Prototype

This afternoon I wove some samples and then decided to go with my gut and proceed with a prototype of the new product.

I'm not going to do a reveal just yet - this idea is too new and the sampling/prototyping isn't done and somehow I feel like talking too much about it will in some way jinx it.  :}

(What, me?  Superstitious?)

Doug has also been asking me if the fix he did on the fly shuttle worked so it felt good to report back to him.  Turned out it still wasn't quite right so he tweaked the piston and I left it shortly before 9 pm with it working well.  We'll see for how long as it worked perfectly fine for the sampling and well into the prototype before going all wimpy on me again.

The warp is two shades of dark red 2/20 mercerized cotton, one slightly darker value than the other but very close in hue - both are slightly on the brown end of the spectrum.  I tried several different wefts in both cotton and bamboo and will judge them for suitability after wet finishing.  But as I say, my gut is telling me that the unmercerized cotton is going to out perform the bamboo so I went ahead with that for the prototype.

I have enough warp on the loom to make four of the new product and then I'll give one or two to a friend to test drive them and report back on suitability.  The function of this product is very specific so it really needs to go into the field, so to speak, and get used before I decide which way to go in terms of putting this into production and offering it for sale.

Sometimes it's not enough to just weave a sample; sometimes you have to actually make a sample product, too.

Currently reading Damask Days by Evelyn Hood