India and Bhutan in Penny 2015

Pro-tip for weavers. Most weaving using wool, benefits from a soak, as I’ve shown you here. Why?  To let the fibres expand and settle into the weave. This is especially important for woollen handwoven items where warmth is one of the goals.  Machines must not be used. The water must be the same ambient temperature as the weaving, so it is not ‘shocked’ by the temperature of the water. Then just a gentle hand press into the water without agitation for a short soak.  I then drain and shake it in a gentle “fulling” process to interlock the fibres to make a sturdy and warm beautiful blanket.  If you don’t already soak your weaving; give them a soak to let the wool ‘bloom’. You will be so amazed by the difference a bubble bath makes! There is so much which goes into the making of my handwoven blankets; from preparing some of the yarn I use from the raw fleece; “fulling” the blanket after soaking; to the final stitching and then sending on to new homes; where others stories are made with them.  For more of my process; and my journeys which inspired each series of my blankets, and pro-tips; save this for future reference and follow along. #Protip #artisanmade #handweaving #weavingtechnique #madebyhand

Just off the loom and time for some bubbles! Not for me!....but my handwoven blankets. Why do they need a soak? So the fibres expand and settle into the weave.  Weaving a piece doesn’t just finish when you cut it from the loom. This is how to finish your hand weaving. The blanket is wet and heavy, but I need to shake it in a gentle “fulling” process to interlock the fibres to make a sturdy and warm beautiful blanket.  There is so much which goes into the making of my handwoven blankets; from preparing some of the yarn I use from the raw fleece; “fulling” the blanket after soaking; to the final stitching and then sending on to new homes; where others stories are made with them.  For more my journeys which inspired each series of my blankets; my process; and to remind you to give the items you knit or weave a good soak; save this for future reference and come follow me.   #handwoven #handmade #fibreart #artisanmade #weavingtechnique

Time for some bubbles… Not for me!....but my handwoven blankets just off the loom need a soak.   Why?  So the fibres expand and settle into the weave.  This is how to finish your hand weaving. Weaving a piece doesn’t just finish when you cut it from the loom. The blanket is wet and heavy, but I need to shake it in a gentle “fulling” process to interlock the fibres to make a sturdy and warm beautiful blanket.  There is so much which goes into the making of my handwoven blankets; from preparing some of the yarn I use from the raw fleece; “fulling” the blanket after soaking; to the final stitching and then sending on to new homes; where others stories are made with them.  For more on my process; and my journeys which inspired each series of my blankets; save this for future reference and come follow me.   #handweaving #madebyhand #fibreartist #handwovenluxury #artisanmade

Split ends? Brittle sun-damaged tips? Do you have that problem? 🤣 I don’t. Hehehe But I can help solve your problem if you do! For those of you who have the good fortune to feel beautiful raw fleeces in your hands, sometimes the fleece just needs a bit of extra preparation before it is spun. If the fleece has matted, brittle or fragile tips, I need to remove that tender part of the staple. There are many ways to do this, but I have my preferred way. It’s simply a snip. With the weak part of the fibre removed, my yarn will be smooth and strong, to use in some of my blankets.  Losing a little of the staple length is ok, because I’m carding a rolag to spin a yarn using the long-draw technique. I’m going to show you how I do that in an upcoming post. You can save this pro-tip. To see more spinning and weaving tips; and the next steps in preparing fleece to spin; follow me!   #handweaving #woolfleece #madebyhand #rawwool #handspinning

I use very simple tools to weave my beautiful handwoven blankets.  My rigid heddle loom is just a rectangle. My shuttle is really just a flat stick with a notch at each end; and my heddle is just a single reed. I also use another flat stick to help with the shed. I also have a very simple hook to thread and sley the reed.  Colour is my ‘thing’, so I don’t require a lot of heddles or fancy pedals to create intricate patterns. For more insights into my weaving studio, the stories behind my blankets and how each blanket evolves; love you to come along and follow me.   #handmade #artisanmade #weaving #loom #handwovenluxury

Have a problem being in two places at the same time? It’s a tough one without a teleporting wand; but I can help you warp your rigid heddle loom without needing to be in two places at the same time! It seems that dumb bells are actually quite a clever solution. 🤣 Here, necessity was the mother of invention; and I’m sure I’m not the first person to have used this solution; but it was what came to mind and was at hand! Hehe. For more pro-tips on weaving, my handwoven blankets; and a bit of fun; you can save this tip for future reference and follow me. #madebyhand #handweaving #protips #handwovenluxury #artisanmade

It’s warping day. On a previous reel I explained what a warp was, and today I needed to tension warp threads to wind the warp onto the back beam.   I can’t be at both ends at the same time, so being a rather practical and creative person, I came up with a plan! Perfect solution! Doesn’t save me going to the gym though! hehe Here I’m using my fabulous Ashford Rigid Heddle 48” / 120cm loom. You can save this for future reference; and to see more pro-tips on my handwoven blankets, and have a bit of fun on the way; come along and follow me. #handweaving #madebyhand #warping #studiovibes #protip

I just stared. I haven’t used my spinning wheel for a while, and I found myself being overwhelmed with not knowing what to do. I haven’t had much time on the pedals of my beautiful relatively new Matchless @schacht_spindle_company spinning wheel, so I was a bit unsure about my setup for spinning a woollen yarn. I thought about returning my wheel to its spot in my room; but decided to crack on and have a go. I wasn’t going to dodge this challenge! As soon as I placed my @louet_australia carders in my hands. I immediately and intuitively started to card the staples of wool into beautiful airy rolags, ready to start spinning beautiful woollen yarn. I really love to spin long-draw style, which I’ll show in a future post. If you’ve enjoyed this post, and want to find out how I spin yarn and weave blankets; you can follow me. @skeinydipping #handweaving #spinningyarn #artisanmade #madebyhand #uniquegift

It’s been a year since I’ve spun my own yarn? What should I do? To find out what I did; and see how I weave my heirloom handwoven blankets, I’d love you to follow me and share with a friend. #handspinning #weavingart #handmade #artisanmade #uniquegiftideas

Pro-tip for weavers. Most weaving using wool, benefits from a soak, as I’ve shown you here. Why?  To let the fibres expand and settle into the weave. This is especially important for woollen handwoven items where warmth is one of the goals.  Machines must not be used. The water must be the same ambient temperature as the weaving, so it is not ‘shocked’ by the temperature of the water. Then just a gentle hand press into the water without agitation for a short soak.  I then drain and shake it in a gentle “fulling” process to interlock the fibres to make a sturdy and warm beautiful blanket.  If you don’t already soak your weaving; give them a soak to let the wool ‘bloom’. You will be so amazed by the difference a bubble bath makes! There is so much which goes into the making of my handwoven blankets; from preparing some of the yarn I use from the raw fleece; “fulling” the blanket after soaking; to the final stitching and then sending on to new homes; where others stories are made with them.  For more of my process; and my journeys which inspired each series of my blankets, and pro-tips; save this for future reference and follow along. #Protip #artisanmade #handweaving #weavingtechnique #madebyhand

Just off the loom and time for some bubbles! Not for me!....but my handwoven blankets. Why do they need a soak? So the fibres expand and settle into the weave.  Weaving a piece doesn’t just finish when you cut it from the loom. This is how to finish your hand weaving. The blanket is wet and heavy, but I need to shake it in a gentle “fulling” process to interlock the fibres to make a sturdy and warm beautiful blanket.  There is so much which goes into the making of my handwoven blankets; from preparing some of the yarn I use from the raw fleece; “fulling” the blanket after soaking; to the final stitching and then sending on to new homes; where others stories are made with them.  For more my journeys which inspired each series of my blankets; my process; and to remind you to give the items you knit or weave a good soak; save this for future reference and come follow me.   #handwoven #handmade #fibreart #artisanmade #weavingtechnique

Time for some bubbles… Not for me!....but my handwoven blankets just off the loom need a soak.   Why?  So the fibres expand and settle into the weave.  This is how to finish your hand weaving. Weaving a piece doesn’t just finish when you cut it from the loom. The blanket is wet and heavy, but I need to shake it in a gentle “fulling” process to interlock the fibres to make a sturdy and warm beautiful blanket.  There is so much which goes into the making of my handwoven blankets; from preparing some of the yarn I use from the raw fleece; “fulling” the blanket after soaking; to the final stitching and then sending on to new homes; where others stories are made with them.  For more on my process; and my journeys which inspired each series of my blankets; save this for future reference and come follow me.   #handweaving #madebyhand #fibreartist #handwovenluxury #artisanmade

Split ends? Brittle sun-damaged tips? Do you have that problem? 🤣 I don’t. Hehehe But I can help solve your problem if you do! For those of you who have the good fortune to feel beautiful raw fleeces in your hands, sometimes the fleece just needs a bit of extra preparation before it is spun. If the fleece has matted, brittle or fragile tips, I need to remove that tender part of the staple. There are many ways to do this, but I have my preferred way. It’s simply a snip. With the weak part of the fibre removed, my yarn will be smooth and strong, to use in some of my blankets.  Losing a little of the staple length is ok, because I’m carding a rolag to spin a yarn using the long-draw technique. I’m going to show you how I do that in an upcoming post. You can save this pro-tip. To see more spinning and weaving tips; and the next steps in preparing fleece to spin; follow me!   #handweaving #woolfleece #madebyhand #rawwool #handspinning

I use very simple tools to weave my beautiful handwoven blankets.  My rigid heddle loom is just a rectangle. My shuttle is really just a flat stick with a notch at each end; and my heddle is just a single reed. I also use another flat stick to help with the shed. I also have a very simple hook to thread and sley the reed.  Colour is my ‘thing’, so I don’t require a lot of heddles or fancy pedals to create intricate patterns. For more insights into my weaving studio, the stories behind my blankets and how each blanket evolves; love you to come along and follow me.   #handmade #artisanmade #weaving #loom #handwovenluxury

Have a problem being in two places at the same time? It’s a tough one without a teleporting wand; but I can help you warp your rigid heddle loom without needing to be in two places at the same time! It seems that dumb bells are actually quite a clever solution. 🤣 Here, necessity was the mother of invention; and I’m sure I’m not the first person to have used this solution; but it was what came to mind and was at hand! Hehe. For more pro-tips on weaving, my handwoven blankets; and a bit of fun; you can save this tip for future reference and follow me. #madebyhand #handweaving #protips #handwovenluxury #artisanmade

It’s warping day. On a previous reel I explained what a warp was, and today I needed to tension warp threads to wind the warp onto the back beam.   I can’t be at both ends at the same time, so being a rather practical and creative person, I came up with a plan! Perfect solution! Doesn’t save me going to the gym though! hehe Here I’m using my fabulous Ashford Rigid Heddle 48” / 120cm loom. You can save this for future reference; and to see more pro-tips on my handwoven blankets, and have a bit of fun on the way; come along and follow me. #handweaving #madebyhand #warping #studiovibes #protip

I just stared. I haven’t used my spinning wheel for a while, and I found myself being overwhelmed with not knowing what to do. I haven’t had much time on the pedals of my beautiful relatively new Matchless @schacht_spindle_company spinning wheel, so I was a bit unsure about my setup for spinning a woollen yarn. I thought about returning my wheel to its spot in my room; but decided to crack on and have a go. I wasn’t going to dodge this challenge! As soon as I placed my @louet_australia carders in my hands. I immediately and intuitively started to card the staples of wool into beautiful airy rolags, ready to start spinning beautiful woollen yarn. I really love to spin long-draw style, which I’ll show in a future post. If you’ve enjoyed this post, and want to find out how I spin yarn and weave blankets; you can follow me. @skeinydipping #handweaving #spinningyarn #artisanmade #madebyhand #uniquegift

It’s been a year since I’ve spun my own yarn? What should I do? To find out what I did; and see how I weave my heirloom handwoven blankets, I’d love you to follow me and share with a friend. #handspinning #weavingart #handmade #artisanmade #uniquegiftideas