2008 Weave of the week #22: Playoff edition December 28, 2008

Game face with game scarf

“It’s not whether you win or lose — it’s what you wear to the game.”  — Vince Lombardi (NOT)

Because the next few weeks will be full of Bowl Championship games, NFL playoff games, and cold weather (well, maybe — it’s 55° here this Sunday night!), it seemed fitting to show off my Home Team Collection™, which is another part of my weaving life.

I started The Home Team Collection™ after envisioning a gold and black houndstooth-patterned scarf inspired by the Pittsburgh Steelers’ uniform colors, but I wanted to make something that you’d be likely to wear in everyday life and not just to the game.

There are three scarf patterns in the collection: houndstooth check, reversible stripe, and the wave. The elegant ensemble shown above is a red and white houndstooth-checked scarf, worn with my husband’s prized vintage University of Arkansas  hog hat.

You can see images of the other designs and samples of some of the available colors on my Gallery pages. These soft, lightweight scarves are made of 100% extrafine Merino wool, spun and handwoven in the USA. The Home Team Collection™ will eventually also include wool throws and stadium blankets, in the same patterns or in solid colors, with matching leather trim and carrying strap.

Wear the colors (sorry, no logos but mine) of your favorite pro, Little League, or school team anywhere you go. For more information about The Home Team Collection’s™ offerings, please use the contact form.

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2008 Weave of the week #21: Merry and bright December 21, 2008

Scarf with Christmas lights

One Christmas I wove a scarf for a teddy bear.  Since the bear was going to be given to a children’s charity, I wanted its scarf to be  as festive and cheery as I could make it, and to me that meant bright colors and glitter.

I had some tinselly, multicolored, metallic yarn, and another novelty yarn that had colored threads sprouting from a thin core, so all I had to do was add some red merino and I had a warp that I liked so much just the way it was that I hated to weave anything through it. But I found plenty of  bright brushed-mohair colors that I used for the weft stripes.

There is a blurry (but cute) image of the scarfed bear on my Gallery page, and also a closer look at the scarf’s fringe, that is still my favorite part.

Happy weaving and happy holidays.

2008 Weave of the week #20: “Ornaments” December 13, 2008

Woven "ornaments"

This week’s weave is a vintage, supplementary-warp commercial fabric  with half-dropped, ombréed, Christmas-ornament-like motifs on its face.

It’s an unusual color combination but I think the four shades of blue wool produce a “night-sky” effect on the almost-sheer navy ground. The reverse side of the fabric (see my Gallery page) makes an interesting geometric design. The cloth isn’t stiff or heavy even though construction is so tight and the finish is so flat that not even the longest warp floats (seven picks) will snag.

Each motif uses six harnesses, and with two for the tabby ground,  you need a total of fourteen harnesses to weave this pattern. It looks like a weave that would be fun to experiment with, particularly for non-wearables. Maybe some glitter …