Project Planning, What's Next?

Even before I'd finished the twill gamp dishtowels, I was thinking about what to do next. And while I have a study project in mind, first I wanted to think about the sample squares in my gamps, choose some of the ones I like, and see what I can do with them. Plus, with gift giving season coming up, I need to plan for that. It's been a long, long time since I've given a gift of handcrafted love.

The first project that comes to mind is a table runner for my daughter-in-law. I have the yarns in her decor colors, so that's a start. 

Her style is modern (contemporary?), so I want something that will compliment her home. Large stripes? Plaid? Classic twill? Suggestions?

I've been doodling on WeaveDesign, to see if anything strikes my fancy.

Sample #1: Random stripes of balanced twill and reverse with different colors for warp and weft.

I like that one, but need to see how the colors blend. I'm thinking the turquoise and light gray are too close in value to present a good contrast. I'm also concerned about the black and white. I confess these can be troublesome for me, because of their tendency to visually dominate. Yet they are very much a part of her decor, so I would like to incorporate them if I can. 

Sample #2: Fibonacci stripes in different colors for warp and weft. The weave is alternating warp and weft dominant twill. I like that this structure features the colors better. (I'm ignoring the errors).

I like the diamond pattern created at the reverse points of the twills. Stepping back, 

Can you see the diamonds? You can click the image to enlarge.

I like the way the black behaves in the above sample, but the horizontal white stripe is distracting. 

Sample #3: Here's one repeating the colors in warp and weft with white omitted. 

Using the same colors in both warp and weft creates some solid squares, but the software doesn't show the texture that would be there. Also, I want to see a larger sample for the overall affect. 

Sample #4: It occurred to me that the white might be more visually balanced if I treated it the same as the black, i.e. use it for warp and weft in the smallest stripes. I tried it alternating with the black.

This is identical to #3, except I added the white stripes.

The grays are dominant in the above sample, with the turquoise secondary. The black and white are accents. That pretty much reflects how she used these colors in her decor. The Fibonacci stripes gives it an asymmetrical look, but how would it look with equally sized stripes?

Sample #5: Stripes are all roughly the same size, except the black and white.

The squares aren't all the same size, but you get the idea.

Sample #6: Color change-up. I put the light gray and turquoise in the warp and the dark gray in the weft. The white and black continue to be accent stripes.

I have no idea where the faint checks in the background
came from. It was something Gimp did on its own.

At about that point I was getting a wee bit bleary eyed and needed to walk away from it. But that's the progression of my ideas so far.

What do you all think? So far, I like #4 and #5 best. I realize this is only a computer drawing, and the real thing will give me a better idea of what it will look like. I'm especially curious as to how the turquoise will blend with the grays. So, sampling on the loom is next. Unless I come up with another idea (which is likely).  

Project Planning, What's Next? © Sept 2023

by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal

Related posts:

Project Planning Continued: Sample Color Swap

Table Runner 1: Samples 1

Table Runner 1: Samples 2