Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Silk Scarves

I finished another silk scarf, spun from some hand-dyed roving that I bought from Mim. The roving weighed 1.8 ounces. The scarf is drying here because I washed and ironed it. The picture doesn't show off the pattern well, but none of the other pictures were any better. I don't think I have any silk that amounts to more than 2 ounces so I'm cursed to knit small scarves.




This is from the silk hankie I spun up earlier this year and the yarn weighs 2 ounces. I spun it tighter and thinner and have already started to knit it. Though it feels like I'm knitting with string, the fabric is wonderfully soft and drapey. It's the same pattern on the same needles, but it's much more open and loose which makes no sense to me. Half the time I don't know what I'm doing and the half I wonder what I have done.
I know this won't sense to non-
weavers, but a floating selvedge is recom-
mended when weaving twill but since they don't tie on to the back beam, they have to be weighted separately. Beryl had recommended a brand of C-clamps which I was unable to find so I substituted these. They work like a charm. When you need more length, unscrew the clamp and release another length. I have learned so much from my friends by blog - thank you all!

If you've managed to read this far on a holiday weekend, I hope you'll have a moment to view the historic clip at Selvedge magazine of wool and the weaving industry in Australia. It's an abbreviated version of a longer one available at link provided in the text. It's an educational film from the "talkies" era and I ended up watching it twice. Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving on this, my favorite of all holidays.

4 comments:

Marie said...

The scarf is lovely and looks so soft.
What is on the loom?

bspinner said...

I love the colors and pattern in your scarf. BEAUTIFUL!!!

Jodi said...

What a lovely blue scarf! Your lace knitting turned out beautifully. Happy Thanksgiving, Sharon.

BTW, your house always looks gorgeous in your photos -- so much light and lots of nice wood.

Beryl Moody said...

Sorry I missed your pies! Rainbow was a disappointment this year. Your scarf is gorgeous.