Janet

Lara asked me beginning of the year to make a woven shawl for her friend Janet. She want to have it as a gift. With my both first ones I felt experienced enough and agreed.
We were looking together for a possible color and fibre and decided for this one:

It is an amazing color combination of Merino wool and silk and I had known that this will give the right yarn for a selfpatternd shawl.

I started to spin and was satisfied with the result.

  more unique now but colored enough that it is not a smash

100g, finished.

For the lightweight shawls I like to use a single yarn (unplied) as the last step is felting to fix the threads in their position. But when I take it off the reel it always looks like an unstretched rubberband.

2,20m in the diameter...

also after the relaxing bath a lot of twist was in the yarn. But it was welcome. The first both scarves had a much more thinner yarn and it was rubberd while weaving so that I had to take care that the yarn dos not break.

On this step I stopped with working on this as Lara announced to visit me and I had the idea to let work her too on this gift that she did not only "order" it. She also made a part of it herself.

Now last weekend she was here. It was a weekend full of handcrafting, one time walking and a lot of talking. I believe we had no silent minute 😅 But it was really beautiful!

And we made progress on our project together.

Starting with winding this strand into a ball to use it.

the reel is quite old and I´d like to share with you the noise it makes with every turn 😅

Lara made a good job and we got a nice ball.

First before starting with the weaving I suggest to make a sample. To be sure about the right reed size. I always use for that my Zoom Loom which has a dent of 40/10 (40 threads on 10 cm) I cannot make it wider or smaller. But I take this size to compare it with the reed I want to use.

 on the loom

off the loom, just a little smaller as without tension now and washed to see how the threads will look like.

 Once more a big help, that I do not have to "dance" around the loom to warp  it. I mostly have the arms too short and must go around to pick the thread  and go back. This time I stood behind the loom and gave Lara the thread she perfectly pick from me and put it over the pin. Always controlled the tension.

Every time I have the feeling that the color of my yarn change with every step. I know an important part of this illusion is the light. But it´s incredible never to know how it looks at the end!

Last step together was winding the warp onto the beam. Also alone a hatefull job, because the tension from the warp need to be kept until all threads are winded. Here we stopped as the weekend was almost over. We catched the chance of no-rain to make a little walk through our near nature. But also from here to work alone was no more boring. I still had the birthday in mind to finish.

Next step was, to pull all threads through the strands and again through the reed. 

After that all threads can be fixed by a knot and a bow on the front beam. 

For the weft I decided to take a longer shuttle than the loom is wide. It makes weaving much more easy. And I would not have a break in the yarn, so I did wind on the complete rest of the ball.

ready to weave

The shafts are never to seen (I detected now) but there are 2 of it that lift and lower in alternate.

weaving process... again, and again... the most boring part. But I have to be carefully.

 Summer is back and I can sit outside. Also a big help for me is my new loom table. Now I can weave while sitting. Before I all the time was standing... It´s much more comfortable and it runs like from alone. 

almost finished, the end is visible

last shot. There is really no more space. And I´m happy that the yarn was enough. Inbetween I was little ancious it will be to less. The shop where I got it, has closed for vacation...

before I cut the warp I take a longer piece from the weft and fix the last shot with an overlock stitch I have seen at Malize. It is such an easy stitch and keep quite tight! Amazing.

Now I cut the threads from the beam and roll off the scarf.

The same I made at the end I have to make on the beginning. I always want to do that after the first shots, but as I do not use paper stripes to get an evenly spread I must do it after. Now I hold in in my hands. But it works.

almost ready is a beautiful new scarf. Turn the ends and felt it carefully.

Dear Janet, 

I hope you will have a lot of fun, joy and goodfeeling with your new accessoir! 

Made in cooperation and with love. ♥