So, Julie's scarf. On the borrowed table loom. I finally got around to sampling today.I couldn't see the design while weaving or washing, but when I pressed the sample the leafy pattern appeared. Yay! At the bottom I also tried a combination of wefts darker than the darker warp and lighter than the lighter warp, (ABAB in warp, A+B-A+B- in the weft, if you get my meaning), but the standard ABAB both ways is probably nearer to what she wanted. The sett and pick were my main concerns, but at 15EPI, it's plenty soft. I could even go 18DPI.
The main problem is, I haven't been able to do a test piece where I can check the threading - I tried weaving from 1 to 8 with a yellow weft, but that didn't do the trick. Then I tried weaving the draft with a yellow weft, but I think Shafts 2 and 4 weren't lifting high enough so the cloth looked a little different. Then I really wanted to do a real sample, so I haven't checked the threading yet.
I hadn't realized how hard it is to work on a table loom. The mechanism of this old loom is pretty sound and the springs make funny "bo-i-nnn-gggggg" sounds whenever I lift a shaft. And shadow weave, even though it involves two shuttles, is pretty regular and predictable at this level so I can handle it. The loom is tall, though, and I have to weave standing up, and the kitchen table is the only place it works, so I have to be choosy about the time of the day when the light is good in the kitchen.
So, tonight or tomorrow, I'll somehow check the threading, sample 18DPI, and then start the piece. Finally...
the leafy pattern is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIt works, doesn't it? So nice to have you in a "similar" time zone, Taueret!!
ReplyDeletePete always knows when I'm using the table loom because I stand on the phone books for extra height!
ReplyDeleteWow, even you need extra height, Dianne? Now I don't feel so bad, then.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that it is the pressing the makes the pattern visible. By the way, maybe I haven't just noticed before, but I like your new blog setup. I'm also interested to see that you are planning to sell on Etsy.
ReplyDeleteI suspect it's the drying of the yarn that brings out the contrast in the values, but it certainly doesn't show as well when I'm weaving when the yarn is also dry.
ReplyDeleteWell, the blog setup is new in a way, but not that different, Peg. Etsy? It'll happen when it'll happen - I'm not sure what's happening with one of the galleries in town, (and it could just be all in my head trying to differentiate all the galleries), so I can't begin to think of what I'll do with it yet. You know me, it'll happen suddenly in about a year's time.