Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Going Slow to go.....Fast?

I am not a particularly happy camper. I'm not happy with the results I'm getting, and I'm not happy about how I'm having to go about getting even those results. :(




Notice anything odd in the photo above? Like, where's the reed?

Well, I was even less happy with the results while using a 6 dent reed, 8 ends per dent. I was getting definite reed streaks and in this textile, was highly doubtful the streaks would come out.

I'm not happy about using the white weft (see photo below) but since the density isn't quite warp faced, the brick red was showing through and muddying up the rest of the colours.



The white is better, but of course shows on the selvedge.

The only way I can weave this is with a stick shuttle, using the shuttle to beat the wefts into place. This is just the first 3 inches or so of weaving, and I need to work a lot harder on my right hand selvedge (my right hand is my dominant hand, so the left selvedge is much better.)

I'm also thinking I need to quadruple the brick red and try it again with the stick shuttle. The textile is about a 1/4 inch narrower, so the warp is providing better coverage without the reed. But not entirely, so I'm thinking that's a waste of time and effort.

Sigh.........

This project is proving once again that I really am not all that happy about doing special orders that need to be absolutely precise.

Currently reading Shades of Blue by Bill Moody

3 comments:

barbara said...

Might I suggest to take a break, perhaps when you mind is on something else; the solution will just come to you!!! I know you have the solution in your head, you just need to access it; and you will!!!!

Janet said...

Ugh! You have my sympathies. I'm in a similar boat myself right now: I wove a blanket on my big loom for a customer but miscalculated on weft so the blanket came out 10" shorter than she wanted, plus I just went back and checked my notes and got the emphasis on colours wrong. Too much yellow, not enough teal.

I can weave the second blanket longer but I can't do much about all the yellow in the warp now, so it looks like I get to weave off this warp on spec and then use the same colours again and put on a whole new warp for her.

I'm seriously considering not taking any more custom orders, it's just so hard to turn down the money when people ask for them!

Good luck with your bands - hopefully Barbara's right and a perfect, simple solution will suggest itself. :)

barbara said...

My sympathies to you both on these special orders. I just don't take special orders ..... I always found it too stressful. Then again, I don't count on my weaving income to live (one has to balance things out). Dealing with colors is tricky what the client sees and what you see can be two different things. With a change in size (if it was not my mistake); hopefully they have offered increased payment; and will purchase the original order as well. You should not have to be out money on this one.
Onwards and upwards my weaving friends.