Study for Meditation Mat

Study for Meditation Mat
Handspun Tapestry Weaving

Wednesday 12 September 2012

But, Is It Art?: Priscilla Plays With Designer Yarns

I love spinning designer yarns, but I have a harder time using them.  I think most art yarns work better in weaving.  Since I no longer loom weave and these yarns don't suit my style of tapestry making, I'm caught up with knitting many samples, but few projects which use my designer yarns effectively.  I've been planning projects for SOAR; I'm determined to have at least one item made from art yarns to take along.

Last week, I came across a "scarf" in a store.  That scarf was made from alpaca yarns and held together with a crochet binding.  I use the terms "scarf" and "made" loosely, because these accessories were nothing more than a skein of plain yarn, in a variety of colours, wrapped for a few inches at a single point on the skein (probably to cover the knot) with a contrasting yarn.  Retail price: $45.  The yarn resembled Diamond Luxury Baby Alpaca Sport, which retails for about $16 per skein.

All right for you, I thought.  Now, I know what I can do with at least one skein of yarn.  Not only that, my trendy "scarf" will be unique, cutting edge and very fashion forward.  It will be more eye-catching than those froufrou scarves which are currently fashionable and which, at my height, or lack thereof, make me resemble a wayward clown.

It took me about a half hour to wrap my selected designer skein.  (That's because I wrapped her at not one, but two carefully chosen sections.)  I now present to you, Priscilla, in all her glory.  If I was much younger and far more fetching, I'd wear her like this:





I'm not quite that brave, so I'll wear her around my neck:





She actually doesn't look too bad over a dark top.  I'm convinced I'll be the talk of SOAR attendees.  If not, I can unwrap Priscilla and dream up another use for her.  One which might involve actual knitting.  Or perhaps, I'll have to take up loom weaving again.

Namaste.

2 comments:

  1. Cool! I would never have thought to do that.

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    1. I just saw the current issue of SpinOff in a Kelowna book store. There's an article in there about another way to use art yarns, but it involves dissolving fabric and (gasp) SEWING!

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