Feb 08 2008
Muy Caliente
This one little ball of yarn sat on the shelf waiting for the right moment for many months – I got the lone skein of Colinette Point 5 in a swap a few years back. The colors were garish and bright, but it attracted me. Little did I know that a few years later, it would be the *perfect* inspiration for Project Spectrum’s FIRE element…
:: threaded bobbins ::
This yarn was not my only inspiration, however… another inspiration came from the ancient weaving traditions of the Zapotec Indians, indigenous to Oaxaca, Mexico… My father visited Oaxaca last December, and he brought back many lovely souvenirs, stories, and photographs. Among the souvenirs was this amazing woven rug, which he gave me for Christmas, made with naturally dyed wools, in a traditional geometric design.
It is the technique of the rug that was particularly intriguing to me. It is called weft-faced or warp rep, because the weft – the fibers that are interlaced horizontally through the warp (vertical threads) – is compacted and beat closely together, hiding the warp threads below, and making a dense and sturdy fabric, perfect for rugs, or other items that will see a lot of wear.
I read a little about the technique, and then I decided to give it a go for myself. I warped the loom with an ivory wool yarn that I picked up on clearance at Springwater. There were no general markings on the small cone, so I do not know any more about the yarn. I wound up my bobbins with the fiery wool yarn above – so perfect for FIRE – and loaded up the boat shuttle to start weaving.
I got a great rhythm, and the piece was finished in about 2 hours. I had a minor setback – my first of its kind! The last warp thread on the far left side broke in the middle of the piece. I tried not to freak out too much, and I managed to fix it, although it is not as seamless as I would like. The broken thread caused some major tension issues, which later caused the left edge to ripple like lettuce… but hey, at least it was pretty. More practice needed.
“Me llamo ‘Caliente’”
I thought the name was fitting – the deep oranges and reds in the yarn definitely look hot, just like fire. I love the little black and blue bits thrown in there too. I am happy with the way that this certain colorway worked up. The variegations are pretty even, with very little pooling. The closeup of the stitches shows you just how textural this piece is.
The piece measures about 29 inches long, and about 5.5 inches wide. I am planning to lightly felt it – hopefully keeping the stitch definition – and then cutting it to make potholders and/or coasters. I think it will be a beautiful and functional woven piece!
PS–Handknit socks make the best loom treadle pushers 
Just lovely. The colors are warm & earthy. Nice choice.
It is *so* fun to watch you learn this wonderful new craft.
Thanks so much for sharing the great photos (another awesome inspiration!) with us. I think that your “muy caliente” turned out muy bueno!
It’s so wonderful to watch the progress. Your piece turned out beautifully (and I love the handknit socks
)
The yarn you used it so beautiful!
I’ve been reading all of your weaveing post, and I really need to clear out some stuff in my craftroom so I can get room for a loom or two. I have two looms sitting and waiting for me at my grandmother’s house
You make it look so easy
Have a great weekend!
That’s so pretty! I love the colors, and the stitches are so wonderfully dense and even. It’s really fun to see how different yarn looks woven than it would knitted. Just one more way to revel in fiber. =)
Absolutely beautiful! I love the colors, and the way they come together in the fabric. It reminds me of the rag rugs my grandmother used to weave. She had a giant loom in the attic, and made her rugs out of old clothes and scraps of fabric. We still have at least 10 of her rugs at our summer cottage. They are great for keeping the floors warm when it’s a bit chilly outside in May/June.
A really lovely piece – loved hearing the inspiration for it too
Oh, gorgeous – and so fiery!
I’ve never had the desire to weave .. but you’re making me feel a bit of a “burn” for it. My husband would kill me!
It’s beautiful. The colors are amazing and I’m excited to see all your future projects.
What a wonderful color. I am enthralled watching you advance in your new weaving.
Love those colors! Congrats on the quick set up and weaving off. Can’t wait to see how they look after felting.
lolly is absolutely awesome! I love the colours and how it worked up. Your seriously getting me in trouble because now I want to weave!!!
your new talent is amazing. The colurs on this piece are amazing too. WOW!
Felting it and making coasters? Fabulous idea, Lolly! The colours work so well with the texture, sorta the way variegated yarns shine in seed stitch.
My goodness that is gorgeous!
Wow, phenomenal! The colors are amazing. That’s really beautiful work.
Yup, you’ve definitely gotten the bug. There’s a great book on rep weaving by Joanne Tallarovic (called Rep Weave and Beyond) if you like those techniques. It’s a nice bit of eye candy even if you want to just look at the pretty pictures too.
Honestly, you are a one of a kind pan-fiber enthusiast!
How very pretty! Be sure to take lots of pics after the fulling and cutting are done!
*Sigh* I am soooo envious of that loom
However, at least I am able to see the beautiful things you make! I love the colors… great idea to felt it slightly and make coasters or something along that line.
So pretty! And you get to make great “usable” items from a sample again. I love how you can use stash knitting yarn.
PERFECT for Project Spectrum! It looks like you are having fun with your new ‘toy’.
I’ve really been enjoying your adventures in weaving lately — and I really enjoyed seeing your byline in Interweave Knits, too!
This looks great! The rich colors woven so tightly together really make a strong statement. Very much like a sunset or a flame.
You are a very fast and enthusiastic learner =0)
Beautiful! Love the spicy colors!
Beautiful! I’m loving seeing all your new weaving projects – although now I’m just yearning to learn how to weave even more!
It’s gorgeous! It’s amazing how toned down the woven fabric is. I love it. You really have a knack for this!
That is gorgeous Lolly! I’m really enjoying your weaving adventures!
That yarn is gorgeous! I love it!
By the way – I JUST got my new Interweave today – congrats on your article! It was very well written – awesome job!
It looks lovely! It really does look like fire. It’s so fun getting to watch you learn this new craft!
I love the colors…it is such a joy to vicariously try weaving through your eyes/hands.
Looks great, were you amazed? I still can’t ever picture how yarns will look when woven, and sometimes, like this, they just.look. awesome.
gorgeous! I’ve been thinking about getting back to the loom, and your project is very inspiring! Very nice work.
Me gusta! I love the texture and the colors.
And congratulations on your article in IK! I enjoyed reading it.
How lovely! I think you’ve inspired me to weave with my handspun rather than knit.
That is a lovely colour combo! Very nice piece.
Ah, just the warmth I needed on this cold, blustery day. Thanks for sharing!
Lovely! I never thought I would muse about weaving myself, but this piece of yours has done the trick. Oh, but please don’t cut it up — make it into a table runner or something. It is so beautiful, and the pattern has such a wonderful flow!
Thanks for your wonderful blog. I am an avid reader and love your wool work and photos!
beautiful!!!
you make such great photo’s!
How beautiful!
You are really attacking your new hobby with Gusto! I love Colinette yarns, but never know what to do with them. The skeins of Colinette I have are all still in skein form. I find them the most pleasing that way! But I love your solution. Can’t wait to see the final results
Did you have to learn this technique or was it obvious given your Mannings training? Forgive me if it’s a stupid question. I know *nothing* about weaving.
Gorgeous. I was wondering how the variegated yarn would look when woven, instead of knit—beautiful! And it behaved in such a surprising way, ay least for me.
P.S. Congrats on the fantastic article in the new Interweave Knits! Great work!
Muy caliente, indeed. The color combination is beautiful, it’w roking up to something very lovely!
So gorgeous! I don’t know the right vocabularly to describe what your’e doing, but I love how the rows look so nicely stacked. The colors look fantastic! It’s also interesting to see how yarns I’m used to seeing in knit form work up in weaving.
That looks glorious. I’ve caught the spinning bug only recently, but I remember trying to set up some way to weave stuff even when I was 4 or 5 years old. Maybe weaving is my true calling.
What kind of weaving loom do you have?
What wonderful acuity you have! Congratulations. I am a fiber artist and jeweler working with master weavers Federico Chavez Sosa and his son, Eric Chavez Santiago, to offer 4-day intensive weaving and natural dyeing workshops in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, in their home studio for small groups of weavers, knitters, artists, and teachers in 2008. If you know of anyone interested in this special experience, please tell them about it. All “credentials” are on the website: http://www.oaxacaculture.com Muchas gracias, Norma