I have about 30 pounds of mostly lopi and a little of other one ply style wools that I found at a few yard sales. I was thinking of making a rosepath style runner for my back stairs that don't get used very often. Do you think this type of yarn would be fine to use and would wear well. I was thinking of using seine twine warp sett at 8 or 10 epi since I don't want a very thick rug.   

Comments

Sat, 12/14/2013 - 12:49

Liese (not verified)

Hi Patty,  years ago I knitted something out of Lopi, a barely plyed or spun yarn as I remember. I think you'll find that this yarn will be too soft to make a good rug and that over time the design will become "muddied" from the yarn fuzzing up. Perhaps this yarn would be better used for a wall hanging? And make your runner out of a good sturdy wool so that it's nice & firm, with your design crisp.  Lopi felts well too.

Sat, 12/14/2013 - 13:32

kerstinfroberg

Perhaps you could felt it?

Barbro Lomakka is a Swedish designer working with felt strips - see for instance http://www.lomakka.se/index.php?page=konkord for an idea. I think Vävmagasinet had an article about her work some years ago.

I suppose her wefts are felted before weaving, but perhaps if weaving a tad loose and felting afterwards would be a possible solution? (Maybe a sample is called for, before embarking on a big project ;-)

Sat, 12/14/2013 - 19:04

Liese (not verified)

Hello Kerstin,  I was happy to see your suggestion because it was one I thought of too but then it would be necessary to have a wool warp too.  And I also wondered how the rosepath designs would remain distinguishable after the felting.  A striped rug might be an interesting experiment - no fine detail to get lost.

Sat, 12/14/2013 - 23:02

barleycorn

Thank you so much for your suggestions. I didn't think about the pattern being lost due to fuzzing. The felted rug was very interesting but not something I want to do. I can always make my stair runner out of the 30+ wool blankets that I have also collected in a patterned rag rug weave. That project might require some dyeing.

Tue, 12/17/2013 - 15:20

mneligh

The Lopi I've worked with was not tightly spun.  Try spinning a little bit in the apparent direction of the existing spin to see if that helps. As I recall, it is the lack of spin and not the fiber itself that made it so soft -- that is, it's not as fine as merino or similar wools, or alpaca.  Some of the hardest-wearing textiles I've ever seen have been made from alpaca.

Thu, 12/19/2013 - 02:45

Greta G

What kind of lopi do you have? For me there are several kind: 1. Plötulopi, is very light spun, and is usually knitted 2 ply or more commonly 3 ply (but even as 1 ply which makes very light garment) see further here: http://www.istex.is/islenska/vorur/prjonaband/plotulopi/ 2. Then there is létt-lopi (light lopi), http://www.istex.is/islenska/vorur/prjonaband/lettlopi/ 3. Lopi (often refered as Álafosslopi), a bit thicker than léttlopi :http://www.istex.is/islenska/vorur/prjonaband/alafosslopi/ 4. Then there is Bulky lopi http://www.istex.is/islenska/vorur/prjonaband/bulkylopi/ I do not have much experience of weaving, but have knitted from different kind of lopi as long I can remember. The more thicker the lopi is, the stronger it will be. Then perhaps you could either beat the weft strong or have more ply for the weft? I would not use lopi for the warp, unless perhaps einband or kambgarn. I have just finished weaving scarf from einband which is rather fine, and not very strong. I do not know if this will answer you question.
Fri, 12/20/2013 - 14:57

mneligh

Wow, Greta G!  You know your lopi!

While I know far less, I have also knitted with lopi, and also woven yarn I spun from Icelandic sheep.  As I said before, it is not the fiber itelf that would keep it from wearing well in a rug, but the spin.  The sheep is dual-coated, and the guard hairs certainly strong enough for warp if the preparation is right, but if you have no control over that beyond respinning, use it as weft.  

If you're going to felt the rug, use a wool warp that felts easily.  That way the fibers will adhere together better than it would with a non-felting warp.

Fri, 12/20/2013 - 15:57

barleycorn

I'll say Gretta G knows her Lopi. Most of what I have does not have labels (yard sale) but I know by feel it is Lopi. I thank everyone that commented and have decided to use something else for the stair runner and put the Lopi on the back burner, maybe some crackle weave blankets using the lopi for the thicker weft.