Monday, November 23, 2009

Scarves are Done!

I finally finished my multi-fiber warp scarves! I bought beautiful chenille and ribbon last winter (pictures here) and managed to finish the scarves in time for winter and the holiday bazaar at the ArtSpace. So... here's a picture:

I was hoping the ribbon would really pop out because of its shine and unique texture compared to the chenille, but instead it just compressed in with the design. The red ribbon is mixed in with the silver stripes. You can definitely tell there is ribbon in the scarf by the fringe, but not in the actual pattern. I didn't get any close-up shots, but will try to post more pictures later.

I am going to explore some old issues of Handwoven to see if I can find some techniques for using different fibers in a way that allows the texture to come through. My guess is that I should not have woven the ribbon in every pick, and instead let it float. I would love the advice of any experienced weavers out there!

1 comment:

Life Looms Large said...

Congrats on your finished scarves!!

I'm having a similar dilemma with a warp. I blogged about it last week and had a bunch of people leave advice in the comments. In my case, I'm trying to get the whole warp to show, where it sounds like you are trying to highlight specific yarns.

I haven't tried this, but I think supplemental warp might be a way to highlight those yarns. Barbara Herbster uses that technique really effectively in her work. (If you google her, you might be able to see some examples...not sure.)

I think certain weave structures - like possibly honey comb - and probably others will let a special yarn kind of float above other yarns in your fabric.

So that's the advice I can offer, even though I'm just a weaver struggling with some of the same problems myself.

Hopefully we'll both figure it out at some point!

Sue