Weaverly

Jin on 16

More fun and games with jin, aka warp-faced compound tabby, this time on 16 shafts. I did a little experimenting with 3-color jin, with 3 colors rotating in the warp, so that in a single block you can have one color on top or 2 colors on top, and of course the reverse on the other side. Here are the six possible combinations with six shafts for each block, and the remaining 4 shafts just perfect for a double weave selvedge. 

As always, the colors change character depending on the viewing angle and the lighting conditions.

An oddity about having two colors sharing the same space in the reed is that occasionally they change places, as you can plainly see in the following picture. Click to enlarge. This give a slightly streaked effect. It will be interesting to see what happens with this after cutting off and washing.

Is this an error? Do we have to figure out how to deal with it, or just embrace it as a fact of life? The jury is still out. 

Meanwhile, many thanks to Pat for providing me with the perfect yellow. I wanted a "nasty yellow" and this is certainly it. Aggressive, not too warm. Pat is also the one who pointed me in the direction of the double weave selvedge. Beautiful, dependable, and an elegant method of doing away with the unlovable floating selvedge. The only downside is that it consumes four of your shafts. 

Cotton Jin

Pardon the pun, I couldn't help myself. 

Yesterday I finished beaming a new warp, and today I threaded and sleyed it. This will be a set of towels in 4-shaft jin (aka turned taqueté, aka warp-faced compound tabby).

One of the warp yarns is space-dyed cotton, the other is solid cotton in 3 different colors. Solid color weft, one shuttle. On four shafts I'm able to get two blocks. 

Here's the draft. Attention WFA study group members: this tieup is slightly rearranged from the one I showed you the other day.

In the Department of Books, I just finished reading another Shirley Hazzard novel, The Bay of Noon. Perhaps not as wonderful as The Transit of Venus, but a good one nevertheless. 

Points of View

What an entertaining warp this has been! It looks different from every angle and changing lighting conditions. I find myself going to the studio just to get a glimpse of it at different times of day.

At night the lamplight makes it warmer.

Both sides are interesting, but you kind of have to turn into a pretzel to see them.

Unfortunately there's not enough warp left for a third scarf, but I wound up some orange bobbins and this will do for a table runner.

Another angle.

And another.

Up close. This one ought to finish nicely. Three colors of tencel in the warp, and a single cotton weft.

In the department of books, I just finished reading another wonderful Shirley Hazzard novel, The Great Fire, about the aftermath of WWII in Japan & Hong Kong.