Rowan - Pure Portland wool blanket.

100% rare breed Portland wool blanket.

The warp threads from a nearby Portland flock were gifted to me as fleeces, instead of the compost heap. I took them to my nearest small fibre mill to be spun in to yarn.

The weft threads are from my flock of Portlands; blade shorn, by hand, by my friend and shearer Michael. Hand spun in my workshop, each thread passing through my hands many times before it becomes yarn for weaving.

Once the warp threads are on the loom, through heddles and beaters and arranged ~just so~ I can start to weave.

The warp and weft interact with each other so beautifully, decided by my feet each time the shuttle is thrown. I count the pattern in my head as I go.

This is a pattern family known as rosepath. The effect here is subtle as it has no colour to highlight the patterns of the threads, just texture.

It weighs almost a kilo, and measures 72cm by 166cm, not including tassels.