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The so-called Sputnik is finished. There is a pesky heddle that needs to be replaced, near the right selvedge. That will be the next task. Sputnik was actually a test piece, and I am eager to begin the actual work.
Meanwhile the change of seasons has finally come to our region. The first sign is usually the dogwoods, and this specimen is a good example. Everything around it is green. There are a few dead leaves on the ground from the oaks, but that's all.
This is the same patch of sky, two days apart. Same vantage point, too, except that the camera was tilted a little differently for the second picture. What's my point? No point. Just enjoy.
I've provisionally titled this piece Sputnik, just to have a name to hang things on. It started as a random doodle on a graphics tablet but after I started weaving it, it took on a life of its own.
A strong desire to weave some lampas in a monochrome palette overcame me, but the black warp has miles to go. I like to use a finer pattern warp, in a pale neutral color, along with a heavier ground warp in a dark color when I weave lampas, but I opted for making do with what was available at the time, namely a uniform black warp. I also elected to stay in the beige family for the three pattern wefts, and vary the texture of these wefts, something I haven't previously done.
For ground weft I picked a medium blue, and for the three pattern wefts a wiry beige cotton-linen, a nubby natural silk noil, and a greyish cotton.
Here's the start of my sample:
It's giving me ten distinct colors in the foggy blue-gray range, and I think I will enjoy working with this palette. Click to enlarge.
No, I have no affiliation with the makers of these wonderful shuttles. They just happen to be my favorites.
This towel's been on the 40-shaft loom for way too long. At a few inches a day, progress is glacial. But yesterday I finally got to the end and wove the end border. After that comes an inch and a half of tubular double weave for a turned-in hem, then a separator, then the next towel, and the next...
The tubular hems mean that there's no right or wrong side, and the towel can be enjoyed on either side (for those who are compulsive about their dishtowels).
Slowly working my way back into shuttle throwing, as my hand improves. Here are the first few picks on the red and blue warp. This is a combination of point twills and granite weaves.
The new warp was tied onto an existing warp on an 8-shaft loom.
The threading looks like this:
This for an 8-shaft loom:
A bit vertiginous, but I shot it from the stairwell.
And this beauty on the breakfast table: