It Isn't Finished...

 ...until it's wet finished...

Changing from 2/16, which I've been using almost exclusively for a year to 2/8 cotton, I made a leap and estimated what the take up/shrinkage rate was going to be.  And was out.  By a lot.  But not in a bad way.

These green towels (not quite correct colour, but close) turned out longer than anticipated.  Which means that these towels are quite long.  Instead of changing anything, though, I'm just going to call them 'towels'.  They are more than large enough to use in the kitchen, but could also be used as hand towels in the bathroom.

We own so many hand woven 'tea' towels that we have started using them in the bathroom as hand towels.  

Of course this bit of cloth could be used for other things.  It's just...a piece of cloth.  What we call it doesn't limit it to that particular use.

I have had people buy my 'towels' and use them for vest fronts.  Even a skirt in one case.  While I didn't design them for those functions, who am I to say 'no'?  

Someone asked me if it didn't bother me people put my textiles to a use other than what I'd designed them for.  The answer is 'no', it doesn't.  If the person buying the cloth has decided it is appropriate for some other purpose, that is up to them.  Once they have paid for it, it's theirs to use as they see fit.  Yes, even to mop up the floor.  Or dry off the dog.  Or whatever.

I won't get 18 towels out of this warp.  And that's just fine by me.  The purpose is not to have X number of anything, but to use up my yarn stash.

Someone asked me what I would do when I used up my yarn.  Heh.  That won't happen anytime soon.  I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

In the meantime?  I have another 3 warps pulled that will be the same quality as this one.  There is another place mat warp pulled and when that's done, I expect I'll be done weaving that quality of cloth.  It's just too hard on my body.  I still have variegated 2/8 cotton I'm not sure what I'll do with.  I may wind it onto spools and use to make more towels like the above.  Because I quite like how these turned out.

There is also a gigantic quantity of rayon of various qualities and colours.  I could make scarves for the rest of my life just trying to use up that.  Not to mention the silk.  

People wonder why I spend so much time weaving when I'm 'retired'  It's because of my stash.  I don't want to leave hundreds of pounds of yarn for someone to get rid of.  At least finished textiles have a wider market?

Dunno.  But weaving is also physical - and perhaps more importantly right now - mental therapy.  So I will continue to weave.  Maybe when the pandemic is over people will be interested in buying some what I've made.