Weaverly

Tieing It All Together

If you've been following along on this crazy system I'm fiddling with (nicknamed "Trio"), here's a photo of three samples (top row front, bottom row back of the same samples):

All three were woven on the exact same warp, same threading & color repeats, with the exact same treadling, one shuttle. The only difference between the samples is the tieup:

I am quite astonished at the results. I really can't explain what's going on, but I'm writing it all up and will say more when I have more to say.

Meanwhile here's another thing that astonished me a couple of days ago, at that mysterious couple of minutes just before sunset: the rosy, golden light from the sun as it plunges to earth (or so it seems).

I think life is going to improve as soon as our covid quarantine is over. Stay warm out there. Happy weaving.

Mornings

Morning light is always welcome here. I like to pause and admire the clarity and gentleness before I make the coffee.

In the studio, the morning light is also kind to whatever is on the loom. Today it is a continuation of the design I call "Grandprix". This is an 8-shaft draft with lots of hills and valleys and changes of direction and network drafting. And amalgamation;. 

I think the black & white color scheme adds some clarity.

In the Department of Books: I have just finished reading The Difference Engine by Gibson & Sterling. 

Transformations

Just got back from a week in the woods.

There was a lot of hanging out among the trees.

And some walking on lovely trails in Pisgah National Forest ...

...where you find the most amazing things.

Nearby Brevard has some great restaurants, including The Square Root, where I had this memorable key lime pie.

Now for the best part. In another restaurant, Love Eat Thai, the sign on the ladies' rest room door was made of an old bamboo loom reed! True fact. I am speechless.

Back home after a lovely vacation, I went directly to my own loom and reed (metal, not bamboo) and spent an entire day throwing a shuttle. I wanted to duplicate the linen scrunchy scarf of the previous post, only larger. The warp is odds & ends of 30/2 linen, with spaced denting, and the weft is leftover bits of 16/1 linen. All yarns from Lofty Fiber. 

Here's a closeup on the loom.

And here's the piece just cut off but not washed...

...and a closeup, still not washed

And here she is after a brief machine washing and a short stint in the dryer. Still slightly damp and hanging in the bathroom to finish drying. 

It's wonderfully crinkled. 

After it's totally dry I'll try to get a decent glamor shot, maybe even with a live model.

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the satisfying feeling of having finished a "what if."

Department of Books:

Just finished reading Long Bright River by Liz Moore.

Scrunched Up

The linen scarf has been cut off and washed. As expected, it scrunched up severely in the weft direction because of the spaced warps. It lost 50% in width. I plan to do another one, wider this time, minus the leno bits. 

It will be very comfortable to wear in the warm weather. I don't particularly like the fringe. I think I'll shorted it slightly.

A very early walk in the woods is still possible. I am heat averse.

Department of Books: I just finished reading The Bostonians by Henry James and The English Understand Wool by Helen De Witt.

 

Staying Cool

My walk today was indoors, and I did almost manage to log all my steps. By the end of the day I will get there.

I have a fiberish thing to share with you. It is yesterday's drier lint collection. Every time I wash my favorite linen tablecloth (commercially woven), I collect this from the lint trap:

I wash this particular cloth about once a week, and have been doing so for the past four years. What I see looming ahead is the eventual disappearance of said tablecloth. I guess there's a message in there somewhere.

Speaking of linen, I started this little bagatelle. It's a linen warp with a linen/rayon mixture in the weft. The warp is spaced as you can see. Every two inches I do a row of 2/2 Leno. I'm expecting some drama when I wash it.

I like to work with a black cloth under the warp as I pick the leno rows, to make the threads more visible.

Linen yarns from LoftyFiber.

 

What? July Already?

The web I showed you in previous post is inching slowing forward. The warp is so slippery that the shuttles frequently dive to the floor, and that does impede progress. It also taxes my patience.

But as long as I remember to get out early for a walk, I find this particular vista very calming. 

This one, too.

I have a daily practice of designing one 8-shaft amalgamated draft. Here's today's effort. It get pretty exciting when color is added, but for now here is the B&W version. Maxfloat 5. Click on it to enlarge.

Staycation Day

The Night-blooming Cereus hasn't bloomed yet. Or maybe it has, but we've been going to bed too early to catch the event. It is, however, enjoying its summer on the porch and putting out many new leaves. Thank you, Sam, for this gift.

In the studio, it's sewing week. The 6 yards of narrow fabric is morphing into a pullover. This involves joining the strips together in various ways, partly by machine and partly by hand. 

Which of these is not like the other?

The edges of handwoven cloth received special treatment to keep them from unraveling.

I occasionally look up from my worktable and see this totally unplanned color scheme on a nearby shelf. Who did that???!

There's some weaving happening, too. The draft from my last post is finally on the loom. Always expect the unexpected. After 2 1/2 inches, a broken warp.

In the Department of Books, I just finished reading Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. 

Happy Fourth, everyone. It's time to defend our democracy.

 

Moiré, Accidentally

Look what just appeared on the 8-shaft loom, without plan or warning!

The moiré lines change as you move around the loom.

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And on a different loom, the joys of plain weave. With a little bit of Monk's Belt this morning.

What fun! And here's a rescue from the dishtowel drawer (the weaving, not the model, who obligingly put on his favorite hat for this photo shoot).

How this sample of pickup reverse twill (yes, all done with a pickup stick from a cross-stitch chart generated from a photo, about 45 years ago) ever wound up in the kitchen dishtowel drawer, I will never know. But I'm happy to see the weaving and the model reunited. 

The Power of Color

First of all, Queen Anne's Lace. I was able to walk this morning before the heat set in. There will be construction in this area soon, with big earth movers and other noise makers, but for the time being it is a refuge.

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In my continuing studies of amalgamation in TempoWeave, I am struck by the difference color can make to a draft. I do love the structure view (B/W only) but...

...I am simply blown away by what happens when color is added to the mix. I have woven a few of these, and it is not easy to pick the best yarn colors. What shows up on the screen is not necessarily what happens in RYS (Real Yarn Situations). As always, sampling is best.

Have a good weekend!

That Dog Must Go

After struggling with this project for many weeks, I had finally had enough. First of all, I was having trouble keeping track of the treadling sequence, with the result that I was spending more time unweaving than weaving. Secondly, even though I was using sturdy floating selvedges the outside inch or so of mostly tencel yarn was shredding badly, incurring constant warp repairs. 

Making the same mistakes over and over again with the same results is not smart behavior. That dog must go.

I cut the outer inch of warp on each side and wove off the rest of the warp in plain weave. It went very quickly.

I then washed the completed fabrics, put them aside for a future project, and felt much better!

I as then able to put a new warp on the loom and start some swatches in canvas weave for a study group. 

The warp is 8/2 Lofty Cotton, white, and weft is the same in cloud gray.

This should pouf up nicely and the canvas openings show up better when washed.

More to follow.

Making Changes

While thumbing through one of the books I consider weaving treasures, I came across this sweet little draft composed on a point threading for 8 shafts. After making a slight correction in the treadling, I offer it here.

It's draft # 65 from Praktisk Vävbok by Nona von Engström. All in Swedish, but easy enough for English speakers to follow from the photos & diagrams. I am also adding an easy variation which can be accomplished by wrapping the tie-up one place to the left.

Here is a variation of the amalgamation from previous posts.

Another variation. Stripes! From repeating just 4 of the weft picks ad infinitum. There are areas of twill, areas of double weave, and also a few unknown hybrids, all for little or no effort. 

Out in the woods, we have found the Bunched Arrowheads. After four years of searching, have finally come to the right place at the right time. The red arrow points to the minuscule white flower in the swampy area. There were hundreds, but so tiny that they are easily missed. What a beautiful spot. And how do you like that wonderful twisted branch?

And on the trail there were a number of these juicy thistles just bursting forth. Click to embiggen.

Back in the studio, I've finally moved things around to make room for my long unused sewing table. Now I plan to finish several WIPs, which have been languishing since the pandemic. 

And there just happens to be another warp percolating.

Have finished reading High Wages by Dorothy Whipple.