Over the past week or so I've done quite a bit of sampling, on several looms. On the 16 shaft lobby, I enjoy trying out some of the more interesting crepe weaves on handweaving.net, and I take the opportunity to use up partly filled, leftover bobbins. The warp is mostly bright red. The result: long fabrics with random weft stripes. These will be used for origami bags.





On the 8 shaft loom, a different (but similar) project is evolving. This 4" sample warp is more neutral in color & tonal value, several different cotton, hemp, and linen yarns, warped more or less randomly. Here too I am trying out interesting crepes, none with floats longer than 3.


I've found a few favorites, looking for drapability after washing & ironing, as the fabric is destined for clothing.

So back to the warping board, and a 16" wide warp. Here it is being beamed:

And now it's ready to go:

A glamor shot behind the heddles.

The weaving is underway. I will switch randomly among my three favorite crepe drafts and a couple of 2/2 twills, and three different cotton & linen wefts.

Well now, that's a lot of unexciting color, and the weather outside is foggy and grim. For a bit of good cheer, we headed out to our favorite stockiest and found some saturated color. This is not my beverage of choice, but it might be a good starting point for a new project.
