Brown Sheep DK Neons on Small Looms

About a year and a half ago I wrote about sampling to determine what a yarn might be good for rather than my usual sampling style, which is to see what yarns will fit into the project I have in mind. Since that day, I've tried it a few times, most notably with some 16/2 linen in my stash. With the linen, I sampled twills and plain weave at two setts with a variety of wefts. Not surprisingly, the linen eventually told me it should be towels, and that project has been woven and is off the loom. (Stay tuned, you’ll get to see those towels in an upcoming Handwoven.)

For our September/October 23 Yarn Lab, Liz Moncrief played with the neon bright colors in Brown Sheep Company’s Prairie Spun DK Neon line. As in all Yarn Labs, Liz’s goal was to see what types of weave structures the yarn was suited for and what setts were optimal. This time, however, she was also looking at how the bright colors worked with each other and with more muted colors. What caught my attention was Liz’s description of the yarns as bouncy and elastic, two characteristics that work well on small looms.

For this sample on my rigid-heddle loom, I set the warp at 12 epi and played with some color-and-weave patterns. I love the purple that shows in the areas where the pink and grey cross each other.

I love my multi-shaft looms, but I also really like playing around with yarns on rigid-heddle looms and pin looms. Direct warping allows you to get a warp on the rigid-heddle loom quickly, and pin looms—because of their small size—can be used virtually anywhere. Using Liz’s Yarn Lab as a sett guide, I decided to do a Yarn Lab Supplement on small looms. I had a blast and learned a lot. And guess what? I liked the yarn enough to add some to my stash.

First check out Liz’s Yarn Lab! If you are a subsciber, you can read it in the September/October 23 issue in the Handwoven Library.