Weaving the sky: a studio visit

I’ve been squeezing in more time for weaving this month. One thing I played with was a yarn from Mountain Meadow Wool, a small mill in Wyoming who uses domestic sheep and does their own dyeing. Gist Yarn & Fiber carries this yarn and I got a couple skeins to play with. I did not actually choose the colors, so when this purple-blue arrived, I was thrilled as it is in my favorite color family. The yarn is dyed unevenly on purpose. This is something I accomplish regularly in the dye studio accidentally, but somehow this yarn which is blotchy on purpose is full of charm.

I enjoyed this tiny four selvedge tapestry which wove up in a flash. The blue and brown is Mountain Meadow and the light blue “S” is two strands of Weaver’s Bazaar. I was playing with how skinny I could make the “S” by using the doubled warp of the four selvedge warping and it was quite effective for the verticals. I did not split the warps in the curves and I think next time I will try that also. The thin Weavers Bazaar 18/2 yarn used next to this worsted wool makes a nice contrast in texture and reflectance.

Here is a little video I made as I put in the last picks and took it off the loom. Welcome to my super messy studio!

This was a tapestry diary piece. My goal with those weavings is just to play with new materials, experiment with techniques, and get my hands in the yarn. I enjoyed the beautiful variation in this wool. Here are a few close-up photos of the weaving.

Rebecca Mezoff, tapestry diary piece in progress, “Sky”, www.tapestryweaving.com

Rebecca Mezoff, “Sky” tapestry diary piece, four selvedge warping technique, https://rebeccamezoff.com/fringeless/

Have a wonderful weekend, weave something spook-tacular, and find some friends to laugh with.

Rebecca Mezoff, tapestry diary October 2018, September bloom: chamisa