 shafts with 4 ends of colour A alternating with 4 ends of colour B. For my first project I chose two Mora yarns; one old red and the other old gold. Epi and ppi 20. I made my own selection from the treadling blocks. Because of the loose set, weaving progressed quite quickly. Mora yarn does not shrink when fulling so the finished article has a nice open hand.

On loom

Side A after fulling

Side B after fulling

Finished scarf

by Judy Bool

"Friday Night Rain", by Meg Nakagawa

2010-11-25T22:57:00.002+13:00

Sometimes this weaver stops gabbing and gets off the computer and weaves.

The warp is 110/2 (2/17) merino; the weft is merino/mohair mix. Both were commercially dyed in the same/similar color schemes of lavender/lilac/purple/dark forest green. I used three short similar-but-different drafts, weaving sometimes from the top of the draft, sometimes from the bottom, to add variation in the structure. (In retrospect, some parts look like weaving mistakes!) This combination of yarns usually creates a light, almost lacy cloth, but this piece turned out a little heftier in comparison.

I imagine running to a social function after work on Friday night, in a city somewhere like Tokyo; rain starts to descend, but the spirit is filled with anticipation/celebration.

I love dressing looms and weaving, but not quite fringing, so this sat under the living room couch for over a month, which is not very long by my standards!

by Meg Nakagawa

Weave It, Felt It - Part 4

2010-11-18T07:02:00.000+13:00

A number of throw rugs from Chris, Joan and Rose were hung in pairs between the stained glass windows on one side of the church.

On the other side were long hangings from Peg. This was a popular one with the public.

More of Peg's work was hung in the front of the church

by Rose Pelvin

Weave It, Felt It - Part 3

2010-11-13T14:31:00.000+13:00

Linda (and another Linda and another Linda) stood outside all day, beckoning the the visitors into the display.

This year the display overflowed into the church. Ou rwell-dressed models pointed the way.

Meg's re-purposed red wrap and Adie's knitted and felted bag adorned the "red corner".

One of the small "designer" flax baskets from Denise

Rose's red and white runner was a reminder that Christmas is coming.

by Rose Pelvin

Weave It, Felt It - Part 2

2010-11-10T11:39:00.001+13:00

One of Win's signature "frilled" scarves, mainly alpaca and silk
but felted merino on one edge to create the curves.

Judy's Bronson Lace scarf, woven in the softest cashmere - lovely to handle.

Deflected Double Weave makes the rich pattern in this red and gold scarf from Judy

“Underwater Fantasy No 2”, Merino wall panel by Christine

Two eye-catching evening wraps from Denise. One is nuno felted.

"Flotsam" wrap by Christine. Nuno felted, with some of the fabric cut away.

"Medusa's Slippers", felted wool with snakes! People loved these!

by Rose Pelvin

Weave It, Felt It

2010-11-08T18:59:00.000+13:00

Win's handwoven wool wrap and Rose's indigo-dyed cotton tray cloth.

Sue's window hanging, inlay in fine white wool.

Chris's "Blue Yonder" throw rug showing changing blue tones.

Judy's "Two Greys" scarf in deflected double weave

One of Denise's "Seaweed" Necklaces

One of Katie's stunning felted collars

Christine's felted animal print bag with plaited leather handle, and scarf to match.
And Adie's triangular felted bag.

Wendy's collection of colourful felted balls was popular and
rather depleted by the time I took the photo.

by Rose Pelvin

Garden Marlborough Once Again

2010-10-31T20:18:00.000+13:00

From Friday 5 November to Sunday 7th the Marlborough Weavers and Felters will be holding their annual display. "Weave It! Felt It!" is held to coincide with the final weekend of Hunters Garden Marlborough, one of the really big events on the Marlborough calendar which culminates in a Fete in Seymour Square on the Sunday.

The display is across the road from the Square, in the St Andrew's Church complex (the stone church with the glass spire.) Friday and Saturday 10am till 5pm and Sunday 11am till 4pm. The same venue also provides tea and coffee and a sitting-down spot for rest and recovery for those with retail fatigue. If you are in the area, do come and visit. Most of the work is for sale. Free admission.

by Rose Pelvin

October Meeting: Visiting Richmond Weavers

2010-10-21T14:44:00.004+13:00

Nine weavers travelled across the hill to meet up with Richmond (Nelson) Weavers' group today. This annual exchange started in 2008 when Marlborough visited Richmond, making this year's third such event.

Today's meeting started with morning tea, (since it was 10.30 by the time Marlborough arrived), followed by an extended show and tell; a report on the 60th birthday of the London Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers and a yarn store in Northern Italy the size of an aircraft hanger (!) by Julia who has just returned from Europe; then lunch, (Richmond group always puts on a fabulous spread), followed by general mixing. In addition, there was a generous lunch spread prepared by members of both groups, and a wee sales table by members wishing to reduce stash, towards which Marlborough Weavers inevitable flocked at the end of the meeting.

There is a greater variety of works, and some finds from other lands, when close to 20 weavers bring woven and other textile items to talk about. Within our own groups, we get used to each other's styles and color pallets that we can often guess who wove a particularly piece, so it's refreshing to have this opportunity.

Among the "finds" there was a miniature vertical 2-shaft loom, about 25cm high, made by a doll house maker in Nelson. It had wire heddles and the harnesses lifted the pedals were pressed. So if you have very tiny hands, you could weave on it.

There should have been a pictures of lunch, it was really quite lovely, but this writer was too busy talking most times, and trying out different asparagus sandwiches and eying a dirty yellow cone of Swiss silk at other times. Apologies.

by Meg Nakagawa

Wall Hanging, by Judy Bool

2010-10-11T15:16:00.003+13:00

My personal challenge for 2010 was to weave a wall hanging. An article by Betty Booth in Issue 21 of The Wheel magazine was just what I needed.

The warp was 22/2 black Cottolin and 16/2 black linen, wound together.
The pattern weft was the cottolin and linen wound together with an unspun woolen variegated yarn, used double, for the pattern rows. I also used a metallic yarn in this pattern row.

Finished size is 60 inches by 30 inches.

I am pleased with the final result - but would I weave another? Maybe. It was enjoyable laying in the fancy yarns but nobody told me that linen has a mind of it's own!

by Judy Bool

Waffle Weave Baby Blanket, by Chris Beech

2010-10-04T10:53:00.004+13:00

7 shaft 12 epi wool

My personal challenge for 2010 was to weave something in waffle weave, and the need for a baby gift inspired me to act! I was in a hurry [baby getting older], so elected to use instructions for a Weekend Blanket from Handwoven Nov/Dec 2003. I can only assume their American weekends are much longer than ours! Either that or I don't have the staying power they do.

I was reasonably happy with the blanket, though the waffle cells weren't as deep as I had hoped. Yarns were all from the stash, which was satisfying but did involve some compromise - eg the turquoise acted differently to the other yarns.

Multiple weft colour changes and long floats were an issue, but I solved that by leaving tails at the selvedge, and covering them with a ribbon border rather than my preferred crochet edging.

by Chris Beech

September Meeting: More on Chinese Knots

2010-10-02T13:21:00.004+13:00

Further to the Chinese button photos, here is the genuine article with the knotted buttons and the loop buttonholes, just as June showed us.

And yes, this is the frogging we talked about. (Amazing what you find in the Hospice Shop.)

And here is something I forgot to show - how to personalise your tools (or whatever) by adding a turkshead to the handle. It could be extended to cover the whole handle. Not particularly practical on this sort of tool, but fun to show you can do it.

by Rose Pelvin

September Meeting: Chinese Knots

2010-09-24T09:54:00.004+12:00

September meeting saw Rose patiently leading us through the intricacies of Chinese knots. She also gave a brief introduction to turksheads and celtic knots, which we will try at a meeting next year.

Thank you Rose for your never-failing enthusiasm.

Tricia and Sue fiddle with their knots

Joan perseveres with her knotty problem. Check out that sumptuous scarf!

Rose's scarf sported a turkshead ring

By Chris Beech

Treasures of Tricia Jane

2010-09-14T09:59:00.003+12:00

No, sorry, it's not a new wool shop opened in town; it is PART of Tricia's stash - a really cheerful sight on another rainy weekend. Look at those colours and be inspired.

by Rose Pelvin

93, Not Out, by Peg Moorhouse

2010-09-08T08:57:00.003+12:00

I got back from holiday to find that Peg needed to set up an exhibition today at Fibre Spectrum in Nelson. It got done with a hiss and a roar! It will be there for all of September.

by Rose Pelvin

August Meeting: Card/Tablet Weaving

2010-08-20T09:00:00.000+12:00

Sue Timpany demonstrated card/tablet weaving to an enthusiastic group, and showed how to make your own cards.

There were five lots of cards warped, using a variety of methods for attaching and tensioning the warp: G-clamps to a table, then attached to a waist belt; tied to a door knob or chair, and round the waist; on an inkle loom; on a table loom with the castle removed.

Joan plays her cards, with Jan on the chair as ballast

Tricia, Sue and Joan

Jan, June and Win discuss a tablet weaving pattern draft

A selection of Sue's tablet woven book marks

Thanks Sue, for a very informative night. You gave us a taste of the incredible range of patterns available to the card weaver, and de-mystified this technique to the extent that several who had never tried it before went home with cards! Watch this space.

by Chris Beech

The Linen Piece, by Win Currie

2010-08-17T09:00:00.002+12:00

A nephew was married a few weeks ago and as is the modern way the traditional ceremony/reception, honeymoon scenario was turned on its head. In brief the reception for rellies is to be held some weeks later and was accompanied by a request for no ‘boxed’ items. This was translated by the mother of the groom into ‘why don’t you weave something’. Here is what I did. I might add that this was no simple matter since I hadn’t done this sort of linen weaving for many years and so had go back to ‘Weaving linen’ 101. Not only that but I had to completely retie my loom ... twice... I did it wrong the first time.

By Win Currie

The Wrap, by Win Currie

2010-08-12T09:00:00.000+12:00

About three years ago I wove a piece of material ....fine 2 ply Merino yarn and a long, long strip of a piece I intended to use as a fancy trim. By the time I had done that something else came along that I felt was much more urgent/ interesting so all that got put in the ‘too hard” Box. Earlier this year the Weavers Group was challenged to make a garment .. with proper seams .. not just a scarf or similar. I wasn’t especially keen on this idea since my sewing ability is limited so in a desperate moment I got out the material and edging , cut the material in half and sewed it into an L shape [one seam]. And put on the edging. I also made a frill to go around the neck edge fixed all that together and here is the result.

by Win Currie

July Meeting: Part 3: Show and Tell

2010-08-10T12:47:00.006+12:00

Rosemary has her first piece since her return to weaving off her loom. This lovely throw has a handspun warp and incorporates some mohair boucle in the weft to give a slight texture and a hint of blue.

Judy is well on with her garment project, having made two coordinating fabrics as part of the plan.

Joan is wondering how Judy got her cashmere/silk yarn from China in four days to make this glorious scarf.

Judy's beautiful shawl with a lovely soft handle.

Chris has a look at Rose's fabric, a backed tabby with a coarse cotton surface reinforced by a fine merino in soft blue.

An old faithful. Rose periodically weaves a few yards of bookmarks with a different warp patter each time, using oddments of yarn and ensuring a supply for small gifts.

by Rose Pelvin

July Meeting: Part 2: Show and Tell

2010-08-07T09:00:00.011+12:00

Scarves are still in!
Clockwise from top left: Win, Jan, Betsy, Chris and Joan.

Jan completed this tapestry in a mirror image design. Next time you see this it will be a book cover.

Joan made this double cordiroy rug in the glorious colours of rata flowers fallen on to a clump of bird's-nest fern. Her meticulous finishing of the warp ends is a work in progress.

Detail.

Win rediscovered an old favourite, dog roses in plain weave on a background of Bronson lace. She used Irish linen weft on a cotton warp.

by Rose Pelvin

July Meeting: Part 1 - Frames

2010-08-03T09:00:00.008+12:00

The email from Group Mum Chris read:

Frames are not just for tapestry weaving.
What about woven frames for loom woven pieces [or even your body] ??
Bring along examples of woven pieces displaying a woven frame, or examples where you feel a frame might have been advantageous - tea towels, table runners, wraps, rugs etc.
Examples of frames that didn't work are as instructive as those that did.
Think outside the square!

June conducted the meeting on the importance of using framing in designing one's work, using previous members brought in.

Clockwise from top left: work by Joan, Chris, Betsy, Rose, Rose, Joan

Center, Dawn's small Pohutukawa tapestry. Clockwise from top, Win, Win, Win, Tapestry Group, and Jan's embroidery.

Win, Betsy and Jan.

Chris and Nancy.

Judy, Win, Betsy and Nancy.

by Rose Pelvin & Chris Beech

Lake Rotoiti Retreat - A Couple More

2010-08-01T17:34:00.002+12:00

The mind boggles with this knitted scarf. As well as the interwoven strips it has stocking stitch at one end, reversed at the other end, and to add to the puzzle, one end is knitted in short rows across the scarf and the other half is knitted with long rows along the length. Sorry I don't have a name to put to this but whoever made it is probably still lying down in a dark room!

This scarf (shown by Jan) is Joan's, felted not woven, but a gorgeous green colour and full of artistic holes (or should that be spaces?)

by Rose Pelvin

Lake Rotoiti Retreat

2010-07-27T13:40:00.006+12:00

This large and lovely throw in 8 shaft twill blocks is one of Chris's stash reduction projects, held by Jan.

Katie has done some superb finishing on her felted jacket. Back in June at our garment workshop we saw this jacket being fitted. It had started out as three sleeveless tops. Great conversion Katie!

This magnificent bag started the weekend as a pile of flax. By Saturday morning it was a bag and by the end of the retreat it would have plaited straps to make it into a backpack.

by Rose Pelvin

Sneak Preview: Lake Rotoiti

2010-07-25T14:56:00.004+12:00

This weekend is the (Nelson/Marlborough/Buller) Area (of NZSWWS, New Zealand Spinners, Weavers and Wooldcrafts Society) Annual Retreat at Lake Rotoiti. Apparently there was frypan dyeing done on Friday night, as there were skeins drying when we got there Saturday morning.

by Rose Pelvin

We are on Facebook Now

2010-07-25T12:00:00.002+12:00

Find us on Facebook; look for Marlborough Weavers, or click here. Marlborough Weavers, tell your kids and grandkids!

We are artists, artisans, craftspersons, hobbyists, or just plain weavers, but Facebook did not recognize us as "Artists" when Blog Mum selected that category, so we appear as "Public Figures". As regards showing our work, I guess we can live with it.

Desperate Measures, by Meg Nakagawa

2010-07-23T21:55:00.012+12:00

I was asked by a gallery to weave a small scarf in two days. I currently have warps on all my looms, but I have a second warp beam on my "table" loom, which I don't use often because it's too far away from the front of the loom. And as luck would have it, I was thinking of rethreading the existing sample warp anyway. (Or rather, I think I use the second warp beam only, and it was the first warp beam I used in this instance; in the photo it is hidden behind the back of the loom.)

So the "current" warp was put aside for two days and an emergency warp wound.

The item was delivered to the gallery within 48 hours. A record time for me, but I'll never do it again as it was too hard on the old body.

by Meg Nakagawa

Show and Tell at Peg's, by Rose Pelvin

2010-07-11T12:00:00.000+12:00

Judy shows her work to Peg and gets unqualified approval.
A lovely shawl from Judy, but it is not fine enough for her liking!

We also had a peek preview of her garment project but I won't show you that yet. Suffice it to say it made me realise I had better get busy.

by Rose Pelvin

Happy Birthday Peg! by Rose Pelvin

2010-07-08T09:47:00.002+12:00

Peg will celebrate her 93rd birthday on Friday 9 July. As you can see she is as sprightly as ever.

And here is one of her latest hangings. Now she is threading up a brilliant blue warp. Watch this space.

by Rose Pelvin

Not Really Weaving, but Definitely Stash Reduction, by Chris Beech

2010-06-29T09:00:00.001+12:00

A Persian rug dealer from Christchurch was recently through town, and I couldn't resist buying some cushion covers - $25 each, what weaver here could possibly match that?

Not having any cushion inners, I decided to stuff them with thrums - I have bags of thrums dating back to the 80's. So far I have eliminated 3 large plastic bags from the stash cupboard, the cushions plump up well [I just stuffed the thrums in after teasing them out a bit and undoing any knots], and I'm having a wonderful trip down memory lane.

by Chris Beech

Fabric from Start to Finish

2010-06-26T09:00:00.001+12:00

Reels of polyester, three ends at a time with a slub cotton/viscose warp. Colour changes at intervals to create a blue/green blend.

On the warping board.

I don’t want to play this game any more.

Whew, all sorted and ready to thread.

A fine linen weft makes a nice firm fabric.

Work in progress.

And finally, the finished fabric.

by Rose Pelvin

Judy is Going Japanese

2010-06-24T21:45:00.002+12:00

I received an email from Judy Bool, who was at Saturday's garment fitting workshop.

Says Judy: "Today I finished winding the warp for the first part of my Japanese Vest (1 November 1994 issue) - the fronts and back. I'm using 2/28 alpaca/silk yarn - warp is camel and weft will be black. I was going to use a peacock blue with the camel but I think the black will be more striking. I'm off to wind on the warp and start threading."

We are so looking forward to a fashion show at the end of this year.

by Meg Nakagawa

June Meeting: Fitting Garments - Special

2010-06-22T11:50:00.002+12:00

Sue is fitting a jacket on Katie McDonald, a felter; Katie started out with three felted sleeveless tops and ended up with one full jacket with a nifty shaped closure.

Text by Rose Pelvin, photo by Chris Beech

June Meeting: Fitting Garments

2010-06-22T10:05:00.009+12:00

Last Saturday, we had sewing guru Sue visit us to help with fitting garments. We were encouraged to bring ideas, patterns, or calico already cut and ready to try on. Weavers arrived with different stages of their projects, as well as books, magazines, patterns and woven samples and garments created in the past.

In the top picture, Sue is helping Katie McDonald fine-tune a felted garment.

Joan had made a garment and leftover woven sample felted rigorously enough in the wet finish that it could be cut like a felted piece.

Of course you don't have to construct the entire garment with handwoven cloth, but use commercial cloth in the curvy bits. Rose used up warp ends in this manner.

Or, on one warp, a weaver can weave different structures or with different wefts to create contrast fabric.

Drafts and samples from April's Crape Workshop were also available.

It was hard to look up and stop working when the official end time came and Sue had to leave. Some members stayed behind to complete what they came to complete.

Everybody went home with inspirations and more concrete ideas on what/how to make a garment, if not with calico already fit and altered.

by Meg Nakagawa

Scarf, by Rose Pelvin

2010-06-19T09:00:00.002+12:00

You don't need a loom to weave. I made this scarf on a clipboard.

by Rose Pelvin

Baby Blanket, by Rose Pelvin

2010-06-17T09:00:00.000+12:00

All wool baby wrap made on the jack loom. Plain weave with boucle to outline the squares.

by Rose Pelvin

Table Setting, by Rose Pelvin

2010-06-14T10:33:00.002+12:00

This tablecloth set received a merit award at the Wangarei Festival. There are three panels to the cloth, each crocheted around separately, then joined with fagotting, and the whole finished with a crochet edge. A bread cloth, two tea-towels and 6 coasters complete the set.

by Rose Pelvin

Lilliputian Shawl, by Meg Nakagawa

2010-06-06T13:54:00.006+12:00

Cotton scarf, which I had hoped to be at least 150cm in weaving length, but turned out to be about 110cm after I underestimated (grossly) the loom waste on a borrowed loom. Ouch. Unfortunately this is a familiar problem of mine. Ergo, the Lilliputian Shawl (or cat/dog scarf). It was part of the Pics to Picks Design Challenge, in which Rose Pelvin and I took part. Details of the piece can be found here, or the lengthly process here.

May Meeting Show & Tell, Part II

2010-06-01T09:00:00.002+12:00

Rose has woven the fabric for a skirt. Every warp end has three ends of polyester machine thread with it! (Why would anybody want to do that?)

Noelene is busy with the dye pot, planning to make a rug with the Wilson tartan.

Jan raided her button tin after seeing this idea Up the Garden Path.

Chris tells Joan her scarf is gorgeous, but it’s not handwoven!

Noelene’s work in progress – her first attempt at double weave. It will become a cushion. Unfortunately the colour is not true; it’s more of a caramel/brown than this.

Rose used soft cotton for these baby wraps. The weave is a crepe, trialled at recent workshop.

by Rose Pelvin

May Meeting Show & Tell, Part I

2010-05-31T11:03:00.008+12:00

Crepe weave samples from the April workshop.
Rose utilised buttons in these tatted bookmarks.
Joan, Chris and Betsy debate why black and white merino didn’t full at the same rate in Chris’s scarf.
What a tangled web we weave!
Joan’s meticulous weaving and superb colour sense come together. Runner or towel – you choose.
June wove off her crepe sample warp with multicoloured rayon.

by Rose Pelvin

May Meeting: Turning Drafts

2010-05-29T10:28:00.001+12:00

Chris explained the meaning of turned drafts and brought along a loom threaded with a sample of turned overshot.
Turned Ms & Os was a perfect choice for Chris’s scarf with the coloured yarn running the length of the scarf. She is a fan of one-shuttle weaves.
Rose’s scarf is also Ms and Os but different in texture and colour.
Turned overshot with a silk pattern yarn gives the scarf a look and feel of luxury. It was woven by Chris.

by Rose Pelvin

Denim Rag Rugs "Jeanetically Modified I, II and III", by Chris Beech

2010-05-18T09:00:00.003+12:00

The denim rugs from my last rag rug session are now 20 years old and decidedly shabby, so I recently attacked the most boring part of my stash - a box full of jean legs [mostly the backs of legs as the fronts were full of patches and too tough to cut]. The result is these three rugs, woven without any fuss joining strips, but still very serviceable.

I used 12/6 cotton rug warp at 4 epi for the 2 tabby rugs, and 8 epi for the 4 end block rug, with denim strips cut approximately 2 - 3 cm wide. The cotton warp was OK, but I definitely prefer a seaming twine or linen warp, which have much less give in them, allowing very positive beating. The advantage of the cotton is that it comes ready dyed in a range of colours.

The tabby rugs are about 1.5 x 0.8 m, and used 190 gm of warp[for 2], and about 2.25 kg of rags each.

by Chris Beech

Record Sheet, by Noelene Gratton

2010-05-15T09:00:00.004+12:00

Each project has a slight variation in the recording. The basics are the same and additional information to easily repeat the project is added, eg: threading and weaving plan for stripes etc. Also it depends how much can be fitted onto the page. As technology and my ability to use it has advanced the record sheet has evolved from simple hand scribbled notes to the current sheet. The basic information has not changed. The draw downs are taken from Pikes Peak Weavers Weave Design downloadable software.

by Noelene Gratton

Plaid Scarf, by Noelene Gratton

2010-05-11T09:00:00.001+12:00

This scarf was made as a sample to check the suitability of the yarn for a larger project. It wove nicely but on washing all the joins shrank back and have had to be darned in with extra yarn. The yarn was chosen as it was the closest match for the correct colours for a tartan rug, and I wanted to avoid the dye pot.

I was a Wilson and the rug is to be a gift for my nephew, my brother's son. Wilsons are from clan Gunn with some being from Innes (I think) .

The following is taken from the web site tartanregister.gov.uk:

"Generally now called simply 'Wilson' by modern weavers. Named after Janet Wilson, wife of the Bannockburn weaver, William Wilson who manufactured tartans from 1765. It is suggested in the extensive archives of the company that the tartan was prepared for the wedding in 1780 between the William Wilson, the son of the founder, and Janet Paterson. The sett was later introduced as the Wilson family tartan. Variations show blue instead of purple in the broad band and blue instead of azure (light blue) in the narrow stripes."

Pinwheel Twill Scarf, by Noelene Gratton

2010-05-08T09:00:00.002+12:00

When my weaving daughter saw the fabric for the vest, she cheekily commented about making good use of all 8 shafts. “Of course, it was threaded 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8”. Hence an 8 shaft project had to follow. I liked the look of this scarf from an early issue of Weavezine, an online weaving magazine. Diving into the stash I pulled out two yarns of slightly different weights but close enough to be ok, so I thought. Too bad, it’ll do. They behaved quite differently with the cream (the finer yarn) shrinking more in the fulling, resulting in a seersucker effect. Not what I was wanting but interesting all the same.

Future plans include repeating this pattern in a larger piece.

by Noelene Gratton