New Cotton Blankets for Spring

After a long winter, with February setting a record daily low temperature in my area, signs of spring are most welcome. I've just finished nine cotton blankets in shades of green, blues and yellows. There is also one blanket in bright diamonds and two are in taupes and greys with black, a common request I receive.

Here are the blankets with measurements and price. And where a photo doesn't really reflect the colours well, I added a description. All blankets are machine washable and versatile for year-round use.

C334 | 100% cotton | Light teal, seafoam and light green with narrow white
186 cm x 135 cm (73" x 53") | Sold

C335 | 100% cotton | 178 cm x 135 cm (70" x 53") | Sold

C336 | 100% cotton | Dark green, shamrock and olive with light green stripes
(180 cm x 135 cm (71" x 53") | Sold

C337 | 100% cotton | Four shades of green with bright green stripes
188 cm x 135 cm (74" x 53") | Sold

C338 | 100% cotton | 185 cm x 135 cm (73' x 53") | Sold

C339 | 100% cotton | Navy, royal and bright blue with light blue stripes
186 cm x 135 cm (74" x 53") | Sold

C340 | 100% cotton | Greens with black stripes
185 cm x 135 cm (73" x 53") | Donated to Island Mountain Arts fundraiser

C341 | 100% cotton | Dark grey herringbone with bold borders in black and grey
183 cm x 135 cm (72" x 53") | Sold

C342 | 100% cotton | Fringed | 188 cm x 135 cm (74" x 53") excluding fringes | Sold

Gosh, those were fun to weave!

New Bath Towels

Coincidentally, late last year I received two orders for bath towel sets with greys and cream.

Greys and cream with black

Greys and cream with seafoam for a new bathroom

After following colour requests for the first four towels, I veered off and tried some different ideas.  These towels are all 100% cotton, generously sized at approximately 160-170 cm x 80 cm (63-67" x 31"), and ready to wrap up in and dry off after a bath or shower.  Price is $90 each.

Light blue stripes edged in white | Diamonds in greens

Slub cotton in two slightly different shades | These towels go together well

Hello 2019

My early winter hiatus from weaving and blogging has happily come to a close. I used up most of my 2/8 cotton supply for towels towards the end of December then only had sufficient wool left for blankets. But I didn't feel like weaving blankets, especially in earthy tones of greys, browns and white - I've been seeing that enough looking out the window. I want bright colours and fun!

My supplier was closed for Christmas and then must have had a big backlog, based on their slower-than-usual response time to my order. Then the shipping took ... forEVER ... I've already made a note for November 2019 to ensure I have enough bright yarns to see me through the holidays and well into 2020 if needed again.

Now we're all into a new year and the days are growing longer. I'm warping up the new cottons for bath towels, something I haven't woven for awhile. I have two orders and we need some in the house, so that's all very inspiring.

Then I will be well into another wonderful year of projects, craft fairs, our farmers market, and studio visitors after eventually seeing the end of January.

Thanks to blog readers for sticking with me through thick and thin. I like checking page views and seeing where you are all over the world!

Happy 2019 to all.

What's Available - December 2018

December is a busy and fun month for pretty well everyone in different ways. If you're interested in what Cariboo Handwoven has on hand, here you go:

In Ottawa, Alison has a good supply of wool blankets, some big cotton blankets and some cotton towels. The cotton items are being replenished in a small shipment expected in a week. You can contact Alison at: alison@cariboohandwoven.ca.

In Williams Lake, BC, the Station House Gallery has a selection of Cariboo Handwoven wool and cotton blankets, wool scarves, wool travel shawls and cotton towels in their Christmas market.

Wool blanket recently delivered to the Station House Gallery

The three darker scarves were delivered to the Station House

This is the travel shawl on Facebook in early November shown when on the loom.
Lots of people loved it and now it's done!

Travel shawl for someone who loves purple :-)

If you're local, drop in just to see the beautiful display created by staff and Board members. And thank you for having me as a vendor!

In the Cariboo Handwoven studio, there are a few wool blankets, including the Coming Home blanket which is still available, and blanket numbers are being increased through December. I also have lots of large and small cotton blankets, some wool travel shawls, and both cotton and 80/20 towels. Feel free to contact me for a studio visit - I'm just 10 km west of town and easy to find. I can also do a weaving demonstration if you're interested to see how a loom works.

Enjoy December - whatever you do!

"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!

Fall Craft Fairs for Cariboo Handwoven

After enjoying several Fridays at the Williams Lake Farmers' Market through the spring, summer and early fall, I'm looking ahead to fall craft fairs.  Two special ones are on my calendar, here they are!

First, in Prince George:

I'll be back in the admin building with the beautiful timber beams, First Nations banners and bright natural light.

And next:

At both events, I'll have:

• Wool blankets ($300), including some with a story ($350) and some with local handspun wool ($400)
• Big cotton blankets ($170), and some cotton/wool ones at the Medieval Market ($200)
• Cotton hand towels ($34 each)
• 80/20 towels with approximately 80% cotton and 20% linen ($38 each)
• Wool travel shawls ($150 and up)
• Lightweight blanket scarves in fine cotton with silk, alpaca, wool and other fibres ($150 and up)

If we've met already, please drop in just to say hi. :-)

Enjoy these wonderful craft fairs with so much talent and energy.  Hope to see you this fall!

Another Guest at the Blanket Spa

At the local farmers market a few weeks ago, a musical couple I know visited my booth and talked about their favourite cotton blanket. 'He' bought it for 'her' at the Medieval Market several years ago. They'd taken it on their recent summer vacation through western Canada and north into Yukon. It had endured some pulls in a few threads and they weren't sure what to do. I said "Bring it to me!" Then I could fix it and return it to its original condition.

I've talked earlier about what I call my blanket spa. Any well-loved and well-used blanket or anything from Cariboo Handwoven that needs a little TLC I love to restore and return to happy owners for further use.

Once I had it at home, I examined it carefully and used a darning needle to gently bring pulled threads flat.  This is a delicate procedure that requires pulling the loose thread from both directions and flattening the thread back into the cloth on either sides of the pull. One very large pull had not wrinkled the fabric on either side and was not going to easily fit back into the cloth, so I cut the thread, spliced the ends together and trimmed the emerging ends.

The blanket had a good wash and then went out on the line to dry in lovely Cariboo sunshine on an early fall day.

Then it went for pressing, with any other pulls fixed that I'd missed, and I laid it flat on the floor to rest.

It is rather fascinating to see my early work. Some of it's not bad! What really heartens me is to know that owners are totally happy with their blanket and it's become almost part of the family. I knew I had to return it quickly because it would be missed.

Another guest leaves the blanket spa - restored, revitalized and ready for more years of service.