Precision

photo showing a red and beige fabric that represents plain weave as the design

Weaving is the kind of craft where on the one hand there is a great deal of precision, and on the other, not so much.

We can, with some effort, be quite precise in our math, in our physical skills, in our choices for density and weave structure.

The above photo shows a fun design woven in 1:3:3:1 twill over 16 shafts.  The overall effect is to represent a plain weave structure.  But that design is faux.  It is a visual pun, so to speak.

The effect relies on having a near perfect beat and a near perfect ppi.  The photo was taken with the cloth on the loom so the twill line is slightly steep.  After wet finishing the twill line is near perfect, which enhances the effect of showing a plain weave structure as the design in the cloth.

Part of the difficulty with the written word and attempting to share information of a technical nature is that there are so many things that can go wrong.  The choice of yarns might not be optimal.  For this effect to work, the yarns should be smooth.  There should be contrast between the warp and weft to enhance the effect.  In this warp a variety of colours were used, close in value and hue.  (2/20 mercerized cotton)  The weft was a single linen in a pale beige.  The effect would be muted if the warp and weft were the same value.

When it comes to someone else weaving this cloth, they may have a different loom, different choices for yarn, different ability to assess the density that might be required and achieve a consistent beat.

They might weave under a different degree of tension and more - or less - force in their beat.

They might be trying to achieve a 'perfect' twill line in the loom under tension instead of a 'perfect' twill line after wet finishing.

They might not understand that the yarns will behave differently in the wet finishing - the cotton will shrink more than the linen.

So while I can document what I do, I can share that documentation, someone else reading what I have done is making certain assumptions.  They are assuming that they and I have the same skills, the same loom, the same quality of yarns.  And none of that might be true.  In the end, their results, their experience, may well differ.

We all see the world through the lens of our experience.  What is true for me may not be true for someone else.  This is the reality bubble we each live in.

When an experienced weaver tells a new weaver to sample?  We are not being unhelpful.  We are telling the new weaver that they need to do their work.  Because change one thing and everything can change...    Any technical information I share is only ever a starting place for another weaver.

Draft taken from The Fanciest Twills of All  by Irene K. Wood