Onwards

 

Yesterday I cut off the warp on the Megado, separated and serged the towels and got them run through the washer and dryer.  I ran out of warp because I was trying to not waste so much yarn and made the warp two turns shorter.  And then 'wasted' nearly a towel's worth of yarn because there wasn't enough left to actually weave another towel.  I could have done a shorter towel, but I'd also run out of the black and green cotton flake so it seemed better to just finish that warp and move on to the next.

My favourite warp - the next one.  :)

I'm nearly finished with the dyed cotton flake but have a few spools of peach, rose and beige, so this warp was designed with those colours in mind.  This warp should use up all of those colours and any warp left over will be woven with white - because I have 6 large spools of white between 2 to 2.5 pounds each.  Whole lotta weaving - although not that much because overall the flake is thick as much as it is thin.  But still, enough for about 6 warps, depending on how much I use up when other colours run out.  

For example, I have a blue warp that I will use up the last of the dyed mid-range blue - three tubes - and the rest will be woven with white.

Over the years I have learned not to get too 'married' to any idea because it isn't until it goes into the loom and the weft crosses the warp that I get a feel for the finished result.  The final determination is in the wet finishing, of course.

However, I've used these yarns frequently enough that I have a pretty good handle on how they will weave up and how they will look/feel once wet finished.  In fact my FB memory today was a photo of a table runner I'd woven three years ago using these yarns.  I wanted the table runners to be thicker and sturdier than a towel, so those were woven at 24 epi and whatever the cotton flake beat in - probably close to 24 because I was beating firmly.  Since the flake isn't consistent, my approach was to be as consistent as possible, for the table runners and now for the towels.  But the towels are 20 epi, so the end result isn't quite as 'stiff' as the runners, so two different qualities of cloth, made with the same yarns in close to the same weave structure - both twills, the table runners 4 shaft 2:2 twill, the towels 16 shaft 1:3:1:3:2:2:3:1 for the tie up.

We have achieved blue skies this morning and the temperature is supposed to start rising.  My plan for the day is to press the towels from yesterday, then set up the spool rack and begin beaming the warp.  At some point I am going to put on my outside shoes, grab a mask, and take a stroll through the neighbourhood.  Although my neighbours have been great about maintaining physical distance and almost none of them wear a mask to walk, my seasonal allergies are here and a mask seems like a good idea so that I breathe in less dust and pollen.  Which should make my walking a lot more pleasant.  Nothing like trying for increased health and get knocked back by a body that sees danger in every particle I breathe in.  

So yes, I will wear a mask and see if I can walk without aggravating my immune system.  I get my vaccination later this week but will continue to wear a mask in public and follow covid protocols.  I may continue to wear a mask on public transport just because I have enjoyed NOT catching a cold or the flu.  And that seems like a positive step to me.

With the apparent arrival of spring, I am looking forward to more sunny days and will try to walk more frequently.  Cheer me on!