Finding a Group

I got a message from a lady in Tampa who is looking for a Swedish weaving group to get together with.  I suggested googling to find one but it would be nice if one of my Tampa readers could send me information.  I told the lady that it isn't necessary to be in a group to learn and improve our craft but it certainly is a lot more fun being with people who love it.

When I first started Swedish weaving I thought I didn't need hands on instructions and that was true but it took me longer to learn.  I was lucky to have a neighbor in my Florida park who took the time to speed me up.  Even with my fumbling start I loved the craft from the very beginning, though.

There are a few Swedish weaving pages on Facebook that I follow, too.  People post photos of their work and ask for advice so it's very informative.  Swedish weaving is much more popular in the States than Canada simply because of the cost of supplies.  Our costs in Canada can easily be double what they are in the States.  If a Canadian visits the States they can use the opportunity to buy their supplies at a better cost to them and that's what I've done.  Right now our dollar is not good against the U.S. dollar so it's possible it's cheaper today to do our buying in Canada.

Here are a couple of Facebook pages on Swedish weaving: "Swedish Weavers Around the World" and "Christine's Swedish Weaving"....there are probably lots more but so far I only follow these two.

Hints From Other Weavers

I love that so many weavers have found the blog and are sending photos of their work or just supplying their expertise to the blog.  One of the most important things I found at our group in Florida was how we continued to learn from each other.  There are definitely more adventurous weavers who aren't afraid to try new procedures and that keeps us improving our own skills.

Something I learned recently from a weaver was to use different thicknesses in the yarns on the same project.  I'd always been taught that was a no-no but her photo showed an absolutely beautiful finished item so now that's what I'll try on my next one.

I'm still finishing up on the "crazy Swedish weaving afghan" and, though it has been the bane of my life, it does look pretty now but I hope to never make the same mistake again.  Most of us will create some kind of blunder but even the blunders look pretty darned good when finished.  It's the nature of Swedish weaving that it's just a really beautiful craft.

And so, ladies, keep contributing to the blog and I hope my readers find it useful.

Yarn Choices For Swedish Weaving

I put out a call to Swedish weavers to let me know what brand of yarn they use and received the following:
Red Heart Acrylic, Caron Simply Soft, Caron Simply Soft Party (glitters), Hobby Lobby (didn't leave me a name, though), Patton Canadiana, Red Heart Soft Baby, Red Heart Love, Bernat Satin, and Yarn Bee Soft Secret.

My preference has been Caron Simply Soft but I've used the Red Heart and Patton, too.  One of the ladies posted a photo of a project she did with the Yarn Bee that looked lovely.  I really want to venture out and try some new yarns and thought maybe other weavers would feel the same way.

One lady mentioned she doesn't like the Simply Soft because it seems to unravel as you work with it and I'd noticed that also but with every yarn I've used.  Now I twist the needle every so often to tighten the yarn.  A few ladies didn't use the Simply Soft because they felt it got fuzzy after a while.  This is something I've noticed too and that's why I want to try some different brands.

I would love it if any of this blog's readers would comment on the yarns they use.  Any and all information is welcome! 

Just a note for Canadians:  It's a simple fact that we pay more for both fabric and yarn here in Canada than in the States but I found that Len's Mill Store's prices are even better than buying in the States and they have a huge selection of yarns.  I don't know how many of those stores are around but there is one in Stoney Creek, Ontario and I know there are at least a few more scattered in southern Ontario.

Re-do is Done

This re-do (adding a color to a completed afghan) is as done as possible and, even though I wish the dusty rose showed up stronger, I am pleased with what I was able to do.  I'd never added to a completed item before and it was fairly easy.

The bottom photo shows how I wove back in the dusty rose yarn.  I wanted my readers to see that weaving back like this means you have to pick up only 1 or 2 strands from the 4 strand float otherwise the stitching would go right through to the front.

There's always something new to learn, isn't there?

Adding to an Original

I made this afghan for my daughter, Kim, quite a while ago when her bedroom walls were a dark blue.  She's just completely redone the room in dusty rose walls with white trim and a white comforter so she asked me if it was possible to add some dusty rose to the afghan.  Of course it is!

So far I've added a dusty rose yarn to some of the bare spots but I'm worried it isn't enough to show up.  I do see a good opportunity to add more in the second photo and that should be enough.

When I got the yarn to the finished border, I wove it through and under, then brought it back underneath about 6 floats to anchor it (bottom photo).  This is how we used to anchor the ends so I know it will hold up well in the wash.

What a lovely craft this is! 

I'm Starting To Like It

I'm actually starting to like how this afghan is turning out...still mad at myself for having to join 2 pieces of yarn, though.

The first picture shows how I tried using white yarn for one of the patterns but realized that yellow would be better and that's what I'm going with.  I'll have to remove the white, though.  I've wasted a whole lot of time and yarn on this afghan!

Turquoise is my favorite color and what I had wanted for this piece was a unique and southwestern color choice and that's what I'm apparently getting now.  It's been a long road for this little afghan but I know it will be beautiful when I finish it.  I've never posted so many updates for a project before but I thought it necessary for this one because it was a failure made right...or as right as possible.

Update on CSWA

The photo above shows how I choose a yarn when I'm not sure which shade to use.  I'll weave in both (in this case, the yellow) and see which one appeals most to me.

I should have removed all of the yarn before restarting this afghan because I've changed my mind so many times, pulled out row after row of yarn, and now I've come to that awful point where I know for certain I don't have enough of the salmon yarn to finish it.  I checked out my yarn stash and I have many skeins of salmon yarn but no more of the shade I've been using.  If I hadn't changed my mind so many times, I would have had enough but that's life.  I'll have to join 2 pieces of yarn to complete a row or two and that's something I've never done before.  This afghan has been a disaster from day 1 but I'll complete it the best I can and donate it.

This mess reinforces the fact that we need to have a well thought out plan before starting a project.  On the top of the list is knowing you have sufficient yarn!

I'll post a photo of the finished afghan.

Crazy Swedish Weaving Afghan

This is how I've chosen to to complete what will now be a lap afghan.  For whatever reason (I started this so long ago that I've forgotten) it was very, very difficult to line up the points.  I can see why but I don't want to remove the orange circles so I'm doing the best I can to accommodate them.

You've heard of crazy quilts, well this is certainly going to be a crazy SW afghan and I will never, ever again start work on an afghan with the intention of making up the pattern as I go along.  Some can do that but I apparently cannot.

Seeing the photo, I think I need to remove the center of the white and put it back in with the orange yarn.  This afghan is going to be a little too unique for my tastes but it is what it is!

The moral of my story is to only use an existing pattern that you can alter if you wish but at least start out with a true pattern with definite points you can build on. 

Can This Be Saved??

Sometimes I think I'm smarter than I really am and this discarded afghan proves it.  I set this aside quite a while ago because it wasn't turning out as I'd hoped.  I thought I could make up my own pattern as I went along and make this into a really happy, colorful afghan but it looks empty to me so I had to stop working on it and put it aside.

The fabric is that gorgeous turquoise blue and it deserves a beautiful pattern.  I decided to save what I could and remove what I couldn't stand so wish me well!