Except my hand woven saddle blanket. Anyone over 50 knows what I am talking about. I have been weaving since 12 years of age, and riding since 6 years of age, so you would have thought I would have put the two together before now. But maybe that is because I did not have a sweet beautiful mare named Princess to weave something for.
English saddles, in my teenage years, had shaped blankets that have a one inch rim showing around the edge. Who is going to hand weave something that will not be seen? But in the 35 years that I stupidly wasted not riding, fashions changed. Now and English saddle can have a square cut pad, with the portion behind the knee showing your barn's logo, or the name of the last Medal Final you won (not yet for me).
So I experimented with soft but sturdy and washable fiber and tried bamboo. I wanted a pattern visible from far away since we have a huge arena. I wanted colors that coordinated with her bright mahogany bay coloring (plus wanted to use up the extra yarn in the studio). I re-worked a traditional overdraft pattern (weavers know what I am talking about, others can look it up on Google or other fonts of knowledge). I changed it to a 4 block 3-1 1-3 twill of the Dorik variety to not have floats longer than 3.
I started out measuring off and winding the beam with 680 warp ends, get each one through one and only one correct heddle on one of 16 shafts with no crosses, get them through the reed, and then throw the shuttle a mere 872 times and you have it! The first handwoven saddle blanket ever seen at the Riverside Equestrian Center. Its debut was Jody's Fun Show Saturday July 2, 2011.
I will not hold is against my own son for beating me in the forth class. How did he do that? Was it because the judge was a woman? Hmmmm.
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