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August is a month of harvest around here….we are so busy, picking, freezing and processing food from that big garden out there. Some of the first signs of fall are peeking out like the Virginia Creeper and the temperature is perfect 🙂 I know that a lot of weavers are also gardeners and the first signs of the fall are so welcome because we can put that garden to bed and put our feet up.
Sending tons of love, Jane
Majestic Maple Silk Colourway
Fall inspired silk colours in 20/2 Tussah Silk, hand dyed right here on Salt Spring Island just waiting for your loom 🙂
4 skeins of 100% Silk Spun in Switzerland 5000 yds/lb, 1100 yds/skein C$196.00
Selected Bambu Colours – 20% off Sale
We’re making some room on our shelves and discontinuing some Bambu colours. Get them soon before they are all gone!
Regular C$20.00 – Sale C$16.00 on selected colours
Don’t worry, we still carry a lot of colours in Bambu 7 & 12 🙂
These lovely scarves are perfect for spring and summer! Woven with silk on linen in alternating bands of 1/3 and 3/1 twill, they have gorgeous sheen 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!
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.
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.
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.
Last year we created a few runs of special colour ways and Peachy Keen was a hit. We’ve had so many requests for this colour that I’ve made it a regular part of our palette….sweet and juicy, just like my favourite summer fruit. Available in 30/2 Bombyx, 20/2 Bombyx and 20/2 Tussah 🙂
Rustic Elegance Tea Towel Kit
I’ve wanted to get this pattern written up for quite awhile and finally….it’s done. I originally created this pattern years ago for our Deluxe Weavers Retreats and this warp was coveted by everyone in those workshops. This time I’ve created Rustic Elegance Tea Towels using Venne 16/2 Organic Linen so they will last a life time and become modern heirlooms. It is a lovely study in subtle ‘colour and weave’ techniques on Huck Weft Spots. Every towel uses a different combination of colour sequencing on the same treadling. The patterns are amazing. The towels have a rustic yet modern elegance, perfect for a minimalist decor. You could weave this warp as 2 runners or 4 towels, or 1 runner and 2 towels….get the drift :).
Natty Sherlock Scarf
Just letting you know that we only have 5 Natty Sherlock Scarf Kits left in stock. This soft delicious scarf is woven with 1 skein of a wonderful 30/2 Tussar Tweed silk that is no longer available and one skein of our hand dyed 30/2 Bombyx in Chocolate Cherry. Natty Sherlock was designed by Salt Spring Island weaver Mavis MacMillan and is based on a striping sequence using the Fibonacci numerical series….there is always so much information in our patterns. When washed there is the slightest hint of collapse 🙂
It’s The Little Things
We are so lucky to have a wee post from Sandra Crompton. Sandra is the keeper of the Knowledge Base on our website and is one of the wonderful gals cheerleading and responding to your questions on the JST Forum and Ravelry. Just in case you didn’t know about the Knowledge Base…formerly known as JST’s helpline….. you can find it here. Sandra has been managing 100’s of posts each year since I first started saving all my responses to weavers questions AND, Sandra wants you to know how to STASH BUST….it’s great!
Meet My Enablers – the Cone Family!
My little tale goes like this ……. I’ve made a promise to myself that my stash can no longer continue to expand, so – before I can give myself permission to order the linen that I crave from JST, I have to use up some stash. I found part cones of several cottolin coloursthat have been aging in place for years, and decided it was time to do something with them. After playing with different graphics and – thanks to the Cone Family – I was able to calculate how much yarn was left on each cone. In order to do that, I needed to know how much each empty cone or tube weighed, which I found in the above photos. In Canada, we are fickle to our systems of measurement and flit back and forth between them. In this case, I weighed each colour and deducted the Imperial weight of the cone from the total. I checked the JST Cottolin webpage, and confirmed that there were 3,000 yards in one lb. I divided 3,000 by 16 to get the resulting number of yards per ounce – 187.5. Math is my nemesis but for some reason I really had fun getting down to the point where I knew how much yarn I had to work with.
The green was the colour I was concerned about most, so …… these are the steps I took:
My green cottolin weighed 3.10 oz Minus the tube which weighed .40 oz Weight of yarn only 2.70 oz
At that point I could convert my green into yardage –
2.70 oz X 187.5 yds. per oz = 506.25 yards of green available for my project.
I did that with all the colours and then adapted my graphic to the results.
After winding my warp to include a few tea towels plus a shawl (which will help use up bobbins of silk) I still have enough of the cottolin to mix with cotton in the tea towels. Now can I go online shopping??????
While supplies last
I’ve done a little house cleaning and put a few odds and ends in the sale bin. Hope you find something you might need 🙂
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.
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.
This month we shine the weaver spotlight on Jae Koscierzynski from Michigan. Like so many students that came here over the years, Jae was an inspiration to me. Throughout my career as a teacher I have been so blessed to have such wonderful students.
Doing towel or sample exchanges was always a big part of the retreat scene here at JST. When students did exchanges based on the overlaying of ideas in the workshops the results were fabulous, unique and so inspiring. The whole was always greater than the sum of the parts.
Thank you to Joan Sheridan of Heritage Spinning and Weaving for being such a wonderful friend and for sending me so many talented students. You must be so proud of Jae, I sure know I am.
I was introduced to weaving several years ago by Joan Sheridan. She owns Heritage Spinning & Weaving where I teach knitting. As an engineer by trade, she thought I would enjoy weaving. I’ll admit I didn’t take to it at first. I loved everything about weaving a project except the actual, well, weaving. Figuring out the amount yarn needed, love it! Warping, beaming, threading, sleying, and hem stitching – love all that too. It wasn’t until I took Jane’s Colour & Design class that I learned to love throwing the shuttle. Until then, I couldn’t follow someone else’s pattern without boredom setting in about 2 inches into the project, but I didn’t know where to start or have the confidence to try my own ideas. After Colour & Design, I am always weaving. I now have more ideas to try on my loom than I will ever be able to weave in my lifetime!
I wove this scarf after a sample exchange with several other class members from one of the last in-person Pushing the Boundary with Plain Weave I sessions. We had been together the year before in Colour & Design and did a towel exchange. We enjoyed taking what we had learned from C&D to make towels and wanted to do it again. However, we admitted that perhaps Cramming and Denting, Rep weave, and the like weren’t well suited for towels. Instead, we all committed to providing 3 samples at least 24″ long. The “rules” were to take something from Colour & Design and combine it with something from PBPW.
I gave away my samples and apparently did not take any photos before I did! The scarf is warped with 16/2 cotton – black. It is sett and woven at 20 epi/ppi except at the edges which are crammed at 40 epi. This sett is the same as the warp that is used for Season 3 – Episode 8.
I used 30/2 Bombyx silk for the supplemental threads and for the warp, Black Magic, Violet Ice, Ariel’s Voice, Lime Light, Gold Rush, Tiger Lily, and Persophone’s Pip.
The ratio of each color for the supplemental threads is based on the Parrot Sample from Season 2 – Episode 5. I started with colors I had in my stash to create a color gradient, similar in concept to the Parrot Sample as well.
I originally thought of using black as the dividers and natural as the back ground. I’m glad I went the other way as the bright colors pop more against the black background. If I were to do it again, I would perhaps pick a different color for Gold Rush or Lime Light. In the skein, they look distinct but in the actual warp, the colors are very close and I would aim for more contrast.
I chose to keep the middle section simple since that portion is scrunched up around the neck and isn’t easily seen.
From my sampling, I also realized that the floats had to be kept short to avoid snagging while wearing.
At each end I wove the colors to be square – one with a pattern of “bricks” and the other solid colors with small dashes from the supplemental warp. Choosing how to weave the ends was the hardest part. I had several more ideas that I wanted to try using this graphic and warp structure. As always, the warp ran out before my creativity did!
With every episode that Jane presents, I learn something new. But the best lesson she has given me is to be fearless and just see what happens. It may not turn out as I expect, but I still end up with a piece of cloth that has something to teach me.
We may love the colour BLACK and FRIDAYS may be our favourite day of the week but here at JST we’ve decided to have a
Colourful Weekend Sale!
This weekend is the perfect time to say THANK YOU to all our customers who keep us inspired and motivated through the year.
As we head into our darkest time of year, may a colourful warp inspire your weaving and nurture your soul.
The fine print! Sale prices limited to in-stock yarns & kits only Not valid with other coupons Spend over $250 and you’ll receive free shipping! Receive additional 10% off & free shipping when you spend over $500. (Some Exceptions Apply) Sale starts 12:01am Friday November 29th, 2019 Pacific Standard Time and ends midnight Monday December 2nd, 2019 Pacific Standard Time
Heavenly Check Scarf
We’re giving away another pattern! This simple classic scarf in 12 gauge Bambu is fun, fast and easy to weave. The scarf was designed by Eben (Jane’s son!) and has long been a studio favourite, available as a kit in three beautiful colourways or design your own by downloading the free pattern! A great beginner project.
Yarns
While all of our yarn is on sale, this is a great time to treat yourself to a few of our favourites 🙂
Cashmere 750 yds/cone Regular C$49.00 Sale C$44.10
Brushed Mohair 215 yds/ball Regular C$28.00 Sale C$25.20
18/2 Merino 1100 yds/cone Regular C$27.95 Sale C$25.16
