Monday, August 22, 2011

Running with Scissors

I’ve been thinking that adding some table linens to our sales inventory for awhile, and now seemed like the perfect time as we have scarves galore! I seldom weave outside of the 2/8 grist, but I'm really enjoying weaving with bigger grist, things weave up so fast! I am using a draft that Mum has used with great success in the past; below is a photo of the runner she made with 2/12 cotton warp and 1/16 natural linen weft and it is one of her go-to-runners. I love the large motif of the fancy twill and these colours are very subtle.
The warp for my runners is unbleached 2/5 cotton and I have enough for two runners. The weft that I’m using for the first runner is silk noil in a soft plum that has bits of cream, brown, black and red. The pattern really shows up well with the plum weft.If you have ever wondered what the difference between a table runner and yardage is, it’s the fact that a table runner has a border on all edges. This runner has 2 inches of border on each side and the finish hem will also have 2 inches of border with trellis hemstitching in the middle.
The weft for the second runner is a similar silk noil but in grey. The weft has more variation in grist than the plum weft, unfortunately there are a lot of knots in the skeins so I am constantly reaching for the scissors, hence the title running with scissors!The second runner is actually weaving up a little differently then the first runner, it’s a little wider and the picks per inch is a little different but not enough to impact the 45 degree angle of the pattern.
The runners are still on the loom at this point and I am really looking forward to seeing them completed. I’m really enjoying the easy weaving of the runners and so I am thinking about tying on to the warp.

5 comments:

Dianne said...

Hope you do work another warp. These are beautiful.

Anonymous said...

The overshot runner are lovely, nice job.

Judy said...

What a lovely runner! I was just reading about how to frame a woven piece and you did a wonderful job doing just that.

Elena said...

They are really beautiful, congratulations!

Susan said...

I really like your runners! Very elegant pattern...

I love twills for their complexity and they can show off a simple wood table beautifully.

Susan