Weaverly

New Year, Old Ideas

Old ideas recycled become new ideas. That's what I tell myself. It mostly happens to be true.

A few weeks ago in our back yard there was this:

And just a few minutes ago we had this. I don't think it will stick. But this is for all my friends and relatives who think we are having a snowstorm in SC.

Meanwhile I am playing with some 16-shaft network drafting ideas. I don't know why I do this. I no longer have a 16-shaft loom. 

But I do enjoy the drafting process. These were done with TempoWeave software. Click to enlarge.

Department of Books

I have finished reading The Organized Mind by Daniel Levitin, Flight Into Camden by David Story, Daybook: The Journal of an Artist by Anne Truitt, and The Wright Sister by Richard Maurer.

Big and Little Sister

I have been having the best time practicing with the Section Assembly tools in TempoWeave. The program has just had an update and some very nice Network Drafting features are implemented, too.

This draft is from a group of circle motifs I call "Big and Little Sister." I don't have any sisters, and I have no daughters, either. So where does this come from? Who knows.

Another version:

Both for 8 shafts. The warp is running horizontally in these pictures.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend. 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. 

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.

 

Amalgamation Another Way

The original pattern line was networked with a point twill initial (6 wide x 4 high) instead of a straight 1/3 twill initial. 

It will be further manipulated. But you can find this wif file, as is, on handweaving.net, as 80629. Stay tuned.

Bounty

Yesterday's bounty in the woods. 

How can you not stop?

The draft I showed you in the previous post... here it is again, structure only, no color. It gives you some idea of the various micro-structures. 

Here's the first woven version, after washing. The fabric is much too loosely sett, although some of the wonderful little passages are evident here.

I resleyed it, then tied on another warp, this time all tencel. The iridescence is starting to show. 

A close-up. I'm in the habit of making my floating selvedges black. 

Washing will be the final test.

I have just finished reading The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen.

Has It Been That Long?

Yes, it has been a long time, but for all the best reasons. I am working on spending less time with screens & such, and more time with the yarn. How's it going, you ask? The jury is still out.

The outdoors are calling. It has been a great spring.

I spend as much time outdoors as possible.

But when I come inside, I am working on this. Eight shafts. 

The loom is all warped and ready to go. The yarns have a mind of their own, and I have no way of predicting what will happen. The washing machine is the final arbiter.

I have recently read Ann Cleeves,The Long Call, and Ursa Sigurdardottir, Last Rituals

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.

A Dilemma

Here's the problem. It's a scarf warp. I'll be rethreading an existing warp (gasp!) and I have exactly the right number of ends for this pattern (plus an additional funny business for selvedges). But I have to decide on which version I want to use. Same threading, different starting place. Do I want two circles side by side...

...or do I want a circle in the center and a half circle on either side?

We're talking about commitment here. I might be with this threading for a long time. What do you think?