It Was a Vest at Times, It was a Wrap at Times - Hedgehog Fibers Collaboration

Designed by Benjamin Krudwig

When I approached Hedgehog Fibres with the idea of a collaboration, I knew that whatever we did, it would be bold. Given her bright and saturated colors, there was no chance that this project would be boring. I chose a bright variegated colorway Raku and counterbalanced it with a more tonal yarn called Poison. While these colors are what one might call autumnal, I wanted to take a spring-y approach with this project. Hence the vest-wrap was born.

Anyone who works in an office knows that the thermostat might read 72 all day long, but it feels like an icebox for most of the day. This wrap can convert from a wrap to snuggle up in, to a vest that can be worn as a layering piece. A simple 2-panel construction allows this project to be woven on a 10" Cricket Loom.

Project Specs

Weave structure: plain weave

Finished size: 16" wide, 92" long with 12.5" fringe on each end

Number of warp ends: 80

Warp length: 6 yds

Width in reed: 10"

EPI: 8

PPI: 8

What You'll Need

Materials

2 skeins (436 yards) of Hedgehog Fibres Merino DK in the Raku colorway, 1.5 skeins (327 yards) in the Poison colorway.

Equipment

10” Cricket Loom
8 dent reed
10” slim stick shuttle
fringe twister

Directions

Warping: I warped my Cricket Loom using the direct peg warping method. From left to right, I warped 32 ends with "Poison", 32 ends with "Raku," and then 16 ends with "Poison."
Weaving: Allow 18" in your tie-on for fringe. With "Raku," weave a couple of rows and hemstitch. Weave in plain weave for 2 yards and hemstitch. Advance your warp 1 yard (this allows for 18" fringe on each panel), weave a couple of rows and hemstitch, weave in plain weave for 2 more yards, hemstitch again. Cut off from the loom leaving 18" for fringe. I was able to get a full 5.5 yards of woven fabric on my front beam—my new personal record!
Assembly: Align the panels so the 2" stripes of Raku are next to each other. Seam the panels together using a simple whipstitch following the diagram. The diagram is a mere guideline as to where the armholes should be placed. You can use your back width measurement as well as your own arm size to customize armhole placement. For determining fit, I would suggest using clips to adjust where the armholes will go before seaming.
For more even fringe, use a straight-edge and rotary cutter to trim the ends to the same length.
For this project, I wanted long and chunky fringe with some variety Using my Schacht Fringe Twister, I took two groups of 8 threads and twisted them together. Then I took two groups of 4 threads and twisted them together. I repeated this pattern across the fringe, until I ended with two groups of 8 threads. The fringe ends that began at 18" long off the loom finished at about 12.5".
This project can be worn as a vest, wrap, scarf, poncho, etc. It’s perfectly versatile for your wardrobe! Make it your own by adding ties on the sides or add an extra panel for a longer vest.

Notes

Hedgehog Fibres is an Irish artisan yarn and fibre dyeing studio located in County Cork, Ireland.

Yarn dyeing started as a extension of Beata Jezek’s other hobbies—spinning, knitting, and crochet. Beata says, “Soon after I took up knitting, I realised I really wanted to create my own yarn line of soft, squishy yarns in beautiful colours. It's the colours I want to knit with, the colours I want to wear and the colours I can't live without.” Hedgehog Fibres colors reflect Beata’s personal style and range from dark, rich, and earthy to crazy, fluorescent, and vibrant depending on her moods—but always colors she loves! Originally from Slovakia, Beata has called Ireland her home for over a decade. In Slovakian, Jezek means hedgehog so in 2008, when knitting friends pushed her to sell them yarns, Hedgehog Fibres was founded. (No hedgehogs are harmed in the making of her products!)

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