Weaverly

Outlining the Cells

Yet another color way. In this version, the cells are outlined with a heavier thread. This will look very different after wet finishing.

Another Colorway

Still M's & O's, just another weft color. These are so relaxing & undemanding to weave. While I weave I think about my next jacquard project. 

Click to enlarge.

On the Road Again

Today we hit the road for a visit to Ikea in Charlotte. Although I am a veteran of many Ikea construction projects, I have never visited one of their physical stores. It was a mind-bending trip!

I'm not a Shopper, capital S, by inclination, but this was a whole 'nother  level of experience. Anyone who enjoys good design would love this place, even if they didn't buy a thing. Although I defy you to visit without coming out without a lamp or two. Or a few wine glasses.

 

In the Path of Totality

Today we gathered with friends to view the eclipse. What a show! I am lucky to be in the path of totality ( love that phrase--I should put it in all caps). I was very moved by the appearance of the total eclipse as viewed through special glasses, but frankly, watching my fellow viewers in their glasses was just as much fun.

Many of the folks I gathered with had dark filters affixed to their cameras and I'm hoping they got some good pictures of the corona. I was not photographically prepared, so will depend on NASA and the internet for my sky pictures.

I think my favorite image is of the shapes of the shadows cast on the ground during the partial phase - the glimmers look like little new moons sprinkled on the ground. I don't need any special equipment for that, although next time I must remember to keep my feet out of the picture. Next time.

Convergence

No, not that Convergence (although I might be going). It's convergence with a lower case c. You see, I have woven two lampas panels for a diptych. Although I have striven to keep an even beat so that the two panels would line up exactly after they have been cut from the loom, one can never be sure. I just cut the second panel off yesterday, and was shocked to find, when I laid it alongside the first panel, that it was an inch longer than its mate!!!

But now that it has had time to rest, and the two panels are in an equally relaxed state of tension, they are very nearly the exact same length. Their selvedges are in convergence. O frabjous day!

 

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Weaverly: A Sufficiency of Heddles

Weaverly: More Lampas Sampling and Tomato Heaven

More M's & O's

Now that the little loom is warped up I can show you the full effect of the M's & O's draft I talked about in this post. I find it astonishing that so much pattern can be eked out of a simple 4-shaft draft. It's humbling,. If I were marooned on a desert island with only one loom, and it were this one, I'd be OK. 

Here's a closeup of the fabric. Now mind you, it's still under tension and will be a whole different animal after it has been washed & tumbled. 

Now here's my further tweaking of the original draft. Feel free to borrow it, but be sure to give credit to the original weaver, Alcestis Low.

A Sufficiency of Heddles

If that's not a collective noun, it should be. I never had a sufficiency of heddles on my 4-shaft loom, and it was time to remedy the deficit. So I spent this morning removing the existing heddles (which were on upside down anyway), untwisting a couple of twisted pairs, and adding heddles to each shaft. I now have enough heddles to weave the full width of 18" at 24 epi, my normal sett for dishtowels.

I celebrated by going to lunch at my favorite Mexican restaurant. Guacamole salad. Then in the afternoon I wound a new warp.

Now I will brew a cup of tea, put my feet up, and read a couple more chapters of "Any Human Heart" (William Boyd).

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Error Correction

A Curious M's & O's Draft

In the early 1960's, when I was a brand new weaver, I found the book "How to Weave Linens" by Edgar F. Worst in a used book store in New York City. My copy of this 1926 gem was well worn when I bought it, and is now even more so. It contains some history, construction diagrams of looms, reels, and other equipment, and a generous assortment of photos of craftspersons engaging in all aspects of linen production. My very favorite photo is of a young man in knickerbocker pants chaining off a warp from a warping mill. It also contains many 4-, 5-, 6-, and 8-shaft drafts for linen household textiles and actual photos of some of these fabrics. The structures include plain and fancy twills, lace weaves, and a few M's & O's. 

I was leafing through the book the other day, looking for inspiration for a new threading on my 4-shaft loom, when I spotted this unusual M's & O's design. It's a standard threading, but the treadling is odd in that it produces twill-like sections in the cloth. I entered the draft in my weaving software and corrected a few small errors, and thought you might like to see the result. Worst attributes the pattern to Alcestis Low of Vermont. 

I see that the book is available on the used book market for anywheres from $65 to nearly $800. You may be lucky enough to spot a copy at a weaver's studio sale. If so, snap it up. The photos of the actual cloth are worth the price, although I suspect some of the drafts are a bit problematic. 

 

Last-Minute Decision

I wove this piece with the lighter characters on top. But when it came time to stitch the hem casings for hanging rods, I found that I much preferred the "wrong" side, with the dark characters on top. So be it.

Sometimes you have to put a work aside for a few days and come back to it with fresh eyes. I'm glad I did.
 

A Collection

In odd moments I troll the Internet for 12 shaft patterns. Handweaving.net is a good source (remember to leave a contribution for this great effort!) and there are others. I grab whatever I can find and save it in one big ProWeave file. The thinking is that I will someday weave these on my 16-shaft loom, with 4 shafts reserved for a selvedge. That's on the very back burner.

Click to enlarge, of course.