After threading the black 2/22 cottolin for the table runners, the next step is to pick the weft for them. I choose to weave the 70 inch runner first so I wanted to pick a classic colour combination, black and beige. I had two choices of colours in 2/22 cottolin, a more linen-y beige and a more cotton-y beige.
Surprisingly the picture above is the only photo that I took of the runner! It wove up quickly and easily. By the end of the runner I was starting to notice that the left hand side of the warp was getting a little spongy and loose. I could really see the distortion when I started the new runner.
I unwove the start of the new runner and I added pipe insulation (or pool noodle) to the back of the warp beam. It allows the warp to even out the tension by allowing the tighter threads to bite into the pipe insulation to give some ease of tension.
It works but the pipe insulation likes to move forward with the warp as you are advancing the warp so I have to get up and push the pipe insulation back into position every time, it is a little annoying.
For the second runner I choose a bright gold 2/16 ramie, ramie is a bast fibre made from a plant in the nettle family. Again, here is the start of the runner just in case I need to refer back to it to correctly end the runner.
Some of you eagle eyed people may have noticed that I’ve changed my shuttle, the ramie needed to have a different tension in the shuttle than the 2/22 cottolin that I had used for the previous runner. The ramie is quite stiff and a little sticky so the draw from the shuttle is a bit ‘hard’, it isn’t that nice to weave with but the runner is stunning. I’m happy that the runner is only going to be 50 inches, though!
This summer we’ve been hearing the call of a pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla) also called the pacific chorus frog, in the back garden and last week I found it hiding under some pots by the greenhouse. It is only about 5 cm long (about 2 inches) super cute and quite noisy!
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