This week I’m working with FIBRA NATURA Cobblestone which is a soft, 2-ply 100% merino wool yarn. One ply is variegated, featuring a variety of beautiful colours, and the second ply is a solid color.
Yesterday, I talked about how to soften the color pooling effect of the yarn with texture. The examples discussed also used a high contrasting color to draw the eye. So today, we’re focused on the incorporation of a high contrast color to draw the eye and toss the dice on any color pooling that may present itself; only this time, I’m weaving.
Cobblestone in Blacklight with yarn dyed with Eggplant
I’m really excited about this experiment as in my April 2024 posts, I kettle dyed with a slow cooker the contrasting yarn using Rit All Purpose Dye in color Eggplant for the purpose of using it with Cobblestone in Blacklight. I had a vision and now I get to put it to the test.
I decided to weave a large wrap; one that I can put around me as I curl up in my knitting nook over the winter months ahead. Using my 28” rigid heddle Knitter’s Loom, I planned it out as follows:
Desired Size
Length ≈ 72”
Width ≈ 24”
materials
yarn
- 2 – balls Cobblestone in Blacklight
- 1 – 100g skein Ready to Dye Yarn from UNIVERSAL YARN in dyed color Eggplant
Sett
- 10 dent reed and 8 ppi
Drawdown
Drawdown weaving pattern of Cobblestone and Ready to Dye Yarn from UNIVERSAL YARN in Eggplant
In the depiction of my weaving plan, I’ll use Cobblestone in blocks of 30 threads in the warp and 30 picks of the weft. The Eggplant contrasting color is 2 warp threads and 2 weft picks in alternating groupings of 3 and 5, edged with 2 warp threads on either side and at the beginning and end of the weft.
Here’s what it looks like on the loom ….
Work in progress using Cobblestone and dyed Eggplant as both the warp and weft.
And here’s the finished product …
Completed wrap woven with Cobblestone and a dyed skein in Eggplant.
I’m so pleased with the result. The contrasting stripes are amazing and completely draw the eye away from any color pooling which is actually hard to notice. Using the Cobblestone on both the warp and weft created a beautiful tweed effect and the drape of the fabric is luscious.
I was twisting the fringe at one of my knitting group gatherings and it drew a lot of attention from some of the participants. In fact, one person asked where to get Cobblestone and specifically, the Blacklight color. Also being a weaver and knitter, she commented that she can’t wait to try this out for herself. That tells me that this project is a true winner.
I really enjoyed my experiments this week and I ended up with some fabulous accessories in both of the cowls and the woven wrap. After seeing my friend Linda’s sweater using the broken rib, I’m looking forward to knitting a sweater of my own with FIBRA NATURA Cobblestone yarn.
Happy knitting, and weaving!
This is part 5 of 5 in this series
Go back to part 4: How to avoid unwanted color pooling in your sweater projects
