This is my first post in the new year!! To start off the new year, I wanted to talk about my love for rope.
Of course I love yarn and always will, but lately I’ve really been loving to work with cotton rope too. It makes a great contrast next to soft and fluffy wool yarn. I also love that it’s so strong and sturdy. If I weave some cotton rope into my weave, I know it will stay where I put it with little movement.
I’ve been weaving a lot with my twisted cotton string, which you’ve probably noticed. I just can’t help myself. I love the natural color along with the texture of the string, and the best part is that it can be untwisted for even more texture! Also it’s about the thickness of yarn, so I can weave using a lot of my normal weaving techniques.
But lately I’ve been really dreaming about experimenting with different rope sizes. I really wanted a bulky rope to weave with and bring in more texture and dimensions. I went on the search for some more cotton ropes and found one that I really love. This rope is also 100% cotton and it’s super bulky! Squee!!!
To give you an idea of how bulky this rope is, I took a picture next to my twisted cotton string. This new rope is about ½ inch thick.
I’m really excited to play around with it in my weaving and of course I’ll be sharing what I make with all of you. I’m excited about working with such a bulky rope, but it’s also the scariest part for me, haha. I’m not 100% sure how I will work with this rope in it’s whole form, but I’m definitely going to experiment and see what I can do if anything. Maybe I’ll throw some roving in there too, because roving is so nice and forgiving to work with.
Of course I will be making some (or a lot of) weaves with it after I un-twist it. Just imagine un-twisting all those fibers. It might take some time, but I bet it will look really beautiful. I’m just imagining all the pretty fringe that can be made. To check out this rope for yourself, see my Shop This Post below.
Is there a new fiber you are going to try weaving with this year? Remember when I wove with mohair? That was really a challenging fiber, but it made such a beautifully delicate weave that it was worth it.
Happy Weaving!
Kate
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Sally Schnitzius
January 7, 2018 at 12:28 pmI don’t understand why you’re untwisting the rope. Do you wind all of the untwisted layers into different balls? Why not just buy a thinner rope? And why rope?
Kate
January 14, 2018 at 2:57 pmGreat question, untwisted rope will have a wave texture in the fibers, which I personally love the look of it. But I’ve also “combed” out the untwisted fibers so that they laid straighter. The benefit to untwisting is that I can add my fringe and then untwist to get the smaller thread texture that I wanted. You’re right that a smaller thread can be used, but then I would have to cut more threads to make my fringe. Either way you’re spending time cutting or untwisting, so it’s really up to the creator to decide. Have a great day!