Japanese holiday

I have just returned from a 2 week holiday in Japan. The first week I stayed with my friend Sugiyami san and we visited the sumo in Tokyo and played four rounds of golf at Izu Yugashima, Sagami and Yokohama golf courses. The second week I used a 7 day Japan Rail Pass to visit Fukuyama, Nagasaki, Beppu, Kochi and Kyoto.

Sumo in Tokyo, Kotooshu preparing for his bout

Golf resort at Izu Yugashima

Golf course at Sagami

Challenging par 3 hole at Yokohama golf course

Fukuyama castle
Peace park at Nagasaki

Entrance to Nishi-Honganji Temple in Kyoto Japanese garden in Nijo Castle, Kyoto

2 Japanese girls wearing kimono and visiting Kyoto for the day
2 Geisha girls in Kyoto

Grey cashmere scarf

This is a lovely soft lightweight charcoal grey cashmere scarf woven in a 1-ply yarn using an eight shaft pattern. However, after washing the pattern is not too clear. It is 1750mm x 160mm and weighs only 46g.

2 hand painted merino scarfs

Two interesting wool yarns have been provided by Calico and Ivy in Mosman Park. They were hand painted merino wools from Canada, called Koigu Wool.

I wound the warp with one of the samples, then used the same wool as the weft of the first scarf, and then the second wool for the second weft. Restricting my weaving to 150g of one sample and 50g of the second sample, I finished up with one scarf 1380mm x 140mm weighing 90g, and a second scarf 1440mm x 140mm weighing 94g. The results are shown below.

Pink cashmere scarf

Have just completed a lightweight salmon pink cashmere scarf in a small diamond eight shaft pattern. It is 1550mm x 150mm and only weighs 46g.

Two silk scarfs

Have just completed two scarfs using a light brown silk as the warp, and then a black silk weft for the first scarf and a red wool weft for the second scarf. The same eight shaft pattern has been used for both scarfs resulting in a different front and back appearance.

Light brown coloured silk scarf

This latest scarf is in a light brown coloured silk woven on an eight shaft floor loom and has a very subtle pattern. It is a long scarf measuring 1880mm x 200mm and weighs 126g.

Purple silk scarf

Have just finished a short purple silk scarf, 1450mm x 170mm, which only weighs 52g. I have used an eight shaft pattern and used seven repeat patterns across the warp. The resultant pattern is different on each side.

Green silk scarf

I have just completed a long silk scarf 2100mm x 220mm in a green crinkly yarn and it weighs 92g. I used a plain (tabby) weave so the texture is caused by the crinkling in the yarn.

I have since wound the warp for a purple coloured silk scarf which will nominally be 1500mm x 200mm. The following photos show the yarn on the warping frame.

Sixth alpaca scarf completed

I have now completed six alpaca scarfs and taken them to Alpaca Plus in Middle Swan. The last two scarfs are 1990 mm long and and 200 mm wide so are long flowing scarfs. These latest two scarfs have a smaller pattern than the previous two and this can be seen in the close up photos.

It is likely that the lady at Alpaca Plus will take my six scarfs to the Royal Show at the end of September if she has not sold them before.

Four more items

Have been busy the last ten days. My latest woven item is a shawl using possum/merino woool made at the request of my daughter in law. It has finished as 122 cm x 56 cm so maybe I have made it too short but will have to wait to have her reaction to the item.

Previously I had made two more mufflers using alpaca yarn. They are both 20 cm wide with one 180 cm and the second 190 cm long. These will be on sale eventually at Alpaca Plus in middle Swan.

Whilst I was waiting for further supplies of alpaca yarn I wove a short scarf (128 cm x 17 cm) in a hand spun and hand dyed cotton yarn.

Am now busy weaving two further alpaca mufflers for Alpaca Plus which I am to take to them next week.

30 July 2009

After a two year gap I intend to renew my interest in maintaining my blog. I am now retired so spend my time playing golf, going on holidays and when at home I weave. I have recently been to Scandinavia where I purchased 100g of two colourful wools from which I have made two scarfs.

I have called these my Northern Lights series.

Since my holiday I have purchased some white 2 ply alpaca yarn from a local alpaca farm. These have resulted in some lovely soft alpaca scarfs.

Start of two scarves

Have now warped a 4.1m length of a stripped 2-ply wool in silver-grey and charcoal. I will use the silver-grey yarn as the weft for the first scarf and the charcoal yarn for the second scarf. Both scarves will be in herring-bone pattern
I am currently weaving the first scarf!

Fabric finished

Have today just finished weaving my 6m length of fabric.

This is what it looks like on the take-up drum on the loom.

I now have to wash and iron it before I can take it to a tailor to make up into a jacket.
It is 6.37m long and 88.5mm wide off the loom so will have to see how much it shrinks in the washing. It weighs 1039g!

Baby sitting in Albany

For the first weekend of the school holidays I went to Albany in order to baby-sit Matthew and Ben on the Monday and Tuesday whilst Debbie worked. I travelled down on Saturday so on the Sunday we all went out for a drive to Denmark. Our first stop was at a winery and puzzle shop where we spent about an hour playing with the wide range of puzzles.

Then a stop at the Lake House winery for wine tasting and lunch.

Then another stop at a winery and chocolate shop where purchases were made of port, cheese and fudge.

On the Monday I took the two boys out whale watching on a sailing catamaran.

On the trip we saw a total of four whales and a seal colony.

Then on the Tuesday I took Ben to the Dorothy the Dinosauer's Dance Party in the Albany Town Hall - sorry no pictures of this show.

I returned to Perth on the Wednesday after my four day holiday.

Sunday 1 July 2007

I have now started to weave a piece of material 6m long x 80cm wide (It is actually 95cm through the reed so have allowed plenty for shrinkage). It is a stripped fabric in charcoal and feathering 1-ply natural wool (from Bilby Yarns) and woven in a herring-bone pattern.

It looks very nice and my plan is to have it made into a sports jacket, provided I can find a suitable tailor. It seems a very large amount of cloth for a jacket but just wanted to be on the safe side. A tailor told me they usually use 2.1m of 160cm wide material for jackets, so as I can only make about 80cm wide (100cm through the reed but have to allow for shrinkage), I have doubled the length and then added 50% just to be on the safe time. My aim is to finish weaving it by the end of July so will have to see how I go.