Hapkins (Happy Napkins)

Handwoven contributor Elisabeth Hill is weaving a napkin project for Handwoven November/December 2018, and she is writing a 5-part series about the experience. Here is her second post about her weaving and design process and how she recovered from her first “huck horror”. Enjoy, Susan

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After the dismal "huck horror" outlined in my previous post, I needed to go to a sunny place. A set of napkins I first saw at the Vävstuga Weaving School popped into my mind. They were super charming, smallish, luncheon napkins woven in natural 8/2 cotton with accents of a softball slub cotton, and I was so taken with them that I went home the day I first saw them and drafted out what I thought was a close simulation in natural 22/2 cottolin and a slubby, cotton mill-end I had in my stash. The next day I wound, warped, and wove a set —a happy experience from inspiration through execution, and just the sort of "back on the horse" idea I needed. With this design inspiration in mind, I started to think about color. "Sunny place" might bring oceany blues or gardeny greens to mind for some, but honestly, what evokes a "sunny place" more than a vivid array of yellows?

Elisabeth’s Hapkins – a successful napkin project Photo credit: Elisabeth Hill

Yellow (like a true diva) has been known to be a little difficult to work with, in part because it has such a light value even in its most saturated form. If you have ever looked at a color gamp, you might have noticed that yellow is the value odd fellow and stands out from among the other hues demanding attention. But (again like a diva) it's waywardness is also what makes it such a charming, pop color. So I have embraced yellow, and as a consequence I always have a good selection of yellows in my stash.

Yellows from Elisabeth’s stash. Photo credit: Elisabeth Hill

For my "hapkins" (a name that came to mind as I gazed at my selection of happy yellows as opposed to the huck "nope-kins" from the previous post) I chose a range of yellows from cream to maize to pale apricot in 22/2 cottolin.

Designing another set of napkins. Photo credit: Elisabeth Hill

I had settled on the cottolin not only because of the nice selection of yellows I happened to have but also because it has a sturdy rusticity that I really love for my household. Now, with yarn and rough concept in hand, I needed to go back to the "drafting " board and redeem myself from the huck debacle of '17.

To be continued . . .

A man's [weaver's] mistakes are his [her] portals of discovery. - James Joyce.

—Elisabeth Hill