Good morning! I spent yesterday afternoon sat outside on the freshly painted decking, weaving in the sunshine.
Which really felt like quite a treat.
I’ve been wanting to weave with my own Milarrochy Tweed for a while, and yesterday I decided to finally take the plunge.
I was a little nervous for two reasons: first, apart from one random attempt with a rug-type yarn very early in my weaving experiments, I’d not woven with wool before. Were my beginner skills up to it? Second, Milarrochy Tweed is a slubby, naturally thick-and-thin, single ply yarn – how well would it hold up to being warped and woven under tension?
I went for a really simple striped draft, so as not to warp my mind too much when warping. Tom helps me set up my loom, and with a more complicated patttern there can be quite a bit of muttering of ‘heddled’ or ‘open’ while I pass him different shades of yarn, and try not to get things tangled.
We treated the yarn quite tenderly while winding it around the loom, but I was immediately heartened, once we’d got things set up, that the warp felt incredibly stable, sproingy, and robust.
Soon I was weaving away!
I did have to take more care with the weft yarn than I might ordinarily do when weaving with cotton, though.
I was worried about breakages . . . I was worried about how neat my selvedges would be, given the yarn’s tweedy neps and slubby, uneven nature. . . .
. . . but although I think my selvedges might certainly have been neater, I was happy to find how easy and pleasant the yarn was to weave with – it felt so soft and springy in the hand and just seemed to want to move itself around the loom – definitely a different experience to the weaving cottons I’ve been using heretofore.
And I was also pleasantly surprised by the evenness of the fabric I eventually produced.
I took my weaving off the loom, blocked it with some steam, and yesterday evening, whipped up a belt.
I love the finished piece.
It seems that just like when knitting, when weaving, Milarrochy Tweed works up into a smooth, sturdy fabric
It’s super-simple, but I think this might be my favourite belt yet, just because its in my yarn . . .
. . . and perhaps also because it is such a good match for one of my favourite Milarrochy Tweed garments – I’ll show you the whole outfit tomorrow!
What beautiful hands you have, not just talented and knitting and weaving, but look great too.
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I have used the Milarrochy Tweed for crewel work and found it really holds up to the pulling in and out. I like the depth the tweediness adds to the embroidered look.
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ooh I now feel the urge to try this
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I enjoyed your post, and the photos are wonderful as always. That first photo had a real 20’s feel, 1920’s that is. ;)
Thank you for your daily posting in this period. The variety is so interesting and inspiring.
Wishing you and the whole team, the best of health.
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I spy something stripy and orange on your needles, can’t wait to see what it is! What a lovely belt you have made with your beautiful wool.
Oh, and thank you for your interesting posts, look forward to them.
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Beautiful day! Beautiful scene! and wonderful outcome… It all looks quite lovely… Well done, Kate
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That is beautiful.
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Fantastic! And you looked so glamorous as you wove !
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It looks like you change your nail polish as often as you change your clothes!
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I’ve never really been ‘into’ nail polish at all – but tried some yellow / orange polish last year which, when I removed it, made me look like I had smokers fingers! So I just had to keep covering the nails up . . . and have ended up enjoying changing the nail colour about once a week now, to fit in with a general palette of what I want to wear.
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Such a beautiful setting to overcome the nerves in.
And what a fabulous result.
Looms are such amazing devices. I’d not had much to do with them until I stumbled into my fabulous local spinning/weaving/ all things fibre group. It has been running for over 40 years and includes some amazing weavers (the Saori approach is loved by many of them). I have yet to grasp the language. I dare not get too close when they huddle up or dump piles of wood on a table and begin deftly slotting slats together. Not because I fear for my physical safety but because I dare not descend another rabbit-hole.
It is enough to admire their skill from a distance.
For the moment.
The lure of the loom is powerful.
Yours looks like a beautiful musical instrument.
Cheers
Karin
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Beautiful!! I really need to figure out where in the states to get findings for making something like a belt – it would make it even more tempting to get my act together on my tablet weaving :)
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Where do you get your lovely belt buckles from ?
I have made a belt !!!
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I wrote a post about belt buckles here: https://kddandco.com/2020/03/31/findings/
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When I see the word weaving I automatically ‘go’ in my mind to a floor loom but was delighted to see what you produced !
Saori weaving is definitely fun.
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I love your belts, Kate. It is so wonderful when they go with one of your knitting projects!
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I have been weaving for many years and much prefer wool (GOOD wool) to any other fiber. Weaving with your lovely Milarocchy sounds positively delicious ! Your belt is a great result of your design and work…well done !
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thank you! I’m enjoying being a beginner weaver
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I don’t know if it’s just that I have recently been Inkle weaving myself so it’s at the forefront of my mind, but it suddenly seems like there has been a resurgence of interest in the craft. So many people I am acquainted with have found, or come back to, Inkle weaving lately, all independent of each other.
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Thanks for this post, Kate. And also for the comments of your readers. I have been wanting to weave with your yarn, but did not think it would be strong enough for the warp. Now, I cannot wait to try it! Lovely photos of you weaving in the sun. It is not yet warm enough in Upper Michigan, but hopefully it will be coming sometime soon. So many knitting and weaving projects during this time of sheltering at home help so much in making it a time of purpose and accomplishment.
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Hi Adela,
I think Kate’s yarn would be best used as weft. You might test it for a short warp, or on an Inkle loom because the stress and tension would not be so great. It would be awful if your warp threads broke ! You might try another firm twist yarn for the warp.
Happy weaving !
Melissa
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Great job! I have been weaving for over 40 years and just started on an Inkle loom last year. It is easy and fun. Where do you purchase your belt buckles? I love the look. Stay well and thank you!
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Hi Deborah – I wrote a post about my buckle searches here: https://kddandco.com/2020/03/31/findings/
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Thank you for the website for the buckles. I am sorry I must have missed that post. Take care!
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I’ve spent the whole morning planning a Weather Scarf which I intend to knit in Milarrochy Tweed. Such beautiful colours! My birthday was in April & family have given me tokens to buy the yarn. In one year we will move away, as we retire. This scarf will be a memory of our final 12months in this home.
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happy knitting, and happy retirement, Angela
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I just sent off my yarn order. I am ridiculously excited about this project! The varying shades of the yarn are so lovely. I hope the weather patterns result in a lovely scarf.
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How long did it take you to weave a length to make a belt? It looks very therapeutic.
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This belt is plain weave, and didn’t take long at all – about four hours?
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That is really interesting to know, thank you!
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Kate, I love weaving with Milarocchy Tweed! I have a Saori floor loom and have experimented with many different yarns for both warp and weft over the years, and Milarocchy is a favourite. Only this week, I took delivery of a resupply of colours (thanks Sam!) to combine with recycled weaving ends of Harris tweed – ie the offcuts from the mill. Weaving always tells a story and I wanted this piece to combine these two different, but complementary, products of Scottish weaving and knitting cultures and landscapes. The fact that the yarn is a single really works for weaving – and it’s (usually) stronger than you’d think. I also love how the neps of colour enliven the weaving and I think that it’s slightly uneven texture makes a very forgiving selvedge 😂
A key element of Saori philosophy (from Japan) is that the handmade shouldn’t imitate factory-made cloth – so imperfections are not just allowed, they are valued. It’s a profound and liberating approach for the anxious maker – like me 😀
ps beautiful pics of you weaving in the sun!
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wow, Helen – your weaving sounds wonderful and the Saori approach is certainly right up my street! I’m so glad you are enjoying weaving with the yarn – I think I need to just go with its flow!
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Hi
Just wondering if you know about the Braid Society . They are running an online workshop by Susan Foulkes at the moment and I think you would find it interesting.
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I am a new member of the braid society! But I didn’t know about Susan’s workshop – I will investigate – thankyou!
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I was once told when purchasing a new Persian type rug, ( I had remarked that the border did not completely match the other side) that only Allah is perfect, needless to say the rug was purchased as it was beautiful, we had it a few years until our puppy chewed the corner
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