Doctor What?

Day 151: I simply could not resist the impulse. I hadn't cut the colour gamp towels apart yet, and every time I looked at the heap of fabric laying on top of the cedar chest, I thought, "Gee, that looks like Tom Baker's Doctor's scarf." My version was slightly longer (24' as opposed to 21' for the real thing), but it was just as colourful. I said to myself, "I have an appropriate wig. I have an overcoat. I have a Tardis, and I assume it's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, although I've never used it. I'm going to reincarnate myself as The Doctor." We just won't mention that Tom Baker is over a foot taller than I am, and therefore the signature "scarf" had to be wrapped around my neck an additional time. You can probably guess what the follow-up will be. Yep, I have got to weave myself a real Doctor Who scarf.

Shaded Scarf

Day 328: The double experiment has reached a successful conclusion. Not only did the deliberate alignment of space-dyed warp work out the way I'd planned it, giving a "painted" appearance at the transitions, the sectional reed allowed me to combine different weights of thread for a textured feel. The drape of this soft cotton piece is lovely, but the best part is that the warp was made entirely with "leftovers," tag ends from previous projects. It took some careful planning to reach maximum efficiency, but I am quite pleased with the result. The finished scarf measures 63" x 8" and its destiny has already been determined (nope, I'm not telling!). That said, as much as I would like to repeat the process,commercial space-dyed threads have gone out of vogue and are rather difficult to find these days. This shade is no longer available.

Spin Cycle

Day 301: With interest in traditional home arts on the uptick over the last few decades, the availability of fibers has increased as well. No longer does the spinner have to raise their own sheep or find a rancher willing to sell a fleece. Now there are many sources for both natural and dyed materials: clean, carded and packaged as roving. I'll admit I've gotten a little spoiled, and definitely prefer to purchase wool in that form. After having a major shoulder repair some years ago, the process of carding wool puts too much strain on atrophied muscle and tight tendons, and I simply can't stay at the task long enough to prepare sufficient wool for an hour's spinning. With roving, I can tug off several sections and start spinning immediately. The fibers will have been straightened for me, and the material will be free of debris and neps, those nasty little tangled knots of wool which bunch up and leave lumps in the finished yarn.

Since I prefer to knit with lighter weight yarns, I usually spin two fine strands and then ply them together for strength. In this photo, the spindle is filled with single-ply Gotland (sheep) wool and the hank is a finished skein of double-ply. It is the same weight as the tan llama wool on the right, shown here in the process of being knit into a scarf. I am using #5 needles and a simple waffle pattern with a garter stitch hem, alternating knit and purl every five stitches and five rows.

Weaving Rose Path

Day 60: The weaver's talent is put to the test before the cloth is begun. The warp is measured first, then gathered in a chain or some other fashion to keep it from tangling, and then it is mounted on the back or front beam, depending on the weaver's preference. I like to wind it onto the back beam, and in doing so, I space the threads out over the approximate width of the projected cloth by running them through a set of dividers known as a raddle. From the raddle, each strand is taken through a heddle (a metal or string upright held in the harnesses), and this must be done in careful order depending on what pattern I've chosen to weave. My loom has four harnesses. To weave Rose Path following this particular threading, the strands of warp pass through heddles held in harnesses 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1, 4, repeated across the width. This is the most critical part of the manufacture of the cloth. A mistake will become apparent as soon as the weaving is begun. After the warp is strung through the heddles, it passes through yet another separator known as the reed. This device is mounted in the beater bar. Then the strands are tied to the front apron and weaving may commence.

The actual weaving is repetitive. The sheds (separations of the warp through which the shuttle passes) are raised by means of  four foot pedals (one per harness). The treadling sequence for this particular pattern is 1,4; 1,2; 2,3; 3,4; 2,3; 1,2; 1,4; 3,4. A good treadling rhythm is similar to hiking up the trail, i.e., step, step, step, step. The shuttle is passed left to right, right to left, back and forth, back and forth. The sound of the heddles in the harnesses is also soothing, a sussurating timbre I can only equate to that of a polite rattlesnake shaking its tail to let you know you know that the sunny rocks on this slope are already taken: "Please don't step to the right. This is my spot and I'm comfortable here." In other words, the work is done. Now just relax and weave!