Fabric Didn't Shrink

This has never happened before but the last batch of monk's cloth that I attempted to shrink in a hot water wash failed to shrink a couple of the pieces.  I use a washer at my apartment building and am only able to set it for hot wash/regular cycle until the tub is almost full.  Then I have to reset it for gentle cycle which only works with cold water so the top part of the tub ends up with a few inches of cold water.  I'm assuming this is why a couple of pieces (out of 12) didn't shrink properly.  I can't reset it after the wash has started in the original setting.

What I plan to do is soak them in hot water in my sink while I'm doing a regular wash in the washing machine and then put them in a hot dryer with the rest of my laundry.  I'm hoping this will shrink the fabric properly.

2 New Christmas Table Runners

These are 2 Christmas table runners I just finished, one I love and one I don't like because I misread the pattern.

The first one (I don't like) is Terrice Beasley's "Let's be Merry" using Caron's Simply Soft yarns in Spring Sparkle and Red Sparkle.  I stupidly misread the pattern and doubled it in size so it looks awkward to me.  I don't know why I didn't just stop as soon as I noticed and correct it but it was a big mistake.

The second one is Avery Hill's "Stained Glass" using Caron's Simply Soft yarn in Red Sparkle and Red Heart variegated yarn in green tones.  I really like this one and will do the pattern again.

I had to do some adjustments to the patterns on both runners in order to fit them into the required size.

Something all of us weavers know and should abide by is to do our corrections as soon as possible or we might end up with something we can't live with...like table runner #1. 

Burgundy Table Runner

It drives me crazy how I can't get my photos to show the right colors.  While I have all the patience in the world weaving the pattern into the fabric, I have no patience when taking photos.  Anyway, the fabric is not purple but a lovely deep burgundy.  The yarns used are Caron's Simply Soft Party in Spring Sparkle and Black Sparkle.  The pattern used is Christine Allan's "Cotton Candy" but altered to suit my purpose.

I happen to love this particular table runner, maybe because it took forever to finish but also because of the colors...they really do look Christmas festive in real life!

I sell my pieces at relatively low prices at the one venue in December so I don't like to put as many hours into them as I did on this one.  This isn't an actual business for me but a way to continue having the pleasure of weaving while still making a bit of money.  I probably give away more items than I sell but that's okay with me.

I altered the pattern (which is beautiful in it's own right) by filling in the spaces.  I felt it needed to be fleshed out a bit and I like the way it turned out.

I have 2 more Christmas table runners all finished but the photos were absolutely horrible so I'll try again tomorrow when I might have more patience.  LOL!