Netting (click for bigger)

This is my last piece of the weaving intensive. It called Netting A from Marguerite Davison’s A Handweaver’s Pattern Book (in the Swedish Lace section).

The yarn is Crystal Palace Como on my 15 dent reed at 30 epi.

This was an interesting exercise because it utilizes skip dent technique, but you only skip one dent.

The pattern says to thread 3 through 1 dent, skip 1, thread 1 through a dent, skip 1, thread 1 through a dent, skip 1, etc.

This would be easy if you are threading one per dent. But since I’m threading at 30 epi on a 15 dent reed, how do you skip dent when you are threading at 2 per dent? You’re not really skipping dents, just spacing them out.

Judith and I looked at it and came up with 2 different threading options.

My solution: thread 3 through 1 dent, thread 1 through the next 2 dents, etc.

Judith’s solution: thread 3 through 1 dent, thread 2 through 1 dent, skip 1 dent, etc.

They both seemed feasible so we decided to put my threading on the outside edges (4 repeats), and have the center 8 repeats using Judith’s solution. The thought behind this is that my threading is more dense (no skipped dents) and they should be outside to provide stability.

Guess what? It made absolutely no difference. We took the woven sample (straight off of the loom) and put it up to the light and we can’t see where the shift from one threading to another. In the photograph below, the transition happens about the middle of the photo.

Unwashed Netting Detail (click for bigger)

Perhaps Judith already knew this but just allowed me to work through this on my own. In any case, it was a revelation.

Netting samples (click for bigger)

A: Off the loom, unwashed
B: Washed/Fulled (with toilet plunger), pressed
C: Washed/Fulled (cold gentle cycle in washer and dryer on low)
D: Same as C after pressing

In case you are wondering what the blue is, it’s a fine silk cord that I played with. I think it would make a great accent piece as well. A turned cuff or lapel fabric.

The finished piece is about 5″ wide and very long. Not quite the right dimensions for a scarf. Perhaps I can dye it for whatever color belt Iris has achieved in her Tae Kwon Do class.

Here’a another picture of the fabric held up against the light. This time, it’s the fabric fulled in the washer/dryer. See how much it has changed?