I recently moved into an adobe farmhouse built in 1930. Now that we’re finally unpacked, I’ve been working on decking my house out with antique furniture and table linens that match. Jenny Sennott’s In the Pines Table Runner from the January/February 2019 issue of Handwoven would look at home on my kitchen table—just add in my Fiestaware. Here’s what Jenny has to say about her design:
Designer Jenny Sennott’s Statement
In a recent issue of Handwoven, I sampled Halcyon’s Block Island Blend yarn for the Yarn Lab (“Yarn of Distinction,” March/April 2018). Its unique blend of fibers intrigued me, and I enjoyed working with Block Island Blend so much that I have continued to weave with it. This 3-ply yarn features a strand each of hemp, cotton, and rayon. The yarn has a crisp, substantial feel (from the hemp), some softness (cotton), and a little sheen (rayon). Each of the 3 strands takes up the dye differently, so the yarn has a heathered look. I have also been weaving quite a bit of shadow weave in the past year, so naturally I wanted to try the Block Island Blend in a shadow-weave pattern.
Marian Powell’s book 1,000 (+) Patterns in 4, 6, and 8 Harness Shadow Weaves is a treasure trove of patterns, and I used one of my favorite drafts from it for this runner. If you study the draft, you will notice that true plain weave is not possible. However, treadling shafts 1 and 3 versus shafts 2 and 4 will weave a suitable hem fabric. For consistent selvedges while weaving, I always placed the shuttle carrying the dark-green weft closest to the beater and the shuttle with the pale-green weft closest to myself.
I wove this runner in the winter months, when the colors in nature are mostly muted here in Missouri. While working at my loom, I saw through the window the many pine trees in our yard, all a deep green, the most prominent color in the landscape. The motifs growing on my cloth reminded me of pine cones, so I named this runner In the Pines as a reminder of that wintry day.
Happy Weaving!
Christina
Project at a Glance
PROJECT TYPE: 4-shaft.
STRUCTURE: Shadow weave.
EQUIPMENT: 4-shaft loom, 16" weaving width; 8-dent reed; 2 shuttles and 2 bobbins.
YARNS: Block Island Blend (35% hemp/35% cotton/30% rayon; 1,575 yd/lb; Halcyon).