Weaverly

Fat Yarn

To paraphrase a recent observation by one of my weaving friends, When you use fat yarn, the weaving goes faster. So true. The towels in 14/4 linen are finished, cut off, and laundered. They're all woven with the same amalgamated draft, but with different colorways in the weft.

There's a red version, a blue version, and a green version. I had my favorites while they were being woven, but now that they're washed I'm not sure. Howsomever, as they say, here they are. 

A closeup while under tension:

The following pictures are post-laundering:

For a little more detail, click to enlarge:

Adding a Color

Yesterday's weaving needed an additional color. An order was placed, wheels were set in motion, magic happened. 

Today, work proceeded. 

Click to enlarge.

Thanks to the incomparable LoftyFiber for this terrific service! 

Check out their linen, if you haven't already.

Potential

I'm one of those weavers—you know who you are—who enjoy the warping process as much as (or sometimes more than) the weaving itself. While you're untangling that sentence, here are some pictures of my new warp.

Strange to say, I've never before put on an all linen warp, and today was the day. 

There were a few FUBAR situations, I confess, but finally I got it all together.

There comes a moment (hopefully), in every loom prep adventure, when threads and loom settle down into a harmonious relationship, and the weaver can see the potential of the cloth. Here is just such a moment.

In recent years I've woven only with 10/2 or 20/2 cotton or similar sizes, and it was quite an adjustment to work with this 14/4 linen at 15 epi. Holy cow, the pattern really pops out!!!

Amalgamation on 8 shafts. Here's a closer look. Click to enlarge. 

Third Weft

It looks like there's enough warp left for a third towel. This time I'm using a dusty rose color for the weft, and a totally different lift plan, one which will feature reverse twills in the blue stripes and mostly crepey-looking weaves in the red and pink stripes.

My spell checker want to make this "creepy-looking," but that's definitely not what I have in mind! Think crepe! CREPE! You know, the indefinite textural effect in amalgamated cloths. 

Here's a closeup. Click to enlarge.

I've been streaming WNYC on my Echo Dot. They have really good programming. I'm looking forward to Shakespeare's Richard II starting tomorrow night, for four consecutive nights.

I'm Back

Remember this warp? I finished the first towel, with black weft, and looked for another weft for the next one.

I decided on gray. It's not as dramatic, but with some side lighting the texture shows up really well. The proof will come in the laundry, of course.

It's good to be back. 

I just finished reading The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson. A masterpiece. If you read only one book this year, it should be this one. 

Morning Light

When I go into the studio first thing in the morning, sometimes I see this:

The light is so alluring that it's impossible to leave, and I just have to sit down and start throwing the shuttle.

The weft in this case is a melon-colored cottolin, a shade of yellow very different than the acid yellow in the warp. It's just enough of a difference to show the pattern in the center area, but it's not overpowering.

Sidelighting enables you to see the pattern more clearly. 

In other matters, I've just learned that Janet Phillips's new book, Exploring Woven Fabrics, is now available at a pre-publication price. I love her previous book, Designing Woven Fabrics and I'm looking forward to this new one. Janet has a genius for combining simple weaves into complex-looking fabrics. More info here. 

Doodles

This amalgamation thing is really addictive! Click to enlarge. Same threading & treading, just the tieups are changed. 

It's easy. Design your own. See Monographs, in sidebar.

Another Warp: Tying On

Nature abhors a naked loom. 

I'm tying on to a monochrome warp with some colors on hand. I wound the chains separately, then tied them on one at a time.

Listening to the radio all day. My current fave is WNYC. 

If I've done the math right, there won't be any leftovers.

Success!

Then of course all those knots have to be eased through the heddle eyes and the reed. Done. And then the whole thing is wound onto the warp beam.

Wove the first few inches, just to test everything out. The warp is all 16/2 cotton. The weft is 16/2 cottolin in dark brown. Amalgamation.

All is well. Time to take a break.

On another note, here is moonrise last night as we were sitting on the front porch. 

I'd Rather Be Weaving

That's a bumper sticker, for sure. I've always wanted one. I may have to print my own. I'd rather be weaving. It's my safe place, my comfort, my square one.

True July weather has arrived. That means if I want to get my walk in, I have to start early. Some mornings I manage to get up early enough, some mornings not. This morning I "slept in" until 8, but yesterday I hit the streets early enough to see this:

Corrections

Fans of Amalgamation: you've been generous with your comments and corrections. Please check the sidebar, under Other Stuff, for updated errata files. I hope there won't be too many of them! 

And now moving on to the next warp.

Eight shafts, amalgamation, cotton, 20epi. Stay tuned.