Weaving in Beige
When you’re stuck with not so flattering yarn…
I have never been happy with kitchen towels right after weaving them. However, once they’re in my kitchen and I’m using them, I’m extremely happy. They look different. I can never anticipate how they’ll appear when put in place.
In weaving my latest towels I used a beige yarn that ended up having a salmon tint after washing. Not what I expected. When the cloth is pulled taught on the loom, colors are less concentrated. It’s hard for me to tell how the final piece will look. How the colors affect each other isn’t clear until the piece is washed. The yarns move closer together and the colors get deeper.
Somehow the blue and purple yarns brought out a pinkish hue in the beige. I got really upset. ‘Maybe I should give up weaving…no one should ever have to see such disgusting color combos…’
Once I finished the edges and placed them in the kitchen, they looked alright. Perhaps it’s because the towels were steps further from my face. I wasn’t meticulously hovering over them trying to figure out what’s wrong.
Looks a little pink in certain light.
Beige is a color I would not voluntarily work with. But I’m stuck with it.
Before I purchased yarns, I was inspired by photos of other weavers showing off rustic looking linen towels. I wasn’t sure which yarns they used or how to achieve a certain rustic look.
I mistakenly ordered many shades of beige yarns thinking that the yarns will give me what I wanted. The first yarn color I chose was labeled ‘flax’. I thought the yarn would actually look like flax when woven up. But it was dyed a flat beige with a greenish tint. The longer I wove, the more clear it became that I wasn’t going to get what I wanted.I now know I need ‘wetspun flax’ or 100% undyed linen. This is probably obvious to people who weave. Instead, I used a cotton linen blend that was dyed. Natural colors and textures cannot be achieved through any sort of dyeing.
Some other shades of beige that I’ve worked with.
I have so much beige that I’m stuck incorporating the yarns into every piece I weave. It has been challenging working with dowdy shades of beige. I wouldn’t say it’s all bad, I am happy with the pieces I make once they’re in the kitchen. It’s just I would never have selected these colors if I knew better. I guess it gives me a chance to better acquaint myself with shades I would never use.