Just Don't Look Too Closely...

I finished weaving on the second warp. It was only 2 yards long so I only did 4 dishcloth-sized pieces.

But first, I hemmed the pieces from the first warp. This tabby piece (plain weave) is one of the two I am willing to show.

The warp was some white linen I found in my stash but I miscalculated and didn't have enough threads per inch. The weft is some pink cotton (2 shots) alternating with a shot of the beige linen/hemp? fibre. All of the pieces have been machine washed on delicate and line dried.

The first photo really shows how little the fabric draws in with tabby. When calculating how many threads you'll warp, one needs to not only take the natural shrinkage of the fibre into account but also how much the style of weaving draws the sides in.

I then used up the rest of the warp with a mixed twill pattern. This could be a table runner as is. With a better warp, This fabric would make great fabric for cushion covers or the backing of a needlepoint pillow.

A closeup. (recognize my new blog background?)

I learned a lot on this first faulty warp. I got to practice my edges a lot and am pleased with my progress. I'm limited by the width of the loom (15 3/4" Dorothy) but will attempt a double weave pattern in the not-to-distant future.

On the other warp, I wanted to try a waffle weave pattern. This was quite successful. I calculated the warp correctly with 14 epi (ends per inch). However, the twill pattern really draws the sides in a lot. This fibre didn't shrink much lengthwise - just widthwise due to the twill pattern.

I made a couple of these which will be excellent spa cloths. This pattern is also reversible, with only the hem determining one side from the other.

A closeup.

I then tried it with the pink cotton as the weft. There really isn't much of a contrast with these colours. With more of a contrast (and fewer mistakes) this would be quite effective.

Now, I'd like to try a houndstooth pattern. I'll probably use contrasting sock yarn. Black and grey? Black and white? Red and white? Purple and grey?  

I also have 4 colours of 8/2 cotton yarn to make more waffle-weave dishcloths. 

I can see the need for acquiring a wider loom but need to do a major reconfiguration of some of the spaces in my house before that is possible. There are tons of weaving drafts (patterns) on handweaving.net and a system to save the interesting ones.