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It all started back in April, 2011, when I hand painted a pound of Australian 64s merino wool fiber and turned it into this most colorful combination of colors.
Fiber Details: |
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| The hand-painted merino wool fiber was spun into a beautiful 2-ply yarn. | HandSpun Yarn Details- Color: Candy Hearts Fiber Content: 100% Merino Wool Yardage: 3,146 yds. Finished Weight: 14 oz. WPI: 30 Ply: 2 |
Even though the colors in the final yarn weren’t true to the Necco Candy Hearts, it had a similar tonal quality. |
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| HandSpun Yarn Details- Color: Midnight Black Fiber Content: 100% Merino Wool Yardage: 2,084 yds. Finished Weight: 15.13 oz. WPI: 30 Ply: 2 |
Given the colors of the Candy Hearts handspun yarn, I felt that it needed to be paired with black for a dramatic contrast . If I used the Candy Hearts yarn by itself, it would have muted and muddied. The midnight black merino wool was the only real choice. |
The loom was warped and the weaving bobbins were wound. While weaving, I neglected to take any photos of the loom itself, a rare occurrence for me. |
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| The pattern I chose was the Log Cabin. This was woven on a Schacht Wolf Pup Loom, a simple 4 harness, 4 treadle loom. | This is the fabric before washing. | After washing, the fabric took on a whole new texture. |
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| The fabric before washing. | The fabric after washing. | Here is a shot of the original hand-painted merino wool fiber, handspun yarn and lucet cord sample. |
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| In all, it took more than 45 hours of weaving over several weeks. Yarn: A total of 5,230 yards of handspun yarn, 2.97 MILES of yarn! Fabric details: 18″ wide @ 15 epi = 270 ends Original warp length: 27′ Fresh from the loom size: 22’L x 16″W finished After machine washing + drying = 19’L x 14″W finished The loss of length from original warp to finished is loom waste and take up from weaving. Machine washed in cold water, gentle cycle, no detergent and cool air dry. The handcrafted abalone buttons were sourced up in Salem, Mass. |
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| Abalone buttons with lucet-cord closure loops. | Lined in black dupioni silk, with the collar turned down. | The inside left has two large pockets for a cellphone and wallet, as well as two pen-type pockets for either a pen, crochet hook or a pair of shorter knitting needles. |
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| The completed Log Cabin Jacket, made from hand dyed fiber, handspun merino wool yarn, and handwoven fabric. It’s got a simple box-cut styling, pattern-matched patch pockets, button loop closure, and stand up collar. 100% merino wool outer, 100% silk lining, 100% handmade! |
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| A quick self shot to show off the perfect shoulder detail. | ||
Photography by Dave Daniels
