Two shawls using Eisaku Noro woolen yarn

I was sent from Japan 300g of Eisaku Noro handmade woolen yarn.  I set up a warp using all this yarn and it was enough for two shawls.  For the weft I used a hand-dyed loosely spun  single thread merino wool yarn.  The weft of  the first shawl was coloured using a Kingfisher dye from Landscape and the finished shawl is 1710mm x 395mm and weighs 224g.

The weft of the second shawl was coloured using a Plum coloured dye from Gaywool.  This shawl is 1640mm x 380mm and weighs 217g.

The variable thickness of the weft yarn makes for an interesting pattern.
Both shawls will be on my stall at Perth Upmarket next Sunday, 3 March, at UWA.

Garments from hand-woven raw silk

A few weeks ago I completed weaving a 6m length of raw silk.  My in-house fashion designer/seamstress has now made two garments using this material.

Both garments will be on sale on my stall at Perth Upmarket to be held at UWA on Sunday 3 March.

Hand-woven Noro Blossom scarves

Noro Blossom yarn is a mixture of  40% wool, 30% kid mohair, 20% silk and 10% nylon.  Each coloured yarn is actually a mixture of multiple colours.
The first scarf I have hand-woven is using colour #16 and the finished scarf is 1770mm x 205mm and weighs 161g.

 The second scarf is using colour #8 and is 1810mm x 210mm and also weighs 161g.

 Both scarves are very colourful and have the appearance of abstract paintings.
You will be able to see both scarves on my stall at Perth Upmarket to be held on Sunday 3 March at UWA.

Wisteria and Lavender Alpaca scarves

My latest project has been to weave two scarves using 4-ply Tailored Strands alpaca yarns.
The first is using the wisteria coloured yarn and the finished scarf is 1870mm x 230mm and weighs 159g.

The second is using the lavender coloured yarn and the scarf is 1890mm x 230mm and weighs 153g.  Both scarves have a very lovely soft touch.

They will both be on my stall at the Perth Upmarket on Sunday 3 March at UWA.

Hand-woven Noro Cotton Kureyon scarf

I received as a thank-you present from the receipient of my hand-woven aster and black cashmere double shawl 4 x 50g balls of Noro Cotton Kureyon yarn, colour  #21.  It is a 70% cotton, 30% wool mix.
This yarn has now been woven into a scarf which is 1720mm x 180mm and weighs 201g.  A very  colourful scarf has resulted.  Who will be game to wear it?

It will be available for sale on my stall at the Perth Upmarket to be held at UWA on Sunday 3 March.

Hand-woven mosaic of Noro Silk Garden yarn

Have just finished weaving a 4m bolt of  fabric in a mosaic pattern using three different colours of Noro Silk Garden yarns as the weft, on a hand-dyed aster coloured silk warp.  It was time consuming to weave as it has two or three different yarns on each weft.  In fact, more like a tapestry than a weave.
The off the loom piece is 4130mm x 50mm so will be slightly smaller after washing.

A garment is to be made from this fabric in readiness for the Perth Upmarket on Sunday 3 March at UWA.

Handwoven claret and mid-grey Tailored Strands alpaca

I completed the weaving of these two scarves over a week ago but have not yet got around to  finishing them.  The fringes need to be twisted and the scarves washed.  They have been handwoven using claret and mid-grey 4-ply Tailored Strands alpaca yarns sourced from Alpaca Plus in Henley Brook.
In the unwashed condition the scarves are 1850mm x 225mm and weigh 142g so they will  be slightly smaller once washed.

The reason I have not finished these two scarves is that I have started handweaving an interesting 4m bolt of fabric to be made into a garment.  The following photos show the material on the loom.  It is slow going as I am using two or three different colours of Noro Silk Garden yarns on the same weft.

I will show you the finished garment in due course.

Hand-woven raw silk fabric

Have just completed hand-weaving a bolt of material using raw silk yarns, with some of the weft yarn being hand-spun.  The short crinkly area is where I tried using three different yarns, hence different shrinkages, but  reverted back to a single weft yarn for the last metre.  The piece is 5.6m long and the first 4.5m  is about 550mm  wide and the last metre 520mm wide.  The first photo shows the entire length of the fabric whilst the second has the fabric doubled over.

You will have to wait to see the  finished garments made using this fabric.  Hopefully they will be on sale at the Perth Upmarket scheduled for Sunday 3 March.

Hand-woven cashmere shawl with a difference

The two lengths of hand-woven cashmere fabrics shown recently have been sewed together along one of their long lengths leaving arm holes in two places. This makes an interesting shawl as shown in the photos. As the two pieces of fabric are different you can reverse the front with the back of the shawl to get two different appearances of the garment. In addition, if you turn the fabrics over the reverse side of the fabrics again give you two more appearances of the garment. So simple, apart from a lot of weaving, but a very interesting garment.

Aster and black handwoven cashmere fabric

Since returning from an European river cruise in late November, early December, I have hand-woven two lengths of cashmere fabric.  One is in a hand-dyed aster colour and is 1640mm x 380mm and weighs 146g.  The aster colour has a bit more mauve in it than shown in the photos.

The second is in the same pattern but I have used a black weft with the aster coloured warp.  This piece is 1630mm x 370mm and weighs 133g.  The pattern gives two different appearances on both sides of the fabric.

These two pieces are going to be made into an interesting garment which will appear in a later blog.


HELP:  I am not able to download photos to this blog from my own computer.  What has changed in Blogger?  I found I could upload using Google Chrome but not Microsoft Explorer!

2 more natural coloured hand-woven alpaca scarves

As I am about to go on a holiday to Europe I thought about which of my scarves I would take with me to wear.  After much thought I decided to weave two more the same as the last two woven, i.e., in a natural coloured mid-brown alpaca yarn from Shamwani Alpaca Stud, and also in the same pattern.  I knew I could weave them quickly and weaving two gave me one more scarf for my stock.  The previous two were for an order so already gone.
The two scarves are identical, being 1690mm x 200mm but one weighs 190g and the other 180g.  Not certain why the two weights are different with the scarves being identical size and pattern.  The photos shows both sides of the scarf as the pattern is different each side.

Now I am ready for the cold European November/December.

Hand-woven mid-brown natural coloured alpaca scarves

The final two scarves in my order for nine scarves using yarns from Shamwani Alpaca Stud have now been completed.  They are both in a natural coloured mid-brown alpaca yarn.
The first is 1750mm x 210mm and weighs 191g.

  The second is very similar being 1740mm x 205mm and weighs 193g.

The two scarves are really identical.  The two sets of photos just show the two sides of the pattern.