Everything takes longer than I think it will ... I've been wanting to wind this warp for the past few weeks, but I've been "shaving yaks" ever since. [Granted work takes up a lot of my waking hours ...] What do I mean by shaving yaks? It means -- before I can do this, I have to do that, and before I do that, I have to do something else ... and it takes forever to get down to the yak under all that fur!
First I had to decide on a project: Katherine M's Faux Ikat Scarf. It was something I saw on Ravelry / Pinterest. Then I had to order the Sept/October 2011 issue of Handwoven, to get the pattern. But the pattern turned out to be for an 8-shaft loom and was a much more complicated project. So then I found a similar pointed twill weave structure for 4-shaft. I made some rough estimates for how much yarn I would need, and ordered the yarn ... Hurry up and wait! Last week, I wound the yarn into balls.
I was somewhat paralyzed by the math before I committed to winding the warp. I know there are calculators to help with all these decisions, but what if I make a mistake, and I need more yarn than I ordered, and then I can't get any more?
Choices! Choices! There are so many possibilities!
- How many warp strings do I need? 235 (221 Heddles plus 2 selvedges, and a few extra for repairing broken strings)
- YES on Floating Selvedges
- How long a warp? 3.5 yards I'm making a scarf, so 1 yard will be sacrificed as loom waste.
- How wide? (11 inches on the loom, expecting to finish just under 10 inches)
- What sett will it be? (18-20 for a twill)
- Yarn is a lace weight at 34 wraps / inch. For a twill weave structure, sett should be roughly 2/3.
- What reed? 10-dent reed with 2 yarns per dent
- Yes-- I have a weave structure picked out that I think looks like the one I saw on Ravalry, but made for a 4-shaft loom.
The next step is to hand-paint this warp in an ikat style -- I am after a shabby-chic grungy look where the weave pattern will appear and disappear into the background according to the colors painted on the warp. This can be achieved by binding section of the warp where the dye will NOT penetrate.
What colors to dye the warp?
- Indigo / dark blue / Wilton's Delphinium Blue
- Deep purple
- the background color (light gray/pewter)
Will it be Procion/Dharma dye or Wilton Food Coloring?
The yarn is a lovely merino and silk mix, so if I use Procion, no soda ash because that will damage the fiber. It has to be heat and vinegar to set the dye with either method.
Do I have to stretch the warp out on a table where I can be more precise about what color goes where? Or can I wind it into a pan and add the colors a little more serendipitously? Although I've done quite a bit of dying in the past 30 years, I've never painted a warp like this -- What if I get it wrong? Yikes!
I will default to what I know works ... I think I'm going to bind off sections of the warp, and put the whole thing in the slow cooker with the Delphinium Blue and a little vinegar. The open parts will take up the dye and leave the
