On the cover of the current issue of Handwoven (May/June 2015) is a scarf woven in a structure known as crackle weave (I believe), but it can also look like or resemble a snakeskin or other reptilian creature (not to my reptilian loving son, however).
At first, I wasn’t drawn to this particular project, but then one of my fellow weavers wove one and I decided to give it a try. First, what to weave it with. Our group was gifted with a couple of bags of weaving yarns, one of them being Orlec, aka acrylic! Those who know me know I like natural fibres, it’s what I carrried in the store, it’s what I carry on-line, but it was the right weight of yarn for the project so that was what I used.
I made a warp, put it on the loom, and began to weave. It behaved nicely, no warp breaks like in the overshot runner project (will discuss this in another post). It was stiff after weaving, but like tencel, after washing, drying and pressing, it became quite drapey. While my preference will always be for natural fibres, I can see a where there is a place for Orlec in a weaver’s repertoire.
Finished scarf:
and again,
with spools of orlec:
Happy weaving,
Kelly
