Good news for tapestry weavers
An assortment of yarns I sampled from Mountain Meadows this spring.
Lots of news in the world of tapestry…
Tapestry weavers have a lot to look forward to if this spring is any indication. Two new tapestry looms just out and new tapestry yarns coming.
First the yarns…
I was lucky enough to get to sample seven new tapestry yarns last month from Mountain Meadow Wool and one new tapestry yarn from Gist yarns.
Wow! Now, before you get too excited, I want to add that I cannot say what their timeline is for availability. It could be awhile to get production going and and all that goes into making and marketing a new yarn- I can’t begin to imagine! We must be patient.
I really enjoyed the sampling process. Mountain Meadows sent me little 2 oz skeins with information about each one including fiber and sheep breed content, yardage (185 yard for sport weight and 250 for fingering), and even the specific ranches they came from. All included their trade-mark Merino; some 100% and others in combination with other fibers. I was especially excited to see the addition of Bamboo and Tencel in a couple of the samples - love the sheen they add.
Mountain Meadow Wool tapestry yarns
Gist yarn sent a cone of natural fingering weight tapestry yarn. I was told it is a blend of a few different breeds, sourced entirely from the US in ranches in the West. I made a small sample with it and could tell tapestry weavers will love it. It’s very strong with little stretch and as you can see, a bit of fuzz to it - and beautiful variations of color!
Gist tapestry yarn singled and doubled
And the exciting part is that it will be offered in lots of colors - and shades! A recent heartfelt email from Sarah at Gist expressed the fear and uncertainty of our times and their end decision to continue to think positive and continue their plans for the future. After listing a few other projects in the works, she added this:
And we’re also embarking on our biggest project to date – a new line of thin wool tapestry yarn, grown on American ranches, and launching for pre-orders with 70 colors.
Now that should make a tapestry weaver happy!
And then there are the looms!
Two great loom companies have come out with new tapestry looms this spring: The Arras Loom from Schacht Spindle Company and the Saffron Pocket Loom from Mirrix.
Arras… in progress…
More on these in the next post. Stay tuned- or better yet, sign up for my (brand new) newsletter!