I shared my
plan last time, and since then, I've been dressing the loom (slowly because it's garden
planting season). I made one color swap with the brown warp. I wasn't quite
satisfied with my original choice and wanted something darker, for better
contrast for the motif. So I pulled out the other brown on my 10/2 shelf and
like it better for this project.
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Warp color swap: my original choice on the left, substitution on the
right. Note to self: I like these 2 colors together & must plan a project for them. |
Here's how it's coming along.
Even after all my reading and note taking about crackle in the Italian manner
(here), I was still confused when it came time to figure out my actual liftplan. The gist of it is that the pattern weft (P) alternates with the background wefts (a and b). If the background wefts were woven in tabby, it would be no problem. But somehow my mind couldn't simply substitute different treadlings for tabby without an effort of brain power. Finally, I
used the chart on page 26 of Lucy Brusic's A Crackle Weave Companion and plugged in the suggested opposites treadling for my background
wefts.
Liftplan for Cottage Windows sampler in the Italian Manner
Notes:
- Draft here →Crackle On Opposites
- Background wefts are a) and b)
- All blocks begin and end with background a.
- The window motifs alternate, so I have 1) and 2), opposites of one another.
1)
- 2-3 x 10
- a) 1-2
- b) 3-4
- 1-2 x 5
- a) 1-4
- b) 2-3
- 2-3 x 5
- a) 1-2
- b) 3-4
- 1-2 x 17
- a) 1-4
- b) 2-3
- 2-3 x 5
- a) 1-2
- b) 3-4
2)
- 1-4 x 10
- a) 3-4
- b) 1-2
- 3-4 x 5
- a) 2-3
- b) 1-4
- 1-4 x 5
- a) 3-4
- b) 1-2
- 3-4 x 17
- a) 2-3
- b) 1-4
- 1-4 x 5
- a) 3-4
- b) 1-2
Here's how I notate and follow it at the loom. You can click the image below for a better view.
The pattern shed is first with the number of repeats. The alternating background sheds for that block are indented. The beads help me keep track of which block I'm on (above, it's block 8). I just have to count the pattern picks to make sure I get the right number of them.
Weaving Notes:
- So far, it's slow going and requires paying attention. Having to keep track of three shuttles is part of the challenge.
- I suspect it would be easier with a treadle loom. With a table loom, I must keep track of and manually lift the shafts required to make each shed. If I could tie all the appropriate shafts to a treadle, I'd only have to keep track of which treadle.
- Similar background colors (turquoise and light blue of similar value) don't help. I finally figured out how to set my shuttles down to know which background to use next.
- I find beating the weft in its open shed works best.
- Colors? Not sure yet! Not quite as fascinating to weave as the Cottage Windows table runner. The gray warp section is more interesting than I thought it would be. For now, it's an experiment and I'm just working with what I've got. No complaints in that department.
- Would be a great tool for color experimentation. I can see how color weavers would love it.
Hopefully, this post isn't as boring and confusing as I suspect it is. I just hope I've documented it well enough to make sense when I come back to it sometime in the future.
7 comments:
wow, that is an awful lot to keep track of while weaving!
Your new warp color looks like a dark red on my computer. It's a better value contrast than your original yarn. I like it.
Valerie, yeah, it is a lot to keep track of, so that it isn't as much fun. I've decided to leave more complicated shed patterns for my treadle loom in the future. I've got plenty of ideas for my table loom!
The brown looks more dark red than brown on my computer as well. I suppose in real life it is a reddish brown. But colors are hard to duplicate accurately with digital equipment. I do like it better than the lighter brown for this sample.
Leigh, one question I have not thought to ask before but was prompted by our trip to a rug factory: How long do you weave? At the factory based on type of thread, there were limits between two and four hours simply because that is what weavers could do (especially without damaging their eyesight).
TB, for me, at most it's only a couple of hours per day because that's all the time I have for it. I think the type of weaving and type of loom would factor largely into this. Am I correct in assuming you are referring to the weaving of carpets in fancy patterns? If so, I'm guessing this is done on an upright tapestry type loom, where thread counts, thread changes, and packing individual sections are part of the process. That would be much more intense than simply throwing a shuttle back and forth like I do. Those time limits make sense because fatigue on the eyes and body will result in more mistakes.
I've never woven Crackle and have no understanding of this Italian Manner, but I sense it allows you to create more nuanced "colors" and I can't wait to see what you weave. (I just hope I can see it cf. your previous table runner.) Go, you!!
Leigh - Yes indeed, fancy rugs. Wool, wool on cotton, and silk. Silk was typically limited to two hours a day.
Meg, crackle has a lot of fascinating possibilities for a color weaver. I feel like I've barely scratched the surface!
TB, I would love an opportunity to see all of that in action. Turkish rugs are amazing for their designs and complexity. Nice to hear the weavers aren't pushed in productivity.
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