Ok, so I've got a new loom and I need something for a first project to break it in and get familiar with the loom. I find some linen yarn in my stash that I bought a long time ago when the Lone Star Loom Room closed it's storefront. Now I've never woven with linen for the warp and weft, but I do know that it is pretty unruly unless it's damp. No problem. I have my trusty spray bottle to keep it damp. But I had no idea how stiff it is when dry, and that it has absolutely no stretch. One thing to be mindful of is to not pull it off the top of the cone when winding the warp! It adds twist FAST and will quickly become unmanageable. Thankfully, I'm fairly consistent in winding the warp, so when I beam it on, it's nice and even. I used Jane Stafford's warping method that we learned at weaving boot camp and it was fine. I sett it at 20 epi, which in retrospect I would make a little tighter at 24.
Here it is as I'm starting to weave...
And here's a closeup of the fabric after it's off the loom.
My biggest issue is that it's really stiff! Like plastic! So I get online and see what I can learn about wet finishing. Everyone talks about needing to use a "mangle". I saw one of these when I was at the Guild House for a workshop. It's REALLY heavy! But wow does it make a difference! The fabric is now more supple and has a beautiful sheen. Here's me doing the mangle thing.
It took me a while to decide on how I wanted to finish the edges. I settled on a simple hemmed edge with a knotted fringe. I've put one on my Etsy shop for sale, and have saved the other for me.
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