
For 25 years
my tapestry weft
has been
a singles yarn,
approximately 30
wraps per inch
and 1800 ish
yards per pound.
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.,
give my finished tapestries a particular body and drape
which adds an impressionistic touch.
interferes with clarity of shape
and a singles spun from medium staple fibers
with less surface activity
seems to work better.
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.
at least to me,
(important to keep them super relaxed in the shed),
but the surface is weirdly smooth,
particularly with the commercially spun yarn.

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.