Sauce for The Gander, by Rose Pelvin

This is one of my favourite texture weaves using thick and thin yarns. The thicker yarn in this piece is100% alpaca, handspun by Nancy Taylor, and the fine is 70% alpaca and 30% silk. When I weighed the scarf before washing, including the waste, it was 100grams exactly. It is a generous 10 x 71 inches finished size plus the fringes which I will probably shorten considerably.

It was not my intention to do this for the Small Scarf Exhibition. But coincidentally I have been working in parallel with Meg (the organizer of the Exhibition) to finish a scarf - right down to the problem of photographing at night (note the Give Way sign outside my window) I looked at your late entry and thought "that's sauce for the goose." So here is "sauce for the gander".

This scarf was exhibited in a Small Scarf Exhibition on the Internet.

by Rose Pelvin

Marshmallow Topping, by Rose Pelvin

As well as the colour, I loved watching the pink and white puffs popping up as I wove this. The main yarn is a mix of fluffy cotton and acrylic with a binder of lustrous viscose rayon. For the fine white stripes and also for the weft, I used doubled 10/2 bamboo, also a lustrous yarn, and one I have not used before. Each scarf end is gathered into a tassel and finished with a small crochet "collar" of the bamboo yarn. A curious praying mantis joined in the photo shoot on a glorious autumn afternoon in Marlborough, New Zealand.

This scarf was exhibited in a Small Scarf Exhibition on the Internet.

by Rose Pelvin

Muilticoloured Scarf in Plaited Twill, by Judy Bool

A Plaited Twill draft woven on 4 shafts at epi 24. The warp is an extremely soft merino/mohair mix. Colours in a purple/mauve/pink/gray mix. Weft is two strands of fine alpaca/silk in a peacock colour.

The multicolours have shown as subtle stripes with flecks of the peacock blue weft sparkling through.

This scarf is very soft and light.I wove it to be a detachable collar cum scarf for a yet to be completed cape. Just the thing for a cold winters day. The "Twills" are my second favourite drafts. Especially the undulating twills.

This scarf was exhibited in a Small Scarf Exhibition on the Internet.

by Judy Bool

Soy Silk Scarf in Huck Lace, by Judy Bool

This scarf is woven on 8 shafts at an epi 24. Soy Silk is made from tofu manufacturing waste. I find it beautiful to weave. Weaving a huck lace draft, I used a light, firm, single beat. Allowance was made for shrinkage. Once the fabric is off the loom and gently washed, the fibres ''collapse'' into lovely soft shapes. The Laces (Huck and Swedish) are my favourite weaves. Old-fashioned and romantic.

This scarf was exhibited in a Small Scarf Exhibition on the Internet.

by Judy Bool

Some Cloud, by Peg Moorhouse

"Some Cloud" is woven in pink 16/2 linen with a series of white whispy or textured yarns appearing to float over the surface. As you can see in the photo the lighting was excellent and enhanced the work.

This and and "Silver Lining" were exhibited in "A Common Thread" Professional Weavers' Exhibition, held in Palmerston North, Rangiora and most recently in Timaru at the 150 year old Landing Services Building.

And this has been our 50th post on Marlborough Weavers blog. We thank you for your continuing interest and support.

Photo by Rose Pelvin; text by Peg Moorhouse and Rose Pelvin

Bag, by Jan Hannay

Front and back views of a bag woven by Jan Hannay using a cardboard box as a loom. The instructions were in a 2008 issue of Handwoven magazine.

by Rose Pelvin

Profile: June McKenzie

June has been weaving for more than thirty years. She lives in Blenheim but spends as many weekends as possible in the Marlborough Sounds where she and Dougal have a beach house and June has a second loom. She enjoys the bird and plant life which she finds inspirational. June is not competitive, just weaves for the love of weaving – usually fine fabrics and household items.

June's work can been seen here.

by Rose Pelvin

Silver Lining, by Peg Moorhouse

"Silver Lining" has a white linen damask base with streamers of novelty silver metallic yarn. The rough stone walls made a perfect backdrop for this in what what was often referred to as a "medieval castle" corner.

This and and another piece were exhibited in "A Common Thread" Professional Weavers' Exhibition, held in Palmerston North, Rangiora and most recently in Timaru at the 150 year old Landing Services Building.

Photo by Rose Pelvin; text by Peg Moorhouse & Rose Pelvin

Ornaments and Box, by Jan Hannay

These ornaments and box are belts woven on an inkle loom and stitched together.

by Rose Pelvin

And her Scarf Stopped the Traffic, by Meg Nakagawa

This scarf ended up being "funky" at 160EPI by accident. Because of several interruptions in my life this summer, a plan for an installation piece turned into a set of delicate stoles, which in turn turned into three very closely sett scarves because I had the wrong reed in the beater! I had to rethink and rework the draft several times because that sounded much easier than resleying 1530+ ends. But I also managed to include 25 colors in the warp, which was a challenge I had given myself.

I used 2/60 Nm mercerized cotton both ways for this piece. One scarf was in our recent Funky Fibre exhibition.

by Meg Nakagawa