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I know, I know, I usually love whatever just came off the loom, but this time I think it’s a long-lasting love, not just a passing crush.
In the last post you saw my work hand painting two bouts of yarn – a terra cotta and an intended teal that was actually turquoise. Neither was exactly what I’d had in mind, but I was hoping they’d play nicely together for my weaving plan. I was happy with the colors while beaming.
This is a deflected doubleweave structure, so it meant twice as many threads (480) as usual for a scarf, and 2 shuttles to weave. I picked 2 colors of yarn and started weaving. I really like this cool on-the-loom shot.
As always, although I liked the look on the loom, I couldn’t be positive about the pieces till they were off the loom, fringed, and wet finished. Especially since this was a structure I hadn’t woven before, and the number of threads involved in a narrow piece, I had my fingers crossed that it would work as planned, that the ‘hand’ or drape and feel, would be pleasing, as well as the color choices.
You just have to trust me when I tell you that none of the photos I took show these scarves to their best advantage. I couldn’t get the colors just right. But I know I will be using this scarf for one of my jury photos…I think it’s a show stopper! Sometimes I think it looks like a fish, sometimes like jewelry, sometimes like a watercolor painting with metals in the paint.
I used the same light teal for the green-ish/blue-ish weft throughout, but changed the terra cotta warp with each piece. The differences are subtle, and not noticeable unless you see them side by side.
I will absolutely use this weaving draft again, even though as a 2-shuttle weave it’s slow. So where did I get the draft from? A woman in my Guild bought a scarf and brought it into a weaving class, where she and the teacher analyzed it and wrote out the draft. A third woman wove it up, brought the finished scarf to a Guild meeting where I drooled over it, and later shared the draft with me. Thanks, Toni, Joyce, & Eleanor!!
In other weaving news, I did finish weaving the black and white shawls. Had to get them off the loom to do the terra cotta & turquoise. Just like the scarves, I much prefer the look of the shawl with the white weft. Don’t know how others will feel. I wanted a contrast with the creamy white of the warp yarn and a weft. This isn’t as noticeable as I’d desired, but was the best I could do…mercerized cotton white weft.
So I’ll finish January with 9 completed pieces. Feeling good about that.
I’ve reconnected with a friend from years ago, and since she’s moved I want to bring her a few towels for her new home. My towel stock was woefully low, so I put a quick warp for just 8 towels on the loom and am weaving them. Towels won’t count in meeting my monthly goals, so I’m mentally planning for February’s weaving while I’m weaving those towels.
My regular readers will know I am not a sampler. I don’t put extra warp on the loom, weave a piece, cut it off, and wet finish it to learn things. I just go for it.
Why, then, did I feel a need to do some sample dyeing? I can’t really say. But I did it with the black and white to learn what strengths and techniques would work for my concept. And learn I did. So I did it again, with 6 mini-bouts of yarn. It was sort of a pain, measuring out those bouts, carefully marking them with threads so I’d know which was which later on, preparing them for hand painting, mixing the dyes, doing the work, and then waiting. But I did it. AND wrote everything down! What a crazy concept!
The reality is that I was using such tiny amounts of dye for these mini-bouts that I likely can’t match those color results exactly, but I can get closer to achieving an actual outcome of what’s in my head. I’m sure that I’ll often choose to go with serendipity, but I had a concept I wanted to try out, in hopes that it’d be a great jury piece, and it would require actual planning.
After those dye samples I prepared two fairly large bouts – 248 threads each, 8+ yards long. I dyed one in terra cotta (remember my terra notta experiment of months ago?) and one in teal. The terra cotta is lighter than I wanted teal is actually turquoise and brighter than intended, but both will work for my purpose. I think.
 terra cotta yarn painted  teal/turquoise painted  turquoise and terra cotta yarn drying  turquoise and terra cotta chained together I’ll be warping my loom with these yarns today. Keep your fingers crossed that I can achieve my vision.
So in addition to actually sampling, here are two other things that aren’t like me. A bit of politics on my blog. Although I have strong opinions, I won’t share them here. I will tell you that I think voting is a critical thing to do, and that there is a unique opportunity in 2018. If you’re not already registered to vote, do it now! And then vote in November. And if you’re so inclined, run for office yourself. Stand up for what you believe in in whatever way(s) you can.
My last not-like-me is actually sort-of-like-me. My participation in the soul line dance group has reminded me just how much I always liked dancing, and how happy I am to re-introduce it in my life. I distinctly remember having a sweatshirt with this image and words when I was a kid. Not sure if it was black or navy blue, but I loved wearing it.
So when a friend told me about a silent disco being held here in Rochester, I was all over it. Sign me up! We went on Friday night and met a few other friends there. I. HAD. A. BLAST!! Can’t wait for the next one, likely months away. (The photo is lame, as people were just starting to arrive, and none of the photos I took later in the evening turned out well.)
Parting shot: I was down with a cold/flu for 2 days this week. Jack was very patient with me, but was clearly extremely bored – even more than usual with my activity – or lack thereof. I always find it humorous when he uses this little bed as a pillow.
I’ve completed four pieces so far this month: three scarves and a shawl.
You saw the beginning of the new-to-me-Tara-Oftenorth weaving draft here. I wove off all three scarves, fringed, and wet finished them.
My favorite is still the first one, with the marine silk weft.
Although it works fine in closeup, I’m still not sure how well it will look when the whole piece is photographed at once, as is required for jury images.
For the second scarf I used sax, which is a pale silvery blue color. I like it better off the loom than I did on, but I the contrast of the colors doesn’t move me.
Because I really liked how close the marine and pansy were, and wasn’t excited by the sax and pansy, I decided to use a color that was closer for the third. I didn’t have what I wanted in silk, so chose a periwinkle tencel. It’s a tint of the pansy – the same color but with some white added; at least to my eye it is. The tencel is a bit thicker than the silk so the weave pattern is slightly elongated, but that’s okay with me.
Meanwhile I was working on the black and white shawl I’d started in the last post. I wove off the first one, cut it off the loom, fringed and wet finished it so I could decide if I needed to re-sley the reed closer for this undulating twill structure.
I like the hand of the piece and believe it to be stable, so I won’t be setting the warp closer for the next two shawls.
I am fine with the way the black dye ‘broke’ – separated into some of its component colors, with red coming out in some places and blue in others. It doesn’t detract to me.
When I painted that black & white warp for scarves that I wove in December, I also painted a warp for shawls. Here it is going on the back beam, with 4 narrow bouts of solid black in between the 5 bouts of handpainted.
No matter the colors, I always respond well to this shot. It’s just a look that does it for me. Gives me a peek at the finished piece.
I spent this morning threading 660 ends. Whew!
Although I check each bout as I tie it, I will be very happily surprised if there are no threading errors. Only time will tell.
Although all of my looms (2 floor looms, 1 table loom, 1 rigid heddle loom, 1 inkle loom) were naked on New Year’s Day, I’m off to a good start on my weaving goal for 2018. The afternoon of 1/1 I measured out a warp of Pansy 20/2 silk for that great draft I showed in my last post (thanks again to Tara Oftenorth).
I started by auditioning several weft possibilities I could immediately identify.
From the bottom, they are pale silvery blue (sax), chartreuse-y green (felt green), marine, black, yellow, golden, and magenta. I was surprised by what I did and didn’t like.
For a really classy look, I started with that marine. I love the draft, the look, and this shot.
I’ll choose a weft with much more contrast for the 2nd scarf, as I need to make a few pieces for this year’s jurying. Much as I love the look with that marine, I’m not sure it will photograph well, even with the great professional photographer I use. Best to give him a few options. (In case you’re wondering why it might not photograph well, jury photos can’t be a closeup of a section of a piece, they must show the entire piece. Not sure how this one would work.)
On the sewing front, I cut out and began sewing another tunic, from the first pattern, using some 100% cotton ‘quilters cotton’ I’d purchased at Joann Fabrics. It was very problemmatic in ways I can’t even explain. After getting everything but the sleeves done I tried it on and hated it. It was clear it wasn’t going to drape, and the print, which I’d liked on the bolt and while cutting and sewing, just made me look like a weird, fat, old lady. “Walk away,” I said. Then I went online and sought out what made something a quilters flannel versus one made for clothing. I quickly got to a place with lots of users saying what a problem Joann’s quilters flannel was, including how quickly it pilled. That did it for me. I will most definitely NOT finish that top, AND will find somewhere else to buy fabric for clothes.
Yesterday I went to a small, privately-owned store fabric store nearby. I got an absolutely gorgeous 100% cotton corduroy with some stretch and a great drape. Never even seen such a thing before. It’s been through the washer and dryer, and I’m looking forward to working with it.
But I’ve gotta get some weaving done today. Plus, I’ve decided that for my jury photos, I really need to have a handpainted piece, whether it’s a shawl (preferably) or a scarf, to reflect what I’m currently doing. Which means I need to think about color and do some more dyeing. There’s no end to things to be done. Thankfully I enjoy them all!
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