In my planning post I decided to experiment with a variegated yarn. I warped my loom for two more bath mats and tried something a bit different with each.
The particulars
- yarn: Peaches & Cream 4-ply worsted weight cotton
- structure: classic crackle
- warp: variegated yarn in white, yellow, and orange
- pattern weft for both is red
- sett: 8 e.p.i.
- width in reed: 19"
- treadling: 4-shaft crackle has 4 treadling blocks, usually treadled in A, B, C, D order to create a stair step pattern. I used different block orders for each bath mat.
- wet finishing: hot water hand wash and machine dry on hot cycle
- machine hemmed both, rather than fringe
3rd Bath Mat
- background wefts: same variegated yarn as warp for both background wefts
- treadling: alternated A and C blocks
- off-the-loom dimensions before wet finishing: 16.5" x 26"
- finished dimensions: 15" x 23"
The variegated warp and weft gives a pseudo-plaid look to the light colored rectangles.
4th Bath Mat
- background wefts in solid colors: orange (x) and yellow (y)
- treadling: alternated A and B blocks
- off-the-loom dimensions before wet finishing: 16.5" x 26.25"
- finished dimensions: 15.5" x 24"
They are both very different, and it's interesting to explore some of the possibilities. I now have four very different bath mats, and all from the same threading pattern.
You can see bath mats 1 and 2 here.
6 comments:
I have reached the end of 2023 Crackle posts. Thanks to you, I have accumulated a bit of head knowledge, but the varieties and the new vocabulary is mind-boggling. I'm impressed with the breath of your sampling and descriptions/photos - they are great resources.
Also, I love your kitchen bathroom!
As well, try as I may, Strickler's explanation and drafts flew over my head, so I followed you to Davison, and I can visualize much easier with these drafts. There is a good reason this book is always needed. (Although, so is Strickler.)
Meg, thanks! The catch phrase for me with crackle was "color blending," which, being a color person perked my interest. Little did I know what I was getting myself into!
Meg, I hadn't looked at Strickler yet because I decided to start with 4-shaft crackle. So I started with 4-shaft resources. But after reading your comment, I pulled out Strickler and looked at what she says about crackle. If that was my first description I would have been lost too! It only now begins to make sense because she refers to 4-shaft crackle and I can refer back to my samples.
8-shaft crackle is a whole 'nother dimension of crackle. I think Susan Wilson (Weave Classic Crackle & More which I HIGHLY recommend as an introduction to crackle) has a chapter dedicated to 8-shaft crackle.
With 4-shaft crackle, we can weave pattern and background blocks. With 8-shaft crackle, we can weave pattern, background, and reverse-pattern blocks. I haven't found yet where Strickler addresses these, but I'm guessing they're somewhere in her book. Some of Wilson's 8-shaft samples are included in Strickler pages 136-137, where you can see three distinct color shadings to illustrate these blocks.
That's more complex, though, so I'm just taking one step at a time! By the time I finish with my 4-shaft experimenting, my 8-shaft loom should be available to do an 8-shaft crackle sampler. That's the plan anyway. Like I said, when I started, I had no idea that this would open up an entire world of new things to explore.
Goodness, I'm relieved to learn it Strickler wasn't straight forward to you, either. I note your distinction that on 8, we can "reverse" as well. I also found interesting Davison said some of the drafts could be Crackle, or can be classified as something else and appear in different sections of the book. When I have a moment, I'd like to check each one and understand what she meant.
You are leading me to a whole series of rabbit holes, dear Leigh.
Meg, that's the nature of crackle! LOL
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