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Last month, I started designing myself a new stranded colorwork sweater. (More on that soon!) This usually means a flip through my stitch dictionaries. And since Andrea Rangel just published the KnitOvation Stitch Dictionary, I thought this was a great chance to review it.
KnitOvation picks up where Rangel's first book, AlterKnit, left off. Both books are a very high quality, and I see them as excellent companions to each other. While KnitOvation has only 150 stitch patterns to AlterKnit's 200, but it makes up for this with a brighter, more cheerful color palette, plus an excellent section that walks the knitter through how their yarn might affect the stitch definition of a stranded colorwork pattern. To my delight, there's no right or wrong answer here. Want to do stranded colorwork with 2-ply? 3-ply? Mohair? Speckles? Tonal yarn? A specific sheep breed? Chances are, there's a swatch already in KnitOvation. Of course, your mileage may vary, but this is a great way to shortcut the swatching process. The designs, too, are fun and funky. They range from "modern geometric" to graphics like crabs and dinosaurs. If stranded colorwork is interesting to you, I'd highly recommend both books. We've spent the last 3 months talking about all kinds of things that could be warp. Here's a quick review!
And if you've missed anything, I've pulled everything into a convenient playlist for reference! Yarn is pretty…and it’s expensive. Unless you’re always weaving the same exact yarns over and over again, you probably will end up with lots of odds and ends.
This can get carried to the extreme when you inherit someone else’s odds and ends, like I did when I bought my first loom almost ten years ago! In this video, I talk about some of the pitfalls of mixed warps - differential shrinkage, and yarns that stretch different amounts are the two biggest issues I've encountered. But mixed warps are a great way to use up those odds and ends, plus you end up with a unique fabric that no one else has! Usually, when we’re talking about what makes a good warp yarn, texture doesn’t come into play, or if it does, we’re told to avoid it. Why is this?
Well, there are actually several reasons. The first is the most obvious: textured yarns are more likely to catch on parts of your loom - the heddles and the reed, especially. When this happens, they tend to snag and stretch until they break. Another truth behind the “no textured yarn” myth is that when a textured or slubby yarn is created, the slub is often underspun, creating a weak point in the yarn. Lots of weak points across the yarn create lots of opportunities for it to fall apart. Some textured yarns, like mohair, tend to be “sticky.” The fuzzy texture, combined with the properties of the fiber itself, can make the yarns stick together, making getting a clean shed difficult. With other novelty yarns, like chenille or ribbon yarns, tension issues may come into play, causing the yarn to “worm” its way out of the fabric, and while it isn’t necessarily prone to breakage, it might be difficult to get your desired results. So, with all that said, should you avoid textured and novelty yarns in your warps? That’s really up to you, but you can get some really interesting textures that not many other people will have if you’re brave enough to try it! As always, you still need to make sure that your yarn is strong enough for warp. You’ll also want to choose a structure that shows off your textured yarn, rather than obscures it. I find that going simple is often a great idea, and usually stick to plain weaves when I’m working with textured warps. Alternating textured warp ends with smooth warp ends is also a great technique - it really doesn't take that much to add stunning texture to a warp! One additional consideration for your yarn construction is that if you’re dealing with a very textured or slubby yarn, you want to make sure that there’s at least one ply of a strong, smooth yarn - this will help give it strength. Two plies of strong, smooth yarn, combined with a slubby ply is even better! You'll want to make sure your yarn is thin enough at its thickest point to easily pass through your heddles AND your reed. Checking this before you start weaving will save you a lot of frustration later! If your yarn (or any of your slubs) is too thick for your heddles, you could make your own string heddles just for the project. Sounds like a stretch? Not really! Most heddles were all handmade in just this way until the 1840s, when metal heddles were invented. The process is a lot like tying a repair heddle. If your yarn is too thick for your reed, and you don’t want to buy another one, you can consider weaving without a reed. You’ll then beat your weft into place by hand. This technique is often used by Saori weavers and other weavers using art yarns as warp. A more open sett will often help when dealing with textured yarns. (Except chenille, which needs to be closely sett to prevent “worming”!) Patience and keen observation are a must when you’re working with textured and slubby yarns. If something seems off, take a minute to check and see if something is catching somewhere. Also keep an eye on your weaving - are there any warp ends being missed? If so, check their tension, add weight if necessary. You might end up with the odd broken warp end, but that’s not the end of the world! Repairing broken warp ends is part of the process and a good skill to master! |
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