On the loom

An inch and a half of fine yarn woven at the edges will make the hem flatter

On the table

 With two days between me and Thanksgiving, I decided that I wanted to bring along more than just an apple pie for dinner. I didn't have the time to whip up placemats for everyone, but a table runner, now that would be do-able. So what size to make it. I called my mother, and the conversation when something like this:

Me: 'Hi Mom.'

Mom: 'Hi Meliss.'

Me (attempting to be sly): 'Let's say someone had a dining room table about the size of yours and they were going to use a table runner. What size might they like?'

Mom:  'Well, it would depend on whether or not the table runner was going to hang over the edges of the table or not.'

Note: At this point in the conversation, my father gets involved, my secret plan to make them a table runner is exposed, and they determine that it is best for them to call me back once they have taken some measurements.

Phone rings.

Me: 'Hi Mom.'

Mom: 'Hi Meliss. 46" long by 17" or 18" wide.'

Me: 'So 46" long by 17.5" wide?'

Here's my warp math:

46" finished length

4" fringe allowance

5" take up

5" shrinkage

30" loom waste

Total = 90"

17.5" finished width

1.5" shrinkage

1" draw in

Total width in reed = 20"

Warp yarns:

A - 193 yards Classic Elite Provence 2609N (light silvery beige)

B - 130 yards Classic Elite Provence 2682N (sage green)

C - 15 yards 3/2 perle cotton #91 Flaxon

D - 25 yards 3/2 perle cotton #84 Gold Dust

E - 38 yards 3/2 perle cotton #87 Supreme

I decided to do a plaid with the primary warp thread being Classic Elite Provence, so my sett was 8 ends per inch.  

8 e.p.i. x  20" width in reed = 160 ends divided as:

56 ends A || 83 ends plaid || 21 ends A

The plaid is broken down as follows:

30 B

10 E

5 D

6 C

5 D

5 E

22 B

For my weft, when not weaving the plaid, I used Nashua Ecologie Cotton #83 Curcuma.  I like weaving with this so much, that I immediately replenished my used stock with a quick visit to Ellen at Purl Diva in Brunswick, Maine.  She's great and so is her shop.  This yarn has a beautiful and subtle variation in color that I find appealing.  

My weft math:

20" width in loom + 2" plus 10% of width = 22" length of one weft shot

22" pick x 10 picks per inch = 220" of weft to weave one inch

220" x 60" warp length minus loom waste = 367 yards of weft

I wove the weft in plaid twice, not measuring, just throwing it in when it seemed like a good time.  Therefore, 83 x 2 = 166 picks were woven using colors B, C, D and E as listed above.  Total yardage rounded up:

B = 52 x 22" = 32 yards

C = 6 x 22" = 4 yards

D = 10 x 22" = 7 yards

E = 15 x 22" = 10 yards

That leaves about 315 yards, say 320 to be safe, of the Ecologie cotton needed for the remaining weft shots.  

After removing the fabric from the loom I ran a zig zag stitch across each cut edge, double folded and then hemmed the edges.  I hand washed the material, let it dry and pressed it flat.  Voila!