"Still Going Strong"

A friend in Ontario sent me that title on an email with this photo:

The towel is "still going strong" and I recalled that I gave it to her on a milestone birthday.  You can see that the plain weave hem has faded a bit and the label's edges are a bit beat up from washing agitation.  Here's what she added:

Anyway, isn't it an awesome  towel? Fourteen years of consistent wear and tear, and it still looks like a towel I like having in the kitchen. Lots of others become stained or faded so quickly. I have orange, red and baby blue Jane Perry towels. I know it sounds weird saying one has a favourite tea towel, but it's true - they are!!

Lovely feedback, makes me happy.  Thank you happy towel owner!

One - No, Two - of My First Blankets

I visited a friend recently and spied a vintage piece of my work, her well-loved blanket, a housewarming gift from almost thirty years ago. She had it hung perfectly neatly on a blanket stand and it looked great.

This had to be one of the first blankets I wove on my Leclerc Colonial I loom. I bought that loom in Vancouver, used, in 1988 and had it shipped north by a moving company. I was dying to expand my projects from my 36" Artisat loom to a 60" loom and with the extra four harnesses I added to the original four.

This blanket would have been woven pretty soon after setting up the Colonial loom and starting with some small projects. The weave structure is turned twill, which I call twill blocks - the threading alternates between 1234 and 5678 to create blocks, with different weft colours to highlight the differences.

I looked up the blanket in my big binder of vintage projects, and there it was. The project of seven blankets took from Nov. 1989 until the following September. My notes itemized all the problems I faced, the delay while I pondered what best to do, and how long it took me to warp and then weave each blanket. Wow, I am quite a bit wiser and more efficient now, good to know!

Anyway, this blanket looked great, all fringes still tightly twisted and knotted, and the owner loves it.

It washed up well and feels much softer and nicer. I did an overnight soak, lots of gentle washing and rinsing, and hung it up to dry outside in the Cariboo sunshine. I returned it to my friend yesterday and was rewarded with a nice latte and chat together.

Update: Coincidentally, I spied this blanket at my brother's house.  With a much busier household than my friend's place, this blanket has taken a bit of a beating but it's held up well.  I fixed some fringes and enjoyed giving it a little TLC.

The light in this image really shows the slightly bubbling mohair stripes, which didn't pull in as much as the wool woven in the rest of the blanket. It's a nice effect though.

Amazing and very interesting for me to see these two very early blankets within only a week or two.

Cotton Blankets in Use

A local friend is a big fan of my cotton blankets. She was the successful bidder for the big green cotton blanket at the 2013 Artwalk, and both her daughters received Memories Blankets from me when they were born.  She gave me this awesome photograph from a few years ago in a vintage frame of her with her eldest daughter, wrapped in their blankets.  The photograph was made by Leslie Rowse Photography.

I love this - thank you!

Blanket Collectors

One of the most gratifying parts of being a weaver and running my own business is to see how some blanket lovers begin their own collection of Cariboo Handwoven wool blankets.

One collector has two blankets of the same dark brown handspun weft woven on slightly different warps but in the same twill block pattern.

This pair looks stunning together in the family room on leather furniture with big windows looking out to the Gatineau hills. They're perfect for wrapping up to read or chat. I blogged about these blankets a few weeks ago.

Another blanket collector has three wool blankets - the first two she bought in 2012. Below, one blanket includes handspun mohair, and the second one is pure wool and goes well with it, which she was careful to check during the selection. Both blankets were also woven in turned twill, or what I call twill blocks.

Her third blanket, below, she bought earlier this month after taking it home to check with the first two.  Here's the detailed pattern in two shades of wool and brushed mohair.

I suppose that one measure of a blanket's usefulness is the expansion of it into a collection. That keeps me busy and makes me happy!

Handspun Wool Blanket Set

A high school friend who lives in Quebec has matching Cariboo Handwoven blankets, both given to her as gifts from family members. The two blankets have weft of dark brown handspun Shetland wool, and the warps are predominantly brown and grey for each blanket.

The blankets have the common weft but slightly different warps. Together they make a very compatible and gorgeous set!

Another Vintage Baby Blanket

Funny, but another dear university friend popped out of the proverbial woodwork with a photo of my very early work. Today's surprise email was incredible for me! Here is a 29-year-old baby blanket for a special Alana:

The weave structure for this cotton blanket is Leno, or something I haven't used in ages and since forgotten. It sure warms my heart to see this photo and think back to whatever I was doing (and whoever I was) almost three decades ago.

Thanks, AR, for this great photo. :-)

Jen's Blanket

My friend, Jen, who I know from way back in our university days, now lives in Australia. I can't remember when I gave her this blanket, but I know my sister has one similar to it with the coloured warp. I also know that the warp has to be in the Swedish wool I was able to get long ago, which is great stuff and currently keeping my lap warm with another blanket as I type this.

Here is Jen's blanket:

Jen added with the photo: "The blanket is in our guest room. In a country with no central heating where the ambient room temperature can be 30 degrees or 13 degrees it is very useful!"

It means a lot to me to know that not only does my work last so long, but it's enjoyed throughout its long life. This is another example of that, and I appreciate the photo and comments.

Anyone else with vintage weaving from my pre-Cariboo Handwoven days is welcome to send me a photo with a comment or two that I will gladly share.  More current weaving in its new setting is just as welcome, too.

A Blanket Aging Well

A longtime friend visited last week and I asked her to bring her wool blanket that I gave her at least 20 years ago. It hasn't seen a lot of hard use, but some fringes had unravelled and it was due for a handwashing. After washing, I hung it to dry in the warm Cariboo summer sunshine.

After ironing, I fixed a few pulls and pressed them carefully with lots of steam. The blanket softened up nicely with washing and benefited from a little sprucing up, although it really didn't need a lot of care. My friend's blanket has returned home and it should look well for at least another 20 years.

The Long Life of a Blanket

Cariboo Handwoven blankets last a long time. I like to point this out because it helps to show the value of something that is handmade and well-made, in contrast to a similar machine-produced article for a lower price.

A local friend owns a long-wearing wool-blend blanket made of Bergå wool from Sweden with handspun wool and handspun mohair. It has softened up very well with use, and all it needed to improve its looks was a careful handwashing and a few minutes of brushing to remove the "pills."  This blanket looks new again and yet it's probably close to 20 years old. Thanks to TM for this photo:

Over time, Cariboo Handwoven blankets soften up and are nicer and nicer to use. Any pills can be easily pulled or brushed off. These blankets actually improve with time - just like all of us. :-)

A Memories Blanket with Many Memories

Cariboo Handwoven Memories Blankets began as baby blankets that I wove over many years and gave to family members and friends with a new baby. I usually produce them in classic waffle weave which forms insulating air cells, and always in 100% cotton that can be machine washed and dried - good thing, considering how they are used! I've modified the colour scheme to reduce the pastel baby colours while staying with soft shades that suit many ages. These blankets are enjoyed and admired for many years by the parents and the growing child.

My friend, Diane, recently posted this comment and sent me these photos about her well-loved blanket:

"I can sooo vouch for these blankets. We are fortunate to have one of Jane's that is now 23 years old. It was so cozy to cuddle up in for those late night feedings when you didn't think you'd ever get 8 hours of sleep again. Two children and dozens of washings later, and it has only gotten softer. It'll be used with our children's children next ... "

Thanks, Diane!