February 2023 – Jane Stafford Textiles

Posted on February 28, 2023February 28, 2023 by Jane — Leave a comment

February 28, 2023 newsletter

Two New Scarf Kits in Huck Colour & Weave

Huck is such a pretty and versatile threading. We can move from creating the distinctive Huck “circles” that appear when weft floats alternate with plain weave to the full Huck Lace effect created by alternating warp and weft floats throughout. Huck always pleases. These beautiful JST scarf kits were woven by Barbara Mitchell, one of our School of Weaving Dream Team members. In her words: ‘I dreamt of bringing this traditional weave forward into my wardrobe in an updated way.’

Barbara was inspired by the concept of layering colour and weave arrangements on top of the Huck Lace threading by the sampler created in the School of Weaving, Season 5 Episode 4, Huck Colour and Weave. From the many, many colourful pairings worked through in the sampler, she chose her very favourites and used them in these Huck Colour and Weave scarves. And there are so many other arrangements available, she could weave for a year without exhausting all the possibilities. Finally, she couldn’t resist using some of the new colours of Zephyr now available. Zephyr is such a luxury yarn, with 50% wool, and 50% silk it creates a scarf with both lustre and warmth.

Dusty Roses Kit

Scarf #1

Scarf #2

Check out Dusty Roses right here!

Winter Sunset Kit

Scarf #1

Scarf #2

Check out Winter Sunset right here!

Project Specs for both Dusty Rose & Winter Sunset kits

Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Weave structure: Huck Lace with Colour & Weave
Material: 18/2 Zephyr (50% wool 50% silk)
Each Dusty Rose & Winter Sunset kits weave: 2 scarves

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4
Reed: 10 dent
Weaving width: 12.33″
Finished Dimensions for each scarf: 10″ X 67-68″ (plus fringe)

Louet Spring Treadle Kit – 2 extra treadles (Spring 1) Back in Stock!

Have you ever wished you could add more treadles to your Louet Spring I? This kit opens up all sorts of treadling possibilities for you. With this 2-treadle kit, you can add 2 more treadles to bring your options up to 12. OR ….. add a second kit and give yourself 14! Just think of the possibilities you could have at your feet!

Buy more treadles here for your Spring 1 loom!

From our Inbox

Jennifer, from our BC’s Lower Mainland, sent us photos of her success with the Monk’s Belt placemats from Season 6 Episode 3. We love the colours she chose and the fact that she thought outside the box and wove a beautiful runner with the balance of her warp. Well done and thank you for sharing, Jennifer!

Here are the 4 placemats and 1 runner I wove for Season 6 Episode 3 Monk’s Belt.

I decided to use Royal Blue, Turquoise, and Purple and was quite happy with the results. Two of the placemats were done using patterns 2 and 3. The next two were done in pattern 4. Instead of doing more placemats I decided to do a runner and did it in pattern 6. I wove them on my 45 inch Leclerc counterbalance loom, not the Jane loom seen in the picture.

Jennifer

We offer FREE shipping on all Louet looms within Continental North America. We also offer the option to pay a $1000.00 CAD deposit on your loom with the balance due when the loom ships out to you. This gives you the flexibility to make smaller payments toward your balance, at your convenience.

Here to help

Have a weaving question? Find us on the Jane Stafford School of Weaving Forum and on

Weave with Jane Stafford at Ravelry.

Posted on February 21, 2023February 21, 2023 by Jane — Leave a comment

February 21, 2023 newsletter

“One-Off” Dusty Rose Silk

We have a few ‘Limited Edition’ 30/2 Bombyx silk skeins that are available in lovely Dusty Rose. Dyeing our range of beautiful silks can sometimes give us a delightful surprise. And that is exactly what happened when Dusty Rose came out of the dye pot! It’s a beautiful soft colour that will appeal to lovers of delicate pinks/purples. Get one or two while you can!

Get ready for the next SoW episode!

Head’s up to all subscribers of the School of Weaving …..

Bob Keates, co-creator of Fiberworks PCW, returns this coming Thursday on Season 7 Episode 2 to help us expand our depth of knowledge of this fabulous weaving design software. Using a computer drafting programme makes playing with Colour and Weave ideas easy. Bob also briefly reviews what he covered in Season 4 Episode 2. Then ….. he adds a lot of information about other features this amazing program is capable of ….. linking/unlinking, block substitution, and adding colour sequences.

If you don’t already have Fiberworks on your computer – download a free trial of the software before the next episode airs on Thursday. Then you will be ready to learn how Fiberworks PCW can blow your mind with all its design tools and possibilities.

Download for Windows: http://www.fiberworks-pcw.com/download.htm
Download for Mac: http://www.fiberworks-pcw.com/mac.html

Check out Fiberworks website here!

Get ready for ANWG!

On the west side of North America we’re getting ready to finally have our post-COVID biannual gathering of weavers, organized by ANWG (Association of Northwest Weavers Guilds). It will be held at the Riverhouse Convention Center and Hotel in Bend, Oregon, June 11-18, 2023. A traditional part of ANWG is to have an exhibit of handwoven items using at least 3 of the colours chosen to represent that particular conference. This year the colours that were chosen are Blue (for Oregon’s water), Green (for their agriculture) Rusty-red (for the rimrock so visible in the State), Gold (for golden fields) and Purple (for their mountains and wine). Even if you aren’t able to attend the conference – you can still have fun weaving a project using ANWG’s colours.

Why not weave your project for this year’s conference exhibit (or a personal project of your own) with the 20/2 silk below – dyed in British Columbia – one of the member areas of ANWG. Unfortunately, we will not be attending ANWG this year – Jane is still very, very busy weaving the balance of the samples for Season 7’s episodes 😉

20/2 Tussah Silk

Tiger Lily

More hand dyed silks right here

From Our Inbox

We were thrilled to receive and to be able to share, Linda Brown of Australia’s photos. She took what she learned in the Turned Twill and Colour and Weave episodes and created table mats and tea towels from what she learned in the episodes. Thank you for sharing with us Linda so we were able to share your weaving journey with others!

I have recently watched and woven turned twill and Colour and Weave episodes, and I’m in love with them both. Having never really understood what Colour and Weave meant, I’ve ignored it over the years, but the gamp has so changed my mind. I straight away made some table mats for sister in law, and gifted a couple of the towels from the sample warp . Love love love all the possibilities.

I’m excited to keep on through the classes and all the seasons! Thanks for making it fun Jane and a treat for the senses with all the gorgeous samples you show. Two pictures, Colour and Weave table mats woven for my sister in law and towels from the Colour and Weave gamp/sample.

Linda Brown, Australia

Colour & Weave Episode

The Colour & Weave episode features the first of three gamps in the Season 2 SoW series. Gamps are great for getting a lot of information out of one warp. Colour & Weave is pure magic. How can all these little sequences of dark and light net us so many remarkable little patterns? The patterns themselves are remarkable but the sequencing is very important, it is the source of so much of the “play” in all of my work.

Take me to the episode!

Here to help

Have a weaving question? Find us on the Jane Stafford School of Weaving Forum and on

Weave with Jane Stafford at Ravelry.

Posted on February 14, 2023February 14, 2023 by Jane — Leave a comment

February 14, 2023 newsletter

Valentine

What better photo to feature on Valentine’s Day than the photo from February from our own calendar? Red – it comes in so many shades and is so much fun to design with. If you need to make a statement in your quiet cloth – red is willing to jump in as a frame, or a stripe to grab your attention. It can be a subtle red like the roses or a screaming red that really makes you sit up at notice.

Crackle Placemats

Everything moves in a circle here at JST. I was doodling around with Crackle and was inspired by the colours that Arlene Kohut had used in the Just Monk’ing Around Tea Towel Kit Berry Bowl version that I had to try on the Crackle. Then I asked Rebecca Logan to bring her wonderful graphic sense to the pattern and then weave them up with her own design. I love this type of collaboration. The patterns are always the result of many weavers joining minds. How cool is that! I hope you enjoy weaving these wonderful placemats. They are a set of placemats that make a statement on a day when red is the focus of attention – be it Valentine’s Day or Christmas.

Just Monkin’ Around

I am so delighted to share Arlene Kohut’s Monk’s Belt towel pattern. It is absolutely fantastic and you will have so much fun playing with your own designs once you get it all warped up. I’m sure you’ll make this pattern over and over again in whatever colours strike your fancy.

Arlene got carried away and created it in 3 colour ways. After her first set, she started playing with more graphics…..so simple to weave and play with.

Holly & Berry Tea Towels

I love to teach skills that will help weavers develop their own ideas and creative sensibility to become independent designers. Tea towels are a small and inexpensive way to experiment without the financial stress of expensive yarns. Once you have a successful towel you can look at it as a design sketch for a blanket, a placemat, a piece of yardage or a scarf, the possibilities are endless.

This towel was also designed by Arlene Kohut. What a great way to bring lace into the kitchen!

From Our Inbox

From Our Inbox, this week we share the photos that Carolyn Franke from Toronto, Ontario sent to us. She shows us the fun she had creating her own Crackle Weave towels from School of Weaving Season 6 Episode 6. I love getting mail from weavers who are really enjoying taking a particular weave structure and pushing it to see what they can do with it. Well done, Carolyn.

Jane

Loving the crackle weave; the next time I am going to thread each block in its own analogous colour, probably in the green-blue-violet range. Jane, your explanations and demos were so helpful in understanding the various ways to weave crackle. I am such an old-fashioned purist that I really wanted to try Mary Atwater’s no-tabby method the most. I have to say the threads didn’t shift as much as I thought they would, but let’s face it, we don’t want sleazy cloth! I am captivated by the interplay of thick and thin and warp and weft colourways. Of course, I must tell you about my threading error; somehow I missed out 5 threads when warping and had to add them in afterwards and could never get them to be the right tension, hence a dark stripe. Not too noticeable in the last 2 towels.

Thanks for an amazing School of Weaving!

Carolyn
Toronto, ON

JST 2023 Calendar!

Only a few left! Click here to purchase yours!

Here to help

Have a weaving question? Find us on the Jane Stafford School of Weaving Forum and on

Weave with Jane Stafford at Ravelry.

Posted on February 7, 2023February 7, 2023 by Jane — Leave a comment

February 7, 2023 newsletter

Back in Stock!

We have four kits back in stock and ready for your loom! Get ahead of Spring with our Spring at the Cabin towels woven in Log Cabin or with the African Violet towel kit in plain weave with our quick and fun Bouclé cotton. Weave a traditional Huck Lace pattern with Rustic Elegance in regular cotton and YES, Ruckle Beach Wrap is now back on our shelves! All of our kits come with all the yarn you will need, the weaving draft plus instructions.

Spring at the Cabin

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Weave structure: Log Cabin
Material: 8/2 cotton
Each kit makes: 8 Tea Towels
Finished dimensions: 20″ wide by 26.5″ long

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4
Reed: 12 dent
Weaving width: 23⅓″

Purchase Spring at the Cabin kit here

Rustic Elegance – Cotton

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Weave structure: Huck lace
Material: 8/2 cotton
Each kit makes: 8 towels
Finished dimensions: 21.5″ wide by 28″ long

Loom requirements
Shafts: 4
Width in reed: 26 ½”
Reed: 12 dent

Purchase Rustic Elegance in cotton here

African Violet in Bouclé

Project Specs
Level of Difficulty: Beginner
Weave structure: Plain Weave
Material: Cotton Bouclé
Each kit makes: 9 Tea Towels
Finished dimensions: 18″ wide by 26″ long

Loom requirements
Shafts: 4
Reed: 12 dent
Weaving width: 22″

Purchase African Violet Kit here

Ruckle Beach Wrap

Project Specs
Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Weave structure: Plainweave
Material: Harrisville Shetland
Each kit makes: 1 blankie or 2 wraps

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4
Reed: 6 or 12 dent
Weaving width: 43″ for the blanket or 32″ for the wrap

Purchase Ruckle Beach kit here

Harrisville Shetland Cones

If you’ve been waiting for the following colours, you’re in luck! These Harrisville cones came in with our last delivery and they are going fast so grab them while you can!

100% Wool available in ½ lb cones – 900 yds/cone (1800 yds per lb)

Sett

Plain Weave: 8 epi & 8 ppi will give you a warm and cosy, yet light and squooshy fabric.
Twill: 10 epi & 10 ppi will give you a yummy blanket fabric and at 12 epi & 12 ppi will produce a slightly firmer cloth.

Shop all Harrisville Shetland Yarn

Schacht 9″ & 11″ Open Bottom Shuttles

The 9 & 11 inch shuttles are back on our shelves! These Schacht open bottom shuttles are a favourite because they allow you to tension your bobbin from underneath each time you handle the shuttle. They also fit perfectly in you hand, not too big or too small.

9″ Slim Maple & Slim Cherry Shuttle

The 9″ slim shuttle is 9″ x 1 5/8″ x 1″ and weighs 3 1/2 oz and uses 4″ bobbins.

11″ Slim & Regular Shuttle

The 11″ slim shuttle is 11 1/2″ x 1 5/8″ x 1″ and weighs 3 1/2 oz and the 11″ regular shuttle is 11 1/2″ x 1 7/8″ x 1 1/4″ and weighs 4 1/2 oz.

Both use 4″ bobbins.

Handweavers Guild of America’s Textiles Tea

Reminder that today – February 7, at 4:00 PM (ET) our very own Jane will be doing a live interview on the Handweavers Guild of America’s Textile & Tea weekly conversation.

You can register to attend the live interview right here:

Webinar Registration

From Our Inbox

We are so happy to share Deb’s beautiful Harrisville Shetland blankie she wove following the video instructions on Double Width, Double Layers. She applied the colour change at the fold and nailed the join! Her lovely blanket was a gift for a dear friend of theirs. Great job Deb!

I’d love to submit my double weave blanket! Woven on a 110 cm Louet David III, with Harrisville Shetland. It’s 80”x50”.
Thanks, Jane! I’ve learned so much from you!

Deb

Double Width, Double Layers

Our School of Weaving episode on Double Width, Double Layers from Season 3 – Pushing the Boundaries of Plain Weave is a double weave primer and so much fun! You will learn to weave 2 separate layers at the same time, how to change sides of your double width at the join and learn to weave a tube by manipulating your tie-up.