On the 1st Saturday of each month, my weaving studio is open to the public from 11 to 5. This is a picture of some of the things I will have available on September 4, 2021. Here you see scarves and towels. There are also Mug Rugs, table runners, a lap robe and Mobius Shawls. You will see new projects on the 6 looms in the studio. Soon I will have another color gamp afghan made of thick luxurious cotton. I hope you will come by for a visit.
Mug Rugs are an item that has been very popular over the years. I’ve kept track since I first started making these in 1991 as just a little item to sell for Christmas. They have been so popular that I have continued to make them and have kept track of how many since I started. As of 9/1/2021, the total number of sets of 4 is 4,896. That makes a total of 19,584 individual Mug Rugs! 20,000 is just around the corner! And I can’t keep them in stock. Every time I think I have saturated the market, I realize my basket is almost empty. Thank you to all who have purchased these delightful little coasters and come back for more.
I’ve decided that I’ll just call this the updated version of a Mobious shawl. It is like a shawl that gives you a hug. It’s comfortable to wear and you can tuck your hands into the fold to keep them warm or leave them free to do things without the garment falling off. I love to wear this when I’m travelling. It’s great for a night out or on a cruise. Or, how about shopping? Remember, your hands are free to do whatever you want. I make these in lots of different color and yarn combinations. I always use cotton in the warp (lengthwise threads) and novelty yarns to make the subtle stripes using Fibonacci numbers. The weft (crosswise threads) vary between cotton, rayon and rayon chenille. Check out Handweaving by Nikki on Facebook for the latest version or to learn where you can find me at a show or when my studio is open.
We recently had a special wedding in our family and I wanted to make a special shawl for the bride. I had some sumptuous off-white 16/2 spun silk yarn that I knew would provide a lovely sheen and luxurious drape.
I used a mixture of 5/2 perle cotton, and 2 textured cotton/rayon blends as the warp. I wanted it to be sheer so I wove it in plain weave. Plain weave, however, does not let the beautiful sheen of the silk show to its best advantage. So, I randomly wove sections of twill which allowed that silk to float over the warp threads allowing them to shine.
Dyeing warp chains in the garage requires several days, preferably with nice weather. Trusting what the weather man was telling me, I recently began the process by mixing the dyes. I buy my fiber reactive dyes in a powder form from Dharma Trading Company. The dye powder is mixed with water, urea and table salt. Here I’m adding the urea pellets.
When I add the dye powder, I wear a mask because the dye powder particles are extremely fine and I don’t want to breathe them into my lungs.
Because most colors are a combination of red, yellow & blue, I like to know what the underlying color is when deciding which dye to use. I find that paper coffee filters are a good way to let the color separate out into its different components. This way I know if a green has a stronger underlying blue or yellow hue. This works for many different color combinations.
Early in the morning on a bright sunny day, I began by setting out the dye bottles.
The cotton warp is soaked in a solution of water and soda ash to get the fiber ready to accept the dye. Then the warp threads are carefully laid out on a strip of plastic wrap on the table. Next comes the fun part: squirting the dye colors wherever the mood strikes me. After each warp is dyed, it is rolled up in the plastic wrap and allowed to sit over night.
The next day proved the weather man wrong. The day dawned cold and overcast. I decided to do the rinsing in the (unfinished) kitchen. On the counter in the dish pan are the rolled up chains wrapped in plastic. I’m removing the plastic from one of the chains. After being rinsed several times, the warp goes into the bucket on the floor to the right which holds a solution of Synthopol and water. After a few more rinses, the warp chain goes into the bucket to my left.
In the garage is another sink and a portable wringer. After a few more rinses, followed by several runs through the wringer, the last step is to put the warps gently into the washing machine on spin cycle. By now,very little dye will come out of the fiber. This is a warp of 8/2 unmercerized cotton for towels. Weaving these towels one after the other is so much fun! These colored warp threads will be set up in a stripe pattern along with white threads in a Fibonacci sequence. I use different solid color weft yarns and each towel is unique. The fun part is watching what happens when the solid color crosses the hand dyed portion which changes as the warp progresses. Where the weft crosses the warp, a new color appears.
My favorite part is usually seeing the newly dyed warps drying in the sun. This day was too cold and overcast for that so the warps were hung in the new kitchen on a makeshift clothesline. Still a pretty sight. In addition to the 8/2 unmercerized cotton for towels, this batch contains 5/2 perle for shawls and rayon chenille for scarves. I can’t wait to start weaving!
Harvest of Handwovens was a great success! Now I have to replenish my stash for 3 events in November. I’m weaving more towels & Mug Rugs, setting up another shawl, some scarves and holiday table runners. Tonight I’ll be making more soy candles. This Saturday is 1st Saturday in 3 Rivers. Our theme is “Leaves” and that’s great because the leaves on the South Fork are gorgeous! I also have my “Oak Leaves & Acorns” note cards. I hope you will visit me. Check out my “Events” page to see what else is happening this month.
Anne's bowl & Nikki's towels
1st Saturday in Three Rivers, August 7, will be a celebration of the Golden Hills around our town. Artists will be out and about in various locations. Discounts are offered by restaurants and lodges. Several of us, including myself, will have our studios open from 11:00 to 5:00. I will be weaving towels and will have towels, mug rugs, baby blankets, shawls and scarves available. I will also be offering my hand-poured soy candles. Also in my studio, you will find the beautiful hand turned wooden bowls of Anne Birkholz and delightful clay sculptures of Carole Clum. We hope you will take the time to come up the south fork and visit us. Click on the link to the right for more details regarding 1st Saturday. You can pick up a flyer at Anne Lang’s Emporium in downtown Three Rivers. See you Saturday!
Some of my weaving and candles
The artists of Three Rivers will be celebrating Independence Day a day early by welcoming you to our monthly 1st Saturday Event. Activities take place on July 3 from 10:00 a.m. ’til 7:00 p.m. Check out my link to 1st Saturday or pick up a flier and map at Anne Lang’s Emporium for details. I hope you will visit me in my studio from 10 to 4. Here’s a sample of the many weavings and soy candles I will have to offer. Ann Birkholz’s beautiful turned wood bowls will also be available in my studio.
May 8 & 9 are the dates for this year’s Redbud Festival at the Lions’ Arena in Three Rivers. It’s Mother’s Day Weekend. Come and visit me and my friends at our weaving booth. Handweavers of the Valley will be presenting our theme of “Weavers Bloom In Many Ways” to show that we all enjoy other artistic endeavors including weaving.
Weavers Bloom In Many Ways
Approx. 60 artists will be showing and selling their works that weekend. It’s a fun time to come out and visit with old friends in a beautiful setting. Enjoy some really good food and listen to great live music. What more could you ask for? Admission and parking are free!
Basket of Painted Warps
I recently did some more dyeing (so much fun!). In this basket are the “painted warps” that are waiting to become towels, scarves and shawls. Aren’t the colors pretty? The anticipation of how the woven pieces will turn out is very exciting to me. Stay tuned. I’ll let you see them as they progress into finished works of art.
Handweaving by Nikki 