leno lace

I have finished with the last of the Wensleydale roving that I spun.  I used it up making a shawl on the 5 foot triangle loom.  I used a "leno lace" weaving pattern, which consists of moving a warp every now and again.  If you move a warp one nail across the top, you must move it two nails on each of the sides.  This will leave a space which you then fill by twisting the warp stitches.  Usually, I will twist the vertical "ladders" first, and when I am finished weaving, I go back and do the horizontal warps.  Here is a close up of the lace pattern, you can see how the warps are twisted.

 

I chose this weaving pattern for the Wensleydale because of the silky lustrous hand that the yarn has....well, that and also, I figured that an open lacy look would be nice for a summer shawl.  When I took the shawl off the loom, I was happily surprised by the drape, and I am becoming a big fan of the Wensleydale wool.  One big mistake that I made was in my decision not to knot the fringe.  It is already starting to "untwist".  I believe this is due to the fact that the Wensleydale has such a long staple.  I had spun it 'worsted', and the resulting yarn was strong and shiny, but slipped on itself when I wanted to knot the bottom of the fringe.  I should have planned to loop the fringe like I did with the smaller sample shawl, but I was impatient to get it off the loom.

 

I see by my 2005 Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival catalog, that the North American Wensleydale Sheep Association will be holding its annual meeting at the Festival.  The add states that this rare breed currently exists only in the UK and parts of mainland Europe. I have read elsewhere that at one time there were less than 200 Wensleydale sheep, so they were near extinction.  They are now being established in the US.
I hope to attend the MSW ..if I go...I will wear my shawl.