Big Cotton Blankets in Diamonds and Waves

Cariboo Handwoven cotton blankets have been very popular and they've sold well both in BC and Ottawa. In early January I really wanted to weave more, so I warped up my old loom (which has sufficient heddles on all eight harnesses) with a simple palette of soft colours - cream with pale blue and pale grey for the wide stripes. I found the gentle contrast subtle and calming. I threaded the wide stripes in two twills to create some variety with diamonds and waves.

I aim to weave all my big blankets to have a finished length of six feet (72") or 183 cm, which most of these achieved. These blankets are all 135 cm (53") wide, so the overall size is really generous.

The more I use cotton blankets in my home, the more I love them. They're soft and cozy but never too hot, which wool can be at times. I do love my wool blankets, they're heirlooms to last for decades, and they're the best for really snuggling up. But cotton blankets are more versatile through the seasons, and the machine wash and dry treatment is very easy.

And so here are my latest cotton blankets:

C311 | 100% cotton | 180 cm x 135 cm (71" x 53") | Sold

C312 | 100% cotton | "Sage and Sand" | 180 cm x 135 cm (71" x 53") | Sold

C313 | 100% cotton | 188 cm x 135 cm (74" x 53") | Sold

C314 | 100% cotton | 183 cm x 135 cm (72" x 53") | Sold

C315 | 100% cotton | 180 cm x 135 cm (71" x 53") | Private collection

C316 | 100% cotton | 183 cm x 135 cm (72" x 53") | Sold

C317 | 100% cotton | 180 cm x 135 cm (71" x 53") | Sold

C318 | 100% cotton | 170 cm x 135 cm (67" x 53") | Sold

Less is ... Fine

When I wove this blanket I wanted to place the five beautiful greens and blues consecutively in big diamonds. Normally I would add narrow lines of an accent colour between, as Cariboo Handwoven followers may know by now I like to do.

I had the five shades lined up and they looked beautiful together. In big diamonds of what I call rough and smooth twill on a warp of wide grey stripes, this would look very well for a blanket that would have a certain soft boldness to it with the heathery tones. I just needed to choose an accent colour for narrow lines between the colours.

I had a lighter shade of green ... no, too green.
A lighter shades of blue? ... nope, too blue.
Use the light grey from the warp stripes? ... too grey and bland.
A lighter shade then, say, of a heathery beige? Still too bland.

Oh, I know. If in doubt use white. So I wove the first narrow stripe after the first big diamond in white, actually a beautiful cream.

But that was way too bright and sterile, it just didn't work. I unwove all the white.

My solution? No narrow lines between the five shades of heathery greens and blues. Just let the colours mix together, transition in big diamonds from one shade to the next.

SH200 | 100% wool | 187 cm x 130 cm (73.5" x 51") | Private Collection

Problem solved. Less is fine a lot of the time.

New Towels for a New Year

Most of Canada saw very cold temperatures at the end of December, and much of the country is still in the deep freeze. I see these cold snaps as an opportunity to avoid any automatic griping about being stuck inside for most of the day - instead, it's carefree studio time.

I ran out of towels again in December after weaving almost 300 this year, every one different, and sold 260 before the Christmas season. So slipping in another towel project seemed like a good idea.

Cold weather asks for warm colours. I used blues, burgundy with dark orange, and greens in the warp, and pretty well everything in the weft for different tests and effects. I have to say that I love every one of these towels!

(Note: All the reds came out in these photos brighter and more intense than they are in reality to the eye.)

If you're interested in any towels (these photos or others), please let me know. Prices remain unchanged in 2018 at $34 each or three for $98.

Have a great 2018!