Time to Play

As usual its been busy at Weft Blown HQ as I have been working away on orders for lots of new stockists. I'm happy to say that all orders are complete for now and it's been great fun to work with such a lovely range of galleries and shops.

The orders have been varied and it's been fun creating bespoke items for some of my stockists.

Argyll Mountains for Lismore Gaelic Heritage Centre

Beach Textile Art for Highland Natural Accents

Ingleborough Moor for Finestra Gallery

 

I've really enjoyed weaving these pieces as it's great to weave new shapes, colours and textures that are linked in with these stockists local areas. It's also been interesting in how easy these shapes can be used for many other locations too.

I've also been able to use my handspun yarn again which I haven't used for a while. My spinning mojo had disappeared for a while but it has come back after being able to play with our Louët demo wheels. I've grown rather attached to the 5 spoke double treat S10 Concept as it's so lovely to spin on. It's the only one that hasn't returned to the studio so think that says something. 

To complete some of these bespoke pieces I needed to create specific yarns. Again, hardship of having all the Louët things in the studio I played with the Blending Board to make rolags. I've never used a blending board before and to be honest I didn't see the point as I had the drum carder. After 20 minutes of playing I'm now converted as with the Blending Board you can make very cool striped rolags, be more precise in what you're adding in, and still make lovely fluff that is a joy to spin especially with the Art Yarn flyer.

All the fibre out ready to blend

Packing the fibre onto the board using the brush

Fibre building up on the board

Using the sticks to make the roles

I love my blending board

 

Getting back into spinning and making art yarn has helped to rejuvenate my creative side and I'm now ready to play at working on lots of new designs using lots of new yarn.

I am a strong believer in supporting independent yarn dyers and yarn producers, as well as supporting British wool in this country. So at Edinburgh Yarn Festival I did a spot of buying purely for research and development purposes. I want to widen my range of scarves and cowls and look at doing more one off designs that will be exclusive to buy directly from Weft Blown. Also, on a purely fun level, it means I can keep playing with different designs and yarns so it helps to keep me fuelled creatively.

My EYF 2016 yarn haul that includes yarns from Blacker Yarns, The Border Tart, Ripples Craft, Whistlebare Yarns, Buffalo Wool Co, fibre from John Arbon, and then purely personal yarn kit purchases from Kate Davies and Midwinter Yarns.

The colour palette is fairly obvious as it's still with the sky and landscape themes, but there are tonal differences from what I've used before. Plus, the base yarns are completely different in most cases and I can't wait to see how they weave up.

A couple of weeks later I bought some yarn and fibre from Countess Ablaze and fibre from Hilltop Cloud. I blame instagram and newsletter updates for these purchases.

I have also bought some lovely hand-dyed yarn from Queen of Purls too but shamefully there is no photo of this. They are a lovely blue and sand shaded Dorset Horn yarn.

All of the new yarn has been sitting nicely in a basket since entering the studio to make me think about what it's going to turn into.

I've got a couple of ideas based on some photos I've take over the past few months.

Beach

Winter Loch

Nacreous Cloud

 

I'm wanting to do a lot more work using texture and pattern as I now have the chance to play more with the 12 shafts on my Delta floor loom and I feel I haven't explored enough with what I can do with it.

This has resulted in yet more playtime and today I've been setting up the Jane table loom to play with Deflected Double Weave for the first time. So far it's great fun and I'm already getting ideas of what I can do with it and how I can get it to play with other structures. 

Where the playing will take me I'm not quite sure yet, but I am enjoying being able to properly explore new designs and try to yet again bring the weather into my handwoven cloth.