Handwoven January/February 2020

Yarns have the power to transport. They evoke memories of trips to a favorite yarn store or a special skein picked up on vacation, or a yarn may be so intertwined with its place of origin that we can’t think of one without the other. In honor of these special yarns, the January/February issue of Handwoven is full of projects based on favorite yarns and suppliers, by the weavers who love them. In this issue you’ll find projects woven in a possum-merinoblend from New Zealand, Lunatic Fringe Yarns’ Tubular Spectrum, 2-ply wool from Tronstad Ranch, silk from Treenway Silks, and much more.

Also in this issue, Tom Knisely shows us his cupboard of extra-special yarns, Linda Macdonald teaches the history of palaka, the Hawaiian plaid, and Kerry Nelson of the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer, Alaska, talks about raising musk oxen and harvesting their coveted fiber. Other articles include: the design process of weaving a chasuble and stole for a priest, a lesson on “walking your treadling,” a guide to using a black and white warp as canvas for a colorful weaving, and a Yarn Lab on banana fiber.  

Features:

• A Handwoven Chasuble and Stole to Thank a Priest by Diane Roch-Magrini
• Notes from the Fell: A Stash of Memories by Tom Knisely
• Dancing with Your Loom by Liz Moncrief
• Idea Gallery: Using Warp as Canvas by Deborah Heyman
• Traditions: Palaka: Hawaii’s Own Plaid by Linda MacDonald
• Yarn Lab: Going Bananas for Banana Fiber by Liz Moncrief
• Endnotes: The Musk Ox Farm: Magnificent Animals, Fantastic Fiber by Kerry Nelson

Projects:

• Tronstad Ranch Blanket by Dorothy Tuthill and Lusha Tronstad (eight shaft)
• Finding Home Blanket by Rachel Simmons (four shaft)
• Bejeweled Throw by Nancy Dunlap (eight shaft)
• Windowpane Towels by Sarah Resnick (rigid-heddle or two shaft)
• W-W-D-Pop! by Andrea Williams (eight shaft)
• Waffle-Weave Bath Mitts by Angela K. Schneider (four shaft)
• Doubleweave Spectrum Runners by Marty Benson (four shaft)
• Kia Ora Scarf by Rebecca Fox (eight shaft)
• Sweet Peony by Anu Bhatia (six shaft)
• Polaris Shawl by Barbara Goudsmit (four shaft)
• Palaka Baby Blanket by Linda Macdonald (four shaft)