Winter Nights Wrap - Miss Babs Yarns Collaboration
By Benjamin Krudwig
For this project, I was inspired by the icy blues seen in the deep mid-winter season around dusk and twilight. Cold clear nights with freshly fallen snow makes you want to curl up in something warm and cozy. This wrap is that "something warm and cozy." A sock yarn with a high twist adds loftiness and squish to the woven fabric. These traits, coupled with the highly textured weave structure, traps air easily, keeping you warm during the coldest of days. Also, being made from 100% superwash merino wool, this will last the wearer many winters to come.
It's no secret that gradient sets have been popular this last year in the yarn industry, so I wanted to play with them as well. When I was planning this project I fell head over heels in love with the Perseus gradient set from Miss Babs - Hand Dyed Yarns & Fibers. The Perseus set consists of 6 mini skeins of yarn in a gradient of marine blue. Each colorway is named after either a constellation or a star within the constellation: Dark Perseus, Perseus, Mirphak, Algol, Miram, and Atik.
Left to right: Dark Perseus, Perseus, Mirphak, Algol, Miram, Atik.
When I received the yarn and saw the colors together, I knew that I wanted to make a gradient color gamp. While plain weave allows for great color mixing, I didn't think it would provide the movement I was seeking. Knowing that I wanted to play with pattern in this project, I pulled out my Baby Wolf and started planning.
Project Specs
Weave structure: point twill
Warp length: 3 yards
Number of warp ends: 266, includes floating selvedges
Width in reed: 22"
EPI: 12
What You'll Need
-
Two sets of the Perseus Gradient set in her Yummy 2-ply Toes base, 1,596 yards total - 266 yards of each of the 6 colors.
-
4-shaft loom with at least 22” weaving width
-
12 dent reed
-
warping board
-
fringe twister
Materials
Equipment
Directions
Warping
I’ve labelled the colors as follows: A - Dark Perseus / B - Perseus / C - Mirphak / D - Algol / E - Miram / F - Atik
The warp sequence is 22 ends of each color in this order - A, B, C, D, E, F, F, E, D, C, B, A
The darkest portions of the gradient are on the selvedge edges, with the lightest portions being in the center of the warp.
Warp the loom according to the weaving draft here, following the color order from Step 1.
Weaving
Start by weaving 12 picks of plain weave (at 12 ppi) in the darkest color. Then begin following the treadling pattern, weaving about 18 ppi. Weave 32 picks of each color to square each color block. Follow the same color order as was used in the warp. Weave the total sequence 3 times. End by weaving 12 picks of plain weave as in the beginning.
Finishing
Due to the large scale of this project, I left as long a fringe as possible (plus, I couldn't bear wasting any material). Twist or braid fringe. Wash and lay flat to dry.
This wrap is a versatile addition to your accessory collection. You can see different ways to wear it in the photo above.
Notes
Miss Babs comes from a family of entrepreneurs and artists and started in business while in her twenties. In 2003, she started Miss Babs which morphed into Miss Babs Hand-Dyed Yarns & Fibers in 2005 when she found that placing color on yarn and fiber was her core focus. Since 2005, Miss Babs has seen growth from 1 to 13 employees, and much success in the show and festival circuit. A new fiber club is geared towards the armchair traveler, featuring designs from popular knitwear designers such as Martina Behm, Romi Hill, and Franklin Habit. You can find Miss Babs online here: www.missbabs.com.