The next step on the triloom

I'm still doing variations on the triloom shawls. First, a couple shots of the yellow one. When my daughter was modeling it, she decided it looked like Winnie the Pooh colors. I couldn't call it that, since I have a sneaking suspicion that the name is copyrighted. So its name is "Gentle Sunlight". I don't usually care for yellows, but this one is actually quite nice. Maybe I'll play with the muted yellows more often.












I also finished up one in a purple and teal color combination. I can't quite think of a name for this shawl. Any suggestions?



Now, I have these pretty well down. I can go on playing with color combinations...but I never leave well enough alone. There are some other things I wanted to try. For one, using a single strand of yarn gives me a very open weave on these shawls. It means they drape really well...but it also means that finger tips poke through the fabric pretty easily. I don't mind that--I claimed the blue shawl for myself, and have been wearing it around recently. It is sooooo lovely to wrap up in.

However, I wanted to experiment with a tighter, firmer fabric. One way to do this would be to use a thicker yarn. I'm keeping my eyes open in the shops for options for that. I'm looking for a commercially available yarn, in a range of colors, that is as thick as it comes. Options for me to test are Light & Lofty, by Coats & Clark; Softee Chunky by Bernat; and Wool Ease Thick and Quick. Anyone have other suggestions to try out?

A second option would be to get or make another loom, with the pegs closer together. But I'd rather not spend the money or space on more equipment just now.

So, I'm experimenting with the third option, which is to use two strands of yarn instead of one. This really fills in the fabric! It slows down my weaving some, as I really need to look to make sure I'm going over and under the correct strands. The fabric is thicker, and I suspect it won't drape quite as well. We'll see about that. However, using two strands of yarn at once gives me a really great opportunity to play with color blending.

I am friends with a lovely couple, who believed in me enough to give me the start up capital to get my shop going. In return, I keep them in the loop as to how I am doing, and give them the occasional work of art. The lady in question has been eying my shawls, and mentioned that it would be cool to have one made of the yarn that was leftover from the ones that I've been making. She wanted something to throw over the back of her sofa. No fringe, since she has cats. Now, that I can do!

This two strand weaving should fit the bill nicely. She likes purples, and he likes blue. So, I grabbed all the blues and purples I have, and arranged them from dark to light. About every nine or ten pegs, I'm swapping out one of the strands of yarn for the next lighter. So the weaving will slowly shade from dark to light as it goes from top to bottom. I've got 5 colors in already, and am just now switching out to a lighter shade of purple. I'm really pleased with the effect! I can't wait to see how it will turn out. What a great way to see how colors interact with each other. I'm picturing a whole new batch of shawls now...