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May 30, 2023 newsletter

New Tea Towel Kit – Crisp & Classic in Linen

Sharon, our new JST dyer, wove these stunning linen tea towels in no time.  This is the result of her first experience weaving with linen, and she loved it!

Linen is a beautiful piece of cloth that will get softer and softer with age. A truly delightful piece of fabric that is happy to do the “mundane” job of drying your dishes. Another classic towel to add to your kitchen.


Comparing the David III and Spring II

I’m often asked “What’s the difference between the Spring ll and David lll”. It made me think that the best way to describe their similarities and differences was to make a wee video. We hope you enjoy it!


All Spring II looms are in stock and should arrive within 7 days while the David III looms will ship out mid-June. JST offers 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.

Spring II

Spring II is available in two sizes, either 8 or 12 shafts:

Spring 90: 35″ (90 cm) weaving width – 8 shaft
Spring 90: 35″ (90 cm) weaving width – 12 shaft
Spring 110: 43 ½” (110 cm) weaving width – 8 shaft

Spring 110: 43 ½” (110 cm) weaving width – 12 shaft


David III

The David lll is an 8-shaft loom and is available in three sizes:

David 70: 27 ½″ (70 cm) weaving width
David 90: 35″ (90 cm) weaving width
David 110: 43 ½” (110 cm) weaving width


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.

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March 22, 2022 newsletter

Lavender Lace Scarf Kit

I love linen 🙂 It’s such an amazing yarn to weave. Linen comes with a bonus – it’s cool and comfortable to wear and actually improves by getting softer the more it’s worn. I also love the fact that linen is plant-based and has such an incredibly long history of human use – at least 36,000 years and counting! You could branch out and make this Lavender Lace Scarf Kit your own by choosing to weave the scarves in your favourite colour and/or change the Canvas Weave threading to a colour that makes this structure the star of the cloth. Maybe this wee article from the Knowledge Base – Colour in Lace Weaving – will help you plan a scarf or two that are uniquely yours!

You can make this kit in any colour you would like! Simply, put the Lavender Lace Linen Kit into your cart. Then, use the checkout screen in the “notes” section to let us know what linen colour or colours you would like to use for your scarf!


Fulford Mist Linen & Silk Scarf Kit

Our Fulford Mist scarves combine the crispness of linen with the softness and sheen of silk – letting the qualities of both yarns share the stage in two luxurious scarves. These scarves are wonderful to wear at this time of year and will give you a nice, bright “spring” look for Easter.


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A few testimonial posted on our apps

This has changed my life when it comes to learning to weave! The app is great and the instruction is very well done. Thank Jane and all your staff!! I recommend this to everyone interested in weaving. Terri, Aug 27, 2021

Highly recommended! Jane is such a great teacher! I love her School of Weaving channel on Roku! She is highly skilled, very personable, has a wonderful sense of humor, and explains everything in detail. The pace of instruction is good (not too fast for a novice weaver and not boring, either). Each lesson builds upon previous lessons in a practical sequence. Thank you, Jane and your team! Love, Joy and Blessings to all! 🙏 Celia, February 19, 2022

If you are thinking about it DO IT!
If I could give more than 5 stars I would. From the quality comprehensiveness of the instructions to the great filming. The only thing better is if I could teletransport myself to Canada and be there in person. I love that you can stop and revisit challenging tasks over and over again and search for issues by keyword. I also love that the program is project based wherein you learn so much without having to blabber and overthink while just having fun. Top notch instructions! danielvanalstine, 02/20/2022

I’ve been weaving since 1980. I thought I knew how to do it all except for some structures I hadn’t tried yet. What could I learn?
As it turns out, everything! I don’t do anything the way I was taught “back then”. My weaving, thanks to Jane, is ten-fold more efficient, less problematic, more adventurous and, just all around better. I even stopped hating the warping process. Thank you Jane! Deb -ASC , 12/27/2021

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Ask Jane

Since we’ve been talking about changing colours for the above Lavender Lace Linen Scarf Kit – we thought you might like to refresh what we have already learned from Jane about colour. Sometimes choosing different colours, or changing them, makes us a wee bit nervous – so read Design for Weavers: Colour Theory & Practice to understand the how’s and why’s of colours working happily together.


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.


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August 17, 2021 newsletter

The Magic of Venne yarns

Venne’s organic 8/2 organic cotton, 16/2 organic linen and 22/2 cottolin will open a magic box full of colour and texture, as well as giving you the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping our planet in the process. It’s hard to put into words the difference in the “hand” of a cloth woven with the Venne organic yarns when compared with more traditionally manufactured yarn, you just have to feel it 🙂 

Ssshhhh – I know we don’t even want to think that far ahead either;)  However … imagine designing and weaving towels or table linens out of your choice of the rainbow colours of organic Venne yarns … tea towels, table runners, a scarf using silk as the weft??? You can create a very special, unique Christmas gift that will be cherished for years to come. To make your life easier, we have just created new colourways for our Spring & Easter Stripes Kits. You now can weave that kit as Fall Stripes and/or Christmas Stripes tea towels, substituting the new colours for the ones listed in the kit and create your own special cloth. See the new seasonal colour palettes below that can be overlaid on this adaptable pattern, then click on the original kit link to get started!

Our Christmas Stripes palette includes one 100g cone each of 8/2 organic cotton in Burgundy, Kentucky Blue, Gift Green, and Lt. Stone Grey along with two 250g cones of Linen White. With this option you’ll weave 7 festive Christmas towels by substituting these colours for the original palette in our Spring & Easter Stripe kit!

Fall Stripes – this option includes one 100g organic 8/2 cotton cone each of Flaming Red, Jaffa, Orange, Deep Red and three 100g cones of Cream.


Venne 16/2 Organic Linen

Sett Suggestion:

  • Plain Weave: 15 epi & 15 ppi
  • Twill: 18 epi & 15 ppi

Both setts give you a nice drapey fabric.


Venne 8/2 Organic Cotton

Sett Suggestion

  • Plain weave: 16-20 epi (ranging from gossamer cotton at 16 epi to firm cloth at 20 epi)
  • Twill: 20-24 epi (ranging from a nice drapey fabric at 20 epi to a firmer cloth at 24 epi)

*supplementary weft structures 16 epi


Venne 22/2 Organic Cottolin

Sett Suggestion
  • plain weave 16-20 epi (ranging from a gossamer fabric at 16 epi to firm cloth at 20 epi)
  • twill 20-24 epi (ranging from a nice drapey fabric at 20 epi to a firmer cloth at 24 epi)


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Choose to watch any of the videos from any of our 5 seasons,
so much to choose from and for weavers of all levels!

Season 1 – Foundation
making a warp, dressing your loom, weaving techniques, all about sett, Project Planning 101, division of space, all about yarns & looms, finishing your handwoven cloth & how to weave a mohair blanket
Season 2 – Colour & Design
asymmetry, division of space, colour and more colour, Colour & Weave, Fibonacci designs, stripes, plaids, muted colour gamps, primaries & secondaries colours plus basket weaving
Season 3 – Pushing the Boundaries of Plain Weave
denting, cramming & denting, Log Cabin, weft-faced, warp-faced, simple collapse, double width double layers, supplementary warp, plain weave with supplementary warp & weft
Season 4 – Twills on 4
simple twill, weaving small & large threadings, Point Twill, Colour & Weave with Twill, Basket Weave & Twill, Shadow Weave, weft-faced Twills plus Fiberworks PCW
Season 5 – Laces
Canvas Weave, Huck, Huck with Colour & Weave, Bronson Spot, plus Turned Twill and still to come – Bronson Lace & Blended Laces


Having Trouble Logging into School of Weaving?

We know that switching to a new system has challenges, and we want to make sure you are not missing out on any of the latest episodes! The first time you log into the School of Weaving, you’ll need to use your current email address and create a brand new password. If you have any problems logging in, please contact us at info@schoolofweaving.tv or 250-537-9468 and we’ll be happy to help you get connected!

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.

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May 2020 Newsletter

Here we are in May, after a long couple of months, and no matter where you live in the world, you have all been affected in different ways by our current situation I actually hate saying the word. During stressful times in my life I have always been so grateful that I am a weaver and have a creative avenue to loose myself in. Being able to access our creativity at such times is marvelous. I’m sure many of you reading this feel the same way.

As I write, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping and we have a beautiful little Junco family tending a nest right outside the main studio entry. For the past few months we have watched this little pair of industrious birds build their nest and now mom and dad are busy all day long bringing food to at least one mouth.  The grass is growing at least a foot each day, the fruit trees are in bloom, the buds on the grapevines are pushing forth, and when I wake up each morning there are two big fat rabbits eating everything (garumph)… but they are so darned cute. So… I am starting to feel a little more normal with all this life bursting forth around me, and this spring feels so much better than any other spring… simply because of the last few months.

The world is starting open up again… a kind of spring… but a careful spring. Please continue to stay safe.

Sending you tons of love,

Jane


Fulford Mist Linen & Silk Scarves

Here on Salt Spring Island, we are so lucky to live near both the ocean and the mountains. At Fulford Harbour you can admire the two at once, especially as you approach the island on the ferry. Lovely deep ocean views complemented by misty mountain tops – so West Coast, so subtle and inspiring.

These elegant scarves are made with two colours of our 30/2 silk woven on our 40/2 linen in a timeless 2/2 twill. The combination of crisp linen and shimmering silk is exquisite.

Each Fulford Mist Scarf kit makes two stunning scarves and includes one skein of 30/2 Bombyx Margaretta Violetta, one skein of 30/2 Bombyx Salt Spring Sky, one cone of 40/2 linen Olive & one cone of 40/2 linen Teal.

Price C$147.00


It’s The Little Things

We’ve added a new wee video to our “It’s the Little Things” series.  This one will help you control your selvedges when weaving a 2 pick colour sequence. Check out other tips and tricks in the series in the JST Knowledge Base on our website.


Spring Inspired Tea Towel Kits

Our much loved bouclé kits weave up quickly and make wonderful gifts. We use them as hand towels in our house.

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JST April Newsletter



It’s Alive! It’s Live! It’s JST’s New Look.

The picture above is what we’re so excited about. It’s our newly launched website. We have been working on a very special project for some time now and we are happy to say that the web face of JST has received a facelift.

Although we loved our old site, time isn’t kind to websites, and technology just keeps marching on. We thought it was important to stay with the times and provide our customers and friends with a mobile device optimized website since so many of us are using these types of devices now. You will notice that the website will look different depending on whether you are using a smart-phone, tablet, or computer. This is completely normal and is why we redesigned our site in the first place.

We would love to hear what you like about our new site, and if you find any errors or omissions, do let us know.

Now on to the next thing – our online store! If you experience any troubles ordering, please just let us know and we’ll be happy to take your order either via email or over the phone.

JST Helpline Update
Sometimes even the helpline needs a little help. We are in the process of working on our Helpline so we can better serve weavers with questions, but at the moment, the Helpline is under construction. Thank you for your patience.

 

Silk, Silk, Silk

Just a little note for all of you silk weavers and lovers out there about our 2/20 Bombyx. This silk produces a lusciously soft fabric. We recommend that when winding your warp that you wind it with two ends in your hand at a time. This will reduce the number of interlacements going through your lease sticks, and make winding on much easier. If you can’t buy two skeins – no problem! Just wind your single skein into two balls. Easy peasy.

Have you worked with this new linen? We would love to see a picture of your project. Drop us a line at jane@janestaffordtextiles.com or find us and share with us on Facebook.

Presenting 40/2 Linen in 17 Colours

A few months ago we decided to bring in some new linen to the shop to mix it up a bit and offer an even smaller gauge of linen for those finer projects. Overwhelmingly, people seem to love this new line. We have just finished making up our new linen sample cards as well. You can get to the this new line in our shop by clicking here, and sample cards can be purchased by clicking here.


Cuddles on Sale

We have a small quantity of our hand-dyed Cuddles Alpaca blend on sale and we just wanted to let those of you who would like to try this yarn, or those of you who love this yarn. Why? Because we are not going to be dying any further batches of Cuddles. Cuddles is a wool/alpaca bulky, cushy yarn and we even have a knitting pattern for a cute little hat that we’ll throw in for you when you pick up a skein or two. The pattern uses only one Skein. It’s also lovely for the odd shot of texture in your weaving. Here’s the link to the store….

Rosemary’s Recipe Corner

One of the first things that burst forth in the spring is the old fashioned staple Rhubarb. As at home in many homestead gardens as in our kitchen, Rosemary has given us her delicious recipe for Rhubarb Muffins.

2.5 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups chopped rhubarb
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Topping (set aside)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare your muffin tins.

Mix all the wet ingredients, including the sugar together in a bowl. Next, mix the dry ingredients together so they are well distributed. Incorporate the wet ingredients.

Add chopped rhubarb to mixture. In a separate bowl, mix your melted butter and sugar for the topping. Add batter to your tins, sprinkle with topping and bake for about 20 minutes. Then grab your butter, sit back, and enjoy!

Show and Tell

We’ve been playing with a pattern lately here at the shop and we’ve seen a few student interpretations of the pattern. Here is Claudia Cocco’s version of our Alpaca shawl. It’s a pattern that uses denting to produce some really stunning results. This shawl is made with the Alpaca Tweed and our hand-dyed bouclé. Thanks Claudia for allowing us to show this lovely shawl off!

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