Weave Something In November...Or May

Remember the 2011 Tour de Fleece? When I spun some Karakul yarn for a friend and was going to make something special for her as this was one of her favorite sheep?  I'd quickly decided on a weaving project...and this past fall, when I still didn't have it finished started I thought maybe a challenge would help and set up the WeSoInNo.  Yeah.  I just finished it.  May-vember?

The project I designed was based on a traditional overshot weaving pattern that I thought looked like long wavy locks.  With an overshot pattern, you use two different yarns - in this case the handspun Karakul with a commercial black yarn background.  A shot of gray, a shot of black, a shot of gray, a shot of black... 

It's exciting to see the pattern start to develop.

I wove the desired length and then picked through a bag of loose locks I'd set aside and pulled out some possible choices.  Karakul has such a pretty color and texture (not soft by any means, but still beautiful) and I wanted the piece to reflect that and the sheep herself.

I wove in three rows of locks, separated by a few rows of plain black to hold it together.

The top is plain weave (over one, under one, over one, under one...) folded over and stitched, with a simple dowel rod hanger.

I love the layers of wood and wool in this picture. 

"Grandma"