What’s happening with my weaving?

34481
More or less nothing actually! Which feels really weird after being so obsessed with it for a while, but in fact it’s very natural. I can’t do all the things all the time but I need the occasional shift in focus. Doing just one thing seems like having to eat the same food 3 x 365, even if it’s your favourite.

But I haven’t grown tired of it, in fact it just started out that way, a piece of cloth I didn’t enjoy making and since it required a lot of focus and counting I can’t just get it done and be over with. And then your focus slips away even without headaches. Oh, and did I mention that it’s really skinny thread, the fabric is as thin as fine bed sheets.

Now I’ve cut off the measly stump and rethreading the remaining yarn for another pattern, a straight treadling this time, one colour. It’ll end up something like this:

34481blue

I did learn some things from my sample; that it is in fact possible to use silk noil singles as warp if you tension it individually (from the cotton), if you are prepared for a few repairs along the way, and what I also did was let those shafts rise and sink a bit more than the others to avoid shuttle contact/snagging. I was also confirmed in my suspicion that I had set the cotton a bit too closely, as I had to beat too hard to get squares. (and being too lazy to resley 1350 ends) They remained squares after a good wash, so even if the fabric is not super drapy I’m happy to have done this test. Learning from failure seems to stick much harder!

I didn’t enjoy the design as much as I’d hoped either, the white is too translucent to show the staggered crosses. But it may make it as a panel somewhere, someday.

crosses01 crosses02

crosses03 crosses04

The plan now is to get my drafts organized, do some colour swatches, that should be enough to set me off for a winter’s work. I have some wool I want to dye, maybe I’ll wait though until I have actual designs made up so I don’t wind up with the wrong amount. I want to see if I can get bronze from goldenrod again, the ones in my garden have sadly perished, so I need to raid the forest and ditches. Oak and madder are on the table for some dark, oriental inspired patterns.

Lastly I’m working on adding 2 shafts to my small loom to make it a 6. I couldn’t get wood remotely the same size for lamms, which was a bummer, later I saw a cheap twin for sale, which I could have scavenged, but never mind. As long as it works.

6shafts

11 thoughts on “What’s happening with my weaving?

  1. De der halvgennemigtige krydser i nummeret efter spindelvæv er bare superflotte. Livet er for kort til kun at prøve en ting 🙂

    1. Ja, det har du ganske ret i, nu får jeg to læremuligheder af samme trend! Eller flere, hvis jeg bliver træt af mønsteret denne gang kan jeg nøjes med at binde tramperne om uden at skulle sølle hele møget igen igen.

    1. That’s how it goes, isn’t it, life and other stuff keeps mingling up and breaking the flow. But it’s ok I guess.

  2. I haven’t been weaving either. Son is moving downstairs where my looms live it is such a disaster area… I love your fabric and can see a blouse out of that material.

    1. I hope you can gain back control over some area for your weaving soon! 🙂

      A blouse was actually my initial goal – I may have to add some plain white fabric now for some panels design to cover all my bits.

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