As you may know, I have a minor obsession with all yarns Habu. I picked up some of their NS-2B wool crepe at Convergence two summers ago, and have only just managed to weave with it.
Well, I ignored their warping advice and warped a full 26" of my Baby Wolf with a four yard warp, front to back. I alternated threading an inch each of 30 ends per inch and 15 ends per inch across the entire warp, but since I wanted to both start and end with an inch of 30 epi, I sett the center two inches at 30 epi. So 30-15-30-15....30-30-15-30-15.......30. I used a total of 590 ends, 15 of which broke over the course of the weaving. On a percentage basis, not bad. I didn't bother fixing these broken threads as the yarn is a high twist yarn, and the end result was meant to be a bubbly, bumpy, crepe-y type thing, and I figured I would be the only one who would ever notice the errors. Way less stressful. Now trying to pick off the cat hair is another problem. Gray yarn, gray cat, you'd think it wouldn't show. Wrong-o.
Well, since I spaced my warp, I also decided to space my weft. This was achieved by alternating 30 picks per inch and 14 picks per inch for the entire length of the fabric. This gave my finished scarf a bit of a grid of bubbly, bumpy, crepe-y texture, and the weaving effort was simple.
So, this stuff ain't for the faint of heart. Warping front to back without the yarn under tension gave me a bit of grief as the yarn wanted to twist back on itself. I expected this and went to my happy place while listening to an audio book which turned out to have a terrible ending. The terrible ending was worse than the warping. Also, as I would close in on the last 25 yards or so of yarn on my bobbin, the bobbin would catch as I threw my shuttle. This resulted in some broken threads. I solved this by exaggerating my motions - receiving the shuttle at the side of my weaving and continuing to pull it out to the side to release a length of yarn which could then be passed back through the new shed. I think I noticed a bit more muscle definition in my arms by the time I finished weaving. Really.
I started to give the end result a twisted fringe, and then decided against it. I simply overhand knotted each inch of warp threads (some of the sections having 30 ends and others 15 - because why not?). The fabric then went into a tub of warp soapy water to soak for 20 minutes. I swirled it around quite a bit before rinsing twice, spinning in the washing machine and letting it air dry. End result? I am super excited about this scarf. I would show you a picture of me wearing it, but I haven't showered, and I don't want to frighten you. Instead, my trusty assistant Woody volunteered.
Here are the details in summary:
You'll need just under two cones (closer to one and a half - one for the warp and half for the weft) of Habu NS-2B in whatever color fickles your tancy.
Warp - 4 yards long, 26" wide
Sett - An inch of 30 epi alternated with an inch of 15 epi across the warp, with the center two inches sett at 30 epi so that you begin and end with an inch of 30 epi
Weft - An inch of 30 ppi alternated with an inch of 14 ppi (just beat really lightly to get the lower ppi)
Overhand knot the ends in one inch groups, some will be 30 ends, others 15 ends
Hand wash in warm soapy water, using a bit of agitation to encourage the crepe effect
Spin the water out in your machine and air dry
Get yourself a baguette and Voila! Insta-chic!
One tip - I would beat each pick in, but change the shed before pushing my beater back. This was especially helpful in the 14 ppi sections to keep the pick nice and straight along the fell line.
Pre-wash dimensions: 24" x 111"
Post-wash dimensions: 10.5" x 87" (not stretched flat)
This piece is so beautiful! I love the texture.