Colour & Weave in The Hague

After two successful workshops over the last 2 years, Jane Deane, Amanda Hannaford and I were invited back to The Hague with a new tutor, Helen Melvin.

My workshop was Colour and Weave on rigid heddle, or 4 and 8 shaft looms, using plain weave with light and dark warp and weft threads to produce patterns.  I showed how to design colour and weave patterns on paper and how to substitute warps of different colours and textures to add impact to the woven swatches.

Here you can see everyone busy weaving their swatches.

Looms ranged from rigid heddle looms.....



















to 8 shaft looms.

Here you can see some warp ends that have been substituted for a different colour and texture.











Here a student is weaving her own colour and weave swatch that she had designed on paper.















All the workshops were very successful and we have all been invited back next year.  My workshop on 17 and 18 March 2012 will be The Theo Moorman Technique.  I'm really looking forward to returning to Dineke's Studio, De Spinners.

Funky Fancy Yarns Part 2!

Alet has sent use some images of the workshop in her studio in Zeeland, so I've selected a few for you to see the industrious goings on!

There were wheels of every type you could imagine and even some drop spindles
were used!













At both venues we were very well fed!  And the weather was very kind in Zeeland!

All in all we had a wonderful time in the Netherlands, both in the Hague and in Zeeland.  We met old friends and new ones at both venues and have been booked to run two, 3 day workshops next year, with the addition of Helen Melvin to our happy band of tutors.

Shetland Tops in Natural Dyes

Well I've spun up one of the Shetland tops I dyed at the demo on Saturday. (Tops 6)

I spun it on Monday and have been knitting a lovely spiral scarf that I was shown in The Hague.

This is the pattern:
Cast on 20 stitches
K one row
*Slip the 1st st, K 8, Yfwd, sl 1 P wise, Turn
P to end (10 st)
Sl 1st st, K 6, Yfwd, sl 1 P wise, Turn
P to end (8st)
Sl 1st st, K 4, yfwd, sl 1 P wise, Turn
P to end (6 st)
Sl 1st st, K 4, (pick up loop under next st and k together with that st, K 1) repeat once, Pick up next loop and k with st. P to end
Repeat from * until desired length is achieved, cast off and secure ends.

It's a really easy and can be knitted in any yarn with any needles! Thanks to Dineke of De Spinners who showed me how!