Next Comes Samitum

Samitum Sampler

While the rest of my Weave Structures Study Group continued with Turned Taqueté, I decided my next logical step was Samitum.

The difference between the two weave structures is slight. Using the Summer & Winter threading, add a third tie-down on shaft three and weave without throwing tabby picks and you have Samitum.

Samitum Sampler - Detail
I had only a tiny bit of the lavender-colored yarn.
In this way I managed to use it all.

Taqueté requires two shuttle tosses per pass. It is double-faced and reversible. But Samitum, because it has three tie-down warps, requires three shuttle tosses per pass. It is triple dense and not reversible. The twill tie-down structure is apparent on the surface of this cloth.

Having woven Taquete at 30 e.p.i., I began Samitum using 20/2 perle cotton warp at the same sett. Surprisingly this sett was far too dense. So I opened it to 24 e.p.i. then switched again for a final sett of 20 e.p.i. Still, the cloth has a tendency to curl in along the selvedges. If ever I weave this again I’d consider opening the sett even further.

Samitum Sampler - Detail
It appears this photo doesn't want to be here.
This is the third try at posting. My apologies if it disappears again.

What appears grey here is actually dusty lavender. It was interesting to switch the red and lavender. Color study is endlessly fascinating and it is one way to use up odd bits of yarn.

I am glad for having had the occasion to explore Samitum. With that third shuttle, it holds far more design freedom than Taqueté. On the other hand, it takes longer to weave. Time will tell when and if I get back around to Samitum.

Warp On/Weave Off,

RepWeaver

Ah . . . Autumn

RepWeaver Warp #89
Autumn Hues Towels

Since my fair complexion means I sunburn at the drop of a hat, darker days don't get me down. In fact, Autumn is my favorite season. The colors dazzle me every time. I love throwing on a sweater on nippy days and evenings by candlelight. Then there's all the excitement of the upcoming holidays.

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Can you believe it? We had a lovely time celebrating with loved ones and contemplating our blessings. Over the long weekend we were busy but we also took a little time to catch our collective breath before the Christmas onslaught.

Just before the holiday, I finished weaving my latest batch of towels. The draft is # 443-448 from Carol Strickler's 8-shaft pattern book, an all-time favorite.

Aside from producing Christmas gifts, the purpose of my RepWeaver Warp #89 was to use a partial tube of dark brown warp. I wanted to wind a 9+ yard warp because the longer the warp, the more sense putting all the work into dressing my loom. So . . . I went for it. I wind my warps double length with a cross at each end. This made the prospect of running out of dark brown part way in less troublesome. When it did run out, I merely substituted a slightly lighter shade of brown. The lighter brown also served as the tabby weft.

Every fifth warp end is variegated.

Earlier I'd ordered a tube of two-ply variegated cotton on sale from WEBS. Using variegated yarns is one of my color-obsessions. I untwisted the ply and used this particular yarn singly. Variegated yarn is best used sparingly. Here the variegated ends occur at about every fifth end.

Overall this warp was a success. Using two shades of brown for warp was really interesting. I especially like being able to compare the effect of the variegated ends against each shade of brown. It actually makes these towels very interesting.

Here you see the cone of variegated yarn that I un-plied and mixed in with my brown warp ends.  Also note the lighter brown in the center of my warp.

This particular draft is a delight. With six different tie-up/treadling options weaving these was fun and interesting.

Shooting the photos was fun because the colors reminded me of a glorious pile of brilliantly colored Autumn leaves. Warp #89 produced nine very nice towels in three different drafts and colors.

When I cut the warp off I secured the ends to tie on another warp of the same draft. Can't wait to play with the next color way. Check back for progress.

RepWeaver