Way back in 2001, I was given my very first floor loom. Along with that loom came a ton of stuff, books, yarn, shuttles, yarn, fabric cut in strips and more yarn. One of the yarns that I got with that loom was 2 skeins of perle cotton in a beige color, which is not my favorite color! For 9 years I left that yarn in the tub it came in and tried to forget it even existed, with a lot of success.
In October 2010, I took part in our very first Tuesday Weavers Dye Day, I know that because I looked it up! I had used a knitting machine to knit that perle cotton into a blank, and I dyed it that day. Once it was rinsed and dry, I skeined it up and I still thought it was ugly!
Recently I have been weaving with a hand dyed warp at the weaving Center, and I have been using a solid color pattern on top of it, it is surprisingly satisfying. At home I have a loom I am trying to empty, and it is full of 8/4 cotton in natural. I have woven more baby blankets than I can count on this warp, mostly overshot patterns. This is the last of 3, 40 yard warps I was really getting bored with it! I had already rethreaded the loom with a monks belt and I wondered what I could do to make it more interesting. That is when my gaze found those "ugly" skeins, I knew that I had nothing to lose.
I still thought that it was ugly, ugly, ugly!
Still UGLY!
Ugly? What was I thinking! This is when I went searching to find the post about that first dye day. I couldn't even remember what I had done to get the long color repeats.
I then remembered about knitting up the blanks of perle cotton, and there was a picture of the dyeing in progress. I think I will be able to get 2 blankets out of this first skein, and maybe one out of the other slightly different and smaller skein.
This yarn is truly the deepest darkest stash come to the light. I have finished the first blanket and I am debating with myself if I should cut it off and wash it before I weave the second one to see how it washes up, but I think I will just plug ahead and weave until both skeins are history. It will be quite the accomplishment.
Until next time, Keep on Crafting, Tina
In October 2010, I took part in our very first Tuesday Weavers Dye Day, I know that because I looked it up! I had used a knitting machine to knit that perle cotton into a blank, and I dyed it that day. Once it was rinsed and dry, I skeined it up and I still thought it was ugly!
Recently I have been weaving with a hand dyed warp at the weaving Center, and I have been using a solid color pattern on top of it, it is surprisingly satisfying. At home I have a loom I am trying to empty, and it is full of 8/4 cotton in natural. I have woven more baby blankets than I can count on this warp, mostly overshot patterns. This is the last of 3, 40 yard warps I was really getting bored with it! I had already rethreaded the loom with a monks belt and I wondered what I could do to make it more interesting. That is when my gaze found those "ugly" skeins, I knew that I had nothing to lose.
I still thought that it was ugly, ugly, ugly!
Still UGLY!
Ugly? What was I thinking! This is when I went searching to find the post about that first dye day. I couldn't even remember what I had done to get the long color repeats.
I then remembered about knitting up the blanks of perle cotton, and there was a picture of the dyeing in progress. I think I will be able to get 2 blankets out of this first skein, and maybe one out of the other slightly different and smaller skein.
This yarn is truly the deepest darkest stash come to the light. I have finished the first blanket and I am debating with myself if I should cut it off and wash it before I weave the second one to see how it washes up, but I think I will just plug ahead and weave until both skeins are history. It will be quite the accomplishment.
Until next time, Keep on Crafting, Tina
