Before We Weave Ahead

My Structures Study Group has moved ahead to another weaving technique. Before we head over there, here are a few more photos of my Color and Weave adventures.

Changing color order in the weft changes the direction of all the little stripes. This swatch is 16/2 cotton sett at 30 e.p.i. The draft is an 8H Shadow Weave, #271 from Stickler.

Here is an experiment using variegated yarns at regular intervals in both warp and weft. The draft is the same. This warp is 20/2 cotton sett at 35 e.p.i. These colors really sing, don't they?

These two photos are another warp of Stickler #271. This time I used 8/2 Tencel in Silver Grey and Hunter. The scarf is hemmed because I always have trouble with scarf fringes catching on things and generally getting in my way. The extra little bit here is woven with the opposite color order. I was sorry that there wasn't enough warp left to weave and entire scarf this way.

Now for the RANT portion of my message:

Why does everything always have to change? I was happy with the old light bulbs, toilets that effectively flushed, detergents that fought grease, so many things . . . There are those who consider change to be progress. I like tried and true. Old is not necessarily bad. If that is too stick-in-the-mud, fine. But it is my opinion and I will gladly stand my ground because it is my ground.

And now Blogger has changed. The old one was fine and even though comments seemed unworkable, I was happy with the old interface. Why do we constantly have to reinvent the wheel?

Okay, I put that out there and I do appreciate your patience with my rant. Fortunately, I was able to revert. Otherwise this post would not be published. It may not even look right when it does. We shall see.

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Sunshine Table Runner

Sunshine Table Runner - Taqueté (unturned)
The piece on the right is a swatch exploring border possibilities

Although this winter has been mild, it has been unusually dark and rainy -  altogether gloomy. At last a few daffodils are blooming as are some of the early flowering trees. Seeing color return to the garden lifts my spirits. Weaving with happy colors does the same.

Today at a guild meeting my friend Linda said, “You haven’t posted on your blog for a while.” No, I haven’t. Why? I needed to take photos (Isn’t that a silly excuse?). Someone I care about noticed my silence. Talk about motivation.

After my Weave Structures Study Group looked at crepe weaves we turned our attention to Taqueté, actually Turned Taqueté. But I couldn’t bring myself to turn this structure. Turning it locks one into using the same pattern color order for the entire warp. So I threaded my loom in the usual way for Taqueté: 1,3,2,3 – 1,4,2,4 – for two blocks. You might recognize this as a Summer & Winter threading. The threading doesn’t delineate Taqueté from Summer and Winter. It is the way wefts are thrown that makes the difference. In Taqueté tie-down wefts are eliminated and only pattern wefts are thrown. The result is a weft-dominant cloth with vast design possibilities.

Taqueté Sunshine Runner - Detail

Sunshine & Taqueté Detail
Pattern wefts are orange and 
three shades of yellow

The warp here is 20/2 perle cotton sett at 30 e.p.i., combined with 10/2 perle cotton pattern wefts. I designed this little runner while weaving it and am happy with the result. It is a happy little table runner. The middle section worked out particularly well with two very close shades of yellow wefts. The pattern through the center is subtle but still effective.

This is a fun structure to weave with lots of possibilities. I have read Taqueté is a good structure for hand woven rugs so it will go on my “to do” list. The list is rather long though, so don’t hold your breath. In the meantime, Spring is nearly here!

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Summer Side Up

The year is rapidly slipping away. Tomorrow we begin anew. Slowly and surely daylight is growing longer. We look forward. It is an exciting time.

Little Grandbaby beneath his Wee Pine Tree Coverlet

As 2019 ebbs I had to share one more photo. It is my precious Grand beneath his Wee Pine Tree Coverlet. This time the “Summer” side shows. This is the side that was up on the loom when I wove it. You can see how the slightly darker threads running through the tree trunks create a pleasing secondary pattern. I like that. I enjoy weaving. Color is such fun! Very best of all is sharing my weaving with loved ones.

May 2020 bring you and yours great success and happiness. Happy New Year!

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Waves of Waffles

Waves of Waffle Weave yardage
The color here is far from accurate, check the next photo for a better idea.

Waffle Weave with plain weave, Detail
The color here shows a bit better

This waffle yardage was the next project after Ketchup & Mustard. The draft works well and is satisfying to weave so I simply wanted to continue with more of the same.

Lately, making use of yarns already on hand has been a recurring theme among my weaving friends. Collecting yarn is easier than weaving with it and we are mostly of “a certain age”. Also, sadly, the members of our guild are aging and leaving yarns for us to weave in their honor. Thus we are busily working to make the most of what we have while we can. I suppose it's a grains of sand in the hour glass type of goal.

Here I chose 16/2 dark teal green cotton, combining it with 20/2 black perle cotton and a 20/2 cotton variegated yarn. The teal colored yarn came from the estate of Lynn, a late guild member. She will not be soon forgotten.

The woven piece is yardage. Happily, I used a lot of yarn to weave it. Now what have I been mentioning about getting around to sewing?

Precious youngest grandson
giving his Wee Pinetree Coverlet a workout

 My youngest grandchild loves his Wee Pinetree Coverlet. Today his dear mother took this snapshot while he napped. Precious child, precious mother . . .

Christmas is nipping at our heels and there is still much to be done. I have been busy weaving Cottolin towels. Yet, there are warps between the waffles and the towels. After I take photos I’ll write about my adventures with Taqueté and Samitum.

Merry Christmas!

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Ketchup & Mustard Waffles

Ketchup & Mustard Waffle Weave

Here is a new combination. Let it be known that this is the one and only time I have combined waffles and those classic condiments. It does not sound appetizing but you might agree they make a terrific weave structure.

 Those of you who have followed my blog know waffle weave has been a particular favorite of mine. Following many experimental warps, this one is my favorite. Further experience may bump this one from first place but, so far, this one is tops.

What makes it so special? The cloth is lightweight and absorbent with a nice hand and pleasing texture, a perfect combination for kitchen towels or medium weight clothing.

Ketchup & Mustard Waffle Weave detail

The colors make me happy, too. Red is my favorite and I like to use variegated yarns. Plus, these are yarns from my vast collection. Nothing new was purchased.

Hem rippling can be a problem with waffle weave. Combining waffle cells and plain weave helps. The plain weave stripes in warp and weft hold the cell groups to minimize draw-in and add stability. Using sewing thread as weft for the hems is another way to prevent the puckers.

Hooray for the latest gourmet treat – Waffles with Ketchup & Mustard!

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Crepe Closer 3

Happy first day of Autumn! Don't you just love Autumn? With cool but sunny days, brilliant colors and musky scents, this is my favorite season. It’s nice to get together over a cup of hot tea or cider and talk weaving. Or at least have a hot cuppa and read the latest weaving blog posts.

Here is the third installment of photos of my crepe sampler from the Strickler 8H book.

Strickler #35

Strickler #36

Strickler #37

Strickler #38

Strickler #39, same as #813 in Oelsner's "A Handbook of Weaves"

Strickler #40, same as #814 in Olesner's "A Handbook of Weaves"

The colors of these samples really do say "Autumn", don't they?

After this there will be one more set of six photos then I’ll have a bit more waffle weave to show.    

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Crepe Closer 2

A "Box of Chocolates" approach is my thing for sure. Variety definitely appeals to me. Weaving samplers is right up my alley.

Here are the next six 8H Crepe weaves from Strickler. On the first one you will see the number under which it appears in Oelsner.

8H Crepe Weave #29 from Strickler (Also in A Handbook of Weaves by G.H. Oelsner, #803)

8H Crepe Weave #30 from Stickler

8H Crepe Weave #31 from Stickler
Note: The threading in this draft puzzled me. I decided to change it
to treadle as a straight 8 which is what you see here.
It's impossible to tell from the black & white photo in the book which is correct.

8H Crepe Weave #32 from Stickler

8H Crepe #33 from Stickler 

8H Crepe #34 from Stickler

I have still more swatches to show. Watch for the next post and keep weaving.

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Crepe Closer 1

Except at close range, the structures of crepe samples woven with 20/2 cotton sett at 37½ e.p.i. are too small to see. Here are a few swatches in close-up to better show detail of the structure. A tape measure appears in the photos to show scale. These are all from Carol Strickler's A Weaver's Book of 8-Shaft Patterns, previously published in A Handbook of Weaves by G.H. Oelsner.

#23 This one is an "interlocking twill"

#24 Another interlocking twill

#25 Interlocking twill

#26 This one is a crepe

#27 This is one of my favorites
They are all rather nice though, so it is tough to choose.

#28 Yet another nice one

Of course, it would be best to see and feel these in person. But that will have to wait for higher technology. Until then, stand by for more close-ups.

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Crepe Obsession

Once crepe came into focus, I couldn’t get enough of it. My study group even decided to take a closer look at crepe, too.

It was tough to show the entire length in one photo.
Here it is folded to show a bit of each version.

Of course, I went to one of my all-time favorite books, Carol Strickler’s “A Handweaver’s Book of 8-Shaft Patterns”, in search of new crepe drafts. There, on pages 15-16, was a veritable chocolate box of delightful options.

Then came the obvious trouble of making a choice. But wait! Each of the 24 variations can be woven on the same straight draw on 8 shafts. I wanted to weave them all and with only a few changes in tie-ups and treadlings, I could. Yippee! Changing tie-ups on my Glimakra is less than convenient but ultimately do-able. Once I got started, climbing beneath my loom for each of the 17 required tie-ups became routine.

On my shelf I had a few cones of old 20/2 unmercerized cotton mill ends from WEBS. With those I wound a narrow warp, sett it at 37.5 e.p.i., and away I wove. And wove . . . and wove some more. The result is a sampler of 24 crepes and interlocking twills. There is a 6” length of each variation. The finished sampler is 12.5” wide and 108” (3 yards) long. It contains a wealth of useful information.

Left to Right - Drafts #23-32 from Stickler

Left to Right - Drafts #33-42 from Stickler

Left to Right: Drafts #40-46
There is some overlap from the last photo. The last swatch on the right is Draft #26 in both pale yellow and brown
because I ran out of the yellow.

This cloth is soft has a nice drape. It would make a comfortable shirt or a snuggly baby blanket. For now I will enjoy handling the sampler and think of future projects.

This is the entire length. That's a lot of crepe!

If not for my structure study group crepe may well have entirely escaped my notice. A little push outside my comfort zone often brings delightful results. This one certainly did. For a new weaving adventure, think about giving crepe weave a try.

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Thrum Cloth

Thrum Cloth
Knotted thrums of random color and grist on every third pick

Loads of carpet warp fills my collection of thrums but lots of finer yarns are in there, too. I’ve been concocting  ways to put those finer ones to use.

Here is a very simple weave structure. Small weft skips lay between every two plain weave picks. The design came about by way of serendipity. As I wove the plain weave structure I experimented with frequency of thrum placement. Were they best included every other pick, every third pick, etc.

In the end I decided on a three-pick repeat but found the uneven number of picks difficult to maintain. I rely a lot on rhythmic shuttle movements. Once I am in the groove my mind is free to wander. The two picks of shuttle one, one pick of shuttle two kept throwing me off so I decided to throw the third pick, the thrum pick, on treadle #3. My previous tie-up was still in place so I just used what was there. It happened to lift two adjacent shafts. The result made me happy and made shuttle movements more predictable.

The resulting Thrum Cloth yardage is visually interesting with a nice hand. I’ll be considering it’s final use; perhaps a sewing project is in order.

Thrum Cloth
Swatch of my original sampling appears at lower right.

Next is a group photo of my three Deflected Double Weave towels. This structure would be great for scarves, baby blankets and lap robes, too. So much to weave, so little time . . .

Three Kitchen Towels

Spring takes me outdoors more and more, keeping me from the loom. But a study group project is in hot competition for time. A deadline approaches so I am deep into the study of a structure of which I know very little: Crepe Weave. Wish me luck!

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Spring Sunshine and Happy Colors

Great Colors Make Me Happy

Things that make me happy include grandchildren, sunshine, flowers and just the right color combinations.

My third foray into Strickler Draft #760 was a happy one. Color is one of my life-long delights. I am rather a practical person. Still, practicality does not exclude beauty.

I take particular joy in weaving everyday household textiles that are both useful and visually pleasing. This kitchen hand towel exemplifies my goal and makes me happy.

Kitchen Hand Towel, Stickler #760

Structure: Deflected Double Weave, #760 from "A Weaver's Book of 8-Shaft Patterns from the Friends of Handwoven" edited by Carol Strickler

Yarns: 10/2 and 20/2 perle cottons in three solid colors and one variegated. Sett: 30 e.p.i.

Third color way of Stickler #760 on 8 Harnesses

Reverse Side, Third color way of Stickler #760

Spring has sprung. Yard work beckons and the fun continues.

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Weaving and Wishing for Spring

Wishing for Spring Cotton Towel

This has been a tough winter with more snow, colder temperatures and more freezing nights than I can remember. Added to my Midwest Polar Vortex adventure, spring seems a very long time coming. Yet it is still early March. Guess it’s time for patience. In the meantime, I’ve planted several seed trays indoors. Anticipation grows.

While awaiting spring, indoor color adventures continue. Here is the second warp using the Strickler draft #760. The turquoise 10/2 unmercerized cotton had been on my shelf for some time. With 10/2 perle cotton in Porcelain Green, 20/2 UKI mercerized cotton in Banana and 20/2 cotton in a variegation called Spray I think this is a winning combination.

Wishing for Spring Cotton Towel, reverse side

I don’t usually complain about the weather and a few crocus have been blooming. Patience is a virtue, right? Still, I’m very happy that this winter will soon be over – at least according to the calendar.

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2018 Christmas Towels

Christmas was months ago already and I’m back-blogged again. In my defense, travel and an ill loved one are the reason. My dear one endured a final treatment over Dec.24-26. Over the past 11 months suffering has been profound but we saw completion as the ultimate Christmas gift. (Now for the long recovery.) Then I spent the better part of January in the USA Upper Midwest “enjoying” the Polar Vortex and welcoming a new addition to my family. As you can tell, family comes before my weaving. I expect the same is true for you, too.

You may recall my 2017 Christmas towels were waffle weave. Those towels are pretty, soft and super absorbent, a real treat to use. The waffle weave texture works especially well for towels.

When it came to considering structures for Christmas 2018 towels I sought textured weaves. One particular draft caught my eye. In my search and study I kept going back to it. It seemed an unlikely option but it drew my attention so I wove a sample using various odds and ends from my stash.

Two 2018 Christmas Towels, Front and Reverse sides
Left Towel: Strickler Draft #763
Right Towel: Strickler Draft #760

The draft is #760-763 from “A Weaver’s Book of 8-Shaft Patterns from the Friends of Handwoven” edited by Carol Strickler. The short description calls this “Silk Brocade” from a Virginia West workshop. I am no expert on weave structures. My idea of brocade is quite different. But I don't really know. This weave seems to be “Deflected Double Weave” - a term coined, I think, by Madelyn van der Hoogt. If you can tell me more, please comment.

These were my goals:

• Weave Christmas towels in time for gift giving
• Make towels unique from those of previous years
• Weave thirsty towels with texture
• Make use of yarns already on hand
• Try a new structure

Detail, front side - Strickler Draft #760

 The two sides of these towels are very different. It's fun to look at both sides as I dry my hands. Both are nice so I hemmed one end of the towel as if that side was the front and the other end as if the reverse side was the front. That left me with the dilemma of choosing a side for my label. So some are labeled one one side and some are labeled on the other side.

The olive yarn is 10/2 cotton, the terra cotta and yellow yarns are 20/2 cotton. These were all already on my shelf.

Detail, reverse side - Strickler Draft #760

Detail, front side - Strickler Draft #763

Having sampled all four version of this draft, all of my towels except for one were woven using #760. Just for fun I had to try one towel using #763. In spite of some fairly long floats for a towel, this one is nice. In one corner I tried tucking a large sequin in between the plain weave layers. That was nice, not great for a towel but something I'd always wanted to try.

Detail, reverse side, Strickler Draft #763

Did these ever meet my goals! And they were fun to weave. It may have been slow fussy weaving, but the results speak for themselves. My family and friends love these. So do I.

Since I’ve been back at home I tied on to this warp two times more. Watch for photos of those additional color ways to follow soon.

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