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November 9th, 2021 newsletter

JST’s Shetland Blankie Recipe

I thought I would share Grant’s favourite Harrisville Shetland Blankie pattern with you – for freeHarrisville Shetland is such a wonderful blankie yarn. Available from JST in 46 lovely, heathered colours, it weaves up quickly and blooms beautifully when wet finished.
 
These blankets started as a 2 stripe overall division of space and then the borders and centre stripe were designed using the Fibonacci Numerical Series and overlaid on top. A pretty easy design process.

Grant couldn’t decide which green to pick for the centre … he kept going between Loden and Evergreen so … I decided he could have both. I used all the colours in the stripe for the weft in the second blanket, playing with the graphic. The other colours used were chosen to match different elements in our living room.

Enjoy weaving and cuddling under this blankie for many years to come 😉

Jane


Harrisville Shetland Yarns

100% wool available in 1/2 lb cones – 900 yds/cone (1800 yds per lb) Harrisville Shetland is spun more tightly (higher number of turns per inch) so it is very durable and will wear better and better every year. Washing makes the yarn even softer. The fibres blossom and have the ability to full and felt. Even if you knit with our yarn, it’s still a good idea to wash and block your finished project.
For more info on working with Shetland yarn, check out our Warping and Weaving with Harrisville Shetland as well as Fulling Instructions in the JST Knowledge Base for all the tips! For those that have a subscription to School of Weaving, don’t forget to check out/review Season 1 Episode 1.10.3 Fulling in the Washing Machine for more great tips on fulling fabrics. Jane fulls a mohair blanket in this episode but you can adapt the technique to make a Harrisville Shetland blanket.


Autumn Orchard Shetland Wraps

Do you feel like wrapping yourself – or someone on your gift list – in a layer of cozy warmth? This wrap is the one you didn’t know you wanted 😉 The colours will remind you of the apple orchards that were so colourful not so long ago. Imagine sitting at your loom mixing and blending all the wonderful Harrisville Shetland colours in this kit. You could use one of the included colourways for one wrap and with the other – just have the fun of creating your own design. 

Level of Difficulty:  Beginner
Weave structure: Plain Weave
Material: Harrisville Shetland
Each kit makes: 2 wraps (25.5″ X 74″ plus fringes)

Loom requirements:
Shafts: 4
Reed: 8 dent
Weaving width: 32″

Each kit includes:
Weaving instructions (including draft)
1 cone of Harrisville Shetland – Chianti
1 cone of Harrisville Shetland – Topaz
1 cone of Harrisville Shetland – Tundra
cone of Harrisville Shetland – Blackcherry


The gift that keeps on giving… share our Maiwa

download patterns with a friend

As we have shared with you in the past, the situation with COVID-19 in India and its affect on the Artisans Alliance of Jiwaja, continues to be challenging for the artisans. The Maiwa Foundation is working hard as they continue to support them through this period. Have you thought of giving a gift that keeps on giving??? You could give one of these fabulous patterns to a fellow weaver in your life. They would learn that the gift they are receiving is also supporting a group of talented artisans who happen to be in a very difficult situation. And, as it is that time of year and … you could also buy one for yourself and have the fun of weaving up a set of towels that you can give as gifts.

Maiwa Foundation logo

JST Gift Certificates

Since we’ve mentioned Christmas gifts – and I know Christmas is still quite a way off, but ….. have you been dreaming about that particular tool, some fabulous yarn – or dreaming really big, maybe about a new loom? Set up a Wish List on the JST Shop Store and just in passing mention that your list can be found there. You can manage your list under your account which gives you different options on how you might want to share it 😉 Your close circle can get a chance to look at your list and possibly give you a JST Gift Certificate towards something that you are really wishing for.

School of Weaving ~ Give the Gift of Learning!

Featured in this photo are placemats from Season 5 Episode 9 Huck & Twills

Give the gift of learning, an all-access subscription to
Jane Stafford School of Weaving.
 Over 45 weaving lessons with a new episode every 5 weeks
Choose between 1 to 12 months!


Here to help

You can always find us on the Jane Stafford School of Weaving Forum

or on Weave with Jane Stafford at Ravelry.


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February 2020 Newsletter

I don’t think I’m the only one wondering where February went…..like really…..I know they say time speeds up as you get older but this month flew by – at warp speed! I have been weaving away all month getting all kinds of things in order for March when we are filming more episodes of the Online Guild. We’ve also been busy writing a few new patterns and putting kits together to tempt you as you will see below. I know that winter is not over yet, but I feel so happy staring up at the sky, patiently awaiting Spring which is just around the corner. I picked up a glorious box of Dahlia bulbs from the post office last week and I’ve got a million seed packs in my cart at West Coast seeds. The garlic is sprouting in the garden and the hazelnut tree is loaded with catkins, one of the earliest sources of pollen for the bees. Next to weaving….the garden is where it’s at! 🙂

Ruckle Beach

Need a snuggle or perhaps a huggle….that is what my kids called a hug and a snuggle 🙂 Our wonderful Linda Pickett has shared her fabulous Ruckle Beach Harrisville Shetland Blankie with us. The kit allows you to weave 2 lovely shawls or one wider throw. Harrisville Shetland is one of our favourite yarns, it is easy to weave, fulls like a dream and comes in a stunning array of colours.

Ganges Sunrise Scarf Kit

Photo courtesy of Melinda Divers the Mama of Moonshine Mama’s Elixirs!
Need something to brighten up your days?
Ganges Sunrise……..orange and many times pink 🙂
The main village on Salt Spring Island is called Ganges, named after HMS Ganges, the flagship of the Royal Navy’s Pacific Station between 1857 and 1860. Now that you’ve had your history lesson let me tell you how pretty this harbour is at sunrise….it is gorgeous.

These lovely scarves are perfect for spring and summer! Woven with 30/2 silk on a 40/2 linen warp in alternating bands of 1/3 and 3/1 twill, they have gorgeous sheen, iridescence and drape with a slightly crisp texture that will only get softer and more shimmery with wear. This pattern requires only 4 harnesses, but there are 8 different tie-ups required for weaving. If you have an 8 shaft loom, you’re stylin’, but if you have a 6 treadle loom, we’ve provided a tie-up system to ensure your success!

Each Ganges Sunrise Scarf kit makes two scarves like the one below and contain 1 cone each of 40/2 Linen in Olive and Teal and 1 skein each of 30/2 Silk in Dragon Fruit and Coral Flame. These scarves are unbelievably beautiful 🙂

We always have spools of 30/2 silk kicking around so we did another version adding 2 more colours…..Favourite Wine and Buddha Berry.  We have provided a 2nd product that has these 2 colours in them.  The pattern includes both versions.

It’s The Little Things

Is your warp separator paper getting under your treadles?
Here’s a little trick for you 🙂

JST Online Guild

We forgot to link Fiberworks PCW Weaving Software website on our Online Guild newsletter last week! For those that were looking for the link, you can click here!

Remember, the demo software is free to try out! Download it while you watch the episode with special guest Bob Keates, co-creator of Fiberworks as he takes us through this introductory workshop for both Windows & Mac versions.