Weaverly

Tempting Fate

My dear 16 shaft dobby loom, which I am trying to sell to make more room for other pursuits, does not seem to be attracting any buyers. I am now tempting fate by putting a new warp on it, the theory being that as soon as I start a new project, someone will snatch the loom out from under me. It has happened in the past, so why not again?

I'm tying on to an existing straight threading. I've developed a wonky version of huck that can be woven on this threading and I'm eager to try it out. The warp and weft spots are sort of offset from each other vertically and horizontally and separated by a bit of plain weave. If you happen to use a two-color warp and two other colors for weft, there will be four different and distinct float colors. 

Stash reduction is the goal here. I was able to empty seven or eight partial cones of 10/2 cotton on this chain. The color order in the warp is random and I will be using a single shuttle for weft, so my colors will be hit or miss for this adventure.

The warp is 10 yards long, and I was very happy to have the use of these weights to make the beaming go smoothly.

The bitter end.

And now the weaving has begun. My weft is pink cotton thick & thin yarn, and perhaps I have enough of it to weave off the entire warp. I think by assembling multiple panels of stripes in interesting ways, I can get a garment out of this. The fabric should wash up nicely in an interesting bumpy texture. Stay tuned.

In the Department of Books, I have just finished reading Shirley Hazzard: A Writing Life by Brigitta Olubas. It's a biography of one of my favorite writers.

The Winds of Change

 

Bhakti and I published The Woven Pixel in 2006 after two years of in-person meetings and intensive solitary weaving and writing sessions, in South Carolina and New Mexico, and via the Internet (pre-Zoom). We were overwhelmed at the positive response this work has received, from individual weavers and educational institutions. After the first two physical printings sold out, we decided to make the work available for download with the gracious cooperation of Kris Bruland at handweaving.net. It is still available for download there, after payment of a very reasonable registration fee.

Up until now, we have also been making the contents of the accompanying CD, with all 1400 Pattern Presets, available for a download fee of $100 USD. This has been a popular option for many of you. But things change, and Bhakti and I have decided that as of Dec., 31, 2023, we will no longer be providing the download option. If you are thinking of purchasing the Pattern Presets, now is the time!

The information will not be lost, however. We believe that with a careful reading of the text any weaver will be able to reconstruct the presets on their own, following the principles we outline in the book. So until Dec. 31, if you are still interested in purchasing the CD contents for $100 USD, please email aschlein at att dot net for payment instructions.

A big weaverly thank you to everyone who has supported us in spreading the joy of designing for jacquard and dobby looms with ©Photoshop. 

Loom Migration

It's time for this wonderful loom to find a new home. I need more space!

It's a Louet Megado 16 shaft loom with electronic dobby. Weaving width 16", just perfect for scarves and sampling. I've used it and loved it for 16 years, and it's in tip-top working condition. 

The dobby box connects via USB to Mac or Windows computers. 

For pick-up only at my studio in Upstate South Carolina. I will not ship it. 

Includes Louet bench, 3 reeds, lease sticks, warping sticks, and extra TexSolv heddles. Please email me at aschlein [at] att [dot] net for more information or for an appointment to try out the loom. 

Old Friends, Best Friends

Yes, it's time to weave lampas again. After I finished working on the lampas monograph (see sidebar), I put lampas aside for a few years. Then there was a pandemic. I consoled myself with some old friends. As I recall, there was lots of chocolate.

And long walks close to home.

But a few days ago I was surveying this evidence of stash-busting in my garage:

And a little voice said, "it's really time for more lampas."

And so I put a new warp on my 8-shaft loom...

...and started sampling lampas blocks. Warp is a mixture of 10/2 cotton and 8/2 tencel for the primary warp, and a fine wool/tencel blend for the secondary warp. The weft is 10/2 cotton for primary warp and sport-weight 2-ply handspun wool for the secondary weft. 

The structure for the primary blocks (ground) is plain weave, and a jeans twill for the secondary (pattern) blocks. Shafts 1-3 for the jeans twill, shafts 4 & 5 for Block One plain weave, shafts 6 & 7 for Block Two plain weave, leaving me a handy shaft 8 for a selvedge. There is some tying going on in the secondary blocks (so there's no true double weave here), which is causing some blips which I'll have to address later. Also a few misbehaving selvedges. But this is a first run I'm showing you. 

Nice to see you again, Lampas, my old friend!

Department of Books

I just finished reading Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure by Menachem Kaiser.

Too Hot to Think

The heat is not as bad here as elsewhere, but it does slow me down a bit. 

This used to be a color that cheered me up, but now it's almost too much.

I toned that color plan down a bit for a new warp on the dobby loom. Loom had been sitting naked for a while. 

Straight draw on 16 shafts, nothing fancy. Just to keep her clothed. This is #12808 from handweaving.net. It has a delightfully pebbly texture on the front.

A night view.

And now for something a little cooler. To me this says melting snow. #7467 if you want to try it out.

I found the following two pictures from an old blog post that was written but never actually posted. Oops. It was from a field trip to several antique stores. Very spooky stairway. I did not go that way.

But I did go upstairs.

Department of Books. I just finished reading Donna Tartt's The Secret History. 

Jin and More

I've been away, and now I'm back. I was lucky to see my beloved Fie Top again after way too long. The sky is so vast, the vistas so long. I feel restored.

Back home, my luck still holds. My neighbor tends this beautiful garden in the back yard. She does all the work, and I get to sit on my back porch and enjoy the view. Win win.

In the studio, I have finished a jin scarf. It's a curious blend of slub cotton, black & white nub rayon (warp), and pink tencel (weft). 

It was drafted on a networked threading, based on a gently sloping line, and then a liftplan constructed in Photoshop Elements ®. 

Department of Books: I have finished reading Jane Stern's Ambulance Girl.

After two iterations of the runners based on Bateman Park weaves, I was totally bored and decided to weave off the remainder of the 8-shaft warp in plain weave with a hemp weft from my stash. 

To the bitter end!

And then I cut it off (cutting-off photo credit to Bruce):

After hemming and wet finishing, here's one of the runners on the porch floor:

The plain weave section yielded two nice towels. 

And finally, time for a walk, despite the drizzly weather.

Twists and Turns

Yesterday morning we got up early, fixed a breakfast of bagels & lox, and sat down to watch the F1 Grand Prix from Monaco. I love it all, the commotion, the drivers, the announcers, the brass bands, the chutzpah.

While I watched, I twisted fringes.

 

Polyvalence. After a wash & dry & pressing, I was able to compare the first version (white warp, black weft) with the second version (4-color warp, black weft). 

The addition of color is truly amazing. A hidden aspect is revealed. There are now four distinct color images, each one slightly shifted widthwise from the previous one.

It reminds me of those pictures you have to view with specially colored glasses in order to make sense of them.

 

Department of Books: Have finished reading The Privileges by Jonathan Dee and I Came All This Way to Meet You by Jami Attenberg.

 

Near and Far

It has been a busy week, with comings and goings, highs and lows, that sort of thing, but today I vow to get back on a regular schedule, and concentrate a little harder. First order of business is a walk. All is now fully green, the weeds perhaps the most picturesque of all. 

The polyvalence sampler is now off the loom & washed & dried. Fringes twisted. The circles are definitely down the middle. Thank you all for the input. You were right.

I've changed each successive circle four pixels to the right, so there are now four distinct variations, repeated 2 1/2 times. I may just pick my favorite and stick with it. TBD.

The next step is tying a four-color warp onto the white one. Here it is last night, just before bedtime.

Here it is this morning, at first light. Tencel & cotton.


In the Department of Books, I just finished reading James Salter's 2013 novel, All That Is.

Small Victories

Morning in the woods. The first thing that popped into my head when I saw this tree was "V for Victory." Does anyone say that anymore? It did make me think a good day was in store.

Honeysuckle is everywhere. If you put your face right up close to the monitor you will be able to smell it. Delicious.

No, I did not pay this gentleman to pose with his bicycle in front of the gazebo. Isn't he perfect?

Some of my friends are Master Gardeners and know the names of every plant and tree and weed in the woods. Not I. I don't know what this one is, but it is very showy right now, and I love the way the leaves light up when the sun shines through them just so. 

Back in the studio, I'm working on a third runner (towel?) on the Bateman variations warp. I've modified the draft a bit, slightly elongating the blocks. The pattern weft is pink slub cotton, and the tabby is red tencel. 

A closeup. The little diamonds show up more clearly with this yarn combination. It's always fun when that happens. There's never any predicting it.

I recently received this book in the mail. It's got a number of interesting overshot drafts in it, drafts which are a little different than the American ones I am familiar with. My copy is already bristling with blue sticky notes.

Here's one I am interested in sampling. It's my modification of a draft the authors call "Dalkulla." What do you think?