The fabric is off the loom, washed, and dried. The finished size is on target, and I love the thickness of the fabric. But I think it is still too loose for the intended purpose, even with the tighter set.
I think the problem is the rag pattern weft. Even though the recipe listed rags as one of the optional pattern wefts, my T-shirt yarn is chubby. Crackle floats skip only three threads, but with two of those threads being t-shirt yarn, the float is quite long and creates a gappy appearance in the warp yarn.
My conclusion is that t-shirt yarn is better suited to plain weave, or perhaps 2-end weft floats, such as in a twill. I'll have to experiment with that.
All in all, it's been an interesting experience. Between this and the failed bathroom rug, I've gotten some important information about weaving with t-shirt yarn. I'm taking it to heart, because I love the idea of t-shirt yarn; what a great way to re-use and re-purpose an often discarded item. More sampling to test my ideas is coming soon.
2 comments:
Have you washed the sample? I'm thinking that shrinkage in the wash may move it closer to the fabric you hoped for.
Leigh, I wonder of the nature of the fabric is contributing as well. Older t-shirts were 100% cotton; many of the newer ones (like the things I have gotten at different events) are more of the "sports" fabric with lighter fabric and synthetic materials.
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