After spending two solid days preparing the green and black warp, I discovered three threading errors. They were not the kind for which you can throw in a few repair heddles and forge ahead. A total cutoff and rethreading was necessary.
Then I wove a few inches on the corrected threading, and discovered two new denting errors! Oy vay.
Time to get my ducks in a row.
No more sleeping on the job.
So yesterday I was busy as a bee.
No rest for the weary.
I'll never thread another black warp, she said. Never say never.
I absolutely wanted this warp, black and olive green, end and end, so I ignored my previous prohibition and wound it anyway. It went on the beam very smoothly, and here it is ready for threading.
Lo and behold, it was not that difficult. Something about the haptics of selecting the threads from the cross. Maybe it was muscle memory. Whatever it was, the threading and denting went quickly
Yesterday, after a few technical issues with TempoTreadle, which were quickly ironed out by the good folks at LoftyFiber, I was ready to go. It's a parallel or interleaved threading, aka echo weave, woven as doubleweave on 8 shafts.
Taking a break from the studio, I walked around the lake in spite of the drizzle. It was quite refreshing.
At the Sustainability Center the little black & white cat was as friendly as ever. She appears to be quite interested in tomatoes.
Stopping for groceries on the way home I was stopped in my tracks at the bakery display, where a new batch of cakes had just been put in the refrigerated case. I didn't buy any of these, but I was sorely tempted by that chocolate ganache in the bottom row.
Another day, another warp. Three ends held together on the warping board, then taken randomly in the threading. Blue, green, violet. The weft is purple. The draft, an original huck-like texture on 16 shafts. 10/2 mercerized cotton @ 24 epi and ppi. Yardage for a garment.
Time passes, the seasons change. A tree came down on the Trail after the recent snow.
Snow doesn't last long around here, but there was enough for a small snowman. I think a biker must have taken a two-minute break for this one.
If you are following the saga of the Monstera, the leaf we have been watching is almost completely open. The energy revealed in this unfurling is impressive.
Back in the studio, I basted narrow woven strips together...
...then stitched overlapped seams on the sewing machine, and laid out the pattern pieces.
After cutting, I fused 1/2" strips of lightweight interfacing to all the cut edges to halt unraveling.
After sewing the shoulder seams together and sewing a bias strip facing around the neck edge, I tried the partial garment on and discovered, to my horror, that I couldn't get it on over my head, even though in the test garment it was big enough. Seems that the fused interfacings on the neck edge didn't allow enough give in what would otherwise be a bias situation. After a bit of tugging and adjusting, and more than a few bad words, I salvaged the situation. Whew.
The garment is now finished and it fits, and I love it. I'll try to get some decent pictures and show it to you when next we meet.
BTW, I've had my second Covid shot and have experienced no side effects whatsoever. Life is good.
I know I'm a little late to the celebration, but couldn't resist posting this picture. That's me a couple of years ago, hence the short hair, and as for Bernie, he is good at time travel.
Back to business. More thoughts on proxy designing for a straight threading on 16 shafts. What if I did a point twill threading for 4 shafts, which repeats every 16 ends? I could then weave the resulting draft on 16 shafts. Two examples shown below. Click to enlarge.
I haven't woven these yet, but intend to soon. It will be interesting to see how they behave after washing, always the acid test.
Out with the old, in with the new. The knots rose over the horizon, signaling that it would soon be time to cut off.
Five yards of jin (AKA turned taqueté) cut off and washed.
Then there was this (Hallelujah!).
in between moments of watching the screen, transfixed, I did wind a new warp. Shades of blue.
And tied it onto the old warp, straight threading on 16 shafts.
Did some playing with drafts. How about imagining a pointed threading on 9 shafts, and then weaving some of the samples on the straight 16-shaft threading? Think about it.
Wove all ten of these samples. When the parade was over, I cut the samples from the loom and washed them.
After washing & ironing, some were awful, some pretty good, and this one was a definite keeper.
So I'll be weaving off the rest of the warp in that draft, with a lavender weft. Warp and weft are 10/2 cotton, 24 epi and ppi. Click to enlarge.
I slept very well last night.
Did you?
Last week's jin was washed & ironed. It will make its way into something wearable. Eventually.
Hanukah this year was virtual.
This morning we got up early to watch the final race of the Formula I season, from Abu Dhabi.
I must keep my hands moving while I watch TV. Currently working on some drawstring pouches to contain other projects. Projects within projects within projects. That's how I roll.
On the looms there is only slow weaving. Long warps, a little weaving each day. Inch by inch. It's pleasant work, but really doesn't engage the mind.
But what should appear, just in time? This lovely tool, called a lucet. I'm learning how to use it. A new set of hand skills. Now that's a fun challenge.
There are no words. Well maybe one word. Patience.
Pages for a book? Double weave, one layer 8-end satin, the other layer sometimes plain weave, sometimes twill.
The narrow brown strip will be the spine.
Meanwhile, trying to stay sane until Tuesday and beyond.