Networking

I think this project is the perfect example of why it's important to actually weave something and not just read about it. It also continues to reinforce that sampling is good.

I'd been muddling over how to play with color and texture in overshot and, in searching for some interesting references, found my way to Bonnie Inouye's article in the now-defunct WeaveZine on Networked Twill. I read it. I read it again. I got out my laptop and fired up Fiberworks and played around. Regardless, I just couldn't wrap my head around it so that left me no choice but to wind a warp and fire up the loom.

Project Notes:

• Warp: 8/2 BFL from Ashland Bay (this is very loosely plied - I'd prefer a higher twist and may well run it through the wheel first next time)
• Weft: 8/2 Mill Ends from WEBS
• Sett: 20epi - 2 ends per dent in a 10 dent reed

Woven off at 20 ppi for as balanced a fabric as possible.

I hemstitched at the beginning and after weaving off 75", left some room for fringe and then wove off a bit more as a sample to keep. I gave the finished scarf a bath and also gave it a vigorous rubbing. I may well run it through the wash next load to see if the whole thing will full even more. I'd like it to be just a hint softer.

The big learning here was how to manipulate the treadling to get curves - both slow, sweeping ones as well as sharp, zig-zaggy ones. It's all about how slowly or quickly I work my way across the treadles. The threading is based on a 4-shaft twill, so a "closed" repeat is four picks. If I stop short, then I work "left" two treadles from the last (e.g. - if I end on 5, then I start again on 2; end on 7 and start again on 4, etc.). Now, I can extend the repeat to five six or seven picks, that just changes where I start for the next segment. It took about 18 inches of weaving before I started to feel confident about where things would go - and then it became fun!

The other thing that happened was a noticeable rippling in the cloth. You can see that a bit in the picture above. The tie-up was a 3/1/1/3 so the cloth was "faced" and that, I think, is what helped give the added dimension. I was a bit worried about tension problems but as long as I kept moving those curves around, all was well. Bonnie's original piece was done in silk and I did wonder how much of my tension stuff got absorbed by the wool. BFL is far from elastic, but it does forgive.

And, of course, I wove a bit of the sample at the end in my (continuing) favorite yarn. Yup, that's the Dead Weaver Blue. I like the contrast so much more than the natural brown and, when I get to the real project, I'll probably go for a darker weft. An inky black with hints of yellow and green (think asphalt) with white nepps. Should be fun.

I'm going to fess up and say that I'm behind on my January list - I've not yet sewn the vest but I have been thinking about the fabric I plan to sample for next month. So, this weekend is for sewing and firming up sampling. I do think I'll be able to get it all done. Just need to get off my (proverbial) duff. Post this weekend to recap on where I am against the list.

Over(shot) the Moon

I should have seen this coming. After all the moaning and grumbling about sampling, it should have been perfectly obvious that I'd be charmed by this little whimsy. I present my new BFF (Best Fabric Forever) - overshot.

Look at those adorable little diamonds. Go ahead, I'll wait. Actually, let's look a little bit closer.

Aren't those little tweedy bits amazing? And they give just a hint of depth and interest to the color. Yeah, that's my "Dead Weaver Stash" coming through again. No idea what it is other than some kind of wool single with tweedy bits. Best of all, I'd not planned on using this yarn for anything other than a sample on this warp. But once I wove off that first motif, I was hooked.

Don't worry though, I had done a whole bunch of sampling with the 8/2 Mill End Wool that I'd originally planned on for this sample. It's a totally different animal.

In real life, the pattern is much less distinct. The wool bloomed much more than I expected and I don't think there's nearly enough contrast between the warp and pattern weft for the overall effect to come through. There's a sample for both of you - I was at least smart enough to ensure I had plenty. And I'll include a snippet of the yarns as well.

See? Super fuzzy. Super, DUPER fuzzy. Again, I should have (and kinda did) expected more bloom from this yarn than the tweed single - the single is quite round and "hard". I'd almost think it'd been fulled as part of processing. I don't think it's sized, but I can have another look at the unwashed samples.

The other yarn I sampled was a 5/2 Mercerized cotton. The finished fabric has an amazing sheen (mercerized) and the hand is quite nice but, again, the color is all wrong. I'm not at all fussed about it though - again, it was meant to be a sample. Getting a picture was difficult because of the reflection off of the cotton, but here goes.

Now, here's the really, REALLY cool part. This fabric is stretchy. I mean, REALLY stretchy. It's positively elastic! And that was completely out of the blue. Who knew? Is that predictable? It's gotta be the wool doing it's thing, but still. Crazy. This is like handwoven spandex.

And now I want to do more. Maybe a wool/silk combination. And something with a less (ahem) exciting motif that would lend itself to a jacket. That might just mean super fine threads, and I can get behind that, but there's absolutely more work to be done here. Not sure if this is vest-worthy, but there's absolutely more overshot in my future. You two should try this.