Yesterday the yarn was fully dry so I used my cheapo swift and rolled it into balls. The yarn is very silky and easily tangles. I ended up making one tiny ball of some tied together scraps that with any luck I won’t have to use as weft.

This morning I broke out my neglected Cricket 15 inch rigid heddle loom to warp it up. The rigid heddle sock yarn scarf patterns I found online largely called for a 10 dent heddle but I only have 8 and 12 (as you may recall, I bought it used on Marketplace and that’s what came with it) so I went with 12. 8 felt too wide since my goal is the eco print the finished scarf so I’d want a somewhat tight weave.

Warping didn’t go well. It is easy to direct warp on the rigid heddle but I realized the plastic lock had come loose allowing the apron rod to pull forward shortening the warp. That a real issue with direct warping, you are warping to a peg that is the distance of your final project, plus some waste so if something shifts, it throws the whole project off.

I really refer the wooden pieces of my Kromski 32 but that’s already warped with a wrap project I haven’t actually started. The Cricket makes sense when it comes to making a scarf because it is so small I can basically weave in my lap but it really does feel like a child’s toy to use.

I pulled the warp out but of course it tangled and I ended up winding a bunch of small balls that were only a few yards long and tying them on. I was worried I would run out of yarn if I didn’t use it all.

I finally started pulling from the big ball again from the center pull and it some how tangled up. I ended up cutting it, tying it on again and pulling from the side. Then a tiny bit from the center got tangled to the outside yarn I was using and I had to free that. Oy. It took way longer than I was expecting but I did get it set up.

Running out of yarn turned out to not be an issue because I warped on about 90 inches and 10 inches wide and had a lot of yarn leftover. That might solve what I had thought was my weft issue but I am wondering if I should have made it longer. I don’t think it will shrink much if at all because the yarn has been washed several times and it’s sock yarn so it is meant to not shrink and to be machine washable. While this project is an experiment, I would like it to be a functional scarf!

I haven’t tied it on the front yet so fingers crossed that goes well.

My goal is to do plain weave so the eco printing stands out. It’s a short project so hopefully I can weave it quickly and eco print while there are still pretty leaves and flowers around.

Right now the warp reminds me of ‘80s “flesh tone” pantyhose. I do think the dyeing went well, I just think it’s kind of ugly. Which I knew going in was probably going to be the case. I am hoping the eco printing will perk up the final project.