Feb 07 2008
Rediscovery
Perhaps I am revealing too much about my housekeeping routines when I say that I recently discovered a finished knit from 2005 that never was photographed… Spurred by a bedroom rearrangement/purchase of new furniture, I cleaned out my closet, my chest of drawers, and …ahem… out from under my bed. I rediscovered some interesting things that I did not even remember owning, one of them being this little 11″ novelty scarf that I made in my earlier knitting/blogging days.
Chinchilla Neckwarmer
I remember that I got this one ball of Berroco Chinchilla in a swap, and while the ballband is long gone, I am guessing that this is the Madder Lake (5560) colorway. The ball of yarn has only 77 yds in it, so I swatched it up with some medium needles – maybe US 7s? – and then secured it with a small safety pin around my neck. If you recall, 2005 was the height of the novelty yarn phase, and as you can see, I was not immune to it (I didn’t quite wallow in it either, but I admit that I still have a few random skeins in my stash!). In defense, it is so incredibly soft with the fuzzy rayon bits, and it feels quite cuddly around the neck…
Since our room was clean and our walls were bare, it served as a nice clean backdrop for a little photoshoot of old and new fibery creations. Last year, Kris picked up one of the Strobist kits from Midwest Photo Exchange. We have used the lighting kit for a few photoshoots already (namely Beau, Street Smart Hoodie, and our anniversary photos) It comes with a compact collapsible umbrella that can be attached to a remote flash and transmitter. We played around with the lighting for some time and got some interesting results – even more enhanced after a little post-production work in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. The high contrast/overexposed lighting added an interesting element to the photos…
I am a generally thrifty person, and I do not like waste. As I educate myself in the weaving arts, I am learning that sampling is a very important part of the process; while I never quite caught on to the whole gauge swatch thing for knitting (yeah, I know, bad) I have started on the right foot with weaving samples… and I have a feeling that there are a lot more where this came from…
The finished sample from my previous warping photo – woven in the trusty TLC Essentials yarn, cranberry colorway. The sample measures about 14 inches, and it is too narrow for a placemat, so my next thought was some sort of neckwarmer. I secured a snap button on the back, leaving the bottom open. I made short tassels, visible in top photo (over my shoulder). Until I am more confident in my weaving ability, I am going to stick with weaving cheaper yarns. I am still learning about my loom and all of its idiosyncracies. I am quickly realizing the need to tighten up some areas, as the left side of the front apron rod never completely straigthens. The rod does not appear to be warped, but this small imbalance causes some major tension issues in the warp of the woven piece. My selvedges (the edges of the piece) are getting a little better – still bumpy, but I keep on telling myself that it won’t be perfect, as I have only been weaving for 2 weeks. Practice practice practice.
Thank you to those that read my last post and took the time to leave your informational comments and thoughts on color forecasting and trends. It is a fascinating field, and I am interested in researching it more…
Oh no – you are making me want to learn to weave and that is so bad on so many levels (no room, no loom money, no need!)
The neckwarmer is lovely!
Beautiful!! Love the new weaving.
really lovely lolly – you’re coming along with the weaving! i am also in the midst of “cleaning house” and god only knows what older knitted FOs will emerge!!
how neat – that strobe light effect is amazing! don’t you love cleaning out and finding things? (and getting rid of stuff!) i try to do a major clean once a year if I can….the weaving is beautiful – i can’t wait to see what you do next….
We have begun our annual house-cleaning (it takes a few months, actually) and we have been finding some very scary things. I am doubtful about finding anything useful or fun. You are really getting the hang of this weaving thing Lolly! It’s very impressive.
I love the beautiful colors in the projects. They go with this months fire element. The woven piece (the last picture) is beautiful. I have not woven anything since my attempts in grade 10 a gazillion years ago…definitely time to try again.
Nice shots, Kris! You are looking great, Lolly! Love the haircut! I always enjoy it when you blog about the photography details since that is my parallel knitting hobby. I’m going to check out that stobist kit.
Great job on the weaving! It will definitely be an adventure! Keep up the practice and you will definitely get better and better.
Yay for velour-y man made fibres! Fun to fondle, knit with and pet afterwards.
love the photos. they really make your eyes look surreal!
You are also making me want to weave! But alas, not money for that. Maybe I could just find someone that would let me use their loom…
Your neck will be snuggly everyday!
Ah, yes, cleaning. I’m always surprised what I find when I tidy up. Keep up your weaving – looks good!
Love the weaving! You’ll have to teach me how.
I shall say this once dear Lolly—
we shall not speak again of what lurks under the bed!
I love all the photos. You look so pretty, but kind of sad/pensive/wistful at the same time… all the looks are great.
Don’t you just love it when you find things you forgot you had? It’s like a treasure hunt.
Those look so good on you! A new project and an old one – perfect!
Girl, you look feee-irce in those photos! The combination of the lighting and your expressions really show a different side of you. I like it
I love the colors of both of the neckwarmers and think that, despite the materials, they both look really nice! One of the nice things about having the woven neckwarmer draped around you in that way is that it hides all of its sins. Really, I don’t see a thing wrong with it and I think it looks fantastic. Keep on practicing!
Check the cord holding your front apron bar to the loom. Is it evenly distributed? And enjoy your Baby Wolf! It’s a great loom.
Great photos!! That red woven fabric looks super… your a natural at weaving it appears.
Nice neckwarmers!
VERY nice color
The colour is lovely and the woven fabric has such a nice texture. I have a bag of knits under my bed too so you are not the only one!
nice weaving and I like that dark red colour! I too am very naughty about swatching when I knit, but I *do* make a sample when weaving, usually. I’m not sure why that is!
Such lovely and dramatic photos. Now I want a Strobist Kit! I think cranberry is definitely your color! Those neck wraps look fabulous on you.
Beautiful-you and the scarf!
I do like the photos but I wanted one of your smile. Too many upset Lolly faces…
I prefer you smiling.
I am excited to see your loom someday!
Hey! I think I made the same neckwarmer, possibly in 2005, only with some red handspun. It’s such a great little project when you’ve only got a tiny bit of some special, or super-soft, yarn. And it’s so cute on you, too!
Your woven neckwarmer is lovely. It really suits you and it seems it is a great project for learning.
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog to welcome me to Project Spectrum. So many wonderful ideas on your site (and your foray into weaving is inspiring to watch).
The woven neckwarmer is beautiful – red really is your color. I look forward to reading your posts – thanks for “making my day”.
love these photos, and i’m loving watching all the weaving you’re doing!