Natural Woman
Two projects off the looms today – both in naturally-colored yarns. The left scarf is a deflected double weave (really?) in silk and handspun bfl. The right is a scarf in 40/2 linen in an 8-shaft huck. The challenges in weaving the huck were selvedges – linen is so springy it will try its hardest to NOT wrap softly around the selvedge thread. The solutions are humidity, floating selvedges and fishing line. If you use fishing line you must have a partner f.s. in the warp fiber you are using for the rest of the fabric and it is best to put them in separate dents so they don’t twist around each other.
Another challenge was keeping the beat regular. In huck the beater resistance varies depending on how much of the fabric is lace and how much is plain weave in each individual pick. So you really have to place each pick carefully.
Finally, I finished this scarf by washing it in hot water in the washing machine then putting it in a plastic bag and freezing it overnight and ironing it before it thawed completely. This is supposed to break down the linen fibers and soften them. I have boiled and frozen linen in the past and I think this works just as well.
On a personal note, I am battening down the hatches for the impending visit from Irene. The forecasts are really bad, and I am looking at all my beautiful maples (that are near the house) with fear instead of joy . . .
