This is the first of two table runners I'm making. My plan was to use white monks cloth and a variegated turquoise yarn...looks like what you see, right? Well, not all is well!
One of the things I tell my students is to be very careful when buying variegated yarn. Always check how long each color is on the strand and try to keep it around 4-6" so that you won't have long stretches of one color in your pattern. Apparently I didn't follow my own advice when I purchased the above yarn.
I've actually never seen a variegated yarn like this one. There is approximately a stretch of one color that measures 3-4 FEET before changing to different shades each measuring 6-8" (too long but I'm stuck with it). The variegated section also measures about 3-4 feet before once again returning to a solid color measuring 3-4'.
Because I don't need a lot of yarn to complete my project, I'm disposing of the solid sections and using only the variegated sections. The waste is immense and bugs the life out of me.
I can only blame myself for not checking properly but, if what could be checked was the variegated, no-one would be able to tell that further along was that awful 3-4 feet of solid color.
Live and learn, I guess.
I'm done...and now it's a lap afghan. I never intended for it to look like a baby afghan but that's what happened because of the pastel yarns I used. It's pretty but not my favorite!
The ends I cut off are more than wide enough for table runners so there is no waste here. It was a difficult decision to make because I'd been working on it for so long but I'd long ago stopped enjoying it. That's unusual with Swedish weaving because it's usually a joy to watch it grow.
My friend, Donna, is experiencing the same lack of interest in the afghan she's been working on forever so it's a good thing we can at least make lap afghans out of our project.
There is only one other project that I stopped enjoying and that was the green tablecloth I made for my friend, Mary. It was for Christmas and I only wanted to weave a border around it but I decided to use green yarn on the green cloth. I don't think I'll ever do that again but it did turn out beautifully.
Anyway, now I'm on to my next project and you can bet it will be with vividly colored yarns.
Yup! Faye is still working on this one and the colors are much richer than this photo shows. She's also tired of working on it, just like Donna and me, but she's pretty close to finishing so I've warned her not to stop until it's done. I really wish the colors show better but I'll take it outside to photograph when it's done.
I guess the only drawback to Swedish weaving is the time it takes to complete an afghan. Most of us have lots going on in our lives and don't have the time or inclination to work on them every day. That's why I say it doesn't matter how long it takes you to complete a project.
Anyway, this is going to be a beauty when it's done and I'll do my best to get an accurate photo of the colors.
I never really noticed before that the Swedish weaving I much prefer to do is full of deeper colors of yarn. I've been working on an afghan for the last year that is pretty but the pattern has pastel colors and I've realized it's become rather boring for me to work on....if it's taken a year, I guess that explains it.
My sister-in-law, Faye, and cousin-in-law, Donna, come to my home on Tuesday afternoons and Donna seems to have reached the same conclusion I have. We don't really want to keep working on our present projects...so what do we do? Both of them are about half done which means we've put a lot of work, not to mention expense, into these projects so we can't just toss them aside. Yesterday I reached the decision that I would cut off both unfinished ends of the afghan, making it a lap afghan. The cut-off pieces would make 2 nice table runners later on. I know this is drastic but a lap afghan is still a nice present for someone and I can begin another project that will make me a lot happier.
I've never heard of a Swedish weaver doing this before but I'll bet I'm not the first. I've never seen an ugly Swedish weaving project and the one I'm tired of is very pretty but I'm getting bored with it.
I'll post a photo of my new "lap afghan" when it's complete...and then I know exactly what my next project will be. I bought 2 skeins of the prettiest variegated turquoise yarn and I want to make a couple of table runners with them.
Sometimes we have to call it a day for whatever reason.
In our Swedish weaving group at the Florida park, some of the ladies prefer to do other crafts and this one caught my interest. It requires a small plastic loom (available at Joann's Fabrics) and takes very little time or yarn to complete a tiny newborn hat for donating to your local hospitals. I used some of my leftover yarns so the cost is minimal, too.
The loom is similar to what we used to do as children using the wooden spindle from thread and putting nails in the top to wind our yarn around. Out the bottom came a knitted coil that we could use for whatever...I'm not sure I ever used the ones I made for anything, though. With the new plastic loom (different sizes available), it's really easy to make these little hats...you would use a larger one for larger hats.
I just like to have a simple craft on the go that I can turn to instead of always doing the Swedish weaving.
Joann's Fabrics also has a little doodad that is supposed to make perfect pom poms but I found it cumbersome so I used my own method of winding yarn around my fingers, tying it in the center, and clipping the ends to make a very good pom pom.
One of the ladies in our Swedish weaving group came to me with a problem. She couldn't center one of her patterns and couldn't understand why. I looked it over and also couldn't find the cause...this irritated me no end because I knew it must be staring me in the face but I couldn't see it.
We tried for a while until I got fed up with it and suggested she bring it to our next get-together so we could have some of the other weavers look at it. She did and, sure enough, one of the ladies solved the problem.
This is the value of joining a Swedish weaving club. What one person can't solve, another one can. We also learn new techniques from each other to further our craft.
I've been kind of lazy this winter and haven't put in much time on my own project. I took time out to learn how to make infant toques on a little plastic loom I found at Joann's Fabrics. It's nice to have these little projects to occasionally turn to because making a Swedish weaving afghan is a lengthy process.
Swedish weaving is still my craft of choice and I do enjoy it more than any other but my Florida winters don't leave me a lot of time to spend on it. I do more Swedish weaving when I'm back home in Canada for the summer.
I'm sure the afghan I'm presently working on will be finished quickly once I get back home but, for now, the Florida sunshine and warmth offers more interesting choices for me to do.
It's early days in the park so our Swedish weaving group is small. It will grow in January when most of the residents return for the winter.
Angie is working on a dark green fabric that we know will be hard on her eyes but it will look gorgeous when it's done. Sandy just started Swedish weaving last year and is doing a lovely job on her afghan. Betty is also new at it and also doing a great job. It's such a pleasure to see even new Swedish weavers created a thing of beauty.
Note: Betty coils the strands of yarn she's not working on (opposite side) and clips them together so they don't trail all over as she's doing the other side. I hadn't seen this done before and now will do that myself.
