Weave – Page 23 – Fiber Musings

Failed Experiment

On 5 May, 2010

Browsing through Weavolution last week, I came across a Weave-Along on the Rigid Heddle list. See post #28 (sorry, can’t figure out how to link to a specific post). I was obsessed with trying this out.

So, yesterday, I measured out a 70″ warp (enough for 2 small table toppers) and went to town. It took me 4+ hours to warp this darn thing and tie on two continuous heddle string/bar (for shafts 2 & 3). Then an hour to heave the first 2″. 5 hours into this thing and I have something that I wouldn’t give to my cat as a cat bed.

Problems? Tension on the warp, to name one. But more importantly, threads 2 & 3 share the slot in the rigid heddle. These get completely muddled up and I can’t get a clean shed on 2 & 3. I spend 2-4 minutes on each shed, trying to clear it. A girl can go grey weaving this. Oh, wait, I already am turning grey. Never mind.

Here are a series of pictures to show Heather that it is possible to do a diamond twill on a Cricket. If one had the perseverance, that is.

Tie up in progress. 1 thread through the hole; 2 threads through the slot.

Wonky tension and 1 threading error aside, here's what it looks like on the loom. You can see 3/4 of a diamond here.

The back shows the diamond more dramatically.

Yup. I’ve cut the puppy off. I was going to put it onto the Gilmore, but I’ve changed my mind. It’s not worth the < $10 in yarn to try and salvage this. I’ll re-purpose the yarn for tying up warp chains or something.

The yarn? Paton Grace 100% mercerized cotton from Michael’s. It’s approximately the same size as 3/2 cotton.

Bevy

By Ann

On 18 Apr, 2010

In Weave

A bevy of scarves

Left to Right:

CNCH Scarf 1: This scarf was woven by a guild for the CNCH committee members. Unfortunately, I have misplaced the slip of paper that came with this scarf that tell me who wove it and the pattern. I do know that they had to dye the tencel yarn in CNCH colors in the warp. It is lovely. The pattern was from a past issue of Handwoven. As soon as I find it, I’ll post the information.
CNCH Scarf 2: Laura had dyed some of her luscious super wash BFL in CNCH colors. I requested that she dye a few hanks of it in the same purple. The end result is the scarf you see above. 15 ends per inch.
Tencel Scarf: I purchased the 10/2 tencel from Just Our Yarn at Stitches West. The warp is a purple base and the weft is a light blue base. The pattern is a point draft. I had to simplify from my original design because I felt the pattern was lost in the handpainted yarn.

The biggest question is what I’ll do with all these scarves. I used to wear scarves as accessories all the time, but that was back in the 80s. With my interest in trying different patterns on the loom, and that a scarf is the perfect sampler, I suddenly have a surplus of scarves. I think I’ll be wearing scarves again.

Cram and Space 4

By Ann

On 26 Mar, 2010

In Weave

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?

Random thoughts of a fiber enthusiast - mostly fiber related, sometimes coherent

Category: Weave Page 23 of 34

Failed Experiment

Bevy

Cram and Space 4