Well, on my time off I returned to a long-standing UFO. It began many years ago--about 6. I decided that I wanted a handspun handwoven cloak. I ordered a gorgeous finn-lincoln fleece from a certain former shepherd who is now running a maillist from Sweden and started spinning.
After a *lot* of spinning I decided that when would a wear a cape in Florida anyway and wouldn't a ruana be just as good and not take nearly as much yarn. Warped the loom with a mixture of the 2-ply wool and some naturally dyed mohair and wove away. I was *really* new to weaving, and what I learned that something that seems fine on a tiny sample (I wasn't going to "waste" my handspun on samples) might not be quite right on a big piece. What I got was a length of material that weighed a *ton*. Far too heavy and unweildy for a ruana. So for the last several years it's been set aside--from time to time I pat it and think that I really should do something with it. The plusses--the color (natural gray with strands of mohair in turquoise and rust). The hand--this stuff is somehow buttery--it's luxuriously drapey and buttery. The minuses--it weighs a ton, and the twill weave is a bit slippery and unstable, even though I did full it a bit to firm it up (not too much--it was heavy enough as is). My thought to counteract the minuses was that it needed seams and an interlining. The long-lost fabric is well on its way now to being a warm coat. I modified the Egyptian Shirt pattern from folkwear (I love this pattern--very economical use of fabric, few scraps). It's looking good. Although I have found that taking something that weighs a ton, cutting it apart, adding a interlining, and sewing it back together again does not reduce the weight ;-). But at least it will be a bit more distributed now. After it's done, I'll have to get someone from Minnesota or Maine invite me up for a visit--not sure if it will ever get cold enough in Florida to wear it. -Ann, who just has to hem and put the fasteners on her new coat, and would rather be doing that than sitting in her office thinking about it. To stop mail temporarily mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: set nomail To restore send: set mail
