Nuno scarves for Autumn

[blythwhimsies]

I finally overcame a blockage I'd had for a while, which is nuno felt scarves! I bagged up a piece of silk, some wool and silk yarns about 6 months ago, meaning to create a scarf. Partly it was the expense of the silk that got me tied in knots, thinking I'd have to do something really fabulous with it! I'd also sourced some lovely silk and silk chiffon scarves in charity and vintage shops but full on summer in Suffolk prevented me from doing much during July and August.
So once I'd cleared my table - always a bit of a task - so that I could layout a scarf, I got the bug and went on to make 4 in a row.
Here's my first one using the very expensive silk with a burnout pattern on it. Unfortunately by adding extra length to it just with wool, I made the ends a bit too heavy so the drape of the silk gets a bit lost and it doesn't hang so well. I wanted to use wool on both sides which meant flipping it over. I don't have big boards which I've seen some people here use, so I rolled it up then unrolled it up the other way.
nuno felt silk scarf burnout autumn berry handmade blyth whimsies marian may 2016-09-15 17.49.14 by blyth whimsies, on Flickr

The second one was meant to be autumnal but looks far more like Spring! I used a simple plain pink scarf and laid out some floral-ish patterns in wool and yarns. Although I'm not a great one for pink I have to say I do like this one:
nuno felt floral pink silk chiffon scarf handmade blyth whimsies marian may 2016-09-15 17.50.28 by blyth whimsies, on Flickr

Then I tried a plainer one using some quite cheap silk chiffon in a rather horrible beige colour as the base, covering it with a very fine layer of blended merino and bamboo. I discovered that laying out the wool in a 'random' pattern was a real brain squeeze and there are some gaps in the wool layer where the silk peeps through. It has stayed very nice and light with good drape though
nuno felt scarf warm autumn red brown orange handmade blyth whimsies marian may 2016-09-15 17.45.15 by blyth whimsies, on Flickr

I haven't yet been able to get really good photos of this glamorous one in silver grey. The wool layout is really simple because I wanted the beauty of the scarf itself to stand out:
nuno felt grey silver silk chiffon scarf shawl stole handmade blyth whimsies marian may 2016-09-15 17.54.10 by blyth whimsies, on Flickr

And then last but possibly the best of the bunch is this one based on a crinkle silk scarf which had been already dyed in some gorgeous earthy shades, possibly even eco-dyed, I'm not sure. I lucked out at WoW finding some of their trial runs of dyed ultrafine merino in just the right shades!
autumn nuno felt wrap scarf stole blyth whimsies marian may 2016-09-19 14.02.46 by blyth whimsies, on Flickr

I no longer feel so scared by nuno felting this way, and am ready to try with some polyester/silk blend scarves I purchased from China, as well as to use some more of my very expensive silk which was a lovely Christmas present!

One thing I would like to improve and that is getting a very light but even coverage of wool on a silk base. What are your techniques for doing this?

[zed]

I edited your post to include the photos, Marian, I hope you don't mind.

They all look gorgeous You tried a lot of different styles and finishes and they all worked well. The 'horrible beige' one looks really posh and elegant!

I think it's just practise getting fine, even layers. Using the finer micron Merino and not gripping the wool tops as far down helps.

It'd be nice if silk was cheap enough to make some 'standard sample' pieces all the same size with different amounts of wool/different layouts for reference and comparison, wouldn't it?

[blythwhimsies]

Thank you Zed - I thought photos were no longer to be uploaded here which is why I added links?

Can you explain what you mean by "not gripping the wool tops as far down" please?

[Pandagirl]

They all turned out great Marion. I'm glad you overcame your fear and marched on. It all takes experimentation and practice.

[MTRuth]

Marian, first your scarves are all wonderful and glad you are feeling more confident with your nuno skills.

In regards to photos, if you look at the new post Ann wrote in the Frequently Asked Questions section, you will see the method for having the photos show here but being stored on other places such as Flickr. You just can't upload directly from your computer but if your photos are somewhere else online you can link to them and they will show here. You could actually just use the URL's from your photos on your blog and then paste the URL in the photo box in your reply or post. Just hit the little photo button in the upper right and paste the URL of the photo there.

When I do fine nuno, I lay very fine pieces of wool that you can barely see once wet down. I usually lay them out in a herringbone pattern so that all the shrinkage doesn't go in one direction. To pull off the wool from the tops, I lay it the end of the roving down where it will go and then put one finger so it barely covers the ends, push down into the table and pull away the roving. If you cover the end of the roving with two or three or four fingers, you will get more wool pulled off because you are holding down more ends of each individual fiber that way.

Zed meant that you grip a smaller amount of wool when pulling off the very top of the roving. So just grasp the very end tips and not down further on the roving to pull off the wool. Right, Zed?

[zed]

Yep, I did, Ruth

I usually describe the way I grip the wool tops as being similar to how you'd carry a tray-fingertips to heel of the hand. The less you grip, the finer/thinner the wool tops will be that are pulled off.

Your way seems more accurate though, Ruth.

[lyn]

What a lovely collection of scarves Marion - you've been really busy! I love the autumnal one that looks more like spring.

[Shepherdess]

They turned out lovely. I usually just use one layer of fine wool. The wool shrinks in the direction the wool is laid so that is something to remember.

With the first scarf you could try wetting it again then fold the ends to the middle then fold in half again. Fold the edges along the side to the middle then twist it ( for strength) and pull from both ends. I pull quite hard but I don't know how strong you are. anyway if you do that it should drape a little better when dry

[halay]

All the scarves are lovely, I can't decide which one I like best, and what is most important you've learned a lot from this experience.

[Deleted]

Great work Marian! I love the pink floral one, as well as the grey one ... so beautiful!

Regards
Linn

[elizabeth]

Lovely, Marian.
The gray one is my favorite. The silk is beautiful and the way you've curved the fibers around the designs is wonderful.