The Sixth

I've nearly finished preparing The Sixth and Sunflower I for the Suter Shop; perhaps I'll take them on Thursday on the first anniversary of visiting the shop in a long while and meeting Annie the Manager. The Sixth needs fringes trimmed, and I still see 60/2s sticking out both pieces, but I want to write this post before thoughts escape.

The Sixth, much of A-side, the side I see as I weave.

The Sixth, most of B-side.

 

Colors and Pattern Wefts

Weaving a larger piece on a larger loom made me focus on "big picture" colors, especially the patter wefts, in contrast to minute nuances that include tie-down wefts. I contemplated this towards the bottom of this post; see the second last photo. We know I default to gradation, and then the shiny or bright or very saturated fall out of favour, while it's these very flashy colors I wanted to use in this piece. Should I select a narrower range of pattern weft colors for the next piece to make the piece more vibrant?

Ditto the size/scale of the patterns and frequency of color change; there's no need to change colors as often as on the small loom, especially tie-down wefts. I can't decide if longer repeats in both directions so the motif "bits" are larger, or even some continuity in the threading, (in the next warp,) and lifting, (even the next piece on this warp,) all the way would be more suitable. I'm also thinking about my pet-project of elaborate tie-down patterns, but for this to work well, weft color/changes may need subduing.

Big Computer Dobby vs. Tiny Sample Looms - Physical aspects
There are technical/physical difference in the way I weave on the two looms. The most obvious is the swing of the arms, but as important to me is the distance between Shaft 1 and the breast beam and under it, i.e. how much I can see of what I've woven.

I found more weft "loops" on Sunflower I. While weaving The Sixth, I made similar loops, particularly with 60/2 for some reason, but I was able to see them and correct them right away. 

Of course the big difference is pre-decided, (yeah, I just made up a word,) lifting/treadling vs spontaneous. I was able to concentrate on other aspects, like colors, tension, selvedge, or weft loops. But I haven't made major discovery, as I was trying to get used to standing and weaving on the big loom, paying attention to the air-related problems of the last year. I suspect, though, in future re. tied unit weave on the big loom, they may be more planning ahead of threading and treadling, even with colors, and concentrating on the technique of weaving as I weave.

Sunflower I, one side.

Sunflower I, the other side.

Onward!

Mementos

I've been back a week, and in that time I've done so much careful handwashing, my hands now feel like sandpaper. But I'm pleased I've had overall good results, because usually I'm more reckless and end up ruining stuff.

First off, clothes; it never ceases to amaze Sister and me how much Mom has/had, even in her tiny nursing home room; and I mean a tiny, tiny room with one wardrobe too small even for me. Because of her mobility issues in the last five years, in spite of my sister's monitoring and targetted laundry scheme which included dry cleaning, handwashing by her, gentle cycle on her machine, regular nursing home laundry service, some items had not been worn in years but not removed, some worn but not laundered/repaired, while others looked dejected from wear for a generational clotheshorse like Mom. There was just so much. Sister didn't want any, and I couldn't contemplate a heavy luggage, so all went into fabric recycling, except a yellow raincoat which was Mom's last signature garment. (And a pair of PJs I needed right away because what I packed was too warm.)

It's synthetic, dry clean only. I found a microfiber cloth I used for some years, didn't know how to dispose of after learning how evil they are, and stuck in the general "household cleaning" box. Gentle rubbing with the moistened cloth took care of faded grime down the front and on one sleeve; I couldn't help noticing the patterns and placements attested to her many falls before becoming wheelchair-bound in late 2020.

There were also a few small and colorful woven pieces she made, which I packed when she moved into the nursing home, the most important of which I wrote about in the last post. Ones I selected were not necessarily her "best", but I brought home all of them, because I was aware there is no more Mom pieces forthcoming. I knew if I didn't keep them, I will regret; not to mention, they are in cheerful colors I love. 

Thinking back, she loved making "show" pieces like knotted work, and rugs, more than cloth. We all have a few of her rugs, but they were early pieces, possibly because she didn't want them around. In her 2016 exhibition, we included a dozen or so later rugs, more carefully planned and better-constructed, which after the exhibition we gave away, and the rest thrown out when we moved her out of the apartment. There were just so, so many.

Mom might have said this was a rare sample she made in preparation for something else, but I never saw the something else, so my guess is she was so pleased with the sample she didn't make that something else. Which sounds so Mom. It sat recessed in a square brown picture frame, and I'm thinking of giving it a new mat and a similar frame. I vacuumed this piece, but probably won't wash it.

There is/was a Swedish dyer and yarn producer Mom loved so much she visited her twice, but I can't find her online this morning. In Mom's world, there were colors, and then, this woman's colors. Majority of yarns used, if not all, came from her Swedish studio. I first put this piece to travel with her, but found the balls I packed with a frame loom on Mom's request when she moved. She said she started one piece, but I couldn't find the frame, so she got the balls in dreamy colors, and I kept this.

I performed one of the gentlest wool handwash jobs and dried it on a rack. I could never figure out which way Mom intended to be up/down, (I bet you can tell me if I showed you the back,) but today, I'm going with this orientation. I've been pondering weaving a large-ish cushion cover and sewing this on in the middle. It won't be practical, but interesting. 

When Mom came to Nelson without Dad, I usually had a new warp on the 16-shaft she could weave/sample; we also discussed latest samples/pieces and photos; swapped new yarn info, and Mom raided my bookshelf. One year "Tapestry Weaving" by Kirsten Glasbrook had just arrived; I wasn't as interested in tapestry as I was taken by her colors, and since Mom wove tapestries, I thought it'd be a good powwow topic. Well! Mom loved it so much she took it home in her hand luggage. (And just now, as I was going to photograph the page, I found her A3-size photocopy in the book!)

About a fortnight later, I received photos of the finished piece; considering mail those days took nearly a week to arrive, that's fast! Good thing she had yarns in all the right colors on hand, eh! :-D Also interesting she chose to make the finished piece upside down and back to front cf. the picture.

This was another gentle handwash job, keeping the beads and bottom fringe dry. I stuck a metal knitting needle to hang dry, but may replace it with a bamboo version, or so something else entirely. The color might have faded ever so slightly, but no pressing was necessary.

At the height of Mom's rug-weaving days, she wanted different rug wool in reds, so I ordered the smallest mixed lot I could find. I know she wove some, but she complained I had ordered too, too much, so on the last day of my 2010? visit, I put on a red warp on her RH for a cushion cover and started weaving. That evening, Dad, who was blind on one eye but also never noticed/commented on such trivia as colors, exclaimed, "Oh, isn't this an uplifting project!" Mom finished it immediately and put in a perfectly-sized... innards for Dad to use, until I cut it open and brought home the cover only. Then put it around my not-small-enough corduroy-covered cushion to photograph. :-P

Mom loved to weave, and dye and spin, (or is it that she loved textiles themselves?) but her interest was more experimental than mine; seeing interesting pieces on her travels around Japan or brought to her home in her youth, and later on her travels with friends and Dad or gifted by us in the form of books and large-format calendars, she inquired how things were made, and tested then out like a science experiment. (When I cleaned out her apartment in 2019, there was only one, one!, scarf she or I made over decades, but she had kept her many decorative pieces displayed all over the apartment.) This made her a more interesting person to talk to; probably a better teacher; it also suited her sociable character/life, and her generation where widespread knowledge of regional textiles traditions was far more prevalent.

Here are her last two survivors of her travel acquisitions, on top of which sat heavy objects for some years, but otherwise in good repair without excessive discoloration; the navy on the left looks much better IRL. but I also have gazillion souvenir pressies. I am contemplating gentle handwash, perhaps with Orvus, though my usual source is out of them for now.

On the other hand, Sister's and my heart break to think of how many Swedish blankets went into recycling. We laughed imagining Mom packing them into suitcases, tossing out clothes if necessary, while Dad watched half frowning, half in admiration of her passion, and offering tons of "advice".

In fact, I'm in awe of Mom's energy/passion/speed aimed at textiles that piqued her interest. She didn't waste time reading/studying/contemplating, and just made them. Which made her "body of work" was enormous. It was a good, and mighty lucky, life, in textile and her other endeavours. I'm happy for her, and Dad has got to be satisfied with the astronomical investment he made. (In addition to travels and yarn/equipment purchases, I'm thinking of the roof of our family home he had raised by a meter+ to increase Mom's yarn storage space. True story.)

Though sad, we three siblings are relieved Mom's been freed from the physical/cognitive dungeon she was thrown in for five years/this year/her last fortnight, depending on how you look at it. She's in good company wherever she is, while I am now the eldest of our tiny Mitsuhashi clan of ten. Now that's something to ponder.

Get Busy, Mom!!

This was my mother's proudest piece of weaving, done sometime in the 00s. It's based on a photo she took in Queenstown. She (natural?) dyed all her yarns, and spun most. It took her agonizing months of do-overs, making her doubt if she could ever weave something she saw in her mind, with exasperated Dad shouting from the living room to get a "more pleasant" hobby!

This is a photo of the original photo on film. It's hard to tell because I took this under harsh hotel room lights, while the top pic of the piece, in a more subtle living room, but the light and saturation are very close in real life. The blurriness of the pic didn't matter because she wanted to capture the red of the lichen a little distance away. She had this piece in a group exhibition in Japan once or twice, and I borrowed it for my 2007 exhibition; this was the only piece of weaving a visitor was interesting in purchasing. :-D

I'd come to think of Mom as having been more interested in dyeing and spinning, and then in weaving, but I now think that's wrong. She often had complete/bigger pictures, far more than my very narrow focus, and honed in on different aspect depending on the project. This was the one project she wanted to perfect all three equally. Dad and I can tell you, though, Mom went into the greatest length of research, trial and error, and, oh, the reworking, in dyeing.

There was at least one more piece she worked almost as passionately, one trying to recreate the azures of the Mediterranean, which she gave me. Except... it was/is a cotton bathroom mat, which we use, and wash, ruthlessly, so the poor thing now looks like a rag of many blues. 

Mom died, in her sleep we believe, early Sunday morning, after I saw her for the first time in over five years. She will be cremated with the tapestry piece among few other of her favorite things this morning. But no, no; no rest in peace for her, she'll hit the ground/cloud running, looking for interesting folks to talk to, in English if the spirit moves, because Dad will inevitably be among them; she'll probably hear his uproarious laughter before she sees him.

Good travels, you two.

 

Triumph of Something/Near Fire

Not counting my first Pebbles project, my sixth tied unit weave piece came off the loom last night. (The fifth remains on the sample table loom.) It was a triumph of... something, many things. Recent posts sounding like a litany of loom problems, I was looking forward to a 100% upbeat post, but foolishly declared on FB, "Goddess of Weaving willing, the first piece should come off the loom today. But did I just jinx it? Because this has been a real Murphy's project." Well, yes, indeed, I did.

* * * * *

(Ignore this part; it's for my record. I may have posted this recently, but too lazy to look up.)
To summarise: I made three warps two winters ago; put one on the loom and sampled it once, but the shafts stopped working properly early last winter. After a couple of months of rushing around fixing them, I wanted to make sure the shafts still worked, and one day lifted the shafts on a loom with a big shed without securing every warp end at the front, causing most to come out of the reed, and quite a few, out of the heddles. I was so disgusted with myself I didn't take a pic, but I should have, because it was one glorious bird's nest. I didn't mind because I wasn't crazy about the pattern threading, but I couldn't be bothered rethreading until this winter, and sampling resumed this spring. Considering there was a ten-year gap between sampling and weaving the purple, third piece, this sixth is proceeding at break-neck speed! 

* * * * *

Litany of Issues:

1) Shaft 2 is a jumper/joiner; it likes to lift when it is not required to, but only sporadically. I noticed this when I wanted to weave backwards earlier in the week to fix a weft which had draw in too far. When a shaft lifts when it need not, or more frequently lifts unevenly, (one side much higher than the other,) it usually means cords holding the shafts are tangled, or came off the spool at the top, but I found no such instance. I then created a file lifting just Shafts 1 and 2 and 3 in different order and combination and ran it, and this appeared to have fixed the problem.

It happened again yesterday, when I realized the reason why I couldn't see the weave pattern was not because it was too dark in the room, not because I was using nearly identical dark purples in the tie-down and pattern, but because I was weaving in the wrong order, or using the wrong sizes. When I opened the shed to unpick, even though I had the correct pick, the shed was different from when the weft went in.

Once again I checked the cords and the spools; once again I tried the file. I could not find anything obviously at fault, while Shaft 2 acquired a mind of its own, sticking its tongue at me, lifting as it pleased. While checking the cords, however, I noticed the tension were uneven, so I adjusted them to more or less the same degree of tautness. (Geez, there's got to be a better way to say this?) I noticed cords connected to Shaft 2 were particularly slack, so I tightened them a smidgen more than I needed to. That seemed to have done the trick but I'm not certain if I really fixed the problem.

I unpicked roughly 2.5cm, 48 picks, and found Shaft 2 had lifted three times when not called for. After that, though I didn't check every single pick, I looked up annoyingly often, and Shaft 2 operated as indicated in the files.

This summer I must take out all the shafts, wax the wooden parts so they slide easily against each other, (how long has it been???) and adjust the cords thoroughly. This is good timing as I need to reconsider heddle distribution if I were to weave more of tied unit weaves, so I don't have to move them as I run out while threading. 

2) I am better at placing the shuttles in the correct order when using two pattern wefts. It's with a single pattern weft I'm more casual, weaving with the wrong size; I caught myself twice.

3) The very first pattern pick of the double pattern weft draft I used lifts 1+4. Both times I used this file, something caused unseemly long skips in several places. You might have noticed it in this pic previously, because I debated whether to post it. This is way beyond the Shaft 2 problem, and I have no idea. I didn't even notice until a little too late, and honestly after the first time I thought it was a fluke. I have plenty of other places where I lift only 1+4, this has never occurred elsewhere. And, I mean, you can't miss it. For the next piece, I may lift one more shaft, or not use this file at all.

The first time was worse. It can be seen in the left three quarters of the entire width. 

1+4 lifted.

The top bunch of taupe yarns show the correct distribution. 

4) I have issues with my pattern weft color choices, mostly coming from my penchant for gradation when in doubt. But let me first finish the piece properly, take good pics, and tell you about them, because I realize how it look fresh off the loom different from when it's properly finished. Suffice it to say, the two ends of the piece looking completely different won't be solved in the washing machine.

I started nicely as seen at the top, and managed to keep it going for a while, until I was exhausted, and defaulted to gradation as I often do. Well... gosh, darn.  

* * * * *

Having whined at great length, I definitely have upbeat bits.

Standing and looking down at the cloth as I weave has definitely improved my technique. Selvedges look OK, I felt comfortable with them and didn't have to do any of my tricks, even though the proof is in the wet-finish. 

My body got used to weaving this way markedly after day 3; I wasn't sore or exhausted in the evenings, just tired evenly. The only thing I must remember is to walk the pedal, which was difficult when I was concentrating on other aspects. When I didn't walk, my ankle on which I stood too long hurt the next morning. But if I try to change feet, say, every four or even eight picks, at least both legs got tired to the same degree. Now I'm wondering if raising my footstool by 2 or 3cm would improve the comfort even more.

And here is the best bit. In many ways, it was an exhilarating piece to weave. Which is probably why I could stay calm in spite of mechanical problems. Many things were decided on the spot and I never knew how things would look until I wove. I can't recall a project where I was allowed to indulge in my whim so often, so thoroughly, all the way to the end. So the colors aren't spectacular, but the whole process was strangely so satisfying. 

* * * * *

We had Indian takeaway; I'll finish the piece on the weekend, then get started on the next piece.

* * * * *

I forgot to tell you about the most tragicomic part of the day. With Shaft 2 tamed and 30 or so picks to go, I suddenly smelled something burning. I turned off all conceivable switches, opened the door to the garage, the stairs, and the exterior window, wondering if someone was BBQing outside. Nope. I turned on the bathroom fan, and went upstairs and went outside to checked again, but it was definitely coming from the basement. I turned on the house vent system, and asked Ben, who was working from home, to come have a look. He opened up the computer but found no smoke or heat coming from anywhere. We were completely flummoxed because the smell was as strong as ever.

And then it dawned on me, and I turned around.

We have two of these in the house, and the top is open, with no lids. Occasionally suicidal bugs jump in to self-immolate. This lamp sits in the middle of the room to give the whole room a soft, even light. I tipped it, and sure enough, Ben says, "You have one customer."

I can't remember how long it took to weave the last 30 or so picks. I was exhausted, exasperated, and ex-whatever-ed. What. A. Day.

The End.

Is It Really That Compllicated??

I really wanted to keep weaving with two pattern wefts, but a few days and half a dozen drafts later, nothing flowed from the one I used. I wanted to keep weaving, so I went back to one pattern shaft. Never mind.

It's not as if I don't have interesting drafts; I like the two at far left. The one I wove is center bottom, but just one repeat which ends at the horizontal line. You see my dilemma; that one doesn't look like the others. I might weave it again, although I'm going try making another that has the similar bold look. 

I've been using these four drafts for the single pattern weft part. I had in mind making/weaving many more, but I decided the colors are so different every time it didn't matter if I used just these few. It might even be better for visual cohesion. You can also see why I used the bottom center draft of the double pattern weft draft; it has the same vibe.  (Note: these drafts are only representative since I have no record of how the pattern shafts were threaded.)

I'm still stuck on the idea of reversing these files and weaving backward, again. Shouldn't I be able to insert/delete a few picks and weave, which would be so simple.

Tie-down shaft order is 1-2-3-2-. Structurally, these lines are sandwiched between picks that lift 1+2+3 or 4+5+6+7+8+9. The red weft is the last pick of the original draft, so if I mirror-repeat the order, the treadling looks like above. Also notice lifting 2 (blue wefts) always follows lifting 4+5+6+7+8+9.

If I inserted four picks so the tie down order is restored to 1-2-3-2-, (purple wefts,) I have 4+5+6+7+8+9, followed by 2, and another 4+5+6+7+8+9, followed by 3, even though 3 always follow 1+2+3. Similar things happen when I delete lines.

So, I'm probably wrong; I'm probably not missing anything in this case. But I do wish I were, because it would make life easier.

5000 Days Project

I'm typing this on Saturday evening. I had a kiddie-size roller-coaster of a week, and I want to tell you about it. There is a weaving bit towards the end; scroll down to the pictures. 

* * * * *

Last week I wove on Thursday and Friday, about which I wrote in the previous post. I didn't weave on the weekend as we were busy doing stuff around the house, but I briefly saw Stella. She guessed I had been weaving, from my posture/attitude/what-not, which was nice.

Conversation touched on our aging parents; we've long thought many folks see a marked transformation somewhere around age 80; I had just seen a Morgan Freeman interview in which he said the same. Stella exclaimed she's going to make as much jewelry as she can before that, to which I responded, "I only have 13 and a half years!" (From memory, she's a decade minus four days younger than me.)

The thought stayed with me. From last Saturday to my 80th birthday was, according to a handy Internet date calculator, 4900 days; that seemed so very few, not even 5000. OK, let me extend that to, "sometime in my 80th year." 5265 days until the day before my 81st; slightly better.

At this point, it's not as though I have a concrete plan. It's more like when I aimed to use up all misc yarns before... 60, was it? It's more something to keep in mind whenever I have options. And if weeding/veg garden, doodling, or learning non-weaving stuff try to stand before me, I hope to feel less obliged/guilty and stay focused. (Ahahahaha, that's a tall order!)

* * * * *

Came Monday and it would have been a lovely day to make new rows for dwarf beans before the rain Tuesday, but I went downstairs to weave instead. But what fresh hell?? The computer refused to communicate with the monitor, the monitor complained. I did all kinds of rebooting/unplugging/plugging-in and everything else I could think of, but nothing. I messaged Ben at work but there was no quick answer, so he took a look as soon as he came home. He had a couple of ideas, but they required opening up the machine, and possibly looking for a very old part somewhere in his study cupboard, so I had to wait until the weekend.

Ugh, four or five days out of my precious 5000. You'd think I'd make the best of it by getting back to the beans Wed onward, at the very least draw, but no, I doom-scrolled, made a batch of cookies, and reorganized/tidied/culled from my cookbook bookshelf. (Yes, I have one of those, thought not exclusively for cookbooks.) The irony was not lost that it was four years ago during/after the US election, I resurrected a ten-year-old warp and started my second tied-unit piece.

The mechanism controlling the solenoids which lift the shaft require two old parallel cables, which need direct hardware control via DOS, so we need Microsoft Office 98 or older. This is to say, my loom requires very old hard- and software, and why the only thing we've been able upgrade since I bought the loom in 2002 have been the monitors.

Ben's first thought was the CMOS battery died, which he said happened once some years ago. Revision: when the computer is unplugged, this battery retains the memory. Because I turn everything off at the wall every time, this battery has to work extra hard. (You do realize I'm writing all this because I had to be re/taught this information.) Over the next few days, he also tried to prepare me in case it wasn't the battery, but something more serious, while I tried to counter with... "Can't you maybe rewrite the program?" 

Throughout the week, I thought about how to reconfigure/restructure my weaving life, as it were, to keep going in the coming 5000-ish days. I would weave mainly on the table looms, but I would also learn to combine card weaving on the jack loom à la Inge Dam. Table loom pieces would be narrower and possibly shorter; I'm OK with that, but it's lamentable now that I'm finally back on the big loom, enjoying the bigger scale. I also wondered what to do with the big loom; I couldn't sell a loom without a working treadling mechanism, but at the very least it has 1600 texolv heddles that don't fit in my other looms, so I could sell those. There are some metal parts, but not very much. Perhaps Ben could use the larger/longer pieces of wood? And the rest can keep us warm for a night or two. Oh, dear me.  

Came Friday, we wiped down all the dust, opened up the computer, Ben brushed the inside parts, and I sucked the dust and fluff with the vacuum cleaner. He replaced the battery, (which is a rather ordinary one from the supermarket,) and voila, the computer started talking to the monitor. The memory was lost, so the date defaulted to 1997 or some such, but because the computer is loaded with only the most basic files/applications just to operate the loom, it didn't take long to get it working. The air compressor and the black box were turned on, and we had lift off; the shafts lifted in the correct order. We turned everything off, and Ben closed the cover. And the computer power stayed on.

After finishing housework I was in the middle of, I rushed downstairs and turned everything on again, but... What the heck is that noise??? Ben, Ben, Ben!!!

His first words were, if the noise is coming from power source, we have a real problem. I was already picturing us sticking small pieces of the loom into the fire. It wasn't immediately apparent, but the culprit was a tiny processor fan an adjacent to the power source, the fan being secured too tightly to the base (?) it rubbed against something at the bottom, so the solution was to secure it slightly loosely. Otherwise, the loom was operative, and I marked the wall switch for the computer so I would never turn it off again.

What drama!!

Later in the evening, I might have heard him mumble, "Well, it is just a matter of reprogramming..." but he might deny it if we ask.

* * * * *

Friday evening I finally managed to weave a few centimeters; I went with two pattern wefts. So far I haven't been adventurous in my color choices. Two pattern wefts slow down the appearance of color changes, and it works beautifully with gradation, but good gradation can also be flat, and I plan to pepper it with some excitement, also.

One obstacle now is the transition from one draft file to another. I spend a lot of time looking at the files on screen to see if one design flows on to the next, but I am never sure until I see it on the loom. To make things easier, I decided to make/edit the files longer. In fact, I wanted to weave this afternoon but I didn't have a nice transition between any of the five files I had made, so I tried to write/amend some more. Funny how this is so easy some days, but other days it never happens.

I wouldn't say two pattern wefts weave quickly, but with ample distance between the breast beam and the first shaft, the shuttles line up comfortable and the operation is smooth.

* * * * *

As of Thursday, we've been in New Zealand for 30 years. I wouldn't have become a weaver if we didn't move here, so thank you, Aotearoa. 

About Time, Eh.

Purple cauliflower seedlings that survived my less-than-elegant transplant, from one packet of seeds purchased a few years ago.

Sum total of white cauliflowers from a packet purchased at the same time. :-D

This spring I spent more hours outside than I expected, thanks in part to the cooler temps and periodic rain which kept hay fever down. It's November and this spring I used my meds maybe half a dozen times, which is super extraordinarily amazingly few, in spite of winds upwards of 68km/h in the last week, making 40kms "normal" these days. We also had the fire going three nights in the last ten days, and maybe again this weekend with expected lows of 5C, although forecast is as reliable as astrology this spring; we will run out of firewood at this pace. (November is usually when conscientious shoppers start buying the following winter's firewood.) I'm determined to put in all the seeds I collected/bought in the last few years in the ground, even while accumulating a few more packets of dwarf beans and a couple of zucchinis. And first time ever, peas! If I have to stick stuff in between flowers, so be it!  

Then there is my avoidance of work, in this case overthinking about drafts, because I am so aware I haven't grasped all the information I need about this project. I was coaxed to get back on the loom, however, by a long-time weaver friend, and Ben, and on Thursday, with the wind up again, I went downstairs and started weaving my first proper piece. This worked great because I got some clarity on what I want to do re. drafts/patterns. And though the loom mechanism is still not at its best, (the foot pedal doesn't leak air any more, but sometimes I must press with my heal to drop the shafts, making "walking" awkward,) the weaving feels faster. Or, because I'm not sampling but weaving, I am concentrating on different aspects, and that somehow translates to... the perception of speed.

Colors look glittery, but this is the last part of Thursday's work. I want to use mainly the blue half of the color wheel in the pattern wefts, but other than purple, I have so many more of the yellow half.

Friday's top half; here I was trying to capture how different angles show off different parts of the pattern or color combos clearly. You may think, "Duh, of course," but it's more marked in real life, particularly in what you don't see. In the top photo, for e.g. the you can see more pattern in the yellow weft area than in real life. 

Things I learned:

* Selecting weft colors "on the spot" works. Although I aimed for something of a gradation for the pattern wefts so far, anything has gone on in the tie down. They're lovely to see as I weave, and though they may disappear after the 20/2s bloom, I know they're there, and maybe one day the wearer will, too. 

* Standing up and weaving, I thought of weaving a slightly wider warp. I'd love go bigger if I can. I also toy around with the idea of 20/2 warps with 60/2 wefts; I've woven in this way once or twice, and not only it takes eternity, 60/2s don't full nicely. Still, if I can find a way, and beat loosely, maybe?????

* There was something else seemingly important but not technical I wanted to tell you, but now I can't remember because the technical stuff is easier to put into words, while aesthetic/feeling stuff, not as much. I hope it comes back in the next "sitting".

* This is really turning into "the weaver does what she wants" style. The color/number changes are abrupt; the pattern threading changes are abrupt, and in the past, even the lifting changed abruptly. I'm not sure if this is conducive to crating attractive (flowing, i.e. styles I tend to prefer,) pieces to sell. I realize like realism vs post-Impressionist/abstract, it's a matter of taste. But the pieces coming off this warp will retain this fragmented look. 

* Having said that, for discipline/learning as well as for a kind of visual cohesion, I'm trying to make/weave drafts with some continuity. For e.g. if a draft's last pattern shed has 4 and 5 up, I'll choose as the next draft something starting with 4 and/or 5, or 3 or 3+4, or 5 or 5+6 up. I haven't fully understood how to do this with ease yet, but on screen, drafts must look OK lined up in succession. 

* I have at least two other warps to be woven in tied unit. I may consider a more flowing pattern shaft threading next. But, if the threading and lifting flow, will the color/number changes in the thread look more disjointed?

Conundrum: (Read this only if you are as interested in tied unit weaves as I am; otherwise, skip to the last paragraph, or better yet, go do something that engages your mind!)

In my current project, this is the minimum unit of required lifting, ("repeat" in weaving lingo), which makes the cloth's weave structure "tied unit weave". (I think "three-tie unit weave" to be precise, because I'm using three shafts, 1, 2 and 3, to tie down.) In a real draft, I have multiples of these repeats all the way, and all my drafts end with a pattern lift with 2 up so I can move on to the next draft. 

In the two above examples, I'm lifting no pattern shafts. This can be woven as is, and it makes a cloth mostly warp-colored on one side, weft-colored on the other, can highlight the tie-down pattern, something else I'm interested in, but we'll ignore this today.

Usually I include pattern shafts to lift, which are for appearance/patterns you see right away rather than the structure which, well, keeps all the threads together in the cloth. Here I lifted Shaft 6 twice, and 7 and 8 twice after that. I had imagined, because tie-down shafts were lifted 1-2-3-2, I could weave forwards or backwards using the same draft files as long as I remembered to insert a pattern shed lifting Shaft 1. So:

The purple picks show the last repeat of the draft without the pattern picks. Next I reversed the order in green. Then I inserted the pattern shed lifting 1 in red, which must be sandwiched between tie down sheds, in orange, which are either 1+2+3 or 4+5+6+7+8+9, alternately. And therein lies the problem: I can't just flip the drafts and weave; I must alternate the tie down shafts. And it's much easier on the eyes to make up a new draft. It took me a few days, even with the weaving software screen staring at me, to see exactly how this (didn't) work!

The truth is, if I wove either of the tie down sheds twice in a row, they may not show up glaringly in the finished cloth, but I'd know, and now you would, too.

* * * * *

I'm riding this momentum in the coming weeks; eight sitting should complete one scarf. Stella could tell I have been weaving from my posture. (She adopted some of my violet cauliflowers.) It's nice to recall weaving helps the thinking as much as the other way around.

On the other hand, the season is changing, and I love when my mind obsesses with finding/trying new recipes, making the most of the latest produce to return to supermarket shelves. And that propels me outside, when the weather is cooperative.

"Random", What a Strange Concept - The Tied Unit Weave Warp Samples Part II

I'm glad I did more sampling, ostensibly to test different washing cycles, but in trying out different styles of lift plans, too. In the course, I made a big discovery, or should I say, had a monumental "Doh!" moment: whatever anomalies I include, I am weaving a tied unit weave, yielding its characteristic A- vs B-side "opposite" looks.

I apologize the colors in these photos aren't accurate, (and rather dull,) as they were taken over multiple days in different lights. But I did pull out my trusted camera so at least the focus is better. I've always woven 20/2 cotton, regardless of the structure, at 42EPI; the tension and beat at or near highest possible, though they differ depending on the loom. I use a 6-dent reed.

First, the wash cycle:
* Sometimes reed marks remain in the cloth post wet-finish, but after a while they disappear while handling. They really do!
* I put all samples in laundry net/bags.
* As regards wrinkles, these cloth tend to straighten themselves out in due course, even without steam press. 
* Re. 60/2s, when I say visible, you can see them if you know they exist; I'm not sure if the wearer will even notice during regular use.

Quick Cycle/cold water: 20/2 doesn't seem to full as much as other cycles; retains reed marks; not a lot of wrinkles, and what is there comes out in dry pressing. 60/2 is equally visible on A- and B-sides, particularly where the hue contrasts that of the pattern weft, but not enough to influence the overall appearance of the cloth; they are more like dots in between fat threads.

Quick Cycle/warm wash: 20/2 fulls well; reed marks are gone; very little wrinkles, which comes out in dry pressing. I may be imagining but the dye may wash off slightly more than cold washes. 60/2 is equally visible on A- and B-sides, particularly where the hue contrasts that of the pattern weft, but not enough to make a difference to the "colors".

Regular Cotton Cycle/cold water: 20/2 fulls well; reed marks are gone; finished cloth is very wrinkly and does not straighten out in dry pressing. 60/2 is more visible on the B-side, but still hard to see. (In contrast to the other two, I stuck this in with my regular laundry.)

* * * * *

Now the tied unit weave part:
Now that I realize it's just a tied unit weave, I see its characteristics all over, the previous smaller pieces included. The difference is what I called "design cells" sometimes being smaller. (You've probably been shouting this since 2020, even 2010.)

This time around I prefer bolder designs.

A-side.

B-side of the approximately same section. I also decided I'm not a big fan where the same warp is lifted too many picks in a row. Also, lifting in fussy ways I used to, for e.g. 1&2&5&7 may not make attractive shapes/lines I want in this project. (I tried it somewhere in these samples, but I can't even tell where, which tells me something.) 

I also liked sections where I used two pattern wefts after one tie-down.

A-side.

Bottom combination is similar yellow and yellow-green pattern with light teal tie-down.

Sorry about the tragic photo. Top combinations, I first used the Christmas red and green in the pattern, purple for the tie-down; later I switched to a saturated, (doesn't look it here but trust me,) teal and red in pattern. The top section with teal looked absolutely dull/dead while weaving , I had to see if it looked as bad without the red, and it didn't.

B-side; the colors are pretty accurate. The first section with similar colors looks "delicately striking" in certain lights, but I couldn't capture it in a photo.

* * * * *

I've been thinking about randomness in weaving. Nearly 20 years ago I did a swap with a local bone and stone carver and he wanted me to weave something "random". I thought about it for a long time, could not think of one element of randomness in the way I wove then, and ended up weaving something quite un-random looking.

Likewise, I say I thread thread the pattern shafts randomly in these projects; I say I choose colors quite randomly. But this is not true; I don't have concrete plans, and "play by ear," but I don't close my eyes and use whatever I pick up first, which is how I define random. The more I get used to weaving this style on the big loom, the less I worry about weft colors, or the tie down and shaft combo, but it's still hardly random. Because this question arose early in my weaving life, I'll probably think about this forever, every so often. But it's a nice question, don't you think?  

* * * * *

I'll go back to making more lift plan drafts, in bolder rather than delicate designs. It's supposed to rain often this week, so I hope to get started on a scarf proper. 

Where Shall I Begin? - The Tied Unit Weave Warp Sample Part I

Wednesday last week, I got a big sample off the big loom. There are numerous factors/issues/points of interest in this piece I don't know where to focus, but I should start somewhere. Some contents in this post also repeat what I wrote here, but I'd like to include all pertinent information here. This is going to be a haphazard post, because I haven't finished observing, but bear with me.

* After the trouble and repairs of a year ago, the loom works, but shaft lifting feels slower, dropping even more so and erratic. I press the foot pedal to lift the shafts, and take my foot off it for the pedal to return to normal position and the shafts to drop, but sometimes the latter doesn't happen, so I must press the pedal with my heel, forcing it back into position. It's annoying, but I can tolerate because this is a two-shuttle weave, and my mind is on colors. I would be silly-crazy to attempt a one-shuttle weave until this is fixed, though.

* About halfway into this sample, I got accustomed to my new foot stool and anti-fatigue standing mat; and perhaps because the shaft movement is slow, I can walk comfortably. I weave looking down on the web from a higher position than weaving seated, and can reach the selvedges comfortably. This is 53.5cm on the loom.  

* The warp end colors/numbers and pattern shaft threading are as "random" as they can be, i.e. I had no plans and selected/assigned them on the spot. 

* I used Shafts 1-3 for diamond-shaped tie down; Shafts 4-9 for pattern; that's six shafts for pattern, the same as on my sample table loom on which I've woven my previous "random" tied unit weave. If/when I thread another tied unit piece, I would leave an empty shaft between tie-down and pattern sets. While threading, I sit between the shafts and the back beam, i.e. I am threading from the back of the shafts with Shaft 16 nearest me, I might use the highest numbered shafts for tie-down and lower numbered shafts for pattern. This loom has a big shed, so this is feasible. 

Colors

* There are two rules/guidelines regarding colors in weaving I never bought into. One is, when in doubt, use black weft. I don't; black kills the warp, except in limited context. I use charcoal gray, navy, or dark purples, if I must, but prefer to find colors that make the most of warp colors. The other is, red and green make mud. I've found this to be untrue; the right value/hue/saturation combo or proportion make them sing in harmony. For some reason, my two dissents rang louder and clearer while I wove this particular sample. 

* In spite of my dissents, I still find these warp colors and numbers/placement/distribution difficult, (unattractive?) and wonder if I should try harmony, (yellows? oranges?) or control/suppression, (saturated green, teal, hot pink.) I feel ambivalent about purples. While sampling, I was partial to controlling and looked for strong, saturated pattern wefts, but looking at it now, I should also try another piece with more harmonious pattern wefts on the yellow half of the color wheel.

* This next point relates to texture, below; as I wove I was amazed how much the 60/2 tie down wefts contributed to the overall color, how much I could see them, so much so I tried three contrasting tie down wefts against some pattern wefts, but after wet finishing, they disappeared from the A-side, (the side I see as I weave,) while they show up aggressively in some parts of B-.

* There are still many aspects puzzling me regarding colors, but I think I'll make selections more or less spontaneously as in the past. 

These are 60/2 for tie down. I don't have a lot of saturated colors, and no blues, so I wound everything from purple to yellow, and selected pale greens of various descriptions. I have many more of these "raincoat" colors, and a couple of greys, black and white, which don't interest me in this project.

Many/most of my 20/2 are saturated, and I wound every color I have.

Wet Finishing

* My observations become ambiguous, but bear with me. From left to right: 5-point diamond before rethreading this warp from last year; 4-point diamond from a sample woven on Klik in 2015-ish; and the latest. I can't see the three-point diamond in the latest sample. As well, I beat as hard as I can when weaving cotton, but now I'm uncertain if the beat is gentler when I weave standing up on the big loom vs. seated when I'm pulling the beater towards me, or on the table loom.  

* Above the fold is B-side; below, A-side. The pattern weft expands so much in wet finishing, the tie down wefts become invisible in most places, the exception being the skinny stripes at the top, where it's too visible. These are not wrong wefts in wrong sheds, and occurs only on B-side; corresponding A-side looks normal. Having figure that out, I wonder if this is caused by the beat, wet-finishing, or different characteristics of the looms and how I weave on them. But then it could simply the number of pattern shafts lifted at once. [Insert crazy-face emoji.]  

On the left is a section of Sunflower I; the right, the purple piece I once gave a spiffy name to but now can't remember, both woven on the sample table loom. Tie-down wefts, in comparison, is visible IRL but not excessively so.

* My cotton pieces are wet-finished inside/out of laundry bags, in hot/warm/cold water, in regular/quick cycle in the washing machine. Sometimes it's steam pressed right away; sometimes line dried, then pressed; sometimes not pressed. Writing this, I realize how inconsistent I've been, so I'll stick to the same options from now on, once I figure out which are the best. Wet finishing and the beat influence the appearance, in particular of the pattern wefts, but I haven't noticed any difference in the texture/hand of the cloth; all the samples and two finished pieces feel more or less the same.

Scale/Proportion

* This is a simple idea I'm having difficulty putting into words. In wider pieces as in the current warp or the abandoned 2019 piece, I prefer to make the smallest design cell/unit larger, while narrower pieces can stand smaller design cell/unit. What I mean is, on wider pieces, the cloth/scarf as a whole looks more attractive when we can see the design from some distance. In the same abandoned piece, the design cells are enormous. They don't have to be as big in this warp, but have a look.

The white pattern weft area, from the bottom, (but ignore the very bottom 2cm,) lifting three pattern shafts for three pattern repeats; two for two, and one for one. And this is only half the width of the current warp. Because of the white weft, the one pattern shaft for one repeat is visible, but depending on the weft color, not so much. I'm not saying I won't do small, but the bigger cells' visibility make the cloth more immediately attractive, even. (or especially,) with, weft colors closer to the warp. 

I am not rethreading this warp again, so what this means is, as a general rule, the design in this project may be more effective if 2, 3, or 4 pattern shafts are lifted at a time, rather than 1 or 5. And the pattern lift should be more than four times "consecutively"; e.g. in a repeat of:

1+2+3, 1+P, 4+5+6+7+8+9, 2+P, 1+2+3, 3+P, 4+5+6+7+8+9, 2+P

P should be, say, 4+6+7 for all four pattern lifts, or more. This is great because I have fewer "good" options to consider, and making of lift plan files simpler.

Having written this far, I'm not convinced I really believe what I said. The wearer can still enjoy cell-level design up close, e.g. one pattern shaft being lifted for just once.

This is a big design on a Sunflower warp sample. It's not unattractive, and I'm not against it. Here I tried two/three? pattern lifting/colors for every tie-down lifting, so I needed it to be bolder so I can see.

On the same warp, I tried smaller cells/units. Sometimes, depending on the context, changing pattern shafts too quickly look like a lifting mistake. 

Even the abandoned project with enormous design cells had some interest close up, but it's not enough!! Now I'm wondering why I didn't stay with this because I can see merits. It took forever to rethread and make Hellebores, which was wonderful, but just saying...  

EDIT, Oct 6: In terms of scale, I'm also re/considering how few picks of a different/contrasting color I can include and make it effective. I'm currently weaving a few samples to try out wet finish options, so I'll try that out in different contexts.   

* * * * *

So far, this is what I learned from this sample, but I'm sure there's more to it, while a lot depends on my preference. My mind is still muddy because factors are so interrelated. Worse, I have a lot of tied unit samples and I can't say anything is definitive/consistent, except I beat hard on the sample table loom. (I hope I didn't jinx myself and start to go soft there.)  

What next? Making lift plan files. I'm trying to retain the randomness/spontaneity of the table loom, making shorter files to mix and match. I may also weave a couple of samples to experiment with the different wet-finishing options.