Friday, July 29, 2011

Light-As-Air Summer Cobweb Shawl

A thin layer of variegated, hand-dyed roving, plus hand-spun yarn.

 


Adding clouds of silk caps.

 


The finished shawl.

 


A close-up view of its yarn-filled edge.

 


With the oppressive heat of this summer's weather...

...a lightweight wrap seemed 'just the thing' for a friend's August birthday.

Since I can count the number of cobweb projects I've made on just a few fingers...

...I found myself experimenting even more than usual!

I laid out a mat and some netting...

...then added one thin, shingled layer of this variegated roving...

...taking time with my layout, and trying to cover the entire surface evenly.

In order to have an edge that would be firm and relatively straight...

...I laid a length of my hand-spun yarn a few centimeters in...

...along the entire perimeter.

For both shimmer and a bit of structural support...

...I teased apart sections of a silk cap...

...and added them like fluffy, white clouds in a summer sky.

I wetted out the project...

...and folded the roving over the yarn to encase it...

...kind of like a stuffed-crust pizza! :)

I plan to make more cobweb projects while the 'heat is on'...

...and in the next week or so, I'll be showing you another shawl which I think you'll find quite unusual!! Grin.

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20 comments:

WonderWhyGal said...

It's beautiful...I love the variegated color. The silk caps are beautiful in it too. I tried adding some silk to a project but it just balled up. I wonder if using the caps would have been better. Ah, so much to learn about felting.

Heather Woollove said...

OMG, Andrea--silk hankies and caps and laps are all a bit tricky to maneuver! If you don't use a salt scrub or something exfoliating on your hands before you try it, the little threads just stick to you and pull the silk hither and thither, messing up your layout! :)

fiberdance said...

This is really cool-I've done felting-but bot so lightweight-really nice.

Tamara Miller said...

Gorgeous. The silk hankies are a perfect match. Just curious how much does it weigh? It is fairly light weight?

Melissa Plank said...

Ms. Woollove, another beautiful project!!! (Do you have a on line shop?)

Spinster Beth said...

I love the color ... like swirly rainbow sherbet!

Suddenly want some sherbet ...

Anonymous said...

I'm astonished by the variation in the work you do!

Patty Biermans said...

The colors are béautiful!! Love the tenderness of it. hugzz..peebee

Heather Woollove said...

Oh, ladies...thank you so much!
I don't know exactly what it weighed, and I've already given it away, but it was very light-weight.
Melissa--let me know if you'd like to do a swap in the fall sometime!

AllyB said...

Now that you mention it, that does look like a pizza! I can't wait to see it wrapped around someone's shoulders. Your work is amazing!

sarah in the woods said...

Your work is beautiful. Lovely details. I would love to feel this wrap.

Heather Woollove said...

Thanks, Ally!
Sarah--I'm so glad you stopped by! I have been enjoying trying to teach myself this cobweb technique. You can make such feminine, flexible felt this way!

Kelly said...

Beautiful!! We must be thinking similar thoughts. I have been working on a triangle cobweb shawl layout using some handspun....whatcha doin' in my head?! ;)

Marushka C. said...

i had no idea it was possible to felt things into such light and airy pieces. it is beautiful!!!!

Voie de Vie said...

I absolutely love the colors in this. Oh, the power of orange. :)

What's the final measurements of the shawl?

Heather Woollove said...

Hahaha, Kelly...great minds and all! :)
Mary--Thanks so much! Yes...it's like a fairy shawl! :)
Denise--Yes...there was quite a lot of peachy orange in that roving. Gosh...I guess it was about 3 & 1/2 feet square or so.

Licho_Nie_Spi said...

Fantastic! I've recently loved cobweb- most stunning are holes and shrinking of fabrics on surfaces.
xxx Licho

Anonymous said...

Light and airy is the perfect choice for this time of year, and the colors are amazing! Another great piece of work. :)

Vivian said...

I love the way you describe the clouds of silk caps, so romantic :-) many years ago I knitted for a fashion designer who had me knit tore up strips of silk fabric into clothing. It was a hard maneuver, but the result is stunning.

Heather Woollove said...

Thanks, Licho! I like the holes, too, but I find it a bit unnerving, not knowing exactly where they'll show up after felting! I'm going to do some more of this kind of project, so I get a better understanding of it. :)
Thanks, Sandie!
Vivian--Wow! Your resume just gets better and better! No wonder you're such a powerhouse knitter!! XXO-