Good Morning Weavers!
This past week we have welcomed 10 new weavers into the studio. New weavers bring fresh ideas and excitment that make it so fun to share all that we know. Amidst that excitment (and chaos!) we have been finishing an exciting project I’m excited to share with you…
Northern Range Wool
We are introducing a new wool line: Northern Range Wool. It is 100% Canadian wool that comes in a huge range of colours. After thoroughly testing it to be sure it is exactly what we wanted, we are happy to be offering it to you both in the form of rug weaving kits and as a stand alone yarn on September 19th. There will be a limited number of rug weaving kits at first and then a re-stock later this winter.
We’ve made a TON of rugs in our studio over the past few years. This involved a lot of experimenting with different yarns. So, how did we land on Northern Range Wool?
Step 1: Do we need a new yarn line?
The answer always seems like a yes initially but often after thinking it thought we find we just need to think outside of the box with yarns that we already have. In this instance, the wool we used to carry just wasn’t making the density of rug that we were looking for. We really wanted to be working with Canadian wool, but we needed one that would pack in nice and densely and wash up to lay flat. The search began.
Step 2: Testing new yarns
Before we commit to bringing in new yarn we need to make sure it is exactly right. This involves a whole lot of sampling. Angela made a ton of mini rug designs in the process to test if the colours were exciting enough, if the yarn packed densely enough and see how the wool reacted with wet finishing.
Northern Range Wool creates rugs that:
- Lie flat
- Pack in snug
- Are made to last
- Are a good amount of fuzzy (soft but not shedding)
These are simple requirements but surprisingly difficult to find!
Step 3: Making full samples
Mini-rugs are great to get a feel for how things will work, but we didn’t know FOR SURE it was going to be great until we wove one at scale. Patterns read a little differently at a larger scale and new problems can also emerge. This time, we were thrilled with the result. No curling up edges, no warp showing through, no stiffening, just beautiful flat-laying rugs. It was perfect.
Step 4: Putting the cherry on top!
So we know Northern Range Wool makes excellent rugs. But what else can it do?We’ve had success with using NRW as a blanket warp! Here it is paired with Parkland Blanket Wool in the weft. If you want to weave a luxurious blanket, and save a little on cost, try using our Northern Range Wool in the warp and Parkland Blanket Wool in the weft like Mila did below:
Take a Look at the Colour Range Here:
Perfect for gradients, pops of bright colour or whatever you dream up! Stay tuned for more about our rug kits next week :)
Happy Weaving!
Kim