Rag rugs are great

I’ve managed to achieve my aim this week to get cracking on properly with the rag rugs on Vicky the floor loom.
There’s a not so great aspect to rag rugs, and that’s making the rags. I got a rotary cutter at the Creative Stitches Show in Glasgow earlier this month and I understand now why they’re such a useful tool. It did struggle a bit with going through the thicker of the 2 curtains that I am using but I got there in the end. The surprise was how much fuzz that cutting the curtains up would create. There was a thin layer of blue all over my dining table and me. Thank god for Dyson hoovers.
Weaving has now commenced and I’m loving how it’s coming out.

knit 1 girl 1's first rag rug

I’m really liking the contrast with the 2 blue colours against the strong red jute warp. Even better is the paler of the blue curtains is creating an effect that looks like the waves in the sea. This is from the curtains being bleached by the sun over time and I’ve managed to cut across the faded sections.
Hopefully, I’ve managed to save enough on loom waste by using the lashing on technique that I can get a longer section of rug out of this to go most of the length of my hallway. Fingers crossed.
This week I’ve also finished off another cowl that’s now for sale in my Etsy shop.

Rocky Outcrops Handwoven Cowl by knit 1 girl 1

The hand-dyed yarn came from my friend Chookiebirdie and the rest of the skein that I have will turn into a cowl for her.
The name for my cowl harps back to my past life of studying Environmental Science that included 3 years of Geology at Edinburgh University. This has left me scarred as I can never look at rocks and scenery without thinking of how they were formed and what they were made of. I did always like sedimentary rocks and it’s great having some good outcrops to look at when I’m walking my dogs down the beach.
I’m discovering that I may be mad in my wish to try and use my local beaches for all my product shots. Trying to get a calm day with the right light is starting to prove hard as there’s always a wee breeze on the West Coast of Scotland and breezes and polystyrene mannequins don’t mix. Again, harking back to another past life as a meteorologist I’m finding a use for my weather observing skills and being able to keep an eye on the forecast. Apart from the time I took the mannequin out of the car and placed it on the sand to then be knocked down immediately by the wind. Ho hum.
Thankfully the weather has turned lovely in the past couple of days and it was sunshine and blue skies yesterday and still felt mild today. Spring is definitely here and I’m looking forward to the longer summery days ahead.