Weaving with Overtwisted Handspun Singles: It Only LOOKS Hard

I repeat: It only LOOKS hard. The photo above shows a warp chain of overtwisted handspun singles. I used Ashland Bay's multicolored Merino roving in Mojave and its Colonial (Corriedale) roving in Goldenrod (no longer available, I believe). I am not a whiz-bang spinner, but I can do overtwist! I spun two different yarns, both approximately sport weight, with the Goldenrod in Z-twist and the Mojave in S-twist.

Why go to all this trouble? I love fabric that has loads of texture and personality, with yarns that misbehave in wonderful ways after washing. Although I haven't yet made a garment out of the fabric that I'm weaving (most of it is still on the loom), here is what the finished product looks like.

And here.

I love the pleats and bumps and the tracking, which you can see pretty clearly in the photo. To achieve this effect, I wound a warp of stripes in S and Z twist: 8 ends of Z (Goldenrod) and 8 ends of S (Mojave). Then, for the example above, I wove plain weave with a Z-twist weft. And then washed it. 

Just to clarify: S and Z twist refer to the direction of the plying or spinning of a yarn.

Here's what the fabric looked like just off the loom, before washing.

Even before I put it in hot water, it had a mind of its own:

I can't quite figure out why it's creating a Z twist, other than the fact that the Mojave yarn (red, spun in S-twist) seemed to have more energy than the Goldenrod. Just a theory.

If you want to know more about how I wove this fabric, what follows is a brief tutorial. For starters, pay no attention to the twisting and turning of the yarns in the warp chain. Treat them just as you would any others.

The warp starts to look more orderly once you've inserted the least sticks, so:

It looks even better when you tighten the heck out of the warp as you're beaming it:

Threading: Well, the yarns insist on maintaining their original twist when you're threading them and after threading as well. So you have to be very patient with them!

It all works out in the weaving, which creates a pretty conventional-looking cloth, as you saw at the beginning of this post. After washing -- well, as Laura Fry aptly titled her book, there's "Magic in the Water"!

One postscript: This June I will be flying to London to study with Ann Richards at the Handweavers Studio and Gallery. She is the author of "Weaving Textiles That Shape Themselves" and she is inspirational! I hope to take many photos and post a lot of good information after I return.

Collapse Weave Coat in 60/2 Silk Twill Blocks: Before and After Washing

Here it is before washing...

And after! The fabric "shrinks" width-wise by more than half. (OK, the closure
was not a result of the washing, but you have to have an embellishment, right?)

Here's the back view before washing...

And after.

It's almost as if you can wear this coat two ways. If you want it flat and larger, all you have to do is iron out the pleats. If you want it smaller and elastic, just wash it in warm water and a bit of soap. No iron, of course.

Collapse weave, in this case, is a result of both structure and materials. I used a 60/2 silk weft, threaded on 8 harnesses in 3/1 and 1/3 twill blocks, so that the weft floats pull the warp in lengthwise, just as a matter of physics.

Usually you have a weft that is much finer than the warp, which gives the yarns "wiggle room" to move readjust and collapse warp-wise. In this case, I pushed the collapse effect further by using super-fine weft yarns of overtwist wool, which twists and turns every which way, even before it's washed. The two yarns varied a bit in their effect. I purchased an overtwist wool from Habu Textiles in New York City and a Z-twist wool from the Handweavers Studio and Gallery in London.

Sounds technical, but it's easy to see when you weave it. On the loom, these fabrics look normal (as with the two "before" photos) and flat. But in washing, they change almost immediately. 

Here's a closeup of the fabric after washing.

I added a lettuce-edge by sewing a three-thread rolled hem on my serger around the shawl collar, hem, and cuffs to emphasize the collapse effect. The warp is hand-painted in two color ways, sort of a dark chocolate and a pale blue/aqua/sage. To my eye, the color changes add to the ever-shifting stripes. I call this coat "Fascinatin' Rhythm" in honor of George Gershwin's song.

The flower closure was added later on. It's a hand knitted flower using a hand-dyed bias-cut Habotai silk ribbon from Dharma Trading. Czech glass beads from Let's Bead in East Rochester, NY -- right near the Weaving and Fiber Arts Center. How many links can I get in here?!

'Fabrications: The Art of Fiber' at the I-Square Gallery, January 13-February 6

Featuring works by 17 artists from the Weavers' Guild of Rochester -- including me. The I-Square Gallery is at 693 Titus Avenue in Irondequoit (just a few businesses east of the House of Guitars) and the exhibit is free and open to the public. Most of the items on display will be for sale, including these:

Hand-dyed top in silk/rayon velvet

Vest in hand-dyed silk/rayon velvet with silk dupioni back panel

Cotton tunic with shibori dyeing in walnut

Kimono in shibori-dyed Habotai silk

The hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. till 2 p.m., and Saturday 11 a.m. till 2 p.m. Email me at dkovn@hotmail.com or Zanne Brunner at zannebrunner@gmail.com for more information.

An opening reception takes place on Friday, January 17, from 7 till 9 p.m. And a postscript: There will be trunk sales! More information to come.

Collapse Weave: I Finally Realized the Error of My Ways

And I really like it!

The photo above shows some collapse-weave fabric, just taken off the loom and washed, that clearly has two distinct textures. If you look closely, the top 1/3 of the piece is slightly more dense and darker in color, with an emphasis on the dark stripes. The section at the bottom 2/3 of the photo features the blue/green stripes and is slightly looser and broader.

Why? It took me a while to figure this out. Simply put, I changed the weft -- and thought that there would be little difference in the outcome. The warp is hand-painted 60/2 silk and the weft is a super-fine overtwist wool. The difference: the weft used at the top of the photo was a 2-ply overtwist wool from Habu. The weft at the bottom of the photo was a Z-twist wool from the Handweaver's Studio and Gallery in London. BIG difference between the two and I intend to exploit this when I make the garment.

Here are a few more views:

 The fabric when it's dry

 Closeup of the same

And here's the back

And so I learned, from a process of trial and error (emphasis on error), that yarns of the same color, fiber, and grist can behave very differently, depending on whether they're plied, singles, Z twist, or S twist. As a spinner, I know this. As a weaver, it took me a while to know this!

Here's one more view of the fabric, still drying. I like to call it "Colorado Creek Bed," remembering the gorgeous scenery in Colorado, where we just spent our Christmas holiday with my daughter and her fiance.

Overdyeing Wool with Onion Skins

Yellow (and some red) onion skins afloat

If you're reading this, you likely have lots of yarn in your house ;o)

And sometimes the yarn isn't exactly the right color you want or need for your next project, agreed? There are lots of ways to remedy this -- but the easiest way, in my book, is to overdye the color. And one of the easiest ways to dye anything is to work with onion skins, right on the stovetop.

I had some wonderful 18/2 superfine merino from JaggerSpun in Maine. (If you don't know about this great company and its wonderful products, here's the link: www.jaggeryarn.com.) I knitted it up on my knitting machine and then felted it (more correctly, fulled it) so that it became more sturdy and funky. Still, it was soft pink. Sometimes that's a hard sell.

Love the fabric, but maybe not the color?

What to do next? Embellish? Shibori resist and dye in an indigo vat? Overdye? I had lots of onion skins in the cupboard, and I envisioned getting a rich peachy coral after immersing the fabric for an hour or so. I also added some machine-knitted fabric made of fine linen singles in white, just to see what would happen.

 

Soaked everything in lukewarm water for about an hour before dyeing, to open up the fibers and make them more receptive to the dye. No mordanting necessary (although it would likely make the dye more permanent). Throw the onion skins in the pot and bring them to a boil.

Great for dyeing: those big enamel pots that are used for canning

Strain the boiled onion skins out of the golden dye liquid (being careful not to overload the garbage disposal, as I did, which clogged it up, and being careful not to dye the white enamel sink, as I did, to a warm golden hue that had to be scoured away). Throw the fabric in the dye and again bring it close to a boil. Let everything cool to room temperature. The results were not quite as vivid as I had hoped, but I think that the color will work.

 Linen fabric on the left, wool underneath

I would call the color a light salmon, very gentle and spring-like. Much closer to what I liked. Thanks for reading!

Celebrating 12 Years of Fiber Artistry!

Sample from my workshop on weaving with hand-dyed 60/2 silk

Weaving and Fiber Arts Center

Open House

Saturday, January 4, 2014, 1-4 p.m.

Studio 1940, Piano Works Mall

349 West Commercial St.

East Rochester, NY 14445

585.377.2955

The public is invited to help mark the 12^th anniversary of the Weaving and Fiber Arts Center at an open house on Saturday, January 4, 2014, from 1 to 4 p.m. There's a lot to celebrate!

Since January 2002, the Center has offered courses in weaving and fiber arts for all ages and skill levels. Twelve years since its founding, the facility has become a valuable resource for the growing number of fiber artists throughout the Rochester region and western New York State.

Consider these statistics:

• The Center opened in January 2002 offering 22 classes to a roster of 129 students during its first class session. Today, for its current four-month session, the Center offers 57 classes to approximately 300 students!

• In weaving classes alone, 92 students are currently registered, with waiting lists in a number of classes. In knitting classes, 85 students are registered.

• The Weaving and Fiber Arts Center has helped boost membership in its parent organization, the Weavers' Guild of Rochester, by more than 50 percent. In 2002, the Guild had 121 members, while today membership stands at 184.

Visitors are invited to come and meet instructors, see demonstrations, and view sample work representing all the January to April 2014 classes. Demonstrations will include floor loom weaving as well as rigid heddle, inkle, table, and tapestry loom weaving – plus spinning and the use of Fiberworks (computer software for weavers). Instructors and students will be wearing garments, scarves, and other accessories they have made. Everyone is invited to bring their fiber friends – and even kids will have an opportunity to try weaving.

The Weaving and Fiber Arts Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is the primary outreach activity of the Weavers’ Guild of Rochester, Inc. Managed entirely by guild volunteers, it is supported by course tuition and tax-exempt gifts.

For photos, instructor biographies, details on classes and online registration, visit the website at www.weaversguildofrochester.org/courses

Tapestry by instructor Mary McMahon

Felted scarf by instructor Marie Brate

Knitted and beaded shawl by instructor Lynne Sherwood

Fabric dyed with cochineal using shibori-resist techniques, 

by instructor Evelyn Kitson

Collapse Weave with 60/2 Warp and Overtwist Wool Weft

Back to blogging! It's been 3 1/2 months since my last post. Sadly but not unexpectedly, we lost our Dad on October 5. He was laid to rest on a beautiful October morning, honored by a military bugler and flag ceremony, which he would have loved. I will always miss him greatly.

So I have not been posting, but I have been working. (My Dad, for one, would be pleased, since he was a painter and a woodworker and very, very handy -- and very happy when he was making or fixing things!) My main focus: a 42" wide warp in aqua and brown stripes of 60/2 silk.

 

Above: some yardage just off the loom. It measured about 42" wide and 58" long. I hand-dyed the 60/2 silk warp stripes, which were 1) shades of brown and 2) shades of light blue and aqua. The weft is a black wool overtwist from the Handweavers Studio and Gallery in London. And finally, the structure: alternating blocks of 3/1 and 1/3 twill. Both the structure and the weft make the fabric collapse after washing -- which you will see in the upcoming photos!

To achieve the collapse effect, you have to wash the fabric in hot water (that is, up to maybe 120 degrees Fahrenheit, which is just about as hot as you can get it straight from the tap). Some agitation is needed, too, to loosen up the overtwist and let it relax. For soap, I prefer using just a bit of Orvus Paste, which has a neutral pH and is great for fine fiber.

What I love about the washing process: First, I do NOT baby the fabric. For some reason, it feels good to know that this fabric -- as beautiful as it is -- is also quite sturdy and responds well to washing. And as for the response to washing: You can see the stripes collapse almost immediately. It's great fun, after spending all that time weaving, to have the instant gratification of creating texture within a matter of seconds.

Rinse it out, wring it out, stretch it out lengthwise to dry, and here's what you get!

Closeup. Unfortunately, some of the color is a bit off. (Seems the photographer had a problem.)

Above, the fabric from a distance. It had shrunk from 42" by 58" to maybe 14" by 48". Just the effect I had intended. For garments, this fabric is light, with a great drape, and it shapes itself gently over the body because of its elasticity.

Much more weaving to go, as I hope to weave another three panels using this collapse effect and then weave more yardage using 60/2 silk as weft, for a balanced weave structure.

Thanks for reading! And here's a photo I love, for everyone who has fond memories of loved ones:

Dad with Mom and his beloved Lab, Bear, at our old house in Penfield, NY, circa 1980. Love you, Dad! (And I hear him answering, as he always did, "Ditto.")