April 14, 2001

Hello everyone!

It has been a beautiful spring here in Mississippi and time to be thinking of spring and summer fibers and projects.  I've enjoyed taking walks, bike rides and working outdoors and as a result have received many inspiring ideas for future colorways and projects.  Hope you are ready for a cool project for hot weather!  Look for new colorways in a month or so.

In This Issue:

• New additions
• New tencel in colors on its way!
• Announcing Inspiring Designs
• Size 9 needles are in!
• Tips for using hand dyed wefts
• Storable bobbins tip
• Reasons for tying a dummy warp
• Tips for tying on a dummy warp
• Shopping/Order Information

New additions

There are many new additions - new music <g>, new pictures, new pages.  PayPal is now much easier to use thanks to a direct link at Shopping/Order Information.

New tencel in colors on its way!

Check for 10/2 tencel in Persian Red and Moroccan Blue at Mill Dyed Yarns.  Plans are to have some exciting new colorways that coordinate with these by next month.  Will send info as I have it.

Announcing Inspiring Designs

The pictures of your work are up as promised at Inspiring Designs.  To those of you who have not sent pictures yet, there's room for more pictures!  Hope to see pictures of your work at this link soon.

Size 9 needles are in!

After waiting for some time the size 9 circular 16" and 24" are in.  Get 'em while you can as needles seem to be on short supply all over the country.

Tips for using hand dyed wefts


To keep a "pure" color sequence wind the skeins off in the same direction, i.e., berry, coral, lavender, blue - not one, one direction and the other the opposite.  Don't wind as above and on next skein wind the opposite - blue, lavender, coral, berry.  It's a matter of turning the skein over.  Tip:  Lay them on top of each other matching the colorway and put them on the skeiner (one at a time) going the same direction.  And, wind off in the same direction, clockwise or counter-clockwise.

Wind all your bobbins at one time from the center and number sequentially starting at 1 for the last bobbin wound, then 2, 3, etc. back to the first bobbin wound.  If you run out of a bobbin in the middle of the shawl, pull the end to the underside by about an inch.  Overlap the beginning of the next bobbin by 4 or 5 warp threads and pull the end to the underside by about an inch.

With this method you can almost predict how  a chosen color will "track" by the width of your warp.  To accent a color within the hand dyed yarn, follow these steps:  measure the length of the color you desire to accent.  Measure the length of the entire colorway from start to finish.  If your accent color is 15-1/2" long, the entire length of the colorway is 62" and the width in the reed is 31", you may have a column effect.  If you would like a shift in color, offset your warp by a couple of inches either way, i.e., 29" or 32".

Or, you may just decide you like the random, unplanned look.  Either way is a pretty effect.

Storable bobbins tips

Need bobbins?  The cardboard tube of a pant hanger can be cut to make 4-4" or 2-7" bobbins.  Just wind a tight, even bobbin and don't get too close to the ends.  They're cheap (-:, can be numbered and when you're finished with your weaving you can store the bobbins with a straight pin to hold the end in a zip-lock.  I like to store my special novelty yarns in one bag, wools
in another, towel yarns in another, etc.  No more unwinding bobbins to have enough or buying more.  And next time you want to weave towels, for example, look in your "towel bag" and start with leftover bobbins.

Reasons for tying a dummy warp

I have not always been sold on dummy warps and even made the comment one time that I knew the reason they called it a "dummy." <g> I've changed my mind!  Not only is it a good idea to tie a dummy warp to save time but to be able to weave to the very end of a hand dyed warp or use the ends for fringe with no waste.  Here are other good reasons from Anne Wells and others.  When tying on, you can change the warp thread and sett.  After weaving a dozen cotton towels, you might change to a fine wool and then weave some scarves, then maybe switch to linen and weave something else, resleying the reed each
time.  To change the appearance, use a different treadling sequence.  (I will cover some of these possibilities at a later date. <g>)  Other possibilities are to insert extra heddles when threading originally so that for subsequent warps a few changes can be made in the threading that will have maximum impact on the design.  Borders can be changed by rethreading by leaving heddles on all shafts on both sides of the warp.  Or if the original was woven with a border, remove and make a half hitch in front of the
heddles; you can always add back in part or entirety at a later date.  I will trying some of these tips myself in the near future and report back here on my progress.  May just see how many items I can weave out of one warp and share pictures. <g>

Tips for tying on a dummy warp

This tip comes from Beth Parkes who learned it from her dad who was a sailor.  At first, I must admit I was skeptical but by the description I just had to try it! <g>  This is an adaptation of her description of tying a bowline knot.  Some say this is like the weaver's knot; others don't.  I don't really care; it works and I think you'll like it.

Make a 6 out of the yarn coming from the loom having the loose end on top of  the 6.  Yes, I made my 6 the other way!

The yarn being tied on is the "rabbit."

Now, for the fun part.

The rabbit comes up the hole, around the tree and back down the hole.

Grasp both ends of the "rabbit" yarn plus the end of yarn from the loom and pull.  What do you know?A knot that will (k)not <g> come loose.

Shopping/Contact Information

Yarn shipments are limited to the U.S. and Canada. If you live outside the U.S. or Canada and would like to place a pattern order, please inquire at Margaret@heritageyarns.com.

Visit Knitting Patterns and take a look around at the wide selection of downloadable patterns from HeartStrings.

Purchasing options:  by PayPal shopping cart, Visa, MasterCard, personal check or money order.

Margaret Pittman
Heritage Yarns
5875 Baxter Drive
Jackson, Mississippi  39211-3317 USA

Telephone - (601) 956-1478
Email - Margaret@heritageyarns.com
Fax - (601) 957-2963
Celebrating color in hand painted skeins and warps since 1994

Do you know other fiber artists who might be interested in receiving a free subscription?  Please forward this to them where they can subscribe at Margaret@heritageyarns.com.

As far as we know, this email is being sent only to those who wish to be on the newsletter list.  If we have made a mistake and you would prefer not to receive it, please let us know and we will remove your address.  Regardless, we will NEVER provide your email address to others.