Yesterday, the yarn arrived, so things are about to get a lot less theoretical. I suppose I should mention what I ordered, hm?
After some reading, I ended up going with a mini-cone each natural and a grey in both Jaggerspun 2/20 and Halcyon's worsted warp. Now that they've arrived I'm happy to say that I'm pleased with the results. The 2/20 is a more woolen style yarn, and it's a reasonable weight for period fabrics, if (as I understand other people's summaries of their research, since I haven't gotten to this level of detail yet) a little bit on the coarser side. So that's good practice for working with that weight of yarn before we get to handspun singles, which will be a whole other level of adventure. And the worsted, while heavier, makes me happy that I can experiment with worsted yarns, again, before we move on to the precious handspun. Plus, heavier yarn is also more forgiving.
After doing some math, I think I'm going to end up with a 4 yard warp of the 2/20. I didn't do the worsted calculations until after I'd ordered the mini-cones, so I was a little startled by how much heavier this warp is than the Jaggerspun and how much difference that makes in the calculations but at 10 ends per inch (EPI), but I can still get 12 5 inch square blocks to work with.
For the record, while I can do the math by hand, I really like the Weavolution Weaving Calculator for being able to fiddle with the numbers.
Other useful tools I've found after much time in the wilderness are reed substitution charts, because it turns out that 1) there are better methods than eyeballing to figure out sett (density of the warp in the reed) and the fact that I only have 15 dent per inch (DPI) reeds, does not actually limit me only to multiples of 15 for the sett. I mention this mostly because I only figured it out after an embarassingly long time of not really getting what all those numbers in the yarn descriptions meant.
So tonight, I think I start winding warp chains and working on the pre-treatment. I'm currently pondering adding oil, because in period they used a lot of oil per pound of fiber, and sizing. I'm leaning toward sizing with gelatin, because while using starch as sizing is period, reports are that it's also very dusty, and my house does not need more dust, so I'm willing to compromise on that specific detail, especially during test runs of the test run.
More to come...
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Return of the prodigal
I'd like to offer the traditional blog greeting these days, which is something along the lines of "Sorry I haven't updated in so long..." but in my case, this blog started off as a way to share updates about a group project, and since that project wrapped up I haven't had a lot of stuff to share, so I'm only mildly repentant.
However, I'm about to start a new project, so I decided to come back here to track progress and share what I learn as we go.
I want to make proper English broadcloth. I've wanted to make a reproduction textile for ages, but haven't had the momentum. However, my best friend recently pitched the same idea and it's a lot more fun as a collaboration than solo, so I have leapt on the concept with rather embarassing levels of enthusiasm. But also, she's a better spinner than I am, and I'm more of a weaver, so combining forces is perfect, because left to my own devices, I mostly look at the spinning specifications and get overwhelmed, but the weaving looks interesting and people seem to neglect the fulling, brushing and shearing pretty universally, so that's my area. Yay, division of labor. So while she's plotting the spinning I'm going to work up some weaving samples on my own to get the processing party started.
I started researching, and promptly discovered I'd been harboring some major confusion about terminology. The super high-grade woolen fabrics that get talked about? Aren't worsteds, they're woolens.
Which probably makes zero sense if you aren't aware of the woolen/worsted distinction. It's complicated, but the short version is that there are sort of two paths for handling wool, woolen and worsted. The results of the worsted path is a fine, hard and shiny yarn with very little loft or bounce. Woolen processing results in yarn that is airier, looser and bouncier. They both have their benefits and drawbacks.
I'm pretty sure that the reason for my confusion is that modernly, worsteds are generally considered higher grade because they're the sort of thing that high-end suits are made out of, and they're also rarer, so having them is a bigger deal.
But in the medieval context, that's reversed. Worsted spinning was very common because drop spinning produced it easily*, and fabric made with woolen spun yarn was more sumptuous because of several levels of additional processing that weren't necessary when working with worsteds, because the fabric was essentially almost ready as soon as it was washed. And it was reading that that made the pullchain on the lightbulb click...
*This is where I am not going into a whole digression into spinning techniques. Yet.
See, when you read about medieval woolens, what you're reading about is a fabric that was made with woolen style yarn that was then felted until it reduced size by over 50%, stretched back out on hooks (this is where the "on tenterhooks" expression comes from, I suspect) to maybe 75% of original size and make it smooth and not rippled, then brushed with teasles to bring up the nap, sheared to cut off the extra fuzziness, and then napped and sheared again and eventually dyed. All that extra work means that you've got a super smooth and shiny fabric that's practically waterproof. It's also, by the way, the fabric that the word "scarlet" comes from, because as a major luxury good, it got dyed with the finest dyes, which was so often the kermes red that the word for the fabric gradually morphed into the word for the color. This was a big deal luxury good.
The project I have in mind is to weave a series of samples in worsted and woolen yarns and 3 different weaves, and then subject them to all the other processing. I'll leave one with normal wet finishing, full another, full and brush a third and full, brush and shear a fourth, so that I can illustrate what each step looks like along the way. I think it'll be a really cool project. I also have been realizing that while I'm only talking about 5" square samples, that means I'm still talking about around 5 yards of weaving to cover all the variations, unless I decide maybe I don't need to do all of them. Like, after doing that reading, it sounds like doing the full treatment on a worsted/worsted sample isn't necessary, but since worsted warp/woolen weft was very common that that's one I should focus on, and I suspect that the heavily felted nature of the end fabric means it's not worth bothering with anything fancier than tabby or a very basic twill. But the point of the exercise is to experiment and see which processes produce what effects.
I don't have a lot of the processing equipment, so I'm expecting to improvise a good deal. Sadly, I don't have several strapping journeyman fullers to foot-full all that fabric for days on end, so my washing machine is likely to get pressed into service. I don't have tenterhooks, but I bet I can rig up something akin to an embroidery frame to hold it taut to dry. I don't have a frame to hold teasles, or enough teasles to do the job, but I do have hand carders (which were explictly forbidden from being used for that purpose for fear that the metal teeth would damage the fabric, but I'll risk it). Shearing, at least, should be straightforward.
I have plans! Many, many plans! Now I just have to wait for the yarns to arrive...
However, I'm about to start a new project, so I decided to come back here to track progress and share what I learn as we go.
I want to make proper English broadcloth. I've wanted to make a reproduction textile for ages, but haven't had the momentum. However, my best friend recently pitched the same idea and it's a lot more fun as a collaboration than solo, so I have leapt on the concept with rather embarassing levels of enthusiasm. But also, she's a better spinner than I am, and I'm more of a weaver, so combining forces is perfect, because left to my own devices, I mostly look at the spinning specifications and get overwhelmed, but the weaving looks interesting and people seem to neglect the fulling, brushing and shearing pretty universally, so that's my area. Yay, division of labor. So while she's plotting the spinning I'm going to work up some weaving samples on my own to get the processing party started.
I started researching, and promptly discovered I'd been harboring some major confusion about terminology. The super high-grade woolen fabrics that get talked about? Aren't worsteds, they're woolens.
Which probably makes zero sense if you aren't aware of the woolen/worsted distinction. It's complicated, but the short version is that there are sort of two paths for handling wool, woolen and worsted. The results of the worsted path is a fine, hard and shiny yarn with very little loft or bounce. Woolen processing results in yarn that is airier, looser and bouncier. They both have their benefits and drawbacks.
I'm pretty sure that the reason for my confusion is that modernly, worsteds are generally considered higher grade because they're the sort of thing that high-end suits are made out of, and they're also rarer, so having them is a bigger deal.
But in the medieval context, that's reversed. Worsted spinning was very common because drop spinning produced it easily*, and fabric made with woolen spun yarn was more sumptuous because of several levels of additional processing that weren't necessary when working with worsteds, because the fabric was essentially almost ready as soon as it was washed. And it was reading that that made the pullchain on the lightbulb click...
*This is where I am not going into a whole digression into spinning techniques. Yet.
See, when you read about medieval woolens, what you're reading about is a fabric that was made with woolen style yarn that was then felted until it reduced size by over 50%, stretched back out on hooks (this is where the "on tenterhooks" expression comes from, I suspect) to maybe 75% of original size and make it smooth and not rippled, then brushed with teasles to bring up the nap, sheared to cut off the extra fuzziness, and then napped and sheared again and eventually dyed. All that extra work means that you've got a super smooth and shiny fabric that's practically waterproof. It's also, by the way, the fabric that the word "scarlet" comes from, because as a major luxury good, it got dyed with the finest dyes, which was so often the kermes red that the word for the fabric gradually morphed into the word for the color. This was a big deal luxury good.
The project I have in mind is to weave a series of samples in worsted and woolen yarns and 3 different weaves, and then subject them to all the other processing. I'll leave one with normal wet finishing, full another, full and brush a third and full, brush and shear a fourth, so that I can illustrate what each step looks like along the way. I think it'll be a really cool project. I also have been realizing that while I'm only talking about 5" square samples, that means I'm still talking about around 5 yards of weaving to cover all the variations, unless I decide maybe I don't need to do all of them. Like, after doing that reading, it sounds like doing the full treatment on a worsted/worsted sample isn't necessary, but since worsted warp/woolen weft was very common that that's one I should focus on, and I suspect that the heavily felted nature of the end fabric means it's not worth bothering with anything fancier than tabby or a very basic twill. But the point of the exercise is to experiment and see which processes produce what effects.
I don't have a lot of the processing equipment, so I'm expecting to improvise a good deal. Sadly, I don't have several strapping journeyman fullers to foot-full all that fabric for days on end, so my washing machine is likely to get pressed into service. I don't have tenterhooks, but I bet I can rig up something akin to an embroidery frame to hold it taut to dry. I don't have a frame to hold teasles, or enough teasles to do the job, but I do have hand carders (which were explictly forbidden from being used for that purpose for fear that the metal teeth would damage the fabric, but I'll risk it). Shearing, at least, should be straightforward.
I have plans! Many, many plans! Now I just have to wait for the yarns to arrive...
Monday, May 7, 2012
Pillow's Progress
The pillow project is still underway. No actual knitting has occured beyond the initial swatch though. My first impression was that I just didn't feel like I could do the whole project from the three wee charts in Rutt's book, so I've been taking them and putting them in Excel. This is looking like a good choice. Mucking around with how it's supposed to look and counting of every block means I'm that much more familiar with the pattern before I even take up needles, and I can make lots of mistakes first where they're incredibly easy to fix en masse. Like, for example, noticing that the border pattern is set up so the "pointy side" always points in, so I need to think about three other orientations for it.
I've almost finished the eagles/fleurs side, though I should go back and adjust head directions, and I've started the chrysanthemum/castles side, which is already proving to be a pain since it seems like some of the sections are biggest than others in ways that somehow don't impact the pieces below it. I doubt this is actually the case, but I haven't figured out what's causing it, so I will presumably continue to bang my head against it for a while. Woo.
About the time I was reaching maximum frustration with clicking on little boxes, I took a break and made a few steps in the color department. I could buy what looks like the right colored yarn and be done with it, but I have white silk in the proper gauge on hand (20/2 weaving yarn), and I have a good variety of dyestuffs that ought to get used. So on Sunday afternoon, I grabbed as many onion skins as I could fit into our biggest regular pot, soaked and heated them for 45 minutes, strained off the liquid and then soaked about 100 yds of silk in it for 15-20 minutes. According to the books it should give a clear yellow, but the liquid was quite orange and previous results have also been orange, so I wasn't surprised to get a lovely reddish yellow brown.
The funny thing is that according to the Piecework picture, it's actually a pretty good match for the background color, so now I need to make another attempt at a clear yellow. Weirdly, I don't know that I have any yellow dyes on hand except for the Jacquard acid dyes we used for the copes. I haven't decided what I'm doing about that.
Semi-related is that I finally read the saffron section in the Scottish dye book, and they say it was unlikely at best that the Scots actually used saffron to dye their "saffron shirts", at least not exclusively, with the possible exception of a short period in the 1500s. Not sure what this is going to do for my WW plans. It may just encourage me to go with a pale linen and not mess around with yellows that neither flatter my complexion nor showcase my group's heraldry.
I've almost finished the eagles/fleurs side, though I should go back and adjust head directions, and I've started the chrysanthemum/castles side, which is already proving to be a pain since it seems like some of the sections are biggest than others in ways that somehow don't impact the pieces below it. I doubt this is actually the case, but I haven't figured out what's causing it, so I will presumably continue to bang my head against it for a while. Woo.
About the time I was reaching maximum frustration with clicking on little boxes, I took a break and made a few steps in the color department. I could buy what looks like the right colored yarn and be done with it, but I have white silk in the proper gauge on hand (20/2 weaving yarn), and I have a good variety of dyestuffs that ought to get used. So on Sunday afternoon, I grabbed as many onion skins as I could fit into our biggest regular pot, soaked and heated them for 45 minutes, strained off the liquid and then soaked about 100 yds of silk in it for 15-20 minutes. According to the books it should give a clear yellow, but the liquid was quite orange and previous results have also been orange, so I wasn't surprised to get a lovely reddish yellow brown.
The funny thing is that according to the Piecework picture, it's actually a pretty good match for the background color, so now I need to make another attempt at a clear yellow. Weirdly, I don't know that I have any yellow dyes on hand except for the Jacquard acid dyes we used for the copes. I haven't decided what I'm doing about that.
Semi-related is that I finally read the saffron section in the Scottish dye book, and they say it was unlikely at best that the Scots actually used saffron to dye their "saffron shirts", at least not exclusively, with the possible exception of a short period in the 1500s. Not sure what this is going to do for my WW plans. It may just encourage me to go with a pale linen and not mess around with yellows that neither flatter my complexion nor showcase my group's heraldry.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
New project - silk cushion
The current Piecework magazine has an article which includes a picture of a knit Spanish cushion from around 1275 which has an alternating pattern of eagles and fleur-de-lys. It's about 36 cm/14 in square. I haven't been able to find any mention of what it's made of, but since it was found in a prince's tomb, silk seems reasonable. Mistress Leyla was kind enough to point out that it's charted in Rutt's History of Hand Knitting. So I pulled the book off my shelf, and indeed it was, and it includes not just the picture I was originally considering charting, but also the reverse side, which has a completely different and to my mind more interesting pattern of castles and flowers. (And also swastikas, which meant something rather different before the Third Reich.)
Rutt says that the cushion is currently dark brown and straw yellow, but speculates that it was originally crimson and golden-yellow. I happen to have cones of bright red and burgundy 20/2 silk on hand. I also have 60/2 in bright red.
Unfortunately, the yellow I have is tencel. But I have 20/2 white silk. Ilya points out that if I dyed the white with onion skins I would a) use onion skins, which he has been saving for me for ages and b) have yellow silk in the right size and not have to order it. Heh. So I'm considering that, possibly as a plan for tomorrow. And when I think about it, I think the bright red is a better cochineal red, so I'm inclined to go with that rather than the duller red.
I did a small sample in the burgundy/yellow combination and I'm pretty pleased with it.
In the meantime, I swatched the 60/2 silk and have determined that knitting with it makes me cross eyed, the needles are too big and it's so small I make errors in just straight stockinette, in the round, no less. Besides all of which, the original knitting is reportedly "dense", and this very much isn't. (That's probably one of the causes of the errors anyway.) So unless I get an Ott light with magnifier, that is Not Happening.
The plan that's taking shape in my head is that I'm going to do a smaller trial version that has all the motifs - border, front and back in the red silk/yellow tencel to get a feel for the project, and then decide if I'm going to do a replica with the understanding that it will be scaled up or if I'm going to do one that's the specified size, but with fewer repeats. I'm of course leaning towards the former. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm going to replace the swastikas with something less controversial. I have difficulty believing that any A&S judge wouldn't respect my reason for doing something else, especially if I replaced it with something with some logical connection to the time/place/work. Crosses are obvious, and since it was found in a monastery, may be the best approach. In my head, the goal is to have this ready for the A&S competition at Gulf Wars next year.
That's the plan, so we'll see how it works out in practice...
Rutt says that the cushion is currently dark brown and straw yellow, but speculates that it was originally crimson and golden-yellow. I happen to have cones of bright red and burgundy 20/2 silk on hand. I also have 60/2 in bright red.
Unfortunately, the yellow I have is tencel. But I have 20/2 white silk. Ilya points out that if I dyed the white with onion skins I would a) use onion skins, which he has been saving for me for ages and b) have yellow silk in the right size and not have to order it. Heh. So I'm considering that, possibly as a plan for tomorrow. And when I think about it, I think the bright red is a better cochineal red, so I'm inclined to go with that rather than the duller red.
I did a small sample in the burgundy/yellow combination and I'm pretty pleased with it.
In the meantime, I swatched the 60/2 silk and have determined that knitting with it makes me cross eyed, the needles are too big and it's so small I make errors in just straight stockinette, in the round, no less. Besides all of which, the original knitting is reportedly "dense", and this very much isn't. (That's probably one of the causes of the errors anyway.) So unless I get an Ott light with magnifier, that is Not Happening.
The plan that's taking shape in my head is that I'm going to do a smaller trial version that has all the motifs - border, front and back in the red silk/yellow tencel to get a feel for the project, and then decide if I'm going to do a replica with the understanding that it will be scaled up or if I'm going to do one that's the specified size, but with fewer repeats. I'm of course leaning towards the former. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm going to replace the swastikas with something less controversial. I have difficulty believing that any A&S judge wouldn't respect my reason for doing something else, especially if I replaced it with something with some logical connection to the time/place/work. Crosses are obvious, and since it was found in a monastery, may be the best approach. In my head, the goal is to have this ready for the A&S competition at Gulf Wars next year.
That's the plan, so we'll see how it works out in practice...
Friday, September 30, 2011
In which Saraidh gets a teensy bit distracted
I will say this for demo-ing... I would not have been motivated to spend 6 solid hours spinning if it hadn't been for the Caponi Demo last Sunday. My hands didn't entirely forgive me for several days, and I'm pretty sure that the results on the spool are rather desperately overtwisted, but hey, I have a full bobbin of lace-weight Icelandic singles to show for it, and proof that I can in fact demonstrate effectively even when the wheel is set up for lace.
I've also picked up a bit of mojo on the knitting front and am in mid-insect on a lovely preying mantis, and I must say that even though she is currently just a thorax, abdomen and three legs, I am charmed. The only reason I'm not done yet is that I haven't yet laid hands on the "chenille stems" so she can have properly posable legs.
But in the meantime, I've drifted slightly off my usual fiber track and am taking a class at the MN Center for Book Arts. It's a 6 week intro to a whole range of skills. Thus far we've made paper and tried marbling. The next couple of weeks will be devoted to bookbinding, and after that we try out the letterpress. I'm having lots of fun. I wasn't originally a fan of marbling, but the process is a blast and having my own personalized results is growing on me. However, I don't know that I'm ever going to love the results on white or the acid green paper. But since we've made this stuff, I'm going to take at least a few pieces with me next week and try making it into a single project. Might as well, since I have no idea what I'd do with all these papers otherwise. Maybe I will make sure all my Christmas presents are on the small side and wrap packages in it.
I've also picked up a bit of mojo on the knitting front and am in mid-insect on a lovely preying mantis, and I must say that even though she is currently just a thorax, abdomen and three legs, I am charmed. The only reason I'm not done yet is that I haven't yet laid hands on the "chenille stems" so she can have properly posable legs.
But in the meantime, I've drifted slightly off my usual fiber track and am taking a class at the MN Center for Book Arts. It's a 6 week intro to a whole range of skills. Thus far we've made paper and tried marbling. The next couple of weeks will be devoted to bookbinding, and after that we try out the letterpress. I'm having lots of fun. I wasn't originally a fan of marbling, but the process is a blast and having my own personalized results is growing on me. However, I don't know that I'm ever going to love the results on white or the acid green paper. But since we've made this stuff, I'm going to take at least a few pieces with me next week and try making it into a single project. Might as well, since I have no idea what I'd do with all these papers otherwise. Maybe I will make sure all my Christmas presents are on the small side and wrap packages in it.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Onwards!
Having finished the beading project and sent it off, I have been having the slow realization that I do actually want to get back to knitting after a fallow period in that arena. I discovered that I had a Blackberry Ridge sock kit in the stash. (I could've sworn it was leftovers from Mom, but she says she's never seen it before in her life.)
I made it through the first six inches, aka the pattern at the top of the sock, and then realized that the yarn is going to produce a really warm sock which isn't washable, and maybe I really wanted to make mitts instead.
So I decided to take the stripe sequence from the foot, and made mitts instead. It didn't go completely smoothly - I learned that I don't especially enjoy dealing with stripes and after a few attempts, it's still a bit baggy around the thumb, but it fits well, and I really like how it looks.
But I've got a lot of mitts because I like making them and can only use so many, so there's a limit to how likely I am to use them extensively. I'm toying with the idea of putting it in the Weaver's Guild Fiber Fair. However, there's always the question of copyright when selling one's work. I absolutely admit that my mitt is based heavily on the original kit. The first six inches are made exactly according to the pattern. On the other hand, I ended up with an entirely different category of finished object. So now I'm curious as to exactly how much deviation from the original there needs to be before it's reasonable to consider it something else. I don't know that I care enough to look into it especially, but I find the question kind of interesting.
And once I'm done with the other mitt - I really must finish both before I allow myself to start something else - I have finally given in and bought yarn for the Hwaet! socks that I've been eyeing for months, so I finally bought the pattern, along with the pattern for Lalique.
Side note, not related to fiber: I've also dabbled in calligraphy lately, and completed my first scroll text for Thalhurst so that we could get his scroll to him before he left on 8/4. It's becoming pretty clear that this is a skill that it's worthwhile for me to cultivate, so I would guess this won't be the last time. hard to believe that was two weeks ago already. Funny how time flies when you're on vacation...
I made it through the first six inches, aka the pattern at the top of the sock, and then realized that the yarn is going to produce a really warm sock which isn't washable, and maybe I really wanted to make mitts instead.
So I decided to take the stripe sequence from the foot, and made mitts instead. It didn't go completely smoothly - I learned that I don't especially enjoy dealing with stripes and after a few attempts, it's still a bit baggy around the thumb, but it fits well, and I really like how it looks.
But I've got a lot of mitts because I like making them and can only use so many, so there's a limit to how likely I am to use them extensively. I'm toying with the idea of putting it in the Weaver's Guild Fiber Fair. However, there's always the question of copyright when selling one's work. I absolutely admit that my mitt is based heavily on the original kit. The first six inches are made exactly according to the pattern. On the other hand, I ended up with an entirely different category of finished object. So now I'm curious as to exactly how much deviation from the original there needs to be before it's reasonable to consider it something else. I don't know that I care enough to look into it especially, but I find the question kind of interesting.
And once I'm done with the other mitt - I really must finish both before I allow myself to start something else - I have finally given in and bought yarn for the Hwaet! socks that I've been eyeing for months, so I finally bought the pattern, along with the pattern for Lalique.
Side note, not related to fiber: I've also dabbled in calligraphy lately, and completed my first scroll text for Thalhurst so that we could get his scroll to him before he left on 8/4. It's becoming pretty clear that this is a skill that it's worthwhile for me to cultivate, so I would guess this won't be the last time. hard to believe that was two weeks ago already. Funny how time flies when you're on vacation...
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Done!
For certain values of done, anyway. Last night I finished the beading. In case anybody has been following the saga of the beading needles on Facebook, the final coda to the whole silly thing was discovering last night that the beading needles I'd bought explicitly for the purpose are too big for the pearls. *facepalm* I had once again misplaced the needle I'd been using, so the final product is a bit heavier on beads as opposed to pearls than originally intended. However, the good news is that I found my original needle eventually and was able to apply a couple more rounds of peacock pearls, and it's not like the pearls aren't fabulous. Mmmm tiger's eye and gold beads...
Tonight, along with a bit of official business, I will be getting together with Katja so we can do the layout and get the orphery applied, and send the whole thing off to Pennsic. We're hoping to be able to send it by courier rather than having to resort to mail, but it'll get there one way or another...
I'm hoping somebody will post pictures of the final result, because I'm convinced it's going to be great. If so, I'll either post them or a link.
Oh, and just in case this week needed any more deadlines, I ended up doing my very first calligraphy project last night for court tonight. Whee!
Tonight, along with a bit of official business, I will be getting together with Katja so we can do the layout and get the orphery applied, and send the whole thing off to Pennsic. We're hoping to be able to send it by courier rather than having to resort to mail, but it'll get there one way or another...
I'm hoping somebody will post pictures of the final result, because I'm convinced it's going to be great. If so, I'll either post them or a link.
Oh, and just in case this week needed any more deadlines, I ended up doing my very first calligraphy project last night for court tonight. Whee!
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