Fresh Peppermint Tea; 36" x 24" Hand Woven Tapestry; Hand spun wool warp and weft; Natural Dyes; ©Sarah C. Swett 2002
For 25 years
my tapestry weft
has been
a singles yarn,
approximately 30
wraps per inch
and 1800 ish
yards per pound.
Long staple fibers give structural integrity
to the softly spun yarn;
low twist allows lustrous scales to shine.
to the softly spun yarn;
low twist allows lustrous scales to shine.
I weave with
two strands of this yarn
(together but not plied),
on a wool warp of
800 - 1000
yards per pound
at a sett
of 8 e.p.i.,
"Escape Literature" 60" x 48" Hand woven Tapestry; Hand Spun wool Warp and Weft; Natural Dye; ©Sarah C. Swett 2002
These yarns
give my finished tapestries a particular body and drape
give my finished tapestries a particular body and drape
"So Then She Said..." (detail) ©Sarah C. Swett 2003
They also impart a somewhat hairy surface,
which adds an impressionistic touch.
which adds an impressionistic touch.
Sometimes, however, a hairy surface
interferes with clarity of shape
and a singles spun from medium staple fibers
with less surface activity
seems to work better.
interferes with clarity of shape
and a singles spun from medium staple fibers
with less surface activity
seems to work better.
Rough Copy # 8: Hallmark (detail in Progress); white=1 strand hand spun Suffolk, 1 strand Brown Sheep fingering; grey = 1 strand RomneyX, 1 strand bouncy mystery fleece
And recently I've been exploring plied yarn --
yarn with spring and internal energy
never intended for tapestry,
like the leftovers from this project.
I've also been weaving tapestry
with yarn I didn't even nspin.
 Cormo X; spindle Spun; 3 ply; walnut, indigo, letharia vulpina (wolf lichen) |  Brown Sheep Company Fingering; indigo; walnut |
The differences are huge,
at least to me,
at least to me,
"The Car Of My Dreams" (detail in Progress); 2 1/4" x 3 1/2"; Car= 3 ply spindle spun wool, walnut; Ground and Sky= 3 ply Brown Sheep fingering, indigo; Warp= Spindle Spun Romney 2 ply
Not only do bouncy plied yarns require careful handling
(important to keep them super relaxed in the shed),
but the surface is weirdly smooth,
particularly with the commercially spun yarn.
(important to keep them super relaxed in the shed),
but the surface is weirdly smooth,
particularly with the commercially spun yarn.
"Balancing Act" 16" x 3.25" (detail in progress); 3 and 4 ply spindle spun Cormo and Cormo/ Rambouillet X; natural dyes
"Balancing Act" (detail in progress) The light reflection
is also different.
and the shapes
decidedly crisp!
With these yarns I've been doing less color blending in the shed,
and mostly weaving with one strand at a time,
which in turn has led to a preference for a closer sett (9 - 10 epi)
and smaller tapestries.
It's all so interseting--
alive with possibility.
Microthrillls abound.
So, What Now? ©Sarah C. Swett 2015
