remembering

Today 100 years ago my mother was born. She only lived to the age of 79. Just nice to remember her on this day.

Still all white around here. Today is the first day since I'm back from London that daytime temperature is above 0. The sun is out, a lovely day. Really looking forward to Spring weather.

In the last few days I had some goldfinches visit my front lavender garden. Very welcome as the usual visiting birds seem to have disappeared from where I live. Plenty food for them, very strange.

winter is back

Only 9 days ago I was able to do some work in the garden without a coat, it was a lovely sunny day!
In the time that I went away, the temperatures have dropped considerable. I suppose to normal for this time of the year. Since yesterday late afternoon, the snow is back. So far it was only faintly snowing but now the big flakes are coming.
I cannot wait for Spring to arrive!

In the post today arrived Laura Fry's new publication A Good Yarn: Rayon. Extraordinary what work she is putting into these publications. I'll have a good look at it tonight. Also in the post today the new Selvedge, looks like a very interesting issue, the 50th! I'll know what to do tonight. ;-)

back from London

I'm back from a few days London.
Eurostar is really great way to get to London. But getting to Brussels from Holland is so difficult these days. I had lots of problems both going and coming back. Not sure if I'm up to making this kind of journey again. Wish I could get to Brussels a different way and not use Dutch Railways.

I went to see the Hollywood Costume exhibition at the V&A. Lots to see but it was very crowded so it was very difficult to see it all.

I really went to London for 2 Complex Weavers Study Days with Jette Vandermeiden. What a great 2 days these have been. It was very International, attendees from England, Scotland, France, Belgium and me from Holland. Lovely to meet up with old friends and meet new. My head is still spinning from all I've learned. First day was about All Tied Up. This was about what you can weave on a straight threading by changing the tie up, wonderful ideas. The second day was about Lampas. This was completely new to me and by the end of the 2nd day I had reached my limit of taking in any more information. I can highly recommend a workshop by Jette. What a wonderful teacher. I'm hoping to organise something with her in Holland for next year.
I now have to finish the warp on my loom so that I can start to play.

why sampling

Happy New Year to you all! May it be a creative, happy and healthy year for everyone. I'm very much looking forward to moving on.
A worry I have just now, is that my cats are getting old and beginning to show it.

Why sample?
I wanted to use some yarn in a project but did not know how it would react.
It's a bit of fun yarn that I bought on ebay last year. (solar active thread)
So, I needed to sample. So glad I did! It's just not working out what I had in mind.
I wanted to weave a white scarf and have the solar active thread in the end parts of the scarf. I thought it would be fun if you were walking in the sun and the scarf would "light up" in rainbow colours.
But, in combination with the Tencel yarn I'm using, it is just not working. The solar active thread is not shrinking and the Tencel is.

Above photos shows the top before wet finishing and the bottom photo after wet finish and pressing. When pressing I used a cloth in between so that there would not be direct heat on the solar active thread.
The wet finished sample, at the bottom part I wove just the solar active thread and you can see that it's more shiny and bulges out. The top of that sample I wove alternative Tencel and solar active thread. There the Tencel has shrunk and the solar active thread is jumping out, looking very untidy.

So, both options are not workable with the Tencel and I will have to abandon this idea for now. It will have to be combined with yarn that does not shrink.

Another sample I did was weaving all twill with the ondulé reed.
So far I wove alternate twill and plain weave or just plain weave. I was not sure how it would come out if I wove all twill. I'm pleased with the outcome and will now weave a scarf that way.

I wove sample, that I will keep as a before wet finish sample (no photo shown) and another sample I wove with a wool/silk weft yarn:

I will use this yarn in my next scarf, weaving all twill.