Slowly but surely, over the past year or so, I’ve been rescuing yarns from thrift stores. Not that I needed them—my stash could already keep me busy for a lifetime—but I just can’t stand the sight of beautiful, quality yarn languishing in some forgotten, dusty corner. Every skein and cone I find holds a little bit of history, and it feels like giving them a second chance to shine.
Lately, I’ve been obsessed with the rich, textured, mixed-weave fabrics that Chanel has made iconic. Something about that loose, dynamic interplay of yarns speaks to me on a deep level, and I felt the urge to try my hand at creating a similar effect. So, I started grouping my thrifted yarns, mixing and matching to create the perfect balance of texture and color. Over the past month, I’ve been arranging them on top of my loom castle, shifting them around like puzzle pieces, waiting for that perfect combination to click.
Yesterday, I finally crossed the threshold from planning to action—I measured and chained the warp! This warp is a true melting pot of fibers and sizes: cotton, rayon, acrylic, metallic, thick, thin, modern, vintage. It’s a little chaotic, but in the best way possible. To speed things up, I decided to use a warping paddle, threading all nine yarns at once. Let me tell you—there was a definite learning curve. At first, I was juggling more than I could handle, but once I got into a rhythm, it was an absolute game-changer. The biggest challenge was dealing with all the “sticky” yarns—they love to tangle and cling to each other, and I know they’re going to keep me on my toes throughout the weaving process. I found this video by Rock Lake Weaving to be very helpful.
That said, I am completely in love with how the warp chains turned out. The colors remind me of a southwest desert mesa—rich, earthy, with hints of sunset and terracotta warmth. Now, I just need a name for the project. Got any ideas?
For the technical details: I chained 234 ends and plan to sett it at 6 ends per inch, which should give me a finished width of 39 inches. Since I’m still fairly new to weaving (and, let’s be honest, making this up as I go), I’ll need to do some sampling to see if that sett works for the fabric I have in mind.
Next up: dressing the loom. My goal is to have everything threaded and ready to weave by the weekend. I’ve also settled on a weaving structure, but I’m keeping that under wraps for now—I'll reveal it once I start weaving!
Something I’ve realized about weaving is how deeply it taps into my creative energy in a way that sewing and knitting never quite have. Maybe it’s because I’ve been doing those crafts for so long, but weaving feels like painting with yarn—an opportunity to blend colors and textures in a way that’s purely artistic. It’s thrilling to create a fabric from scratch, knowing that it will eventually become part of something else, whether that’s a garment, an accessory, or simply a work of art.
Stay tuned—I can’t wait to share the next steps of this adventure with you!
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